Job  

Chapter  14  

"Job's reply to Zophar's first address continued."

Job  14:1   "Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble."

As we continue in this chapter, remember that Job was a type of the elect of the end times.  Remember from the beginning of this book, Satan that was given permission by God to bring the trouble and sickness upon Job.  Satan is the cause of all the trouble. There is very little difference between Job and the elect of today, however, today God has given His people the authority and the power to command Satan and his realm out of their lives, and away from us.  Most Christians today simply do not know that they have this power, nor that Satan is the one that is making their lives miserable, and thus by the lack of knowledge in God's holy Word, Satan messes over them. 

The problems that Job faced are the same self problems that we face today, even though our surroundings are different.  Those problems are not to the same degree that Job faced, for today there are very few people that could have stood the pain and suffering of Job, and continued to praise God without cursing God to His face.  Today we have a safety valve, an intercessor before the throne of God that we can call upon when the going gets to tough, and God will make a way of escape.  Those that have the ears to hear, and the eyes to see these problems coming upon us, can put a stop to it.  You have the power and the authority of the living God to order Satan and his children from your life. 

The first twelve verses of this chapter speaks of how small man is with respect to God.  Job is saying here in this first verse that when you are born in this flesh body, you are going to face trouble, but you will not live in your flesh body very long.  What is sixty to eighty years in comparison to the eternity, but a vapor.  It is here and it is gone.  

Job  14:2   "He comeith forth like a flower, and is cut down: he fleeth also as a shadow, and continueth not."

When a child is born, that child is a beautiful thing in it's innocence, but as the years go by and the child matures into adulthood.  Habits form and sin creeps into ones life, and there is separation from God.  It doesn't take long to where his or her life draws to the end, and all the life of that person seem so short in time.  Job is comparing this flower and ones shadow to the shortness of ones life.  This is looking at man in the flesh. 

Job 14:3   "And dost Thou open Thine eyes upon such an one, and bringest me into judgment with Thee?"

Job is saying that he is that small one; are you judging me now for my sins, Father?

Job  14:4   "Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one."

What it is saying here in the Hebrew text is, how can one pass through that flower stage into adulthood and still remain perfect?  Then Job states, not one person.  This should tip us off to the answer that is coming at the end of this chapter.  However since this writing there has come one perfect, and He is Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.  It is through Jesus Christ that we can have perfection in our lives, by and through our faith in His cleansing blood. 

Job  14:5   "Seeing his days are determined, the number of his months are with Thee, Thou hast appointed his bounds that he cannot pass;"

Instead of the word "seeing" it should read "if" or a condition placed here.  God has given each of us a predetermined amount of time in the flesh to live our lives and make the choices that each of us make.  No man can take it into his own hands to shorten or lengthen those days that God has allowed each of us to live.  When we do, we are violating God's laws.  You can see destiny even for those that have free will here, though Job is an example or type of the elect.  Remember that this is not the teaching of God, but a speech given by Job to three of his friends. 

Job  14:6   "Turn from him, that he may rest, till he shall accomplish, as an hireling, his day."

Job is pleading with God, that in that life is so short and so hard, ease off of him a little bit and let him find a little rest. 

Job  14:7   "For there is hope of a tree, if it be cut down, that it will sprout again, and that the tender branch thereof will not cease."

Job  14:8   "Though the root thereof wax old in the earth, and the stock thereof die in the ground;"

Job is using an old tree for comparison to his plea.  Even an old tree when it is cut down leaves its roots in the ground and in time a sprout will cause that tree to live again. 

Job  14:9   "Yet through the scent of water it will bud, and bring forth boughs like a plant."

When just a little water hits those roots lying dead in the ground, a new life will spring forth into a new trunk with its many boughs. 

Job  14:10   "But man dieth, and wasteth away: yea, man giveth up the ghost, and where is he?"

This can be answered in two ways, considering which man we are speaking of.  Man is composed of two different bodies, the flesh and the spiritual body.  The comparison that Job is using here is of the mortal man in the flesh only.  We know from Ecclesiastes 12:7 that when the dead flesh body is laid in the grave, the soul of that person goes immediately to be with the Father that sent it.

Ecclesiastes  12:7   "Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God Who gave it."

When the soul leaves the flesh body, chemical action starts immediately to return the flesh body back into the different elements that it is composed of.  When that body becomes the dust of the earth, the soul will never again return to that flesh or any other flesh body.  It is appointed for man once to die and there are not other trips through life in the flesh.  The teaching that is going on today that certain people have lived a life in prior years as another person, is a lie, and is a doctrine of evil spirits.  It is playing around with familiar spirits and the demonic and God forbids it. 

Our spirit body or soul is a perfect body, and it is the body that those that have died are in when they have gone to be with the Father. 

