RPG Adults
NO HOPE WITHOUT MERCY
SATURDAY, APRIL 30
Job 14:1-12
Psalm 14
“The fool hath said in his heart,
There is no God…”
NO HOPE WITHOUT MERCY
In our previous devotion on Job, we saw a paradox in Job’s thinking. On the one hand, he had faith in God and would not renounce it, but on the other hand he charged God with being unreasonable. Job did not know of any unconfessed sin, yet he thought that God was chastising him.
We need to remind ourselves that Job lacked the written Word of God. His confusion came because he thought the calamities, which had befallen him, were due to sin. Job did not understand that he had been drawn into the battle which was raging between God and Satan (Job 1:6-12; 2:1-6).
Man is born, ages and soon dies. His life is difficult and he has no real hope of changing it. Yet, as insignificant as man was, it appeared to Job that God often brought him to a judgment which he had little hope of enduring (Job 14:1-3).
How wonderful if, from among imperfect man, there were just one who would be found perfect before God’s tribunal. However, Job knew that not a single sinless man could be found (Job 14:4). Job pleaded that since man had no hope of meeting God’s righteousness, he should be accorded some mercy (Job 14:5-6).
Man’s life, like that of a tree, is planned from birth to death – there is no way to stop its terrible end (Job 14:7, 9). However, the tree has some hope. Water can cause new life to spring forth from old roots. Man is less favoured than the tree. He dies and leaves no trace of himself. Job had lost sight of his hope beyond the grave, his despair at his present situation had turned his mind from the promises of God (Job 14:10-12).
Job has shown mortal man’s hopelessness without God’s mercy and grace as exhibited in the finished work of Jesus Christ. However, in Christ, we have eternal hope reaching beyond the grave, and it is this hope that helps us to be steadfast in the faith even during times of great trouble (1 Cor 15:51-53, 58).
THOUGHT: Why was Job in such terrible despair?
PRAYER: I thank Thee. Father, for Thy Word which gives us light.