The Nature of Prayer and Divine Judgment

When a bad thing happens, it did not occur in the same way; for one is under wrath, the bad one, I say, but the other did not, but rather turned away the wrath from the righteous, desiring to prove himself a victor, as the witnesses and Job himself. For he turned away the wrath being sent upon the bad ones by making his virtue manifest. And the cattle under heaven were scorched by him.

And according to the account of history this is true; for if he himself had not subjected them, these things would have been beyond doubt to men. And even in the other predatory beasts you will find this by passing through the reasoning. But also the evil spirits, the cattle named allegorically, he himself bent. For neither was human nature such that it would not be scorched by God without being so. And it is fitting that he also spoke of those under heaven, in order to make all things manifest, those in the air and in the earth and in the lower regions. For all things have been subjected: 'for the cattle was spread by knowledge' (Job 39:25).

And if God had not said so continually, not even to Job: 'the beginning of evil is the devil' (Job 1:6). For the opposing powers do not come by their own wicked intention. For they do not have authority to approach with evil and hardship, unless God permits it. But they hasten to cast evil by their own impulse. For so also, according to a private intention, 'into the heart of Judas' (Luke 22:3) those providing him with sufferings, they gather evils dwelling there.

If he obeys me, does he discern my words? He wishes to teach that not, if we pray for something, this does not always happen 'and' in agreement with our words for the discernment of God. 'For what we ought to pray for according to what is necessary, we do not know.' What therefore he says is such: that even if he obeys, he does not discern human words to approve them in this way, but his own judgment, being wise, will impose it upon us, being a lover of mankind and doing nothing unjustly. For if, O righteous one, he does not listen to me, I will entreat his judgment. He confirms what was said before, teaching that even if someone is perfect among men, the eye of God 'searches the things of the heart' (Romans 7:24) and perceives even the unseen. Such is what the apostle says: 'I know nothing about myself, but I am not acquitted by this; but the one who judges me is the Lord' (1 Cor 4:3); therefore the saint desires his judgment according to: 'refine the...'

"the kidneys and my heart," which no one in a state of sinning says. Still, regarding these things, he teaches them again not to grasp the secondary things for a single cause, by assuming a hypothesis: that if anyone is righteous and prays for pleasant things hypothetically, he will not certainly be heard; for even he requires the judgment of God.

There are some who have read the verse without a substantiation, that it is: "He will not listen to my righteousness" (Job 11:6). Understand then, that the repayment has a reason, because the one who spoke before, the friend, was saying: "But you rise up early to the Lord praying; if you are good and true, he will listen to the prayer of supplication" (Job 8:6), teaching him that God does not always give to us the words we ask, but those that are profitable; he says this hypothetically, that "for if you are righteous, he will not listen to me;" for thus the judgment triumphs.

He spoke hypothetically because even the holy one knows that the judgment must persuade him and not demand a solution from him unseasonably. Even if I call and he obeys, I do not believe that he has listened to me, lest he should turn me away through my ignorance. Since it was easy and convenient for Bildad to say to the blessed Job, as we also said before, the "but you rise up early" and the following, toward his own words spoken without distinction, teaching that the one praying will not certainly succeed, nor is it fitting to ask God for everything with "uncovering hands"; for he who sends up prayer rightly to God deserves to receive those things which are effective for him and suit the one bestowing.

For since the kind of good things is twofold—the first being the truly good, which are the virtues, and the second being the pleasant and customary good things—one must not ask God unseasonably for the customary things, but for the truly good; for God will judge whether we are being removed from hardships or being kept in them. And the diligent one asks for the truly good things, such as gifts, knowing intelligently that "to each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the profit of the Spirit" (1 Cor 12:7). Often indeed some say: how... to pray... "a gift of healing" or something else, I say "a reason" of "knowledge" and the rest; but they say these things not knowing that these things happen profitably from God. For not all use well those things which exist. Toward these, then, of the friends, I say, he answers with a hypothesis, teaching again hypothetically how one must pray. For if, he says,