Job 14:14 | KingComments | STEP | In these verses, we hear something of hope in Job’s words, no matter how vague and distorted that hope may be by his wrong thoughts about God. He sighs to God that He would hide him in Sheol ( ). Then he would be hidden from His wrath. It would then no longer touch him. He longs to wait in the realm of the dead for God to change His attitude toward him and stop chasing His creature. This means he presupposes a possibility of change. In the word “until” something of a vague hope sounds that God’s wrath will not always abide on him. He wants God to set a limit to his suffering and think of him. However hopeless his suffering may be, the hope remains dormant in him that this suffering will one day come to an end. No matter how much Job experiences that God has turned His face away from him, the thought of God thinking of him will not leave him. Job wonders whether a man, when he has died, will live again ( ). Previously, in , he clearly argued that a man who has died will not return to the living. Nevertheless, he presupposes the possibility of seeking temporary refuge in the realm of the dead until the wrath of God has subsided in his life. And then, if that had happened, he would return to the land of the living. Then God would call Job ( ). This calling means that God would finally not be an adversary for him. Job would then be able to answer with peace of mind, the relationship would be restored. It is no longer Job who has called God without God giving him an answer, because the opposite happens: God calls and Job answers. In this new relationship, God would count Job’s footsteps ( ), which means that God would closely follow Job’s doings and dealings. But not anymore to condemn Job as an alleged criminal, because now God will not heed the (alleged) sins of Job. In any case, Job now presents God as a loving and merciful God. This is underlined by the metaphor of the sealing up in a bag his transgression ( ). This metaphor implies that God will keep the iniquity of Job together and no longer remember it. Unfortunately, all these beautiful thoughts turn out to be a fata morgana for Job, a mirage. Soon, and this happens in the following verses, he will wake up disillusioned and will have to face reality again.

‏ Job 14:14

Still a Vague Hope?

In these verses, we hear something of hope in Job’s words, no matter how vague and distorted that hope may be by his wrong thoughts about God. He sighs to God that He would hide him in Sheol (Job 14:13). Then he would be hidden from His wrath. It would then no longer touch him. He longs to wait in the realm of the dead for God to change His attitude toward him and stop chasing His creature. This means he presupposes a possibility of change.

In the word “until” something of a vague hope sounds that God’s wrath will not always abide on him. He wants God to set a limit to his suffering and think of him. However hopeless his suffering may be, the hope remains dormant in him that this suffering will one day come to an end. No matter how much Job experiences that God has turned His face away from him, the thought of God thinking of him will not leave him.

Job wonders whether a man, when he has died, will live again (Job 14:14). Previously, in Job 14:12, he clearly argued that a man who has died will not return to the living. Nevertheless, he presupposes the possibility of seeking temporary refuge in the realm of the dead until the wrath of God has subsided in his life.

And then, if that had happened, he would return to the land of the living. Then God would call Job (Job 14:15). This calling means that God would finally not be an adversary for him. Job would then be able to answer with peace of mind, the relationship would be restored. It is no longer Job who has called God without God giving him an answer, because the opposite happens: God calls and Job answers.

In this new relationship, God would count Job’s footsteps (Job 14:16), which means that God would closely follow Job’s doings and dealings. But not anymore to condemn Job as an alleged criminal, because now God will not heed the (alleged) sins of Job. In any case, Job now presents God as a loving and merciful God.

This is underlined by the metaphor of the sealing up in a bag his transgression (Job 14:17). This metaphor implies that God will keep the iniquity of Job together and no longer remember it.

Unfortunately, all these beautiful thoughts turn out to be a fata morgana for Job, a mirage. Soon, and this happens in the following verses, he will wake up disillusioned and will have to face reality again.