Job 14 | MHM | STEP | Brevity and Frailty of Human Life This section leads us to think about how short and weak human life is. Job reflects on where life comes from, how quickly it passes, and how much trouble it contains. He also talks about the sinful nature of people and asks God to show mercy because of our weakness. v. 1 : Job says, Man who is born of a woman is of few days and full of trouble . Every person is born from a woman, and this reminds us that life is short and filled with problems. We inherit weakness and sin from our first parents, Adam and Eve (Job 25:4 ).

‏ Job 14

Brevity and Frailty of Human Life

This section leads us to think about how short and weak human life is. Job reflects on where life comes from, how quickly it passes, and how much trouble it contains. He also talks about the sinful nature of people and asks God to show mercy because of our weakness.

v. 1: Job says, Man who is born of a woman is of few days and full of trouble. Every person is born from a woman, and this reminds us that life is short and filled with problems. We inherit weakness and sin from our first parents, Adam and Eve (Job 25:4 ^a).

v. 2: He compares life to a flower and a shadow. He comes forth like a flower and withers; he flees like a shadow and does not continue. Flowers fade quickly, and shadows disappear fast. In the same way, our lives are brief and uncertain (1 Corinthians 7:31 ^b).

v. 3: Job asks God why He pays so much attention to weak humans. And do you open your eyes on such a one and bring me into judgment with you?. He wonders why God would judge someone so frail and sinful (Psalm 143:2 ^c).

v. 4: Job admits that no one can be pure by themselves. Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? There is not one. We are all born with a sinful nature, and only God can make us clean (Psalm 51:5 ^d).

v. 5: He says that God has set a limit on every person’s life. Since his days are determined, and the number of his months is with you, and you have appointed his limits that he cannot pass. Our lives are in God’s hands, and He decides how long we live (Daniel 5:26 ^e).

v. 6: Job asks God to give people a break from suffering. Look away from him and let him rest, so that he may enjoy his day like a hired worker. Since life is already hard and short, Job pleads for some relief and mercy from God’s heavy hand.

Death Anticipated

Now Job turns his thoughts from the troubles of life to the reality of death. Because he is suffering so much, he often thinks about dying. Job describes how final death is for humans, but he also hints at hope beyond the grave. He teaches that it is important to think about death, not only when we are sick, but even when we are healthy.

v. 7-9: Job compares people to trees. There is hope for a tree: if it is cut down, it will sprout again, and its shoots will not cease. Though its root grows old in the earth and its stump dies in the soil, yet at the scent of water it will bud and put out branches like a young plant(Job 14:7-9 ^f). Even if a tree is cut down, it can grow again. But people are not like that; when a person dies, he does not return to this life in the same way.

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v. 10: Job says, But a man dies and is laid low; man breathes his last, and where is he?. When a person dies, their body wastes away. Their soul leaves, and they disappear from this world. It is a serious thing to think about where people go after death.

v. 11-12: He continues, As waters fail from a lake and a river wastes away and dries up, so a man lies down and rises not again; till the heavens are no more, they will not awake or be roused out of their sleep(Job 14:11-12 ^g). After death, people do not return to daily life. They will not rise again until the end of the world, when God will raise the dead for judgment and new life (Job 19:26 ^h).

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v. 13: Job wishes that God would hide him in the grave until His anger passes. Oh, that you would hide me in Sheol, that you would conceal me until your wrath be past, that you would appoint me a set time, and remember me!. He hopes that the grave could be a safe hiding place until a better day comes, showing his longing for life after death (Psalm 139:15-16 ⁱ).

v. 14: Job asks, If a man dies, shall he live again? All the days of my service I would wait, till my renewal should come. He knows life will change at death, and he is willing to wait for God’s timing. Job believes in a change after death, whether it is resurrection or eternal life with God (Philippians 3:21 ^j).

v. 15: He finds hope in God’s call. You would call, and I would answer you; you would long for the work of your hands. Job trusts that God will not forget him, but will one day call him back to life and show him kindness. God will have a desire for those He has made and saved (Psalm 138:8 ^k).

Complainings of Job

Job continues to share how hard it is for him to deal with his suffering. Even though he has some hope for the future, his pain and troubles right now feel overwhelming. He talks about how he feels under God’s strict judgment and also about how short and difficult life is for everyone.

v. 16-17: Job feels that God is watching every step he takes and counting all his sins. For then you would number my steps; you would not keep watch over my sin; my transgression would be sealed up in a bag, and you would cover over my iniquity(Job 14:16-17 ^l). Job admits he has sinned, but he thinks God is being too strict by keeping a record of every wrong thing. He wishes God would be more forgiving and not so severe (Deuteronomy 32:34 ^m).

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v. 18-19: Job says that even the strongest things in the world, like mountains and rocks, will wear away with time. But the mountain falls and crumbles away, and the rock is removed from its place; the waters wear away the stones; the torrents wash away the soil of the earth; so you destroy the hope of man(Job 14:18-19 ⁿ). He feels that if even nature cannot last forever, it is not surprising that human life is so fragile.

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v. 20: Job says that God always wins against humans, and people pass away. You prevail forever against him, and he passes; you change his countenance and send him away. When death comes, a person’s appearance changes, and they are sent away from this world forever. Death is powerful, and no one can resist it.

v. 21: After someone dies, they do not know what happens to their family. His sons come to honor, and he does not know it; they are brought low, and he perceives it not. This reminds us not to worry too much about what will happen to our families after we are gone. God will take care of them.

v. 22: Job ends by saying that even before death, life can be full of pain and sorrow. He feels only the pain of his own body, and he mourns only for himself(Job 14:22 ^o). The suffering in life and the fear of death make him sad. He urges us to seek comfort and peace with God now, before our last days.