Following are the comments of John Gill, Adam Clarke, and Matthew Henry:
and despises not any; not the meanest of his creatures, clothing the grass of the field, feeding the fowls of the air, and preserving man and beast; and particularly he despises not any of the sons of men: not the mighty through fear of them, nor envy at them, whose power and grandeur are from him, which he gives and can take away at his pleasure; nor the mean and miserable the poor and the afflicted, to whom he has a merciful regard; much less the innocent and harmless, as the Septuagint; or the just and righteous man, as the Targum: he does not despise his own people, whom he has loved and chosen, redeemed and called; nor any, as Aben Ezra observes, without a cause; for though there are some whose image he will despise, it is because of their own sins and transgressions; and since, therefore, though he is mighty, yet despises not any of his creatures, he cannot do any unrighteous thing; he does not and cannot use or abuse his power to the in jury of any of his creatures;
Gill on Job 36.5 “and despises not any”
Job 36:5 -
God is mighty and despiseth not any - He reproaches no man for his want of knowledge. If any man lack wisdom, he may come to God, who giveth liberally, and upbraideth not. I prefer this to the passive sense, will not be despised.
Adam Clarke
Job 36:6 - He preserveth not the life of the wicked,.... He makes a difference between wicked and righteous men, which shows him to be a holy and righteous God; though he preserves the life of all men so long as they live, yet not in the same way; he preserves the lives of wicked men in the common course of his providence, but not in a special way and manner, as he does the lives of the righteous, which are dear and precious to him; nor does he preserve to any great length such as are notorious sinners, who are guilty of capital crimes, as murder, &c. their lives are shortened, and they do not live out half their days: or he does not quicken them, bestow his spiritual favour upon them, in which only is life; and though they will be quickened and raised at the last day, as well as the righteous, yet not to the resurrection of life, but to the resurrection of damnation;
Gill
Job 36:6 -
He preserveth not the life - He will not give life to the wicked; all such forfeit life by their transgressions.
But giveth right - Justice will he give to the afflicted or humble, עניים aniyim.
Adam Clarke
Job 36:5-14
Elihu here shows that God acts as righteous Governor. He is always ready to defend those that are injured. If our eye is ever toward God in duty, his eye will be ever upon us in mercy, and, when we are at the lowest, will not overlook us. God intends, when he afflicts us, to discover past sins to us, and to bring them to our remembrance. Also, to dispose our hearts to be taught: affliction makes people willing to learn, through the grace of God working with and by it. And further, to deter us from sinning for the future. It is a command, to have no more to do with sin. If we faithfully serve God, we have the promise of the life that now is, and the comforts of it, as far as is for God's glory and our good: and who would desire them any further? We have the possession of inward pleasures, the great peace which those have that love God's law. If the affliction fail in its work, let men expect the furnace to be heated till they are consumed. Those that die without knowledge, die without grace, and are undone for ever. See the nature of hypocrisy; it lies in the heart: that is for the world and the flesh, while perhaps the outside seems to be for God and religion. Whether sinners die in youth, or live long to heap up wrath, their case is dreadful. The souls of the wicked live after death, but it is in everlasting misery.
Matthew Henry
I still am considering the scripture. Strong's says the following of ' despiseth :
H3988
מאס
mâ'as
maw-as'
A primitive root; to spurn; also (intransitively) to disappear: - abhor, cast away (off), contemn, despise, disdain, (become) loathe (-some), melt away, refuse, reject, reprobate, X utterly, vile person.
Strong
Obviously God does not despise these; so then we may say rightly that it is the nature that is being considered and not the person, thus it is man who despises God. To say this settles the question would not be true, but a scriptural cross reference of despiseth will IMHO bear out the truthfulness of the statement that while God does not despise His creation His creation does not return the sentiments.
Note what Matthew Henry has said:
(italics mine)
See the nature of hypocrisy; it lies in the heart: that is for the world and the flesh, while perhaps the outside seems to be for God and religion. Whether sinners die in youth, or live long to heap up wrath, their case is dreadful.
Here lays the difference, God is not hypocritical but man is. Whether this is satisfactory or not let me know and we will work through the scripture concerning despiseth and see how the idea works.
I would also submit for consideration that despiseth does not carry with it the meaning of 'hate' as we use it. What are your thoughts?
God Bless.
Bro. Dallas
