Lecture 1 — The happy days of Job

^29:1^ Job again took up his comparison and said:

^29:2^ Who grants that I might be as in the months of old? As in the days when the Lord watched over me,

^29:3^ when his lamp shone over my head, and in his light I was walking in darkness,

^29:4^ as I was in the days of my youth; when God lived in my tent in secret,

^29:5^ when the Almighty was with me and my sons round about me;

^29:6^ when I used to wash my feet in butter and the rock poured out rivers of oil for me;

^29:7^ when I went to the gate of the city, and in the street they placed a judgment seat for me.

^29:8^ The young men saw me and hid themselves, and the aged rose and stood at attention.

^29:9^ The city elders refrained from talking and they put their fingers over their mouths.

^29:10^ Generals governed their tongues and their tongues cleaved to the roof of their mouths.

^29:11^ The ear which heard me, blessed me, and the eye which saw, rendered testimony for me,

^29:12^ because I freed the poor man who cried out and the orphan who had none to help him.

^29:13^ The blessing of the man perishing came upon me, and I consoled the heart of the widow.

^29:14^ I have put on justice and I have clothed myself like a garment and my judgment was like a diadem for me.

^29:15^ I was the eye for the blind and a foot for the lame.

^29:16^ I was a father to the poor and the case of which I was ignorant, I diligently investigated.

^29:17^ I broke the mills of the impious and I tore his prey from his teeth.

^29:18^ I said: I will die in my little nest, and like a palm tree, I will multiply my days.

^29:19^ My root was spread out near the water, and dew will remain in my harvest.

^29:20^ My glory always will be renewed, and my bow will be restored to my hand.

^29:21^ Those who heard me, awaited my judgment, and were silently attentive listening to my counsels.

^29:22^ They dared add nothing to my words, and my eloquence fell on them drop by drop.

^29:23^ They waited for me like the rain, and their mouth was open as to the evening showers.

^29:24^ When I smiled on them, they did not believe; and the light of my countenance was not cast down to the ground.

^29:25^ If I chose to go to them, I used to sit in the first place; and when I used to sit like a king surrounded by his army, I was still a consoler for those who mourn.

393. Job again took up his comparison and said: Who grants that I might be. Since in what preceded Job had shown in the universal why it is evident that it is not against divine justice that the evil prosper and the good sometimes suffer want of temporal prosperity in this world, and greater spiritual things are given to them, he shows this now more clearly using himself as an example. He intends by this also to refute their opinion, when they asserted that he was suffering adversities for sin. First, he calls to mind his past prosperity which he used virtuously; then the greatness of the adversity into which he had fallen (Job 30), and finally he demonstrates his innocence in many ways (Job 31).

394. He seems to have satisfactorily answered the argument of Baldath (Job 26), and since Sophar remained silent (Job 27), he proceeded to demonstrate his proposition. So, after he had declared his intention, he waited for one of the others to speak. Since everyone remained silent, he resumed his speech again, and so the text says, Job again took up his comparison, because he was about to speak using metaphor. And said: who grants me, which is placed here to show a wish more than to formulate a petition, that I might be as in the months of old, and live in prosperity as I did once? Since he did not attribute this prosperity to either fortune or his own forces, but to divine aid, he continues, as in the days when the Lord watched over me, for he protected me against adverse things and also protected me with good things. In some things he had led me to good effects even beyond my own effort, and to express this he says, when his lamp, his providence, shone over my head, for he directed my mind toward many good things which I had not thought of. In other things, however, he was directed by God, as though instructed by him about what he ought to do, so he then says, in his light, in his instruction, I was walking, I was proceeding, in darkness, in doubts. To answer the objection that this is due to him from the merit of past justice, he adds, as I was in the days of my youth, when I as yet could not have merited such great prosperity.

395. Then he explains the goods of his past in a series, and begins with the most important one, the divine intimacy which he knew in prayer and contemplation. So he says, when God lived in my tent in secret, for then I felt the presence of God as long as I was praying and meditating in the secret of my tent, which is characteristic of contemplation. As to action he continues, when the Almighty was with me, as though cooperating with me in doing good. Then he describes his prosperity as to his posterity when he says, and my sons were round about me. For in fact, the sons of a young man must be boys. Further, he continues on to the abundance of things which concern everyday life when he says, when I was used to wash my feet in butter. Among the ancients, riches consisted primarily in cattle (pecus), from which money (pecunia) takes its name, according to Augustine. Among cattle products, the most precious seems to be butter, which is the fat of the milk. He metaphorically shows his affluence in washing his feet, like someone who said he had such a surplus supply of this precious liquid that he washed his feet in it. As butter is valuable among animal products, so oil is prized among the products of the earth. The olives which usually have the best oil generally grow in stony and sandy places, and so he says, and the rock poured out rivers of oil for me, where he shows the abundance and the goodness of the fruit.

396. Then he explains the grandeur of his past glory when he says, when I went to the gate of the city. This tells us he had judicial authority, because among the ancients, judgment rendered at the city gates. To show that he was not one of the assessors who stood, he then says, and in the street they placed a judgment seat for me. By this he shows he had an unusual dignity.

He shows consequently the authority of his judgment,

First, by the attitude of the young men, when he says, the young men saw me, who are often prone to sin, and hid themselves, because they dreaded my judgment.

Second, as to the old, he says, the aged rose and stood at attention, for they were subject to my judgments.

Third, the governors of the city showed respect for his judgment;

first, because they stopped speaking when he wished to speak, and so he says, the city elders refrained from talking;

second, because they did not dare to interrupt him while he was speaking, and so he says, and they put their fingers to their mouths.

