The verse in Job 14:1 states, “Man who is born of a woman is few of days and full of trouble.” This verse succinctly captures the essence of the human condition – that our lives are short and filled with difficulties.
To fully understand the meaning of this verse, it is important to examine the context. The book of Job tells the story of a righteous man who endures intense suffering and grapples with understanding why. In chapter 14, Job is lamenting the burdens of human existence. He observes that human life is fleeting and transient “like a flower that withers” (v2). No sooner does a person’s life begin than it is snuffed out. The brevity of life filled Job with a sense of despair and meaninglessness.
Not only is human life short, but Job observes that it is also “full of trouble.” The word translated as “trouble” can also mean “unrest” or “turmoil.” Every human life is marked by affliction, grief, pain, and unrest. There are seasons of tragedy, loss, failure, and disappointment. Job himself was experiencing tremendous anguish. So life is not only short but also filled with sorrow and hardship.
Job longs for relief from his troubles, but feels hemmed in by the brevity of life. He yearns for a respite, for hope beyond the grave. But he resigns himself to the apparent finality of death, life’s “point of no return” (v7).
Several implications emerge from this melancholic perspective on human existence:
- Life’s transient nature means we should make the most of our limited time and not take any day for granted.
- The inevitability of suffering should make us more compassionate toward others who are hurting.
- The brevity and pain of life points to our need for divine hope beyond this fallen world.
- We need wisdom and patience to endure the trials we face in life’s journey.
- The message that our lives are short and hard is meant to humble us and loosen our grip on fleeting earthly things.
While Job struggled to find meaning in his pain, the broader book points to God’s sovereignty over human weakness and suffering. God eventually confronts Job and reminds him that divine wisdom far surpasses human understanding. There are mysteries to God’s plan that transcend human existence.
So in summary, this poetic verse in Job captures life’s ephemeral and troubled nature. It speaks to the pain and pointlessness that many feel as they journey through life’s trials. But it also hints at our need for divine hope and patience. The Christian perspective sees suffering leading to growth, and death leading to eternal life by God’s grace.
1. The brevity of life should make us number our days
Since life is so short, we need wisdom to make the most of our limited time on earth. Moses prayed, “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom” (Psalm 90:12). Numbering our days means valuing each moment and living intentionally.
We only have so many breaths before we breathe our last. Life is like a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes (James 4:14). Even living to 100 would be a mere 1,200 months. Human life is fleeting.
This truth puts our small troubles into perspective. It reminds us not to major in the minors or sweat the small stuff. Life is too short to waste on things that don’t matter. We shouldn’t take people or opportunities for granted.
Numbering our days also means preparing for the end of our lives. Setting our affairs in order, mending broken relationships, and securing our eternal destination.
The realization that life is short should inject urgency into how we live each day. We don’t have forever to put things off. We cannot bank on tomorrow since our lives could end at any moment.
Key Bible passages
“What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.” (James 4:14)
“Teach us to number our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” (Psalm 90:12)
“Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.” (Ephesians 5:15-16)
2. Life’s troubles should make us more compassionate
Not only is life short, but it is filled with troubles. Affliction and grief fall on every person to varying degrees. Some suffer great tragedies while others deal with daily irritations. But no one escapes the pains and burdens of living in a fallen, broken world.
Since we all experience troubles, this should give us empathy for the suffering of others. We know in part what they are going through. Their struggles are not foreign to us.
The trials we endure equip us to come alongside others in their distress. As 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 says, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.”
Shared suffering can create a unique bond between people. Paul mentions becoming a fellow partaker in another’s grief or joy (Philippians 3:10). Our mutual trials make us fellow pilgrims on the road of life.
So the next time you encounter someone who is mourning or hurting, remember that you too know hardship and can extend gentle compassion.
Key Bible passages
“Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.” (Romans 12:15)
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.” (2 Corinthians 1:3-4)
“Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” (Galatians 6:2)
3. Life’s frailty underscores our need for eternal hope
If this life was all there is, then its fleeting and troubled nature would lead only to despair. But the brevity of life points to the necessity of divine hope beyond the grave.
Scripture tells us that humans are more than just animated dirt. We are eternal souls dwelling in earthly tents (2 Corinthians 5:1). One day our souls will be liberated from these temporary shells.
Our lives on earth are but the first act in a two-act redemptive drama. There is an eternal existence beyond the final curtain of death. As Paul said, “Our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all” (2 Corinthians 4:17).
This eternal perspective infuses our short lives with significance. Even the hardest trials can be seen as “producing a harvest of righteousness” that bears fruit for eternity (Hebrews 12:11).
Our gracious God takes the canvas of our fleeting lives and creates a work of eternal beauty. The masterpiece will be revealed when we stand flawless before his throne, the imperfect strokes made perfect.
So we do not lose heart, though outwardly we are perishing, because inwardly we are being made new day by day. Our brief earthly exile is not the end. For beyond the grave we will dwell forever in our true homeland. We need divine hope to persevere amid life’s troubles.
