God Compared to a Giant

    GOD COMPARED TO A GIANT

    "He breaketh me with breach upon breach, and runneth upon me like a giant," Job 16:14

    JOB, under the heavy pressures of afflictions, maketh this bitter complaint. I know not any scripture besides, wherein God is held forth by this similtude, viz. running upon his people, or a particular saint, like a giant. Which shows, as Mr. Caryl well observes from the place, how much terror God is pleased to clothe himself with, and what strength he puts forth, whilst be contends with those that fear him. God doth not only afflict such as he loves, but sometimes he afflicts them sorely: doth he not so when he shakes them in pieces? doth he not so, when he sets them as his mark, when a multitude of skilful archers compass them about, when he cleaves their reins asunder, when he pours out their gall upon the ground? doth he not so, when he sets engines of battery, to make breach upon breach, and then runs upon them like a giant?

    Doct. God sometimes, in chastising or afflicting of his people, runneth upon them like a Giant.

    SIMILE

    I. A Giant is a mighty man, or a man of more strength and robustness than others, as Goliah, and the sons of Anak were: when a Giant assualts a man, it is more than to be set upon by an ordinary man.

    PARALLEL

    I. God puts forth his strength, when he is said to break forth against a man like a Giant. What is a weak man, or a poor feeble child, in the hands of a Giant? How much less is man, in the hand of a strong and mighty God?

    SIMILE

    II. A Giant is not only said to be strong, but fierce and terrible; and his running upon one like a Giant, denotes courage, fierceness and fearlessness, therefore called Horim.

    PARALLEL

    II. God seemed to come forth against Job fiercely, as if he would break him to pieces, and destroy him at once: "I will give thy flesh (saith Goliah to David) to the fowls of heaven," 1Sa 17:44.

    SIMILE

    III. A Giant is not only strong and fierce, but also swift; hence David compares the sun at his rising, ''to a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and to a Giant or strong man, who rejoiceth to run a race."

    PARALLEL

    III. God is not only fierce in the way of his chastisement of his people, but also sometimes very swift: He may seem to delay for a while the use of the rod, but at last he cometh on apace, brings one judgment upon another speedily, as appears from Job's messengers.

    Quest. Why is God said sometimes to run thus upon his people as a Giant, and break out so furiously upon them whom he dearly loves?

    Ans. Sometimes, because he is greatly offended and provoked so to do by their sins: "You have I known above all the families of the earth, therefore will I punish you for iniquities," Am 3:2. God's people sin sometimes with a high hand, therefore God punisheth them with a high hand: "Thine arrows stick fast in me, and thine hand presseth me sore," saith that good man, David: and again, "There is no soundness in my flesh," Ps 38:3.

    Quest. But why did God run like a Giant upon so upright and holy a man as Job was? Doth it stand with the justice and righteousness of God, thus to break forth upon a holy person?

    Ans. Before I speak to the solution of this question, it will be necessary to premise six or seven things.

    1. Though it may not be immediately for this or that sin, that the Almighty afflicts his Jobs; yet sin is the original cause of all their affliction: if Job had not been polluted and defiled with sin, he had never known sorrow or affliction.

    2. Though Job might not be afflicted for sin, yet Job's sin (though a very holy man) deserved greater punishment than that which God brought upon him: he hath visited thee little or nothing, saith Elihu; so the word will bear it. The least mercy is more than we deserve, and the greatest affliction is less than we deserve. He hath not dealt with us after our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.

    3. Though God came forth fiercely upon Job, yet it was not in a way of wrath, to destroy him; nay, God did not design any injury or wrong to him, but contrariwise his great good and advantage. "You have heard of the patience of Job, and of the end of the Lord; that he is very pitiful, and of tender mercy," Jas 5:11.

    4. We must always imprint this, as an undoubted truth, and sure maxim, in our minds; that though God sometimes afflicts, or may afflict his children, as a bare act of his sovereignty, sin being not directly the occasion thereof; yet nothing God doth or can do is unjust. "I know, Loxd, that thy judgments are right, and that thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me," Ps 119:75. "All his ways are judgment, a God of truth, and without iniquity, just and righteous in all his ways," De 32:4, that is, his administrations, or his doings, as Mr. Ainsworth notes, are judgment, that is judicious, equal: a God of truth, or faithfulness; without iniquity, or there is in him no iniquity, no injurious evil: right or righteous is he. Consider further,

    5. That the greatest and sorest afflictions that godly men may meet with, are no sufficient ground to conclude they are cast out of God's favour: for the best of saints, and dearest servants of God, have been from the beginning under the greatest exercise of affliction. "As many as he loves, he rebukes and chastens," Re 3:19.

