3.-"Mine Own Ways"

There is nothing so sweet to a man as his own way. "I will have my own way," is the language of the natural heart both young and old. And it shows itself both in worldliness and religiousness. "The way of Cain" was his own way: and the many unscriptural ways of God’s people, whether in public or private, are only so many indications of self-will. These things call for self..judgment, "for if we would judge ourselves we should not be judged." But even "when we are judged we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world" (1 Cor. 11)
Job was -a real man of faith, and patience too. "Ye have heard of the patience of Job." God drew the attention of Satan to him as a sincere and upright man. Satan acknowledges that there is “a hedge about him," which if God will but break down and let him get at him, he will curse God. The permission is given; and immediately Job’s property, Job’s children, and then Job’s person are all touched by Satan. In the midst of this scene, his wife urges him to curse God, as Satan said he would, but Job says “The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away, BLESSED be the name of the Lord."
And now comes the hottest part of the trial. His friends come to him to comfort him; but instead of doing this they argue that he must have been a hypocrite, or God would never have afflicted him in this way. Conscious of his integrity, he justifies himself to such an extent, that it amounts to self-righteousness, and Job’s heart in its faith and failure is fully revealed in this expression (chap. 13:15): “Though He slay me, yet will 1 trust in Him; but I will maintain, or argue mine own ways before Him." This was the dross which God was purging from him, and when He had tried him "he came forth like gold." God’s ways are "past finding out," whether in nature or grace; we only know what He reveals; and this is what is taught to Job by the Almighty’s address to him. He had heard of God, he now says, by the hearing of the ear, but now that his eye saw Him he abhors himself. This is very different from maintaining his own ways. And this was Job’s blessing. So is it ours. May we learn the lesson.
Elihu, the youngest, was the only one of Job’s friends who spoke to him according to God.
B.