If a Man Dies, Will He Live?

Job 13:28-14:22

Key Verse 14:14

If a man dies, will he live again? All the days of my hard service I will wait for my renewal to come.

Today we would like to meet Job. We want to learn resurrection faith from him. When I say "resurrection faith", one might be tempted to ask, "What is resurrection faith?" Or "What does resurrection faith do for me?" You then might pipe in to say, "This is my fist. I believe in what this fist of mine can do for me." Or “This is my brain. I run my life by running my brain. If my brain stops functioning, I stop functioning. That is it. I don't know what else there is to work with." I admit that we can do lots of things with our fists and our brains. But there is a limit to what our fists or brains can do. But there is no limit to what resurrection faith can do. Therefore what man needs the most is resurrection faith. Beginning this week, in order for us to prepare ourselves for the upcoming spring conference which takes place during the so-called Easter Week, we would like to learn what resurrection faith is all about. There are three lectures to come. Today's lecture is the first. 

Today we will meet a man named Job. A majority of Bible scholars agree that Job is a historical figure. I personally believe that he is indeed a historical figure who once walked on this planet earth somewhere in the Middle East. At this time I will not elaborate on the evidences that he indeed is a historical figure. Please refer to my previous message on Job 1-2 for background information on the man Job as to the time, location he lived in, and other particulars of his life. 

Resurrection faith is not a vague concept. It is not merely a theory. Resurrection faith has the most practical value and makes practical differences in life for those who live by it. Knowing its practical applicability, God teaches us resurrection faith through people who personally experienced great victories in their practical lives. 

Of all people who have learned the value of resurrection faith, in my opinion, Job is one of the first ones we should visit and learn from. Why? Here is why.

First, Job went down to the deepest pit of despair in life, and yet he did not despair.

When things go slightly bad, I have heard many say, "Man, I am all washed out." But you know they are bluffing. If you are honest, I think you are not that much different from people bluffing like this. Actually, each of us is an expert in the business of despairing. We are born pessimists, so to speak. 

As you examine the life history of Job, you will quickly agree that no one should say, "I am all washed out," or "I am all screwed up. There is no more hope left for me." Why? It is because from a human standpoint, Job is really washed out. 

(1) Job had seven sons and three daughters. He owned seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen and five hundred donkeys, and had a large number of servants. 

(2) But one day the Sabeans invaded his ranch. They took away oxen and donkeys. The servants protested, but pop, pop, pop! They killed the servants and ran away. The other day we heard that a robber shot Missionary John Lee of Paraguay. The bullet hit his chest. It grazed the left bottom of his lung, struck the liver, and then stopped before the spine. You can call this kind of disaster an act of man. 

(2) As if that were not enough, the fire of God fell from the sky and burned up the sheep and the servants. You can call this sort of disaster an act of God. God personally came down from heaven to hit him.

(3) At that time Job's sons and daughters were feasting and drinking wine at the oldest brother's house. Then suddenly a mighty wind swept in from the desert and struck the four corners of the house. It collapsed on them and they died. 

(4) No sooner had Job finished the funeral services for his children than a fresh new disaster hit Job. How did it happen? Job 2:7-8 say, "Satan went out from the presence of the LORD and afflicted Job with painful sores from the soles of his feet to the top of his head. Then Job took a piece of broken pottery and scraped himself with it as he sat among the ashes." 

(5) Three days ago, a friend of mine lost two accessories to his laptop: a wireless mouse, and a power cord. He looked everywhere but could not find them. He looked for them until 3 a.m. but still could not find them. He felt so bad that while his wife was still in bed he went to the bedroom and asked his wife, "Rebekah, do you still love me?" His wife responded, "Didn't I tell you not to do this while I am sleeping?" Then she woke up and looked around, but she could not find it either. So she said, "I still love you. Go to bed." Then the man felt a little better. Most likely, having gone through disasters after disasters, Job must have felt horrible. He needed lots of comfort. Job just wanted his wife to comfort him. But what did his wife say? His wife said, "Are you still holding on to your integrity? Curse God and die!"

(6) It has been said, "A friend in need is a friend indeed." Job had friends. Three of his friends visited Job. They were physicians. Supposedly they came to comfort Job. But instead of comforting him they embarrassed him. As one person they all said to Job, "What sins did you commit? Repent! Ask God for forgiveness. Then God may or may not relent." 

