Job 17, Job’s Struggle with Hope

Anytime we are experiencing affliction, whether in ourselves or in others, “hope” is a fundamental issue.  You may want to say, “I hope I get out of this mess soon.”  But what is the basis for that hope?  Let’s begin with some of the false hopes in Job, some of which we have already discussed.

False Hope

1.    Dreams, 4:12-16.  Eliphaz, from his vision, says if you will repent of sin then God will restore you.  That is not a solid hope.

2.    Tradition, 8:8.  Bildad, from the ancients, says if you will repent of sin then God will restore you.  Again, not a solid hope.

3.    Your own righteousness, 4:6; 11:13-20.  Like the above, this says God will never afflict one who is truly righteous.  Not a solid hope.  Job exposed the problem here by arguing that righteousness is impossible (9:2-15).  In a sense, Job’s righteousness is the cause of his suffering, not his unrighteousness (22:2-4).  In Job 31, which is part of Job’s summary defense, he stands strong in maintaining his “blamelessness.”  He denies he is guilty of the lust of the flesh (31:1-12), the pride of life (31:13-15), or the lust of the eyes (31:16-28). 

4.    Smile, 9:27-28.  Someone may have suggested Job just “wear a smile.”  But he knows that just ignoring his problems is not a solid hope.

5.    The grave, 17:13-16.  Death, whether self-induced or just getting along until I die, is not a way to end one’s problems.  It just introduces new problems.

The bottom line is that there is no hope for the wicked (24:22-23; 27:8).  But what hope is there?  Does Job offer anything?  Yes, he does! 

True Hope

Job’s hope is in God alone.  As Job says, “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him” (13:15).  The everyday value of this hope is seen in 23:10-12: “But He knows the way that I take; when He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold.  My foot has held fast to His steps … I have not departed from the commandment of His lips…”  Since Job hopes in God, he is trusting God to keep Him each day, and he is trusting God’s word so as to obey Him.  In the end he never curses God, as his wonderful wife suggested he should do (2:9).

However, we must also note, that Job struggles with this hope.  Hope is related to the end of our affliction.  And on that issue, early in the account, Job says, “My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle, and are spent without hope.  Oh, remember that my life is a breath! My eye will never again see good” (7:6-7).  Eventually (Ch. 38-41) God will reprove Job. 

But on this matter of hope there is one more matter to see in Job: he longed for the Messiah.  More on that in our next post.