Job 14:7-9 | KingComments | STEP | Job compares the hopelessness of his situation with a tree being cut down ( ). It seems to be over with that tree, but it turns out not to be so. The tree sprouts out again, life reappears. This can be seen in the young shoots that constantly reappear from the tree. It may be that its root in the earth is old and that its stump is dying ( ). Yet it will turn out that the root is not dead as soon as it ‘smells’ water, which means as soon as any water comes near it ( ). While it seems to be dying, from the force of life still within it, it makes another sprig, just as happens with a young plant. With “man” – with whom he may well mean himself again – it is different, says Job ( ). When he dies, his life on earth is over and done with. There is no residue of strength left in him to come to new life. Although Job says so, he does not seem to be completely without hope, for he wonders where his spirit is when he has died. A man cannot live without hope. Without hope every suffering becomes unbearable. There must be a resurrection. That is exactly what nature makes clear when, after the death of winter, new life becomes visible again in spring. Today’s suffering makes the life of a believer a frightening life if there were no resurrection (cf. ). Job compares life to water that evaporates from the sea or that is in a river that becomes parched and dries up ( ). Water that has disappeared cannot be gathered up again ( ). Thus it is with a man lying in the tomb and does not rise again to live as a man on earth ( ). For Job this is just as certain as the existence of heaven above the earth has no end. Once someone has died, he will not wake up by himself, nor will he be raised from his death sleep by anyone else. This is not about whether or not Job believes in a resurrection, for he does ( ), although it is still vague to him how that will go. We see this in the following verses.

‏ Job 14:7-9

Job Sees His Situation as Without Hope

Job compares the hopelessness of his situation with a tree being cut down (Job 14:7). It seems to be over with that tree, but it turns out not to be so. The tree sprouts out again, life reappears. This can be seen in the young shoots that constantly reappear from the tree. It may be that its root in the earth is old and that its stump is dying (Job 14:8). Yet it will turn out that the root is not dead as soon as it ‘smells’ water, which means as soon as any water comes near it (Job 14:9). While it seems to be dying, from the force of life still within it, it makes another sprig, just as happens with a young plant.

With “man” – with whom he may well mean himself again – it is different, says Job (Job 14:10). When he dies, his life on earth is over and done with. There is no residue of strength left in him to come to new life. Although Job says so, he does not seem to be completely without hope, for he wonders where his spirit is when he has died. A man cannot live without hope. Without hope every suffering becomes unbearable. There must be a resurrection. That is exactly what nature makes clear when, after the death of winter, new life becomes visible again in spring. Today’s suffering makes the life of a believer a frightening life if there were no resurrection (cf. 1Cor 15:19).

Job compares life to water that evaporates from the sea or that is in a river that becomes parched and dries up (Job 14:11). Water that has disappeared cannot be gathered up again (2Sam 14:14a). Thus it is with a man lying in the tomb and does not rise again to live as a man on earth (Job 14:12). For Job this is just as certain as the existence of heaven above the earth has no end. Once someone has died, he will not wake up by himself, nor will he be raised from his death sleep by anyone else.

This is not about whether or not Job believes in a resurrection, for he does (Job 7:4 ; Job 19:25), although it is still vague to him how that will go. We see this in the following verses.