Fourth, the leaders in war, who are usually more audacious and more prompt to speak, still did not dare to speak presumptuously and confusedly in his presence. So he says, generals governed their tongues, speaking plainly and humbly. Sometimes they were so awestruck that they did not dare to speak at all, and so he says, and their tongues cleaved to the roof of their mouths, and made them incapable of speech.

397. As men of such stern authority are usually feared rather than loved by the people, he shows that the people loved him. Since the magnanimous man can exercise his authority toward the great and yet stoop to the nobodies, he then says, the ear which heard me, when my glory and my judgment were proclaimed by others, was not hateful or envious, but blessed me, for they thought me happy, and desired happiness for me. This expresses the attitude of those not present. As for those present he says, and the eye which saw, my glory and judgment, rendered testimony for me, about my virtue to others. This is because of the works of mercy which I was doing.

He shows this first regarding the poor, and so he says, because I freed, from the hand of the oppressor, the poor man who cried out, who loudly complained.

Second, regarding the orphans, and so he says, and the orphan who had none to help him, because he had lost his father.

Third, as to men who live in dangers, and so he says, the blessing of the man perishing came upon me, that is, the man who was in danger and who blessed me for helping him.

Fourth, as to widows, and so he says, and I have consoled the heart of the widow, because they had lost the consolation of a husband.

398. But he did not have mercy in judgment because he forsook justice, and so he adds, I have put on justice, for justice was apparent at all times in my trials. A piece of clothing completely surrounds a man, and so, to show that he was not coerced to do justice, but did so freely, he then says, and I have clothed myself, by my own will, putting on justice like a garment, protecting and adorning me all over. Just as in combat a crown is given to the victor, so also the judge, when he gives victory to justice in his judgment, merits a crown, and so he continues, and my judgment was like a diadem for me, because I invested myself with my judgment like a diadem. To show how he could preserve mercy together with justice he says, I was an eye for the blind, for I instructed simple men how to proceed in their businesses and not suffer detriment due to ignorance. Because not only did he give counsel to the ignorant, but also help to the powerless, he says, and a foot to the lame, for I gave aid to the man who could not prosper in his affairs, that he might prosper.

He also cared for those who were defenseless, and so he says, I was a father to the poor, for I protected and supported them. There are those who wound the poor, the powerless, and the simple by falsely calumniating them. He shows a diligent interest to exclude the calumny of these malicious tongues, and so he says, and the case of which I was ignorant, I diligently investigated, so that there would be no fraud hidden there. Some oppress the poor by violence, and devour them, so to speak, by stealing from them. Job destroyed the violence of men like this with his power, and so he continues, I broke the mills of the impious, because I destroyed their greed and violence so they could not rob again, and I tore his prey from his teeth, because he compelled them to restore what they had already taken in theft.

399. Because of all these good works, he was confident that his prosperity would endure.

First, he describes the continuity of his prosperity in to his own person, and so he says, and I said: I will die in my little nest, because I hoped, from my past merits, that I would quietly die in my house, not exiled from my house, or even in a troubled house. Nor did he think that he should worry about a violent death, and so he says, like a palm tree, which lives a very long time, I will multiply my days, in the great length of my life.

Second, he describes the continuity of his prosperity as to riches, and he describes their increase, saying, my root was spread out near the water. For trees which have roots spread out near the water often produce an abundance of fruit. So by this he refers to the increase of temporal enjoyment. The fruits of a certain man may sometimes increase, but because of many impediments which come upon him, he is unable to collect them, and to exclude this he says, and dew will remain in my harvest. For in very hot countries the harvesters cannot work in a field due to heat, because of the stifling character of the summer, but a cloud of dew gives them refreshment so that they can continue the harvest; as Isaiah said, like a cloud of dew on the days of the harvest (Isa 18:4).

Third, he describes the enduring character of his reputation, saying, my glory always will be renewed, by good works which he proposed to multiply.

Fourth, he describes the endurance of his power, saying, and my bow will be restored in my hand. Bow here means power, for Eastern people use such weapons in war.

400. Since in what precedes he describes both the severity (Job 29:8–10) and the mercy (Job 29:11–16) which he showed in judgment, he shows here he also used wisdom.

First, he used wisdom in judgments, and expressing this he says, those who heard me, because they were subject to my judgment, awaited my judgment, because they thought that they would hear something very wise. As to counsel, he says, and were silently attentive, listening to my counsels, waiting for them and listening eagerly to them. After I had given them my counsel, they were happy with it, and so he says, they dared to add nothing to my words, because of the great wisdom which they perceived in me. Not only did they firmly keep my counsel, but they were also consoled by it, perceiving it to be efficacious to attain their proposed end, and so he says, and my eloquence fell on them drop by drop, that is, it refreshed them like drops of water.

401. After he had described what sort of person he was in judgments and counsels, he shows, as a consequence, what sort of person he was in ordinary associations with men.

First, he shows that he was gracious, because when he was absent they desired his presence, and so he says, they waited for me like the rain, which refreshes men. When he was present they were consoled by his appearance and his words, and so he says, and their mouth, their heart, was open, toward me to receive encouragement, and he expresses this, saying, as to evening showers, which give refreshment after the heat of the day.

Second, he shows that he was moderate in his conversation, and not dissipated by joy, and so he says, when I smiled on them, showing some signs of joy, they did not believe, that I was given to laughter. Likewise, he was not depressed by sorrow, and so he says, and the light of my countenance was not cast down to the ground. For men cast their eyes down to the ground as a sign of sadness and depression.

Third, he shows that he was not immoderate in honors, because he did not desire them, and so he says, if I chose to go to them, which I did not do easily, I used to sit in the first place, for I was honored among them. Nevertheless, he did not become arrogant in honors, and so he says, and when I used to sit like a king surrounded by his army, with all admiring me from here and there, I was still a consoler for those who mourned, and did not hold them in contempt.