Behold, God will not cast away a perfect [man], neither will he help the evil doers:
Ver. 20. Behold, God will not cast away a perfect man] Epilogus sermonis Bildad. This is the epilogue or close of Bildad's speech to Job; and it hath been the tartness of a threatening mixed with the sweetness of the promise: sour and sweet, we say, make the best sauce (Mercer). The strong God will not use, or rather abuse, his power, to the rejecting or reprobating (as the Septuagint render it) of an upright person; but will help him by taking him by the hand, as it followeth in the next clause, and taking it ill if others do not so too, Isaiah 51:18. He will never leave them (or if sometimes he seem to leave them, yet), he will not forsake them, Hebrews 13:5 : forsake them he may in regard of vision, but not of union; desert them for a time (as he did Christ himself), but not disinherit them. "When they be in the land of their enemies" (and so may seem quite cast away) "I will not cast them away, neither will I abhor them to destroy them utterly, and to break my covenant with them, for I am the Lord their God," Leviticus 26:44. Lo, this is the portion of a perfect man. As for hypocrites (who are semiperfectae virtutis homines, as Philo calleth them; cakes half-baked, Hosea 7:8; Christians almost, but not altogether, Act 26:29), my God will cast them away, because they did not hearken unto him, Hosea 9:15 .
Neither will he help the evildoers] Heb. He will not lay hold upon the hand, viz. to help them; or he will not take by the hand the evil doers that make a trade of sin: Non porriget manum malignis (Vulg.).; he will have no communion or commerce with such, he will not strike hands or join hands with them, but wash his hands of them for ever, shake them off with a Discedite, Depart ye, be packing: so should we. See David's practice, Psalms 26:4,5, and prayer, Job 8:9, "Gather not my soul with sinners," &c. It was once the prayer of a good gentlewoman, when she was to die, being in much trouble of conscience, O Lord, let me not go to hell, where the wicked are; for, Lord, thou knowest I never loved their company here.