Be of Good Cheer

“If a man die, shall he revive? All the days of my warfare I will wait, until my change comes.” (Job 14:14)

Job continues the lament of his predicament in this chapter. He poses the question of whether man will live after he dies. He answers in the affirmative saying that he will wait until that time comes for that change. A few chapters later he proclaims, “And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God:” (Job 19:26).

Ezekiel prophesied about our resurrection when the Lord commanded him to prophesy over the dead bones. “Therefore, prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, O my people, I will open your graves and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel. And ye shall know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves, And shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land: then shall ye know that I the LORD have spoken it, and performed it, saith the LORD.” (Ezekiel 37:12-14) The phrase “I shall place you in your own land...” refers to the land of Israel, but in prophecy usually words take on various meanings. While they were in Babylon, this was to encourage them that they would return.  But it also has a spiritual connotation. It is a restored place with the Lord which was meant to be since the beginning. And such we learn of the resurrection of our bodies with the Lord in His kingdom. Job and other ancient righteous people knew this.

In the New Testament, Paul affirms this to the Thessalonians. “For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” (1Thessalonians 4:14-17) We will resurrect. Paul writes to the Corinthians, “So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power: It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.” (1Corinthians 15:42-44) Our bodies will be a spiritual body. And he writes to the Philippians, “For our conversation (meaning citizenship) is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.” (Philippians 3:20-21) What is that spiritual body like? It’s like the body that Jesus has.

In the translation I am using, Job calls his days on earth as “the days of my warfare” probably because of the trial he was going through. But be sure to know we all have trials. Jesus said, “I have spoken these things to you so that you might have peace in Me. In the world you shall have tribulation but be of good cheer. I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) This world is cursed and under the dominion of the devil. When Jesus was tempted the devil offered Jesus the kingdoms of this world, meaning they belonged to him. Jesus didn’t refute his claim but rebuked him for wanting worship. “Again, the Devil took Him up into a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to Him, all these things I will give You if You fall down and worship me. Then Jesus said to him, Go, Satan! For it is written, "You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve." (Matthew 4:8-10)

In the various translations I looked at the word that was translated “warfare.” In Hebrew it means campaign, hardship or battle. From this word there are several other words, and it has been translated as appointed time, hard service, service, hardship, struggle, labor, hard labor, time of trouble, assigned service, drudgery, pilgrimage and still others: my time and my youth. But except for the last two all those words indicate that the ancients knew this time on earth was not going to be an easy time. Of course, Job had an exceptional troubling time because God allowed the devil to test his faith and righteousness. Jesus warned us about our time here on this earth but gave us hope in Him that throughout whatever trouble we may encounter, we would have peace about it knowing Jesus was in control because He has overcome the world. “I have spoken these things to you so that you might have peace in Me. In the world you shall have tribulation but be of good cheer. I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) And because Jesus has overcome the world, those who are in Jesus are overcomers also. “For everything that has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that overcomes the world, our faith. Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?” (1John 5:4-5) It seems and many believe that we are not to suffer trouble, tribulation, difficulty and trials, but this is not true. It’s what this world offers. We cannot escape it because we live in this world, but we have hope and peace to overcome, to endure with victory in the end and to glorify God in it.

Job didn’t have that peace, but he had faith that all his trouble would end at the resurrection.  He didn’t have to wait until the resurrection. God’s mercy and grace healed him and restored to him all that had been taken from him. And in all that he suffered, he never cursed God. And although as was common in those days, he believed all things whether good or bad, came from God.

In conclusion, the New Covenant through Jesus offers us what Job didn’t have in his trouble, peace, hope and overcoming victory. In the trial Job had questions, mental anguish and no hope to the end of his misery until the resurrection. But he had a merciful God Who blessed him after the affliction satan brought one him. We have peace and hope of a victorious end because of Jesus.  Even if all the things that happened to Job would happen to us, we have the peace and hope in Jesus.

Let us pray:

Father God, thank You for Your mercy and grace in Jesus. It doesn’t take many years on this earth to realize that there is one affliction after another here on earth. It’s all the earth has to offer. But I look to You Lord, to Your grace and help in every difficulty, in every trouble and affliction, knowing I am in Your hand and am covered by Your wings under Your shadow. When I suffer, I know You have allowed it for a good reason. Help me to learn from the tribulations that come to me.  Help me to keep my faith. Help me to obey and to listen to the Holy Spirit in the midst of it.  Help me to turn my attention to You. I know that these afflictions are temporal and not eternal. I know that You are with me in it. And I know that it will pass. I thank You my Lord that You understand my difficulties, my weaknesses in these difficulties and my failures in most of these times. And Lord, I ask You to keep me from sin and to keep me in the right path. In the Name of Jesus I pray, amen.