Job  14:11   "As the waters fail from the sea, and the flood decayeth and drieth up:"

Job  14:12   "So man lieth down, and riseth not: till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep."

The "man" spoken of here is "mortal man".  Job is saying that as far as mortal man is concerned, when he dies you will never see that person in the flesh again, for he shall never return to that decaying flesh body.  He will never live again in the flesh body.  Solomon stated in Ecclesiastes 9:4 that a live dog is better and stronger than a dead lion.  Once the flesh is dead it becomes no threat to anyone.  This has nothing to do with your spiritual body.  Job has just stated the smallness of mortal man.    

Job  14:13   "O that Thou wouldest hide me in the grave, that Thou wouldest keep me secret until Thy wrath be past, that Thou wouldest appoint me a set time, and remember me!"

Job is begging God that if there is a set time that He has for Job's life, Job wants to know how long that time is for.  Don't keep that secret from me. 

Job  14:14   "If a man die, shall he live again? all the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come."

Job has used a parallel between himself and a soldier that is standing watch.  The soldier that has the watch from midnight to four in the morning knows the time of the watch and he knows what to expect.  Job knows that his life has an appointed time, and he knows also that only God knows how long that watch time is for.  Job is telling God that he will wait patiently until God brings the end to his time of watch in his mortal body.  This is not saying that Job is in any army, but using it as a comparison to his time of living here on earth.  Job is telling God that no matter how long the wait, I will serve the Lord.  You can still see Job's hope in this verse.

Job  14:15   "Thou shalt call, and I will answer Thee: Thou wilt have a desire to the work of Thine hands."

Job of course is the "work of Thine hands".  Job is ready for God to call for him, and when that call comes, Job will give answer for his actions and words done in the flesh. 

Job  14:16   "For now Thou numberest my steps: dost Thou not watch over my sin?"

Job knows that Father will demand an account for every step Job takes. 

Job  14:17   "My transgression is sealed up in a bag, and Thou sewest up mine iniquity."

Job's sins are sealed up in a bag, and held for the day of Judgment.  All of Job's sins are recorded in heaven, and Job knew that they were.  This is why Job wasn't very worried when these three men are dumping their bad advice on Job.  They did not understand Job's mind, but he knew that God did.   

Job  14:18   "And surely the mountain falling cometh to nought, and the rock is removed out of his place."

Though this verse is badly translated, refer back to the first twelve verses where Job is talking about the smallness of man.  Job is now comparing man's smallness to a mountain avalanche covering a man.  What is man compared to this mountain?

Job  14:19   "The waters wear the stones: Thou washest away the things which grow out of the dust of the earth; and Thou destroyest the hope of man."

This is referring to the hope of "frail man".  What Job is saying is quite common in California.  He is saying that God can send a huge rains storm to come down on a mountain and wash away even the largest of stones out of the side of the mountain.  So how do you expect perishable man to withstand Thee? Job is asking, is there any hope before the Almighty God?

Job  14:20   "Thou prevailest for ever against him, and he passeth: Thou changest his countenance, and sendest him away."

"Thou changest his countenance" is in reference to a man's face changing with age. 

Job 14:21   "His sons come to honour, and he knoweth it not; and they are brought low, but he perceiveth it not of them."

After the change has taken place, as far as the flesh is concerned, man simply doesn't know what to expect. 

Job  14:22   "But his flesh upon him shall have pain, and his soul within him shall mourn."

Do you see the two subjects within this verse?  First the flesh body is going to have pain, and we should learn to expect that pain to come.  The second part deals with the soul, for when the pain comes, the soul then regets that it was ever born.  Why? because of the pain that the flesh must endure.  The better we take care of these flesh bodies, the less pain comes upon them in later years.  When pain come to these flesh bodies, our whole attention is focused on that part of the body that is in pain.  Even the soul that is within us becomes completely focused on the flesh or mortal part of him.  People will go to great lengths to save some part of their flesh body, and the point that Job is making here is that there are two bodies, and what happens to the flesh body even effects what happens to the soul or spiritual body. 

People will even sell their soul out to Satan for the sake of pleasing their flesh habits, or protecting themselves from pain.  So which is the most important to you?  The soul is eternal, and the flesh has but a few years to live on this earth.  This is our time of choosing those things that are important to each of us, and your selection reflects the condition of our soul.  Upon death, the flesh turns back to dust of the elements its made of and is finished. However, each of us will then have to give account for our choices made in the flesh, to determine if our soul will be eternal or destroyed after judgment. 

God gave each of us a physical body and it is our responsibility to God to maintain that body according to the health laws in His Word.  Those laws were given as a guide for living a healthy life in the flesh.  The point here is that we do not place our riches upon the flesh, but keep the value of your wealth on your soul which is eternal.