Job 17:8 - Exposition

Upright men shall be astonied at this . When Job's case comes to beknown, "upright men" will be astonished at it. They will marvel how it came to pass that such a man—so true, so faithful, so "perfect" ( Job 1:1 )—could have been allowed by God to suffer so terribly. In a world where, up to Job's time, prosperity had been taken as the measure of goodness, the marvel was naturally great. Even now many a Christian is surprised and disturbed in mind if he gives the case prolonged and serious attention, though he holds the clue to it in that most enlightening phrase, "perfect through sufferings" ( Hebrews 2:10 ). And the innocent shall stir up himself against the hypocrite. On astonishment will follow indignation. When it becomes generally recognized that, in a vast number of eases, the righteous suffer, while the wicked enjoy great prosperity, good men's feelings will be stirred up against these prosperous ones; they will wax indignant, and take part against them.