“My life” (12). Job replied to all three friends and reminded them that he had wisdom as well as they. In fact, all creation knew the things that they said to him. God is great: His hand made everything (v. 6), and His hand keeps everything alive (v. 10). Job wanted to die and escape his suffering, but God held his life in His hand (Acts 17:24–28; Col. 1:16–17). If your life is in God’s hand, have you anything to fear?
“My faith” (13). In the previous chapter, Job saw God as Creator, but now he sees Him as Judge. “I desire to reason with God” (v. 3) means “I want to meet Him in court.” Job would rather meet a just God than “worthless physicians” like his friends. When you seek to help others, keep in mind that you are a witness and not a prosecuting attorney. Even if God did condemn him, Job would still trust Him (v. 15). What faith!
“My hope” (14). Like a flower, man is born to die. He disappears like a shadow (v. 2) or like evaporating water (v. 11). Man’s days are numbered (vv. 5–6), but does he have a future? Even a tree will grow again after it is cut down (v. 7), but what about man? The truth about resurrection was not fully revealed in Old Testament days, but Job still rested his hope on God. God has revealed the blessed hope that His people have because of faith in Jesus Christ (John 11:25–26; 1 Cor. 15; 2 Tim. 1:9–10).
“In spite of my sufferings,” said Job, “my life, my faith, and my hope are in God.” Is that your testimony?
What About Suicide?
The life of every living thing is in God’s hand (Job 12:10). He has numbered our days (Job 14:5) and set a limit beyond which we cannot go (Ps. 139:16). But can we determine a limit sooner than He planned? Is suicide permissible? Job’s wife counseled her husband to curse God and thereby invite His judgment, but Job rejected that suggestion as foolish (Job 2:9–10). Job wanted to die (Job 6:8–10; 7:15–16) but did not assume that he had the right to take his own life. Our lives are in God’s hand, and our times are in His hand (Ps. 31:15). There is no incident in the Bible of a godly person committing suicide. Saul had rebelled against God (1 Sam. 31:3–5); Ahithophel had turned against the king (2 Sam. 17:23); Zimri was a rebel and a conspirator (1 Kings 16:8–20); and Judas betrayed the Lord (Matt. 27:4–5). Samson’s death (Judg. 16:23ff.) appears to be more martyrdom than suicide. The sixth commandment forbids murder (Exod. 20:13). Man is made in the image of God, and we have no right to attack that image, even if we are suffering greatly. In the Bible, men like Moses, Elijah, and Jonah became discouraged and wanted to die, but they did not attempt to take their own lives. “To run away from trouble is a form of cowardice,” wrote Aristotle, “and while it is true that the suicide braves death, he does it not for some noble object but to escape some ill.” Ponder 2 Timothy 4:6–8.
