Job 13:15 “Though he slay me, yet I will trust in Him.
In the Hebrew this affirmation of Job is much stronger than it appears in English, although it appears you can not get much stronger than this. Yet, by translating the word hen as though is comes across as even if he does.” But the word hen is often translated as Behold. The word for slay me is yeketeleni which is in a simple qal imperfect form. In others you would be correct to translate this as Behold or “Surely, he will slay me.” The root word for slay is qatal which is used only three times in the Old Testament. This is not your usual word for kill which would be ratsach for murder or harag for manslaughter all which refer to a physical killing. Qatal can mean not only a physical killing but it also means a killing of the spirit. It is also a killing of all hope. It also means to make small, or be little value.
It is very interesting the writer uses the word qatal here. We can boldly say like Job, though he does the worst to me I will still trust him. But Job takes it one step further in his use of this word. Though he breaks every promise, fails me in every way, treats me like I am worthless piece of @#%&, I am still going to trust in Him. The word used for trust here is also an unusual word. It is yachal which means to have an expectant hope. You see Job fully expected to die, the use of the qal imperfect implies that God is going to take his life, it is not an if situation. Job is saying that when God takes his life, he will be hoping and expectantly waiting to be with God.
Raised as a Baptist, I was well trained in the art of evangelism. In fact I remember sitting in evangelistic classes being taught by a successful salesmen from the secular world how to market God. You first establish the person’s need for the product. Then you demonstrate how the product works, often through testimonials, then you show how your product meets your client’s need, and of course you get them to sign on the dotted line (sinner’s prayer) and bingo, you wrapped up another sale. Of course if the product doesn’t work, there is no refund. We sold God as a means to an end, but not as someone you can love and hope to be with one day.
If Job signed on the dotted line with God for all the benefits, he sure would have been seeking a refund. How many of us cling to the promises of God and yet, it just doesn’t seem like He is fulfilling these promises. What happens if he doesn’t fulfill them? It is easy to love Him when he gives wonderful promises and keeps them. Would you still love Him if he broke His promises. We can not help but love Him when preachers tell us how much He loves us and how we are the center of His world. But suppose He qatals us or makes us feel like we are worthless, would we still love Him? This is what Job is saying, He will still trust or yachal God. He will still continue to hope and place his life and future in the hands of God even if God treats him like he is worthless and never fulfills His promise.
Job’s relationship with God did not depend upon all the benefits. Without fail when I speak of the Book of Job some Christian will always say: “Yeah, but remember, once Job came through it all, God restored everything and more to him.” To say that means you missed the whole point of the book. That restoration part is an epilogue, it is not a part of the story or the theme of the story. It is just information that is added at the end, separate from the story and not intended to take away from the theme of the story. The theme of the story of Job is that when it was all taken away and it seemed like his life was going to end in poverty and shame, he was still yachal was waiting and hoping expectantly to be with the God he loved.
There is a story in Jewish literature about a married man who longed to be single again and not be burdened with a wife. One day he learned that under Jewish law he could divorce his wife if she did not give him a child after ten years of marriage. The man had found his escape as the couple were childless, not that he really cared or tried. Yet, it was a loop hole that he would seize. He went to the rabbi and demanded that the rabbi grant a divorce based upon this Jewish law. The rabbi knew this couple and said he would grant the divorce only after speaking to the man’s wife. After meeting with the man’s wife he called him to his office and told him he would grant the divorce under one condition. The man was crestfallen, he knew there was a catch. Yet, the rabbi explained that the one condition was that he would allow his wife to go into his house and pick out the one thing that was the most precious thing to her and he was to let her have it. The man’s apprehensions turned to joy. “That’s it, that is all? Just let her have the one thing that is most precious to her? I’m free!” He then ran out into the streets and grabbed his drinking buddies and that night had a big party to celebrate his new freedom. Unfortunately, the old boy made a little too merry and soon passed out in a drunken stupor. When he awoke he found himself in bed in his father-in-law’s house with his wife sitting next to him. He looked around and saw his wife and asked what he was doing there. His wife replied, “The rabbi said I could go to your house and take what was most precious to me.” The man brightened up and asked? “Did you find it?” She said, “Yes, it was you.” The story goes that the man did not get the divorce but remained contentedly married to his wife.
Sometimes, like with Job, God has to allow everything to be taken away from us so we can discover what it is that is really most precious to us and it is then we discover it is something that not even the enemy, nor any human, nor death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from what is really the most precious thing to us and that is the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
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