READING: Job 19:1-21:34
“But as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, and he will stand upon the earth at last. And after my body has decayed, yet in my body I will see God! I will see him for myself. Yes, I will see him with my own eyes. I am overwhelmed at the thought!” (Job 19:25-27).
The words again resound with hope for Job, even though he was still questioning all that God was doing to him. Once again, scholars wrestle with what Job meant by “my Redeemer,” but it’s hard to ignore Job’s belief that he would see God—that is, that life would not end with the grave; he would see God even after death. My former colleague at Southern Seminary, Duane Garrett, describes it this way: “Job’s yearning for an Intercessor and hope for a resurrection came together here, in the middle of deep dejection, in a triumphant assertion of faith. Job’s ‘Redeemer’ would arise against the dust. In other words, He would conquer human mortality. Job was therefore sure that he too would rise from the dead and in his body behold God.”*
The New Testament, of course, makes even more clear who this Redeemer is. So, you and I have this same kind of hope today, no matter what difficulties we might face. Our Redeemer does live—and that’s indeed an overwhelming thought!
PERSONAL REFLECTION: How much does the truth of Jesus’ living presence in you affect your daily life?
TODAY’S PRAYER: “Thank You, Father, that my Redeemer lives. Amen.”
TOMORROW’S READING: Job 22:1-25:6
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* Garrett, D. A. (1998). The Poetic and Wisdom Books. In D. S. Dockery (Ed.), Holman Concise Bible Commentary (p. 208). Broadman & Holman Publishers.