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He says that God, who formerly had been kind to him, was now become cruel in His actings and dispensations toward him; and whereas He was wont to support him, He did now employ His power, as an enemy, in opposition to him. Job, in expressing his sorrow and resentments, is too pathetic, and expresseth much passion and weakness, for which he is reproved by Elihu. Considering this complaint in itself, it teacheth —

1. It is the way of God's people to take up God as their chief party in all their troubles.

2. God may seem, for a time, not only not to hear godly supplicants, but even to be a severe foe to them. "Thou art become cruel."

3. It is a character of a godly man, that he is sadly afflicted with any sign of God's indignation, or even with the want of an evidence of God's favour and affection in trouble. Wicked men look rather to their lot in itself, without minding God's favour, or anger, in it.

4. Whether the wicked think of God's favour, who never knew it, yet the want of it will be sad to the godly, who have tasted by experience how sweet it is.

5. As God's power, when He lets it forth in effects, is irresistible and unsupportable for any creature to endure it, however fools do harden themselves, so godly men will soon groan under the apprehension thereof. It is indeed a characteristic of godly men that they are sensible of their own weakness, and therefore are soon made to stoop under the mighty hand of God. Learn —

(1) All men by nature are apt to have hard thoughts of God in trouble.

(2) Temptation may overdrive, even such as are truly godly, to speak that which is unbecoming, yea, worse than they think.

(3) When godly men are ready to complain of God without cause, or to give credit to sense, they will readily find their complaints grow upon their hand.

(George Hutcheson.)

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KJV: Thou art become cruel to me: with thy strong hand thou opposest thyself against me.

WEB: You have turned to be cruel to me. With the might of your hand you persecute me.