Second, because of Job’s resurrection faith he did not despair, even as he was walking through the Valley of Despair.

 

One of the questions we asked at the outset of this Bible study was, "Resurrection faith! What is it?" It should not surprise us because God shows us resurrection faith not in a classroom, but in the school of practical life, not as an abstract theory but through a real man Job. For God showed it through Job talking as he was going through the darkest moments of his life. 

Let us look at what Job said while he was still scratching the sores on his body. There are three cycles of speeches in the book of Job. Job's friends came to visit Job. They took turns to make speeches on why all the bad things were happening to a man, and how one can get out of the turn. The dialogues described in Chapters 4-14 represent the first cycle of speeches. The lines that attest to Job's true resurrection faith came from the first cycle of speeches. 

(1) Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him... (13:15a)

This is the first powerful line that confirms that Job had real resurrection faith. “Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him.” This line reveals Job's understanding of who God is, that is, according to Job, God is love. He never doubted God's love for him. To be more precise, although God put him through tough times, he did not doubt that God still loved him and is going to love him more. “Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him.” Abraham in Genesis had the same faith. For the first one hundred years of Abraham's life, he had one single most important prayer topic, that is, to have a son. Indeed, God blessed him with a son. Then alas, God asked him to sacrifice his son Isaac. It was even worse than God asking Abraham to commit suicide. But Abraham did not doubt God's love. He obeyed God's command. In obedience meaning business, he held up a knife to drive it through his son. How could he do that? Hebrews 11:19 says, "Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead, and figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac back from death." This episode however was foreshadowed the reality to come, that is, the example of Jesus Christ. In Abraham’s case, it was just a play (i.e., God asked Abraham not to kill). But in Jesus’ case, God's will for Jesus was for Jesus to offer himself as an atoning sacrifice. Right before his arrest on the Mt. of Gethesemane Jesus knelt down and prayed, "Everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will." God was silent. God's will was for Jesus to die. God literally slay his son. Yet, Jesus obeyed. Why? He had resurrection faith. “Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him.” Job had the same resurrection faith. 

(2) Indeed, this will turn out for my deliverance, for no godless man would dare come before him! (Job 13:16)

By "this" Job meant what he had in life at that particular moment of his life - particularly the terrible sores raging all over his body from top to bottom. To some the "this" might be losing a job, demotion at work, getting a moving violation ticket, family relationships breaking down, friends leaving, and much worse than these. When these things hit you, what are you tempted to say? Whining and pining, what negative words do you end up uttering? But through resurrection faith Job said, "Indeed, this will turn out for my deliverance, for no godless man would dare come before him!" Here "godless man” means the man who does not believe in God, for the word 'godless' is the same as 'faithless'. After all how can you believe in God when you even do not believe in his existence? And Hebrews 11:6 says, "And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him."

(3) If a man dies, will he live again? All the days of my hard service I will wait for my renewal to come. (14:14)

Most remarkably the full enunciation of Job's resurrection faith is described in detail in Job 13:28-14:22. 

a) In Job 13:28-14:2, Job recognizes that man will eventually be reduced to nothing but a handful of ashes. Man's body is like something rotten. It will be like a garment eaten by moths. Like flowers, man's body will bloom for a while and then wither. At the Downey center, jasmine is in full bloom. But do not expect that the flowers will stay that way for good. The bright, pinkish flower lasts a lot longer than other flowers. But believe me, in a matter of a month or so, if not weeks, they will be all gone. And man's body is like a fleeting shadow. Do you fix your eye on such a one? Will you bring him before you for judgment, asks Job. Man is so fragile, insignificant, and less than nothing, that he is not worthy of God paying even a moment's attention to him. In my backyard there are many different kinds of animals - ants, flies, mosquitoes, and earthworms. Think about the earthworm. You dig up dirt, and an earthworm or two get exposed, twisting their bodies. How much attention do I pay to them? Not much. How much less attention than do I deserve from God, for God is the Creator and I am merely a creation, a speck of dust?! Job continues to ask and answer, "Who can bring what is pure from the impure? No one!" Man is impure. Compared with God's perfect purity, man whose body is made of dust, is a bag of impurity. "Man's days are determined; you have decreed the number of his months and have set limits he cannot exceed. So look away from him and let him alone, till he has put in his time like a hired man." This passage says that man is just like the battery of a notebook. Even if you get the battery fully charged up, in an hour or so the battery grows weak, and then dies. This happened to my notebook battery so many times; it made me greatly frustrated, but there is not that much to do, except continually hooking it up to a power source so it can be recharged. So here is the bottom line: all men die. And when you are dead, you are no more. Trees come back. This spring, jasmine is in full bloom. The next spring I know the same jasmine will be in bloom most likely more vigorously than ever. But when man dies he is laid low; he breathes his last and is no more. As water disappears from the sea or a riverbed becomes parched and dry, so man lies down and does not rise. No matter how glorious man might look, eventually he will be reduced to complete nothingness. No exception! This is the point where the man with resurrection faith stands up to speak. It is the point where starts distinguishing himself from an unbeliever. 

