Job 14
Psalm 14 begins by denouncing humanity’s fallen nature and the world that does not seek God. In the opening portion (verses 1–3), it describes the general corruption of humankind, living foolishly without acknowledging God. Then (verses 4–6), the contrast between wicked people who hate and oppress those who do good and the righteous who trust in God even in such circumstances becomes clear. The final verse (verse 7) concludes by singing of hope for Israel’s deliverance and God’s coming restoration.
1verse“Man, who is born of a woman, is of few days, and full of trouble.
2verseHe grows up like a flower, and is cut down. He also flees like a shadow, and doesn’t continue.
3verseDo you open your eyes on such a one, and bring me into judgment with you?
4verseWho can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? Not one.
5verseSeeing his days are determined, the number of his months is with you, and you have appointed his bounds that he can’t pass.
6verseLook away from him, that he may rest, until he accomplishes, as a hireling, his day.
7verse“For there is hope for a tree if it is cut down, that it will sprout again, that the tender branch of it will not cease.
8verseThough its root grows old in the earth, and its stock dies in the ground,
9verseyet through the scent of water it will bud, and sprout boughs like a plant.
10verseBut man dies, and is laid low. Yes, man gives up the spirit, and where is he?
11verseAs the waters fail from the sea, and the river wastes and dries up,
12verseso man lies down and doesn’t rise. Until the heavens are no more, they will not awake, nor be roused out of their sleep.
13verse“Oh that you would hide me in Sheol, that you would keep me secret until your wrath is past, that you would appoint me a set time and remember me!
14verseIf a man dies, will he live again? I would wait all the days of my warfare, until my release should come.
15verseYou would call, and I would answer you. You would have a desire for the work of your hands.
16verseBut now you count my steps. Don’t you watch over my sin?
17verseMy disobedience is sealed up in a bag. You fasten up my iniquity.
18verse“But the mountain falling comes to nothing. The rock is removed out of its place.
19verseThe waters wear the stones. The torrents of it wash away the dust of the earth. So you destroy the hope of man.
20verseYou forever prevail against him, and he departs. You change his face, and send him away.
21verseHis sons come to honor, and he doesn’t know it. They are brought low, but he doesn’t perceive it of them.
22verseBut his flesh on him has pain, and his soul within him mourns.”
Summary of Key Points
- Human corruption: It criticizes those who disregard God with the phrase "the foolish one." Repeatedly, there is the diagnosis that all humanity has fallen and that there is no one who does what is right.
- Oppression and suffering: The wicked persecute the righteous and show an attitude of not fearing God.
- Hope of salvation: In the end, it expresses an expectation that God will provide salvation from Zion, ultimately revealing an attitude of faith that places hope in God.
Meditation Points
- Even in the present age, it is necessary to reflect once again on how widespread it is to live according to one’s own will without acknowledging God.
- Although evil is rampant, you can apply the psalm writer’s belief that the righteous can place their hope in God to my own life as well.
Try Applying It to Yourself
- Check whether I too might be guilty of foolishness—forgetting God in everyday life or trying to live only by my own strength, without relying on Him.
- Even amid the hardships of life, you can develop an attitude of keeping your heart toward God and hoping for His salvation and restoration.
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