Following Faith to the End - Job 14:1-6

You Can Follow Faith to its Conclusion (Judgment)

1. In matters of mortality: See the total corruption of sin

2. In matters of salvation: Trust God’s complete forgiveness in Christ

Job 14:1-6 Man born of woman has a few short days, and they are full of anxiety. 2 He blossoms like a flower, but soon withers. He recedes like a shadow and does not remain. 3 You keep your eye on such a man. You bring me into judgment in your presence. 4 Who can produce something pure from something that is impure? No one. 5 Certainly his days are determined. The number of his months has been set by you. A limit is set, which he cannot exceed. 6 Turn your gaze away from him, and let him be, until he finishes his day’s work as a hired man.

Are you a judgmental person? That’s quite a loaded question. I think most of us would probably say no. Judgment has a negative inuendo in our culture. It’s not considered valuable or good to be judgmental. However, that word itself simply means someone who comes to judgments. When you break it down, we are all “judgmental” in different ways. You have to be in order to make decisions in life. You make judgments in what kind of food to eat, what kind of work to do, who you consider to be your friends, what to teach your children and so on. Obviously, you can’t be a Christian without being judgmental, either. If you aren’t, you won’t stand for God.

Chances are, this isn’t quite what you were thinking of when I posed my original question. As soon as you heard “judgmental” you probably thought of looking down on others in a condescending, self-righteous way, rather than merely making decisions in life. It’s a good example of how our culture’s use of a word can really shape its meaning.

We can talk about our use of the word judgment all we want, but for the purpose of our faith we should also consider what God says. We know that God’s judgment is a common topic across the Bible. We often think of God’s judgment in a negative way because we view it in light of our sins. You certainly get that sense as we see Job’s thoughts today. Job was able to depict God’s judgment in very personal and specific ways, probably because of everything Job endured living in this sinful world. Job’s outlook appears quite bleak. He speaks of human mortality, anxiety, death, struggle and toil under temptation and test, and more. It’s hard to think that any of us have been through more than Job but surely, we’ve felt the same way at times. Are these difficult thoughts all there is to God’s judgment? If so, there hardly can be any hope for our lives here on earth or for our faith.  

We need to take back the proper, Biblical understanding of judgment because its so critical to our faith. Every belief system makes judgments just as every individual does. Christians need to be on guard against giving up our beliefs simply because they are labeled as judgmental by the world. You cannot forfeit judgments entirely, there is simply exchanging one set for another.

Another way of thinking about judgment is the conclusion to something. Think about any good story in a book or a movie. It has a conclusion. In the simplest way possible, that means it comes to an end. No matter how much we enjoy a story, we want it to come to an end. No story is going to make any sense if it simply rambles on forever.

A judgment is similar to a conclusion. It indicates the termination of something. We could apply to this to actual events and individuals, such as when God speaks of judging the world on the last Day. However, judgment also applies to ideas and beliefs. We reach decisions and conclusions about the simplest and deepest matters of our hearts and minds.

The point of today’s message is that any valuable belief should be able to be followed to its conclusion, or judgment. Many non-Christians criticize our faith because of the judgments it makes without considering the conclusion of their own beliefs. The result is that we are tempted to buy a false bill of goods when it comes to how we view God, the Scriptures, and our faith. If we do, we are led to distrust what God has actually said and done.

Consider atheism as an example – the belief that God does not exist. This belief system is probably the source of the greatest criticisms of Christianity. Most of the arguments you will find against the Bible go back to principles espoused by the atheistic worldview, even if they are held by Christians. Most atheists do not follow their belief system to its end. They make judgments but not the truly scary prospects that come along with promoting the idea that God does not exist.

Follow the atheistic belief to its conclusion. There is no God. Religion is a man-made invention with slight cultural value only. Therefore, no religion is superior to another, except the religious views expressed by atheists. God did not create us, since He does not exist. Jesus, if even a historical figure, was certainly not divine or a Savior, since there is nothing of a divine nature in the world. Sin is merely a product of guilt and shame – and it is not dictated by unchangeable commandments. There is no heaven or hell. Your life ends when you die. Oh, and by the way, while you’re living here on earth, the principles of law that govern and protect life and society, and that define morality, are simply dictated by the majority, and they are subject to change at any point in history – so buckle up and have a fun ride.

These are the principles of atheism, and if followed to their logical conclusion, they present a drastic picture of life and eternity. If there are no absolute laws or immutable standards about how we are to treat one another, what purpose is there in maintaining order – furthermore, how can we? If we are nothing more than highly developed animals that, for the time being, are on the top of the food chain, why should be act kindly to others? Where does compassion fit in if you’re just an animal? Furthermore, where did the immaterial realms of logic, wisdom, morality, and faithfulness come from if life as came from random chaos? When you follow this belief system to its conclusion, you end up in a terrifying place, and thankfully many atheists do not actually do this. Instead, they borrow from the Christian worldview, which gives us a foundation for moral principles and value to life. 

The same applies to other religions in the world, all of which will eventually teach the individual to achieve God’s favor by what they do, feel, or think. Again, follow those beliefs to their conclusion and there is no hope. They offer no fulfillment or comfort.

How is the Christian perspective any better? What does Job have to do with all this?

