17 Causing counsellors to go away a spoil, And judges He maketh foolish. 18 The bands of kings He hath opened, And He bindeth a girdle on their loins. 19 Causing ministers to go away a spoil And strong ones He overthroweth. 20 Turning aside the lip of the stedfast, And the reason of the aged He taketh away. 21 Pouring contempt upon princes, And the girdle of the mighty He made feeble. 22 Removing deep things out of darkness, And He bringeth out to light death-shade. 23 Magnifying the nations, and He destroyeth them, Spreading out the nations, and He quieteth them. 24 Turning aside the heart Of the heads of the people of the land, And he causeth them to wander In vacancy—no way! 25 They feel darkness, and not light, He causeth them to wander as a drunkard.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Job 12:17-25
Commentary on Job 12:12-25
(Read Job 12:12-25)
This is a noble discourse of Job concerning the wisdom, power, and sovereignty of God, in ordering all the affairs of the children of men, according to the counsel of His own will, which none can resist. It were well if wise and good men, who differ about lesser things, would see how it is for their honour and comfort, and the good of others, to dwell most upon the great things in which they agree. Here are no complaints, or reflections. He gives many instances of God's powerful management of the children of men, overruling all their counsels, and overcoming all their oppositions. Having all strength and wisdom, God knows how to make use, even of those who are foolish and bad; otherwise there is so little wisdom and so little honesty in the world, that all had been in confusion and ruin long ago. These important truths were suited to convince the disputants that they were out of their depth in attempting to assign the Lord's reasons for afflicting Job; his ways are unsearchable, and his judgments past finding out. Let us remark what beautiful illustrations there are in the word of God, confirming his sovereignty, and wisdom in that sovereignty: but the highest and infinitely the most important is, that the Lord Jesus was crucified by the malice of the Jews; and who but the Lord could have known that this one event was the salvation of the world?