That the triumphing of the wicked [is] short
Their outward prosperity and felicity, of which they make their
boast, and in which they glory and triumph for a while; at first
Job's friends set out with this notion, that the wicked never
flourished and prospered, but it always went ill with them in
Providence; but being beat out of that, they own they may be for
a small time in flourishing and prosperous circumstances, but it
is but for a small time; which may be true in many instances, but
it is not invariable and without exception the case: the sense
is, it is but a little while that they are in so much mirth and
jollity, and triumph over their neighbours, as being in more
advantageous circumstances than they; this is said in the
original text to be "from near" F8; it is but a little while ago
when it began; and; as the Targum paraphrases it, it will be
quickly ended:
and the joy of the hypocrite [but] for a
moment;
the word "wicked", in the former clause, may signify the same
person here called the "hypocrite"; but inasmuch as that
signifies one restless and troublesome, one that is ungodly, and
destitute of the fear of God, that has nothing in him but
wickedness, who is continually committing it, and is abandoned to
it; it might be thought not to apply to the character of Job,
whom Zophar had in his view, and therefore this is added as
descriptive of him: an hypocrite is one who seems to be that he
is not, holy, righteous, good, and godly; who professes to have
what he has not, the true grace of God, and pretends to worship
God, but does not do it cordially, and from right principles; and
who seeks himself in all he does, and not the glory of God: now
there may be a joy in such sort of persons; they may hear
ministers gladly, as Herod heard John, and receive the word with
joy, as the stony ground hearers did, ( Mark 6:20 ) ( 4:16 ) ; they may seem to
delight in the ways and ordinances of God, and even have some
tastes of the powers of the world to come, and some pleasing
thoughts and hopes of heaven and happiness; as well as they
triumph in and boast of their profession of religion and
performance of duties, and rejoice in their boastings, which is
evil; but then this is like the pleasures of sin, which are but
for a season, or like the crackling of thorns under a pot, which
make a great noise and blaze, but soon over, ( Ecclesiastes
7:6 ) ; and so their joy in civil as well as religious,
things. It is possible Zophar might be so ill natured as to have
reference to Job's triumph of faith, ( Job 19:25 ) ; and by this
would suggest, that his faith in a living Redeemer, and the joy
of it he professed, would be soon over and no more; which shows
what spirit he was of.