The point is that you can follow faith in Christ to its end. You don’t have to be like atheists or those who believe other false paths, stating high and grand ideas but borrowing from the Christian worldview to fill in the blanks. You can be confident of following the Christian faith to its conclusion, even though judgment most certainly awaits. Job fits into this because he understood the same thing about as well as anyone who ever lived. Job experienced some of the deepest and most intense possible. But, all while still trusting in redemption and salvation from his Savior. How?

First, Job followed the true teaching regarding sin and condemnation to its conclusion, and what a picture that paints. This is where we see the gloom and doom of Job’s life. These are where the themes of death, Satan, and suffering are unmistakable realities. Most belief systems will never approach these things because they’re too painful and they have no answer for them. If you have no solution to a pressing trouble, what good does it do to dwell on it? When we see the true nature of sin and unrighteousness it is truly a catastrophic scene. But we can follow that path to its conclusion because there is a judgment. There is a judgment over sin and we should rejoice in that fact. God came to a decision about it and because He did our sorrowful look into it is not for eternity.

The finality of Job’s understanding of God’s righteous judgment over sin is expressed in verse 4: Who can produce something pure from something that is impure? No one. Any hope we have of justifying ourselves, or escaping God’s judgment, is dashed to pieces on the rock of this single truth. No one can produce clean from unclean. This is what we find when we follow the law to its end. The judgment is that we are guilty, and no one can escape it.

But it’s also in this verse that we see a tiny seed planted that grows in the gospel. The futility Job expressed was from man’s perspective. Hope is found when we see that there was someone who made the unclean clean. From the perspective of Jesus, the righteous Man, the firstborn over all creation, we see comfort in this verse. I don’t have to try to manufacture purity on my own – Jesus did. I don’t need to justify myself before God – Jesus did. I don’t have to try to foolishly conceal the reality of sin’s effect in my heart and in my life – Jesus is able to cleanse me. For the one who hears and receives the gospel message, there is an implied hope in this verse – because that person knows Jesus – the one Man who accomplished salvation for the world, while still retaining his divine right as God.  

Job knew this. Job believed in his Savior. Many doubt that assertion because of the frustration that Job directed toward God. While we don’t condone that, we do recognize that the believer who faces trial, test, and persecution will struggle inwardly with understanding how those things align with the grace of God. The very fact that Job expressed such a deep struggle indicates that he knew and believed in God. If he hadn’t, these topics would not have been so frustrating for him. He was one who desperately longed for deliverance from God.  

We know Job would eventually, in chapter 19, confess the wondrous comfort that His Redeemer would resurrect and restore Job’s fallen body one day, and that Job would see Jesus in heaven. But even here in this chapter, amidst such desperation, we see the same hope. Job talks about man’s life as a flower that withers and perishes. It is temporary and fleeting and we’ve seen why in the earlier parts of our message today. But within that imagery is also the fragile seed and growth of the gospel’s work in a sinner’s heart. Because of the One who has cleansed us of our sin, faith grows when Jesus is trusted by faith. Sure, it’s fragile, just like man’s mortality. But faith endures. Even Jesus likened it to a mustard seed, which is one of the smallest seeds, but can grow into a large, vibrant plant that bears fruit. (Matthew 13:31ff)

So, too, is the conclusion of faith in Jesus. We are blessed to follow the good news to its end. And yes, it concludes with a judgment too. The judgment is similar to that of the law – given by Jesus, written and confirmed in His word, unchangeable, and applicable to all people. But it differs in its effect. The judgment of faith pronounces the sinner as redeemed and forgiven, not condemned. And because we follow the law to its end, we better appreciate the beauty and purity of faith’s conclusion in the merits of Jesus Christ.

Likewise, Job would express this hope in verses 16-17:16 For now You number my steps, But do not watch over my sin. 17 My transgression is sealed up in a bag, And You cover my iniquity.

Many who reject Christ, who taunt believers, and who mock God’s Word seem to have an unshakable foundation of personal conviction and belief. On the other hand, the Christian faith seems too fragile and insecure to be of any real value. Very often, we imitate Job’s struggle in our own lives. Things seem too far out of our control. Deliverance from God feels like a distant dream that will never be realized.

And yet, there’s more to each than meets the eye. You can follow faith to its conclusion. The unbelievers personal beliefs will wither and fade like their own mortality. You can follow through pain, bitterness, heartache, and guilt. You can embrace God’s judgment, because there’s more to it than just a message about your sins. There’s a irrefutable declaration of grace for you in Jesus. God chose that. He decided it in eternity. It’s His conclusion. Therefore, you have a faith that can be followed to the end. It will not disappoint, and it will not leave you forsaken. The reality of sin and the pain through the law can be unbearable – but that’s the point. You can’t cleanse yourself – so stop trying.

Rather, believe in the only One who can and has cleansed you from sin. When you see the dirtiness, the hurt, the terror, and every other just reason for God to condemn you because of sin, it sets the perfect stage for Jesus and all that He alone accomplished. As deep as the condemnation of the law’s judgment goes, the gospel’s conclusion in Christ reaches even further to give you meaning, hope, and renewal. Sometimes that doesn’t seem to be the case, because you can find sin in just about anything in this world, while the gospel is only in God’s Word and sacraments. But continue to believe, because Christ is unchangeable, and He awaits at the end of your faith in heaven. God grant you all strength and perseverance in His name. Amen.