Job 19:25–27 25I know that my redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand on the earth. 26And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; 27I myself will see him with my own eyes—I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!
One of the greatest yearnings of the human heart is to know that our life matters, that somehow what happens now actually has impact not just on the moment, but somehow on the future. We want eternity because eternity is in our heart.
Job is in the fight of his life. He has lost everything. His possessions, economic independence, investments, capital and his children. His wife wants him to curse God in hopes that he will die and experiences some relief.
And yet, even through all this, Job has hope! Something deep within speaks a comfort that his friends have not been able to communicate. Their many words have not helped. His replies have not helped. So what helped?
He has been crying out to the LORD for the opportunity to talk with God face to face. He recognizes the hand of God in what has happened, but he doesn’t seem to blame God. He has a deep well of trust from which he draws.
So in the middle of his suffering, in the middle of his friends not providing any comfort, Job speaks words of hope for himself and for us.
The picture Job has is that someone, whether it is God or someone else, we don’t know, but someone will be at his side. His redeemer, his vindicator is alive. Someone will stand and speak for him. Someone will listen to his plight and stand with not against him.
It would be easy to place Jesus in this place. But I am not sure the LORD is this person in Job’s words. This person will stand on the earth, on the ground where Job is suffering. Perhaps Job is hopeful one of his friends turned accuser will fill this spot. They have been nothing but hurtful. Maybe he sees someone who will be there for him.
Either way, whether this is the LORD or a human stand-in, Job has an assurance that he will personally see God. It won’t be a vision or a dream. It will be bodily. Even after his physical body has long since decayed, his eyes will see God.
And the longing of his heart will be fulfilled. Right now there is an emptiness that only seeing God face to face will fill. He has felt rejected, and seeing God face to face will rectify that experience.
This is a reality that few people truly understand. We will have some kind of corporeal existence after this current physical body has turned back to dust. That is the reality. Life is more than the few years we have here on this ball of space dust. This place the LORD created for the express purpose of displaying His glory and goodness through humanity is not all there is. Even after this place there is another place.
So take heart! The sags and wrinkles, spots and tags are not all there is. One day, we will see the LORD face to face.
The Arnold Journey 