Key Bible passages
“Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.” (2 Corinthians 4:16-17)
“I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.” (Romans 8:18)
“We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.” (Hebrews 6:19)
4. Life’s trials call for patience and endurance
Not only does the fallen human condition necessitate eternal hope, but day-to-day living requires patience and endurance. Since life is filled with troubles, we need resilience on the journey.
The trials God allows test our faith and refine our character. Difficulties train us to wait upon the Lord and renew our strength (Isaiah 40:31). Enduring trials develops godly virtues like perseverance, proven character and confident hope (Romans 5:3-4).
Hardship also helps us identify with Christ, who endured suffering and shame for the glory set before him (Hebrews 12:2). Just as Jesus learned obedience through his sufferings (Hebrews 5:8), we learn obedience by the things we suffer.
Of course, this does not mean passive resignation to trials. We can still lament hardship and cry out for relief in prayer. God hears our groans even when deliverance seems distant (Psalm 6:6-9). Still, our hope remains anchored in God’s faithfulness.
So amid life’s troubles, we patiently wait for the Lord’s salvation. We hold fast to Jesus, our forerunner, who endured the cross before being exalted. And we look ahead to the coming day when sorrows will cease forever.
Key Bible passages
“We also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.” (Romans 5:3-4)
“Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” (Hebrews 12:3)
“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.” (Romans 12:12)
5. Life’s brevity teaches us not to cling to this world
Because life is so brief, we should not become too attached to earthly things. Our time here is a mere mist that passes swiftly. So earthly gain and pleasures fade quickly.
The more tightly we cling to temporal things, the more anxiety and frustration we will feel as they slip through our fingers. It is foolish to treasure fleeting treasures.
Jesus repeatedly warned not to store up earthly treasures but rather to store up eternal treasure in heaven (Matthew 6:19-21). He warned the rich that they already received their comfort in this life (Luke 6:24).
The apostle John said not to love the world or anything in it because the world is passing away (1 John 2:15-17). Demas deserted Paul because he loved this present world (2 Timothy 4:10). So Scripture warns about getting entangled with earthly things.
This detachment from temporal things fills our hands to grasp eternal things. As we loosen our grip on earthly security and pleasure, we free ourselves to take hold of the enduring riches in Christ.
The brevity of life teaches us to set our hearts on the only thing that will last – knowing Christ. Everything else we must hold loosely because nothing in this life will last.
Key Bible passages
“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” (Matthew 6:24)
“Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.” (1 Timothy 6:17)
“What does it profit a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?” (Mark 8:36)
6. Our pain has purpose according to God’s wise plan
After Job’s bitter lament, God finally speaks and puts Job’s suffering into divine perspective. God says His wisdom is beyond human understanding. His majestic power and providence extend over all the earth (Job 38-41).
Job then confesses, “I know that you can do all things; no purpose of yours can be thwarted… I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know.” (Job 42:2-3). He realizes his inability to grasp God’s wise and good purposes.
This doesn’t make human pain any less real. But it does infuse our pain with hope. For God promises that for those who love Him, the darkest nights of weeping will end in joy (Psalm 30:5).
The psalms are full of laments that transition to hope and praise. After crying out in despair, the psalmists remember God’s faithfulness and redeeming power.
Though the fig tree does not blossom and work seems futile, yet we can rejoice in the Lord (Habakkuk 3:17-19). His sovereign plan ensures nothing we endure is without purpose or hope.
So life’s brevity and troubles, while painful, are part of the story God is writing – for our good and His glory. This lifts our eyes from present troubles toward the hope set before us.
Key Bible passages
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28)
“He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” (Revelation 21:4)
“I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and let your heart take courage; yes, wait for the Lord.” (Psalm 27:13-14)
7. Christ provides eternal hope beyond life’s trials
The overarching message of Scripture is that life’s troubles and briefness point to our need for an eternal hope found only in Christ. Jesus came to provide the hope of resurrection and redemption. He offers an anchor for the soul amid the storms of life (Hebrews 6:19).
Only in Christ can we make sense of our fleeting and fallen existence. Jesus endured ultimate sorrow and brokenness for our sake. He was “a man of suffering, and familiar with pain” (Isaiah 53:3). Yet out of his anguish came resurrection life and living hope.
All who trust in Christ’s finished work on the cross are promised eternal life beyond the grave. Our perishable bodies will be raised imperishable (1 Corinthians 15:52-54). The curse of sin and futility will be forever reversed.
Until that glorious day, Jesus walks with us through this broken world. He sends the Comforter to help us endure. And he gives us a community of believers to encourage us along the way.
So in Christ alone, human life filled with trouble finds meaning and hope. His resurrection transforms our existence from aimless futility into a journey toward an eternal home. For the troubles of this life “are not worth comparing to the glory that will be revealed in us” (Romans 8:18). A glory secured by Christ’s sacrifice and sealed by the Spirit who lives in every believer.
Key Bible passages
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” (1 Peter 1:3)
“Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.” (Romans 5:1-5)
“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” (Romans 8:18)