    6. Another thing that we should premise is that the afflictions which we meet with in this world, come not by chance. They are all measured out by God's ordering providence, in matter and manner, for kind and quality. And though the judgments and dealings of God are sometimes very secret, and hard to be understood at first, we ought with patience to bear them, and humbly wait, till God is pleased to show us his mind and pleasure in them.

    7. We must consider, that it is our duty to acknowledge all our troubles and afflictions, and whatever they be, as coming from God; and look beyond instruments and secondary causes: "Is there any evil in the city, and I have not done it? He breaketh me with breach upon breach, and runneth upon me like a Giant." He; why some may say, it was the devil and his agents, viz., the Sabeans and Chaldeans, &c. Job knew that no devil or wicked man could hurt or touch him, if God did not give them leave, and open the door for them.

    These things being premised, I now shall give you five or six reasons why God ran thus upon Job, or breaks forth after this manner upon sincere persons, when sin is not the cause.

    It is necessary to note this by the way, that God doth frequently single out the most eminent and choicest of his children, to undergo the sharpest and sorest affliction, because they have the greatest strength. Joseph excelled for grace and virtue, and therefore he is singled out from all his brethren to hard works and sufferings. No man like Job in all the earth, in his day, for a perfect and upright man; and what a man of sorrow and afflictions was he: those that have received most grace from God, are able to bear most afflictions from God. A general of an army chooseth out the most valiant and experienced soldiers, to put them upon hard adventures. It is not prudent to put a fresh-water soldier upon difficult service. As Christ saith, "I have many things to say unto you, but you cannot bear them now;" and therefore deferred, till they had got more strength: so God saith of a young Christian, one that is newly converted. Thou hast great afflictions to undergo before thou diest, but thou art not fit to bear them yet, I will defer thy trial, till thou art grown more hardy, and fit for that encounter; as our Saviour told Peter, Joh 21:18.

    1. Reason. One reason why God ran thus upon Job like a Giant, or brings sore and severe trials upon his dearest servants, is, that he may fit them for eminent work and service. Hereby they learn experience and knowledge, not only how to carry themselves in dark and dismal days, but to teach others also, how to behave themselves under trials.

    2. That God might crucify them unto all the things of this world: they do not only this way come to see the vanity and emptiness of them, but to be dead unto them. In prosperity the hearts of the best men are ready to be ensnared with the world, therefore God brings adversity upon them. And indeed it is every way as good and useful for a saint, as winter and sharp frosts are to the fruits of the earth, which kills the worms and weeds, that otherwise would greatly hurt and injure them. God's Jobs have a body of sin and death in them, as well as others, aind nothing like affliction tends to destroy it. The corruptions of our hearts are compared to chaff and dross, which the furnace of affliction burns up, and purges away. No man is so pure and clean, but he need to be made more pure, and more holy. Job was very good before, but God made him much better by the rod, before he had done with him; he was gold before his trial, but afterwards refined gold. "When I am tried, I shall come forth as gold," (to wit, refined gold,) Job 23:10.

    3. God brings his Jobs under great exercises and afflictions for the trials of their graces. Grace never shines forth in its real splendour and glory, until it comes to be tried. A saint knows not what his faith can do, until it is brought under exercise. Abraham knew not the strength of his faith and love, until he was called to offer up his son Isaac: he withheld not his son, his only son Isaac, whom he loved; such was his love to God; and if we respect his faith, it is said, Ro 4:18-20, "He believed in hope against hope, that he might become the father of many nations. According to that which was spoken, so shall thy seed be. He being not weak in faith, considered not his own body being now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither the deadness of Sarah's womb, (Ge 15:5,) he staggered not through unbelief, but was strong in faith giving glory to God." "By faith he offered him up accounting that God was able to raise him up even from the dead: from whence also he received him in a figure," Heb 11:19. How did Job's patience shine forth, when it came under exercise, by all those sore and bitter afflictions he met withal. The greater the temptation or trial is, if the soul can resist it, and bear up under it, the greater demonstration there is of the strength and power of that grace the soul possesseth. The Almighty shows, hereby the strength and unmoveableness of faith, how unconquerable it is, what kind of omnipotency there is in grace. He would have all the world know, that a godly person is in vain assaulted by friends or enemies, by men or devils, by wants and wounds, though he be even benighted in his spirit, though God himself takes away the light of his countenance from him, and runs upon him like a Giant; yet that over all these things God's grace can make him stand, and cause him to be more than a conqueror: for in the book of Job, we may say, is an account given of one of the greatest battles fought, that ever was between man and man, between man and hell, between God and man; yet Job went away with victory. True grace is often assaulted, yet never was, or never shall be, overthrown or conquered.

