Affliction God's Arrows

    AFFLICTION GOD'S ARROWS

    "For the Arrows of the Almighty are within me"&c. Job 6:4.

    "He hath caused the Arrows of his quiver to enter into my reins" La 3:13.

    AN Arrow is a deadly engine, so called in the Hebrew, from its effect, cutting or wounding: taken properly, it is an instrument out of a bow of wood or iron, either for sport or fight; but figuratively, it signifies divers things in the holy scripture.

    1. The word of God: "Thine Arrows are sharp in the heart of the king's enemies, whereby the people fall under thee," Ps 45:5, that is, thy words are sharp and piercing.

    2. Bitter and reproachful words: "They bend their bows to shoot their Arrows, even bitter words," Ps 64:3; 120:4.

    4. Any evil or mischievous purpose which a man intends or aims to hurt his brother; "When he bendeth his bow to shoot his Arrows, let them be as cut in pieces," Ps 58:7.

    4. Any kind of affliction or punishment: "And the Lord shall be seen over them, and his Arrows shall go forth as lightning,"&c., Ec 9:14.

    PARALLELS.

    I. Arrows are shot out of a bow by some man; some arm must bend the bow, and shoot the Arrow, or the Arrow moves not: so all Afflictions come from God, who is the efficient cause of them; hence called the "Arrows of the Almighty."

    II. Arrows fly swift, and wound suddenly; so Afflictions come very speedily oftentimes with a glance, as an Arrow, quick as a thought.

    III. Arrows come expectedly oftentimes, and wound a man: so afflictions come many times upon a person or people unexpectedly: "When they cry peace and safety, then sudden destruction comes upon them."

    IV. An archer hath commonly many Arrows; his quiver is full of them: so God hath many judgments: we read of his quiver too; he can send one Arrow after another.

    1. He hath the pestilence; this is one of his arrows: "Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night, nor for the Arrow that flieth by day, nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness,"&c., Ps 91:5.

    2. He hath famine; this is another of his Arrows: "When I shall send upon them the Arrow of famine,"&c., Eze 5:16

    3. He hath the sword; this is another Arrow of the Almighty, and this Arrow God shot at Job; he brought upon him the Sabeans, who slew ' his servants with the edge of the sword, Job 1:15.

    4. He hath thunder-bolts and hail-stones, which are also some of the Arrows of his quiver; and these are in readiness against the day of battle.

    5. The withdrawings of God from a soul or people, are also part of the Arrows of his quiver, and these go deepest of all, they go to the very heart: "For thine Arrows stick fast in me,"saith David, Ps 38:2.

    V. Arrows fly secretly, and make no noise; they are felt before they are seen: so many afflictions fly silently upon a man, stealing upon him, and wounding him unobserved and unseen.

    VI. Arrows are sharp things, and made sometimes more sharp than ordinary, as the archer sees cause: so afflictions are very sharp and bitter things, and sometimes God makes them sharper than at another time. "I will make mine Arrows drunk with blood," De 32:42. Arrows are instruments drawing blood, and some rebukes and judgments of God are like unto them. "The Arrows of the Almighty are within me, the poison whereof drinketh up my spirit," Job 6:4. "Job seems to allude to the custom of those cruel men, who, when they pursued the enemies with deadly hatred, and would wound them incurably, used to dip the heads of the Arrows, the tops of their spears, and the point of their swords, &c., in poison, that so every wound might be death. The poison of such Arrows, &c., drinks up the spirit, and corrupts the blood." Job compares the Arrows God shot at him, not to be ordinary Arrows, which kill only by piercing, but to poisoned Arrows, which kill by infecting. Afflictions, like Arrows, put a man to great pain. When a man hath terror without, and terror within, terror coming from the wrath of man, and terror coming from the wrath of God; his potion is bitter. Such Arrows are sharp and tormenting.