Poetry – Job 17-18

The picture that you see right now is both funny and sad.

It’s a dust covered Bible (obviously left aside for quite some time – unread). And some wise guy decided to make a point.

The sad part is that it is quite true for most of us.  We have our Bible, or Bibles.  But the only time these are used is when we bring it along with us to Church or when we happen to host a home fellowship.

Let’s dust off the dust of our Bibles and read today’s….

Bible Passage:  Job 17-18

You can really feel the anguish of Job when he exclaimed “My spirit is broken, My days are extinguished, The grave is ready for me.” (Job 17:1).

However you read it, Job was a broken man.  Not only did he lose his family, possessions and health, he was also stripped of whatever pride he might have had.  Yet, we will learn in next week’s reading, it is the very fact that he wa brought so low, that he was able to reaffirm his faith and dependence on God (19:25-27).

We all know that God opposes the proud and gives grace to the humble.  But in the Bible, we do see 2 great contrasts of the hearts of men.  Some were proud and hard hearted, like the Pharaoh of Egypt who did not want to let God’s people go, to King Saul, who repeatedly disobeyed, disregarded and dishonoured God.  But yet there were others who demonstrated a ‘different spirit’ like Joshua and Caleb, or Cornelius who was devoted to God.

On which side do we stand?  Do we stubbornly resist God?  Or we acknowleged that trials and tests may break us down but in the end, God uses them to build us up – if we let Him (James 1:2-8)

Job 17:15

Where then is my hope?
As for my hope, who can see it?

In his situation, Job had given up hope of any future restoration of his health, wealth and family.  His thoughts were focused on death and the rest from grief and pain it promises.

Job’s friends had talked about rewards for a God fearing life – but these rewards that they had focused on were only the rewards of this world only.

They did not consider the possibility of life after death or what does that mean.

We must also not fall into the same trap of Job’s friends to only consider life in terms of the present world only because God promises us a never ending everlasting life in the future for those who are faithful to Him.

Job asked, “Where then in my hope?”

What is your answer to him?

In Chris, we have all the hope we will ever need.  Regardless of our circumstances, God has “… begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1 Peter 1:3).

There is hope.  Not just plain blind faith…. but a living hope in Jesus Christ.  Let us not forget it.