Friday, January 7, 2011

Job 14-16

Here's where different translations of the Bible get fun....last post, I mentioned that Old Testament people didn't really have the knowledge of eternal life since Jesus hadn't conquered death yet.    My NIV says for Chapter 14 vs 14 and 15:

If a man dies, will he live again?
All the days of my hard service
I will wait for my renewal (or release) to come.
You will call and I will answer you;
you will long for the creature your hands have made.

The Bible notes here say that some understand these verses to mean that even in his gloom, Job hoped for the resurrection of the dead.  If this is true, then Job understood the one truth that could put his suffering in perspective.

My NSRV reads:

If mortals die, will they live again?
All the days of my service I would wait
until my release should come.
You would call, and I would answer you:
you would long for the work of your hands.

These study notes don't even mention the resurrection and discuss that this scene is a pipe dream, a burst of imagination in which Job dreams that God might hide him in the depths of She0l long enough for God to calm down and after God has had time to cool the divine anger, God would remember Job and pull him back from Sheol.

My advice to you is to remember that sometimes scholars can't even agree on the Bible.  This is really OK....there are certain things that are non-negotiable (ie, Jesus died for our sins and rose from the dead....the only way to God is through is Son, Jesus Christ)....if they aren't "saving" issues, we don't have to agree.  I personally measure everything by:  Is it a "saving" issue.

1 comment:

  1. so basically are you saying that at this time they did not know of eternal life, but Job was hoping that somehow he might be saved and be taken to God? Is he hoping for something he has never known of.......Is God speaking to him and not others? I am confused.....please help .....

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