Job 14 A GLIMMER OF HOPE In this chapter with much lament and despair, there are some flashes of insight and hope expressed as Job longs for relief. One thing is sure, all humanity will have times of trouble that cannot be avoided. Human limitations keep us from this state of frail, mortal man. "Full of years" are sometimes used as a phrase to describe a more or less happy life. "Few days," contrasts with that as Job deals with the loss of all his possessions, the loss of his children, the loss of his health, and then with disappointment in his friends that made his loneliness so grieving to him.
We welcome life and it seems so bright and hopeful at first, but then so quickly it fades as age comes on us and the past is like a mere shadow that we hardly remember. And - death is inevitable. There is no way to avoid it as it looms ahead, almost more real than life to those who suffer and are old. It is a great wonder that during the years of our lives, God who is eternal and lives in an eternal "Now," draws near to each individual during life' short span, and reveals Himself in a way that is understandable to each one in the context of life in which they are born. All do not have the same privileges, but "in every nation, he that feareth him [God], and worketh righteousness, is accepted with Him."
Human beings who are created in the image of God, have an inborn awareness of our limitations and God's greatness. By the powers of observation and reason we are God-conscious. Unfortunately, that which is normal to mankind is often taught away and/or discounted by teachers, philosophers - even spiritual advisors and parents to where millions are convinced there is no God, or at least "No God for me."
In all of Job's suffering, he never doubted God, just God's ways. He knew God to the extent he was communicating openly with Him. He knew we are all born sinners. He knew life was an allotted time in which we are given boundaries in which to live and a course to follow. "The valley of the shadow of death," is our lifetime, not just a short time before we die. We are surrounded by the shadow of death every day, but those who know the Lord know He is with us during this journey. We may become rich and famous. There may be monuments raised to declare to those who come behind us as a remembrance of some important event in our lives. Trees may sprout from a stump after it is cut down, but with pessimism, Job said it doesn't happen to humans.
Then, in spite of his pessimism, he looks ahead with a certain logic to the future where mercy overcomes "my transgression." His question, "If a man die, shall he live again?" gives a measure of hope to Job. From our place in the history of the world, we know the answer. Our Lord said just before he died, "If I go to prepare a place for you, and if I go and prepare a place for you, U will come again and receive you unto Myself; that where i am, there you may be also." Our hope is sure and steadfast.
Then again Job falls back into a dark pessimism and rashly accuses God of holding his sins in a bag that is sealed until judgment day. How hard it must have been for him, and likely others in that day, to have hope against hope that there will be blessings yet to come. Two question Job asked in this chapter are still being asked by unbelievers, and perhaps by those believers who suffer from doubts caused by pain, or lack of reading and understanding the scriptures of truth.
The first question Job asked regarding the future is very searching. "But man, dieth and wasteth away; yea man giveth up the ghost, and, where is he?" To many unbelievers the grave is the end. To those who are thoughtful and observe life as more than "eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow we die," we know that beyond death and the grave are two distinct and eternal destinations. Heaven is the dwelling place and hope of the believer. It goes beyond a location to the place where our Lord Jesus Christ takes His own people to be with Him. Hell is where those who will not put their faith in Christ go after their bodies are put in the grave.
The second question is, "If a man die, shall he live again?" Those who have put their trust in Christ as Savior and Lord, answer that question with a resounding "Yes!" because we believe the Bible to be the true word of God. Each person will live again. "There shall be a resurrection from the dead!" This is our "hope before God." We do not have to wait for an answer to this question. Both the just and unjust will be raised, either to everlasting life or everlasting destruction. The bodes of saved and unsaved will be resurrected and adapted to the eternal existence that is beyond the resurrection. For those who are children of God by faith in Jesus Christ, the new body they will have, will suit them to life and service for God in the new heavens and new earth for their eternal future. For those who have ignored God or denied that he even exists in their lifetime, and for those who reject God's offer of salvation by grace alone through faith - they will find no mercy offered in the future. This is the time when mercy is shown. Their bodies will be suited for their useless existence in the lake of fire.
This whole chapter is like an essay or a discourse on death. It is like a eulogy that could be read at a pessimist's funeral. But in the darkness that seemed to cloud Job's mind, there are some glimmers of light and hope which give a counterpoint to his despair. A right set of doctrinal beliefs is not enough. To know what to believe is not enough. It may be that suffering will be the reason people move beyond superficial belief of the truth, to full trust in the Lord Jesus Christ for life, hope and the quality of life that goes far beyond whether we physically feel good or bad.