Job 14

Job laments the brevity and trouble of human life, comparing man to a fading flower or shadow. He questions why God scrutinizes such a frail being, emphasizing that man, unlike a cut tree, does not rise again after death. Job expresses a longing for the grave as a temporary hiding place, holding a faint hope for a future remembrance or 'change' from God.

Job 14 opens with a profound lament on the inherent frailty and short duration of human life, describing man as born of a woman, full of trouble, and fleeting like a flower or shadow. Job questions why the Almighty would bring such a transient and inherently impure being into judgment, acknowledging that God has appointed man's days and bounds. He contrasts man's fate with that of a tree, which, though cut down, can sprout anew from the scent of water, whereas man, once dead, does not rise. Despite this bleak outlook, Job expresses a desperate wish to be hidden in the grave until God's wrath passes, clinging to a hope that God might appoint a set time and remember him, anticipating a 'change' after death. He concludes by lamenting God's constant scrutiny of his steps and sins, and the ultimate destruction of human hope and existence.

Job 14 begins with a poignant reflection on the human condition, asserting that man, born of a woman, is destined for few days and much trouble, akin to a fleeting flower that is cut down or a shadow that vanishes. Job directly addresses God, questioning why He would fix His gaze and bring such a fragile, inherently impure being into judgment, acknowledging that no one can bring a clean thing out of an unclean. He recognizes God's absolute sovereignty over human life, stating that man's days and months are determined by the Almighty, who has appointed unpassable bounds. Job then pleads for God to turn away, allowing man a brief respite, like a hireling completing his day. A significant contrast is drawn between man and a tree: a tree, though cut down, retains hope of sprouting again from its roots, even by the mere scent of water. However, man dies, wastes away, and gives up the ghost, with no apparent return. This leads Job to a desperate wish to be hidden in the grave, kept secret until God's wrath passes, expressing a longing for a set time when God might remember him. Despite the apparent finality of death, Job poses the rhetorical question, 'If a man die, shall he live again?' and declares his intention to wait all the days of his appointed time until his 'change' comes, expressing a faint hope that God might call him and he would answer, as God would desire the work of His own hands. Yet, he immediately reverts to lamenting God's current scrutiny, feeling his steps are numbered and his sins watched and sealed up. He concludes by observing that just as mountains fall and rocks are removed, and waters wear away stones, God ultimately destroys the hope of man, prevailing against him, changing his countenance, and sending him away, leaving man unaware of his children's fortunes, with only pain and mourning in his flesh and soul.