Job 31:28

DISCOURSE: 483
SPIRITUAL IDOLATRY

Job 31:24; Job 31:28. If I have made gold my hope, or have said to the fine gold, Thou art my confidence; if I rejoiced because my wealth was great, and because mine hand had gotten much; …. This also were an iniquity to be punished by the Judge: for I should have denied the God that is above.

HATEFUL as boasting is, and justly condemned both by God and man, there are occasions when it is proper, and indeed necessary. For instance; when a character has been grossly calumniated, and can be vindicated only by an appeal to facts, those facts may be adduced, however much the recital of them may tend to proclaim our own praise. Samuel was constrained to assert the equity of his own administration, when the people cast reflections on him, by desiring to change the form of his government, and to have a king substituted in his place. Paul also, when traduced by persons who sought to destroy his influence in the Church, declared, though much against his will, the honours which had been conferred upon him, and the habits he had invariably maintained [Note: 2 Corinthians 12:1.]. Indeed, we should have known comparatively but little of this blessed Apostle, if he had not been compelled by the malevolence of others to make known the hidden principles by which he had been actuated, and the blameless conduct which he had uniformly pursued: and, so far from blaming him for his boasting, we cannot but be thankful that God suffered him to be so injured, and thereby constrained him in self-defence to make known to us so much of his true character. In like manner we account it a great benefit to the Church, that Job was driven by the heavy accusations that were brought against him, to insist so largely on his own innocence, and to declare so fully the habits and exercises of his former life. Throughout this whole chapter he maintains, in reference to the evils that were laid to his charge, that his conduct had been the very reverse of what his friends supposed. Had he done this in the spirit of the self-applauding Pharisee (Luke 18.), he had acted wrong: but when it was necessary to wipe off the aspersions that were so injuriously cast upon him, he was justified in adducing whatever had a tendency to place his character in its true light.

The part we have just read is a vindication of himself from idolatry. Of idolatry there are two kinds; one actual and manifest; the other virtual and constructive. The actual idolatry is that which is referred to in the verses we have omitted. In the days of Job, or at least in the country where he lived, the sun and moon were the only objects to which idolatrous worship was paid: and, as they were out of the reach of the worshippers, the kiss, which was afterwards given to idols as an expression of supreme regard, was transferred to them by means of the hand [Note: Hosea 13:2.]. But Job declared, that he had never been guilty of this great impiety. Nay more, he had never, even in heart, given to the creature any portion of that respect which was due only to the Most High God: and if he had, he acknowledged that his sufferings were richly merited, and that as his conduct would have been in fact a denial of his God, he could expect nothing from God but wrath and indignation to all eternity.

I. The disposition here specified—

An undue regard to wealth is extremely common in the world—
[The possession of wealth is no evil: it then only becomes an evil, when it is accompanied with a measure of affiance or delight in it. But, fallen and depraved as man by nature is, it is exceeding difficult to view wealth with such indifference as we ought. Our blessed Lord states this, when speaking of the Rich Youth, who renounced and forsook him, rather than part with his great possessions. He first said, “How hardly shall they that have riches, enter into the kingdom of God!” and then, “How hardly shall they that trust in riches enter into the kingdom of God!” intending thereby to intimate, that it is almost “impossible” to have them, and not to trust in them [Note: Mark 10:21.]. The pleasure that men take in the contemplation of their wealth, whether inherited or acquired, arises from the thought, that they are thereby placed, if not entirely, yet in some measure, beyond the reach of evil; and that, in whatever circumstances they may be, they shall have something which will administer to their comfort [Note: Habakkuk 2:9.]. But this is idolatry, as we shall shew under our Second Head. At present, we content ourselves with observing, that this is the view, which all natural men have of wealth, and the regard which, under all circumstances, they pay to it.

Whence is it that men are so eager in the pursuit of wealth? Whence is it that they so earnestly desire it for their children? Whence is it that all who come to the possession of wealth, or to any great preferment, are congratulated by their friends, and receive those congratulations as suitable to the occasion? Whence is it, on the contrary, that any heavy losses are considered as so great a misfortune, and call forth either real sympathy, or compliments of condolence? Is not all this from a presumption, that wealth and preferment are in themselves a certain and a positive good? Does it not all imply a hope or confidence in gold? Would a man who had merely scraped together a great heap of dust, rejoice because his hand had gotten much? and does not the satisfaction he feels from the attainment of riches, shew, that he has formed an erroneous estimate of their value? — — —]

Such then being the disposition specified in our text, we proceed to point out,

II.

