“If someone dies, will they live again? All the days of my hard service I will wait for my renewal to come. You will call and I will answer you; you will long for the creature your hands have made.”
- Job 14:14-15 -

In Job 14, Job’s words expose his pain. His body is being devoured ‘like a garment eaten by moths.’ This is the context for the poem (vs 2–6) in which he wonders why God bothers with mankind at all. Yet, as he affirms, his days are determined by the Lord and his life is being lived within God-appointed limits (v 5). When we know that God has a plan for our lives, we can commit to him not only the ultimate outcome, as Job does (vs 13,14), but also the intervening circumstances that will bring us to that place.

For Job, death was ‘something dark and obscure, not yet revealed in the orthodox doctrines of his day’...Understanding this correctly, we grasp the sheer boldness and originality of Job’s proposed solution to the dark riddle of death in verse 14. He does not ignore the stark realities of death but proclaims faith in ultimate victory, ‘I will wait for my renewal to come’ (v 14). He foreshadows New Testament faith in which we are called to wait eagerly for the redemption of our bodies. Waiting in pain was not easy for Job, however, and it may not be for you. Hold on to the truth of eternal life today and thank God that there is hope beyond the grave.

Prayer: Risen Lord Jesus, all thanks to you for the light and gladness you bring into my life. Your resurrection changes everything.