“If
a man dies, will he live again?
All the days of my struggle I will wait until my change comes (death). You will call,
and I will answer You; You will long for the work of Your hands.” (v.14)
Here
in chapter 14 Job continues with his despondent prayer to God. He speaks to Him of to the shortness of life, and
how life is full of trouble (v.1). He compares life’s shortness to a flower,
and a shadow, both of which fade fast (vv.2-4). Job then appeals to God for a
break from his trial because “life is short” (vv.5-6). In his attempt to sway
God, Job argues that a man’s life is like water that evaporates or falls to the
ground and disappears (vv. 11-12).
After much
prayer on the shortness of man’s life and his eventual death, Job switches to
question here in our text, “If a man dies, will he live again” (v.14)? This is
the ultimate question and Job answered it for himself (and all believers) in
the second half of verse 14 by saying, he would wait until his time, and when
God calls, he will answer, believing God would not forsake the work of His
hands. Again, Job expresses great hope in the face of hopelessness – a belief
in life eternal, with God, who would not forsake His creation, upon his
passing.
Jesus said,
“Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My
Father’s house are many mansions; if it
were not so, I would
have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place
for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also (John 14:1-3). Job’s
time was obviously before Jesus came to this earth, but he knew God and
therefore had the promises of God fulfill by Jesus’s resurrection - even though
Job died long before Christ came to this earth. In Ephesians 4:8 and 9, Paul
writes that before Jesus ascended into heaven, He descended to the lower parts
of the earth, into Abraham’s bosom, and led those from paradise into heaven fulfilling Job's faith.
While Job
and others had to wait for their entrance into heaven until Jesus concurred
death, today we believers go immediately into the presence of the LORD upon our
passing. There is no waiting. We pass from death and darkness into His glorious
light and everlasting life. It is comforting to know that for those who have gone before us in Christ, there is no more sorrow, grief, pain, nor suffering. Just eternal, peace, joy, rest and love. Hallelujah!
The Truth: “I
am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he
shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die.
Do you believe this?” (John 11:25-26)
