Matthew Henry Commentary Job 1:20-22

"Then Job arose, and rent his robe, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped; and he said, Naked came I out of my mother`s womb, and naked shall I return thither: Jehovah gave, and Jehovah hath taken away; blessed be the name of Jehovah. In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly." — Job 1:20-22 (ASV)

Job humbled himself under the hand of God. He reasons from the common state of human life, which he describes. We brought nothing of this world's goods into the world, but receive them from others; and it is certain we can carry nothing out, but must leave them to others. Job, under all his losses, is merely reduced to his original state.

He is merely where he must have been in the end, and is only unclothed, or, rather, unloaded, a little sooner than he expected. If we take off our clothes before we go to bed, it is some inconvenience, but it may be more easily borne when it is near bedtime. The same One who gave has taken away. See how Job looks beyond instruments, and keeps his eye upon the First Cause.

Afflictions must not divert us from religion, but rather spur us toward it. If in all our troubles we look to the Lord, He will support us. The Lord is righteous. All we have is from His gift; we have forfeited it by sin, and should not complain if He takes any part of it from us. Discontent and impatience charge God with folly.

Job carefully watched against these; and so must we, acknowledging that just as God has acted rightly while we have acted wickedly, so also God has acted wisely while we have acted very foolishly. And may the malice and power of Satan make that Savior more precious to our souls, who came to destroy the works of the devil; who, for our salvation, suffered from that enemy far more than Job suffered, or we can imagine.