The sinfulness of it—

To act in any way unworthy of God is to deny him [Note: Titus 1:16.]: but to feel such a disposition towards wealth as has been now described, is in a more especial manner to be regarded in this view. It denies, in fact,

1. That God is the only source of happiness to man—

[God has called himself “the Fountain of living waters,” and has pronounced all creatures to be “broken cisterns that will hold no water.” Now what is this but a declaration, that to make us happy is his exclusive prerogative? Doubtless the creature, when he accompanies it with his blessing, is a source of much comfort: but it has nothing in itself: the sun, whose genial warmth is such a fruitful source of blessings to some, destroys all the hopes of others, and burns up the very face of the earth. The moon, which gladdens the heart of many a benighted traveller, operates by a secret influence upon the brain, to strike some with madness. Thus wealth also, which to some is the means of exercising a most diffusive benevolence, to others is a curse. What was Nabal the better for his wealth? It only fostered his deep-rooted churlishness, and ultimately proved the occasion of his death. In a word, the creature is nothing but what God is pleased to make it: with his blessing, it will contribute to our happiness; but without his blessing, it is only “vanity and vexation of spirit.” If then we place any confidence in it, or suffer it to be a source of complacency to our minds, we ascribe to the creature what is found in none but the Lord Jehovah; to whom alone we should have respect, when we say, “Return unto thy rest, O my soul.”]

2. That he is all-sufficient for that end—

[The man that can look up to a reconciled God in Christ Jesus, has all that he can desire: the wealth of the whole world can add nothing to him. If it be thought that wealth being an addition, must of necessity enlarge the comforts of the soul; we would ask, What can a taper add to the light of the meridian sun? or who that enjoys the full splendour of that heavenly orb, does not despise the feeble efforts of a taper to augment its lustre? So it is with him who beholds the light of God’s glory shining in the face of Jesus Christ: the creature, whoever, or whatever it may be, “has no glory in his eyes by reason of the glory that excelleth.” Did the prodigal any longer affect the husks which the swine ate of, when he was feeding on the fatted calf in his father’s house? No, surely: nor does he ever hunger, who has fed on Jesu’s flesh; or thirst, when once he has been refreshed with the water of life — — — Hear the testimony of one who spoke from his own experience: “We are sorrowful,” says the blessed Apostle, “yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing all things [Note: 2 Corinthians 6:10.].”

Now if we desire any earthly good from an idea that it can of itself contribute to our happiness, we virtually deny the all-sufficiency of Christ; and by exalting the creature to a participation of his rights, we rob him of his unalienable and incommunicable glory.]

Improvement—
1.

For reproof—

[Let this character of Job be compared with that of the generality of Christians, and it will afford abundant matter for the deepest humiliation. Certainly, on account of our superior advantages, we ought to possess far greater spirituality of mind than Job: yet how far below him do the generality even of those who profess religion fall! Perhaps the besetting sin of those who embrace the Gospel is worldliness: it is certain, that very many of them are as eager in the pursuit of wealth as others: and this accounts for the little influence of the word of God upon them: the seed is good, but the soil is bad; and the noxious weeds, by their speedy and incessant growth, keep down the feebler plants of piety in the soul: “the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lust of other things, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.” And here let it be observed, that it is not the overt act of covetousness or creature-dependence that is condemned, but the inward disposition of the soul: even the complacency of mind that arises from the possession of wealth is itself a positive “denial of the God that is above.” O, Brethren, enter into your own bosoms, and judge yourselves in relation to this matter. Inquire whether God has such a full possession of your hearts as to render all earthly things rain, empty, and worthless, in your estimation? if not, how can you call God your portion, or imagine that you have formed a proper estimate of the blessings of salvation? Know assuredly, that, if you have just views of Christ, you will regard him as the pearl of great price, “to purchase which a wise merchant will sell all that he has;” and you will say from your inmost soul, “Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire in comparison of thee.”

2. For instruction in righteousness—

[We learn from our text, wherein a true confession of Christ consists: it is not in an assent to some particular truths, but in a practical and experimental sense of his love overpowering all inferior considerations. To love the Lord Jesus Christ, to “cleave to him with full purpose of heart,” to count him “all our salvation and all our desire,” this is what God requires; this is also what our blessed Saviour merits at our hands; and if we despise not even life itself when standing in competition with his will, his presence, his glory, we shall be regarded as denying him, and must expect to be denied by him in the presence of his Father and his holy angels [Note: Mark 8:34; Mark 8:38.]. In the Church above “there is no need of either sun or moon to lighten it, because the Lamb is the light thereof [Note: Revelation 21:23.];” so also is it in the Church below, wherever Christ has really established his kingdom in the heart [Note: Isaiah 24:23.]. Look to it then, Brethren, that it be thus with you: and, if you are disposed to ask, “Who will shew me any good?” learn immediately to add, “Lord, lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon me; and that shall put more gladness in my heart, than any increase of corn or wine or oil can ever do [Note: Psalms 4:6.]:” for as, on the one hand, “A man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things that he possesseth,” so, on the other hand, “In God’s favour is life, and his loving-kindness is better than life itself.”]