With him [is] wisdom and strength
Not with the ancient and long lived man, but with God, who has
made the whole universe, and in whose hand and at whose dispose
all creatures are, ( Job 12:9 Job 12:10 ) ; with him
wisdom is originally, essentially, and inderivatively, as the
fountain and fulness of it; he is the only and all wise God; his
wisdom is displayed in making the world, and all things in it, in
the beautiful manner they are set, and in their subserviency to
each other; in all the dispensations of his providence, having
all a "bathos", a depth of wisdom and knowledge in them, being
all according to the counsel of his will; and in the work of
redemption and salvation by Christ, in which he has abounded in
all wisdom and prudence; in finding out and appointing a
Redeemer, mighty and strong, equal to the work; in contriving and
bringing it about, in such a manner as to glorify all his
perfections; hence the Gospel, which is the publication of this
grace, is called the wisdom of God: and with him is wisdom to
communicate to his people, to direct them how to behave under
every providence, in every station of life, in the church, and in
the world, see ( James 1:5 ) ; and he has
"strength", which he has shown in making the world out of
nothing, in upholding it, and all things in it in being, in
executing his designs, decrees, and purposes, in fulfilling his
promises, and in supporting and strengthening his people, under
all their trials and exercises, to withstand every enemy, and
perform every duty; ancient men, though they may increase in
wisdom, they decline in strength, but God has both, in infinite
perfection:
he hath counsel and understanding;
his decrees and purposes, wisely formed within himself, are his
counsels of old, and which are truly and punctually performed in
time; his plan of peace, reconciliation, and salvation by Christ,
may, with propriety, be called the counsel of peace between them
both; and the Gospel, and the various doctrines of it, are the
whole counsel of God, and so are the ordinances of it; and
besides these, by which he counsels and advises his people, he
has counsel with him, and which he gives unto them by his spirit,
for which they bless his name; and so even did Christ as man and
Mediator, ( Psalms 16:7 ) ; he has
counsel to give, and does give in things temporal, relating to
the common affairs of life, and in things concerning the good and
welfare of immortal souls; all which comes from him who is
"wonderful in counsel, and excellent in working", ( Isaiah 28:29
) ; and he has an "understanding" that is infinite and
unsearchable; he has an understanding of himself, his nature,
perfections, and persons of all his creatures, and of all things
past, present, and to come; the same things are said of Christ,
the wisdom of God, ( Proverbs
8:14 ) . Job, having observed these things of God, passes on
to discourse most admirably and excellently of the power and
wisdom of God in various instances, especially in the
dispensations of his providence, by which he appears to have
known the secrets of wisdom, and not so ignorant as represented
by Zophar.