Everyone goes through some degree of afflictions throughout their life. This is common to all mankind, regardless of who you are. There are some people, though, who seem to have more than their share of troubles. They seem to keep coming and coming, like ever increasing ocean waves, rolling over them again and again. Some of these folks give in to the despair and hopelessness they face. Others are able to look up and grab hold of their Redeemer in faith and hope. In our Old Testament Scripture this week we meet Job, a man who, in spite of his troubles, saw some hope, as we will see from today’s passage.
The Book of Job does not indicate when the events written took place. However, many Biblical scholars believe that Job lived during the time of the patriarchs, a contemporary of Abraham or Isaac, and that he also lived somewhere in the Middle East. Job was a believer in the one true God, Yahweh, and was a very wealthy man, with thousands of herds of sheep, oxen, camels, and donkeys. He also had seven sons and three daughters. Everything was going fine in Job’s life until Satan attacked him with swift, severe, and vicious attacks. All at one time he lost all that he had - all of his flocks and herds of cattle, and the lives of each of his children (Job 1:13-19). Shortly after this Job’s health gave out, as he was afflicted with a painful and devastating skin affliction (Job 2:7-8). His friends and neighbors kept their distance from him, including his wife. Even his three closest friends argued and debated with him about what had happened.
With all of this happening in Job’s life we can understand why he was so depressed, why he was upset and angry with God. There isn’t a one of us who wouldn’t have felt the same way. Yet, in the midst of all of his pain and suffering we see Job clinging to the hope of God as his Redeemer.
Job had lost all hope for this life. He had lost everything. He had lost his possessions. He had lost his health. Job had lost his whole family, except for a wife that now lashed out at him. His friends did the same. Yet in our verses today Job was confident that after he was dead, his God would vindicate him with a physical resurrection, where he would have fellowship with his Redeemer.
At the point of Job’s greatest despair, his faith appeared at its highest, as he confidently affirmed that God was his Redeemer (vs. 25). Job knew that God would vindicate him in the last day of judgment.
Though things didn’t look good now, Job looked ahead, knowing that God would make all things beautiful. He knew God would remove all the pain he now had, all of the sorrow, tears, adversity, and death. Job knew, just as Paul would say centuries later, that “hope does not disappoint” (Romans 5:5). Job could endure today by envisioning tomorrow. He understood that he had a big God who was in control, and that one day, when all the suffering was over, he would understand more fully.
We, too, can share this same hope. When all of the storms of life come crashing down on us, when the troubles are more than we can bear, we can look to our Redeemer, as Job did. We don’t serve a dead god, a lifeless idol. We serve a living God, who will redeem the lives of His Blood-bought children. Job believed in the resurrection. Though his body would face corruption, he would be resurrected to stand before God (vs. 26-27). Everyone who has placed their faith in Jesus Christ will one day see Him face to face. When we do, we will be like Him (I John 3:2). On that day God will wipe away all of our tears, and all of our troubles will fade away like a dream that is quickly passed.
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