    4. God brings his Jobs under this severe dispensation, and then runs upon them like a Giant, that he might convince and reprove Satan, and all wicked men, that continaaily slander, vilify, and reproach the godly, saying, they serve the Lord for their own ends, and follow him for loaves; that they attend upon him for an estate, or for vain glory, the pleasant and good things of this world: "Doth Job serve God (saith Satan) for naught?" Job 1:9. He is a very hypocrite, though now he seem so godly: no such zealot as he, but he hath a base and selfish end and design in all he doeth: if God do but run upon him like a Giant, and strip him of all these worldly comforts which he enjoys, you will then see what becomes of his religion; "He will curse God to his face," Job 2:5. The Lord did on purpose cause these things to be acted, and to come upon Job, for ever to stop the mouth of Satan and his servants; to show, that his children follow him for the love they bear him, and for the excellency they find in him, and in his ways, and from that bond and duty that is incumbent upon them. Though he strip them naked of all they have, yet they will cleave to him.

    5. God ran thus upon his servant Job, that he might become an example of patience and sufferings to future generations; and that God's people might hence have wherewith to sustain themselves under killing, severe dispensations, and not faint when they are rebuked of God: for if God thus deals with his beloved Jobs, let no soul give up their hope, or utterly despair, who are under the sorest and most amazing dispensations of the Almighty. "Whatsoever was written afore-time, was written for our instruction, that we through patience, and comfort of the scriptures, might have hope," Ro 15:4: "Take, my brethren, the prophets, (saith the apostle) who have spoken unto you in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience," Jas 5:10.

    6. God thus deals with his dear children in this world, to increase and add to their glory in the world to come. Afflictions here will not go without their reward hereafter. No believer shall lose by suffering hard things according to the will of God. He doth it not simply for his own pleasure, but for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. "Though at present no affliction seeineth joyous, but grievous, nevertheless afterwards it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness to them that are exercised thereby," Heb 12:11. And hence Paul saith, "Our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory," 2Co 4:17.

    The inferences are these, 1. Terror. 2. Counsel. 3. Comfort.

    1. Terror. Let all ungodly men and women hence tremble; for if God breaks his own dear children thus to pieces, and runneth upon them, like a Giant, how will he come forth in wrath and vengeance upon them! Their only way is, to submit themselves at his foot, whilst there is mercy: for when once he is risen up, and awaketh as one out of sleep, like a Giant, or mighty man that shouteth by reason of wine, he will break their bones in pieces, and put them to perpetual reproach. Woe to that man. that God stirs up all his strength and wrath against, when his absolute design and purpose is to kill and utterly destroy." "God is angry with the wicked every day: if he return not, he will whet his sword; he hath bent his bow, and made it ready: he hath prepared for them the instruments of death," Ps 7:12-13.

    2. Counsel. To you that are the enemies of the dreadful majesty; bless God you are not cut off, that you are not ground to powder, and before now amongst the damned: and let me advise you, in love to your souls, not to adventure one step further in a way of sin and rebellion against God, lest he tear you in pieces, and there be none to deliver. Therefore God's counsel is, "Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish in the way, when once his wrath is kindled but a little: blessed are all they that put their trust in him," Ps 2:12. God is now ready to treat with you from the merey-seat; but the time is near, when he will get upon the seat and throne of judgment, and then it will be too late.

    3. Comfort. To you that are saints, and under afflictions; this may administer much consolation unto you. You see, God deals no otherwise with you, than he did with blessed Job; nay, what are all thy sufferings compared with Job's sufferings? And you have heard, that God in his severest dispensations designs your good, and that he will make you gainers by all at last; and if he lays a heavy burden upon you, he will give you strength to undergo it. Wait therefore patiently upon the Lord, and be humbled under his mighty hand. How did Job behave himself, when God did all this to him? Did he oppose? did he strive with his Maker? No, no; Job knew that was in vain; but he tells us, "He put sackcloth upon his loins, and defiled his horn in the dust:" "My face, saith he, is foul with weeping, and on my eye-lids is the shadow of death," Job 16:16. The only way under the heavy strokes of the Almighty, is, to prostrate our souls at his foot. When God lets out visible tokens of his afflicting hand upon us, we should let out visible tokens of our humiliation under his hand; when we are greatly afflicted, we should be greatly affected; when God seems angry we should be greatly troubled; when he runs on us in a way of affliction, we should fall down before him in a way of contrition. Ephraim's sighs and moans were music in God's ears. Ephraim did not murmur against God, but mourned before God. The way to have God's rod removed, is to be sensible of the rod, and who hath appointed it. If we would be free from affliction, we must be humbled for our sin; if we are humbled under the cross, God will soon exalt us upon the throne.