Divine Providence and the Reversal of Fortune

They fly, instead of saying: they are unceasing—for he does not live in wickedness—so that what he says is this: the soulless and the irrational, as if signifying the irrational through the young of the vultures a trial of retribution, a man wandering away because of such sins, which he says, following his own principle. 'Not indeed, but I will pray to the Lord, and I will call upon the Lord, the Master of all' (Job 1:21). Having accused the foolish and having said the following about them, he says, 'I do not rejoice as they do, but as one perceiving providence and knowing the Master of all, the God, I call upon Him, considering this to be proper.' Understand, then, that he does not have these whims as if he were sending them against a righteous man himself.

'The one doing great and unsearchable things, glorious and wonderful, of which there is no number. The one giving rain upon the earth, sending water upon the heaven below' (Job 9:10). He confesses God to be a provider of all things and a creator. And he does not have these whims as a wise man regarding human things. He also has a whim concerning the invisible and the visible, saying concerning the unsearchable and the great and the glorious, of rain and of water, which if he distinguishes water from the rain, would be the things from springs and snowdrifts and rivers. And these concepts are clearly present in many of the Scriptures, and not least even in Paul writing: 'In Christ were created the visible and the invisible, the earthly and the heavenly' (Colossians 1:16).

And this also must be considered, that from what happened to the holy Job, as a man having been led into fear, he marvels at the works of providence. And the 'there is no number' must be understood as referring to a man; for God knows all things. And it is not even wonderful where Solomon also says: 'God has given me the knowledge of things that exist, to know the true constitution of the world and the energy of the elements, the beginning and the middle and the end of time, the changes of the seasons' (1 Kings 3:9) and the following. For even things that are not countable by nature are uncountable to God, concerning which it is said: 'the multitude of the number of stars' (Psalm 147:4), and: 'but even the hairs of your head are all numbered' (Matthew 10:30), which is also given to the worthy to know for the sake of what is profitable, as it was said concerning Solomon: 'the one making the lowly into height and raising up the lost ones' (1 Samuel 2:8).

He ascends also to the providence according to men, and this, while remaining in discussion concerning God of all things, is that He Himself from on high makes the poor rich from the needy, from the submissive makes rulers, from the sick makes rulers healthy, and also the reverse. It is evident that these things, both being actually so and being seen and understood, exist for benefit, according to that which was said by the Holy Spirit: 'The Lord establishes kings and removes them' (Psalm 75:10), and 'Through me kings reign' (Psalm 74:10), and 'He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap' (Psalm 113:7).

And the precursor of the exaltation from God is our lowliness: 'For whoever humbles himself will be exalted, and whoever exalts himself will be humbled' (Luke 14:11), and again: 'God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble' (James 4:6). And regarding 'those having perished' to be 'raised up,' he speaks of those standing in crises and having been tested by change, the afflictions ceasing and the things of rest opposing them, which also happened to the blessed Job, remaining steadfast in the visible works of the soul. But if you take 'the one having perished' instead of 'the one having sinned,' then God 'raises these up' as a 'place of repentance' by providing teaching. But the blessed Job did not suffer such a loss, so that he might need such a resurrection. 'They devise many schemes, and their hands shall not do what is true' (Job 5:13).

Through all things concerning God, according to the way possible for himself, he explains with human understandings, moving not unfeasibly in many matters. Having explained concerning the providence of God and that through it dishonors and honors come about, and that certain humble things do not happen without Him, he moves to show that even if men use a great variety of wisdom, it is God's to provide the end. For indeed, 'the devising of many schemes' signifies to him that even if they should counsel and think themselves clever men, God erases these things, doing toward the benefit of each one. Often many men, having hoped, did not a little fail, and they received what was not expected, God governing, not man managing. Nor do such people have anything true in their own actions, those who, casting themselves upon themselves, thought to be self-sufficient in all things through their own counsels. And it is necessary...