Job 14
This chapter continues Job's pleading with God, in which he now talks about the brevity of man's life.
He describes life as a flower that fades and as a shadow that disappears. In contrast to a tree, which when cut down may bud again when watered, man dies and like sea water evaporates and floods dry up so man's life is gone.
Because of the brevity and sinfulness of man's life - the length of which is appointed by God - he asks God to look away from him. He acknowledges that clean things cannot be brought out of unclean - and wishes that he could be hid in the grave, until God's wrath is passed.
In the latter half of the chapter, Job appears to return to his complaint against God. He says (as Matthew Henry interprets it) that God is stacking up 'bills of indictment' against him, ready to be 'produced against the prisoner'.
He speaks of the apparent hopelessness of man as God prevails against him, and then talks of the experience of dying - the pain, and sorrows of this, and how the dying man loses interest in surrounding family and their concerns.
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As I read this chapter my attention was caught by the second part of verse 12 and the second part of verse 15. The whole verses read:
'So man lieth down, and riseth not: till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep'...
'Thou shalt call and I will answer thee: thou wilt have a desire to the work of thine hands.'
Isn't it amazing that Job - a man believed to have lived around the time of Abraham, or even earlier, knew that one day the earth will end? And he wasn't alone - this belief through the inspired words of the Spirit is continued in Psalm 102 and Isaiah 51, 65 & 66. The heavens, which are acknowledged as God's creation are described as growing old and being folded up and changed like clothing.
For those who are loved by God and love him in return what a joyful prospect there is before us!
Although the heaven and earth will end God says his salvation will NEVER end and he will create a new heaven and earth. Isaiah 65:18 records this joyful prospect,
'For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind. But be ye glad and rejoice for ever in that which I create: for behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy...'
And the joy of this prospect is contained in the knowledge that our dearest friend, our Saviour and our Redeemer will be there!
We will live in the joy and love of his presence for ever and ever without any sorrow or pain.
As Revelation 21:4 says, 'And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.'
But when this time comes - when the heavens be no more and man will 'awake' and 'be raised out of their sleep', how wonderful and yet how terrible it will be! Jesus tells us, in John 5:28, 'the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice.'
ALL! No one can hide from him. We will all 'come forth'.
Firstly the Lord will call his people, 'they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life' (John 5: 28,29), or as Paul enlarges, 'the dead in Christ shall rise first...to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord' (1 Thessalonians 4:16,17).
But for those who know not the Lord, do not believe in him, do not love him and instead reject him and live in ways which are abhorrent to God - or as Jesus puts it, 'they that have done evil' - they will be called out of their graves 'unto the resurrection of damnation', which Revelation 21:8 describes as 'shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death' .
What a solemn day this will be! Does it make you and me tremble?
'I haven't done good', we may say. 'As much as I try I always see sin in my thoughts or my actions' .
Dear reader, what do we read in Matthew 25? Jesus teaches how when he comes again, all people will be called before him and separated into his followers (his sheep) and those that are cursed (the goats). He tells us the words of invitation and blessing he will speak to his sheep as he tells of all their good works, which were as if they were done to him.
And the sheep will answer, 'when did we do all these things for you?'
Although we aspire to serve the Lord and love those around us, we may feel our inadequacies and failings and not realise when we are actually serving him, but the Lord understands and sees the motivation of our hearts and he knows when every little thing we do to one of his people - his spiritual body, are therefore as if they are done to him; whether it is to consistently wash dishes and keep the house to nurture family, speak comforting words to one of his people who are hurting, care for an elderly parent.
All those failings which we see and confess before him- he blots out. He puts those wrongs behind his back. He cannot see them, because when God looks on his children he sees the purity and goodness of the Lord Jesus. Blessed Saviour!
As the second part of verse 15 says, God has 'a desire to the work' of his hands.
If we see a potter take clay and fashion it on his wheel, using light pressure, or harder pressure, cupping his hands or just using the tips of his finger and see how the beautiful, perfect pot mysteriously seems to rise into existence, so God our Heavenly Potter has created his people, watched over us throughout our lives, attended to all we have needed, heard our prayers, guided us, chastised us, been merciful to us, worked in us to perform that which he would have us to do, and moulds us to become fit for heaven.
And he wants to have his children with him! He loves them.
Think how precious something is to us which we have spent a lot of time over or put a lot of effort into.
How much more the Lord's people who have been chosen by him, suffered and died for!
God has a desire, that when the heavens be no more, and they are raised out of sleep, that these people - these broken, sinful people who he has healed and made whole, the work of his hands - will be with him, for ever and ever.
Let us look forward to that day with joyful anticipation - a humble joy, knowing that this gift of eternal life is totally undeserved.
Let us pray that we will be kept spiritually alert and prepared for this day.
Let us pray that we are one that God has a desire to, one that will be raised to ever lasting life with him and not to eternal death. Not one that thinks he has done all he needs to to earn eternal life, one that is self-assured in his own efforts, one in whom the heavenly potter will see the flaws and discard. But one who depends on the Lord Jesus Christ, his Saviour, for all.
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