Job 2:10 But he said to her, You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God… There is an old saying, "Past cure past care." Is this a proverb that belongs only to the world, or may it receive a Christian application? Surely it is descriptive of the grace of true resignation. We sometimes hear of "bowing to the inevitable"; but the Christian knows a better way than bowing to the inevitable — he makes use of it. There is a wonderful passage in George Eliot's Mill on the Floss which illustrates my meaning. Honest Luke is striving to comfort the poor, ruined, and paralysed miller. "Help me down, Luke. I will go and see everything," said Mr. Tulliver, leaning on his stick and stretching out his other hand towards Luke. "Ay, sir," said Luke, as he gave his arm to his master, "you'll make up your mind to it when you've seen everything. You'll get used to it. That's what my mother says about her shortness of breath. She says she's made friends wi't now, though she fought agin it sore when it first came on. She's made friends wi't now." Making friends with the inevitable! That appears to me to be the way of the disciples of Christ — the inevitable loses its sting when we try to turn it to godly ministry. Adversity can be so used as to become our helper to higher things. Parallel Verses KJV: But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips. |
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