b) What does a man of resurrection faith say? Let us all read verses 12-17. "So man lies down and does not rise; till the heavens are no more, men will not awake or be roused from their sleep. "If only you would hide me in the grave and conceal me till your anger has passed! If only you would set me a time and then remember me! If a man dies, will he live again? All the days of my hard service I will wait for my renewal to come. You will call and I will answer you; you will long for the creature your hands have made. Surely then you will count my steps but not keep track of my sin. My offenses will be sealed up in a bag; you will cover over my sin."

Job's resurrection faith has seven critical tenets. We can call them Job's Manifesto of Resurrection Faith. 

No. 1. The idea of "reincarnation" is unbiblical (there will be only one general resurrection; Buddhists, for example, believe that man will die and be born in different forms, such as a  snake or a cow, then into a worm or a man, if you are lucky. But this is untrue.

No. 2. Until the time for the bodily resurrection comes, man will enter into a state of limbo (which Job calls sleep), the state that is a period of man being concealed in God's hands.

No. 3. There is a specific moment in the future when God will remember each person and bring him or her back to a resurrected life.

No. 4. Man's life here on earth in a physical body is the only opportunity for us to prepare ourselves for the eternity to come. In v. 14, Job calls it, "all the days of my hard service." Say to your neighbor, "service." Say, "hard service." Job served the Lord hard. He served the Lord more by keeping his integrity as a man of faith than in any other way, and he did it in virtually the hardest moments of his life. 

No. 5. The resurrected life will be a complete renewal (a perfect upgrade) of the old person. And God will give each person a brand new body by calling each person, and as each person answers the call, he or she receives a brand new risen body. (Cf. John 5:15,28) 

No. 6. This will happen to you not just because of you loving him and longing for the reunion with him, but because of God "longing for" the eternal reunion with you! (John 17:23) 

No. 7: This will take place all thanks to God's sin-forgiving love as Jesus demonstrated it on a tree where he gave himself as an atoning sacrifice to forgive us of all of our sins. 

Verse 14 sums up Job's faith in the resurrection. "If a man dies, will he live again? All the days of my hard service I will wait for my renewal to come." The point is this: God will bring about a brand new life out of what has gone to be complete nothingness. Nothing is impossible with God. All things are possible with God. When things have finally and conclusively gone hopeless, God will bring about what is totally astounding - the brand new life of resurrection. With this hope and faith Job declares, "All the days of my hard service, I will wait for my renewal." Say, "I will." 

Third, how much did God bless Job's resurrection faith? 

In verses 18-22 Job says that God overpowers man until man's hope is completely gone. This must take place, for as Job observed man is living in a fallen world in a physical body that is dead because of sin (cf. Romans 8:10). Indeed, what is pure cannot come out of what is impure. So what is impure must be set aside. Then God is ready to bring about what is pure, that is, the brand new resurrected body out of what is pure, namely, Jesus Christ and those who belong to Jesus. Paul expresses the same truth in 1 Corinthians 15:22, "[A]s in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive." The Lord blessed Job's resurrection faith with great rewards, even while he was still in a physical body. How much did he bless? Let us all rise and read Job 42:12-17. 

In conclusion, Mr. Forbes said, "With all you get, get understanding." And we better understand this: Resurrection faith is never an abstract concept: it is the reality of realities that concern not just the matter of our life in the future but the life at the present time. It makes a difference to your life – your GPA, your job, your relationship, your finances, your relationship, and even your look for it comes with the power to bring a new vigor, a brand new batch of vitality, waves after waves of it. American Express says, "Never leave home without it." So we must never live our life without it, for we cannot afford living and leaving without it. Why? Ask Job, for he turned a complete nightmare into the brightest reality in life. 

One word: I will wait for my renewal to come