The Hope of Man

Looking out over Waimea Canyon at sunrise is an awe inspiring spectacle.  Also known as the “Grand Canyon of the Pacific”, Waimea Canyon is almost ten miles long and nearly 3000 feet deep.  Although extremely beautiful with multiple shades of reds and greens sweeping down it’s canyon walls, it was created through a tumultuous past.  A history of volcanic eruptions with distinct lava flows, followed by earthquakes, fault rifting, and a partial collapse of the main volcano’s western section preluded additional eruptions that set the foundational strata for the Waimea River incision.  Brittle lava rock subjected to the rushing flow of water and almost continuous seismic activity brought about significant erosion.  With Mount Wai’ale’ale being one of the wettest places on earth, the Waimea River was supplied with enough water to quickly carve through the lava rock and red soil.  Through the passage of time, ravaging floods and major tremors have exaggerated the erosional process leaving Waimea Canyon steep, rugged, exposed, and breathtakingly beautiful.

“"But the mountain falls and crumbles away, and the rock is removed from its place; the waters wear away the stones; the torrents wash away the soil of the earth; so you destroy the hope of man.”

Job 14:18-19 ESV

Those words uttered by Job in one of the earliest written Books of the Bible, fittingly describe the creation of Waimea Canyon.  And much like the collapse of the main Kauai volcano, Jobs’ words fall hard and reverberate loudly as he issues a complaint against God.  Job descriptively reflects that just like the sureness of erosion as time marches forward, so it is that God destroys the hope of Man.

At first glance through the poetic writings of the book, it appears that poor Job is justified in his complaint against God especially considering his blameless and upright life.  Yet, despite his integrity and good works, his life becomes center stage for an epic confrontation between God and Satan.  God, Himself, offers Job’s life as the "litmus test" from which Satan could sample.  Then, through numerous monumental hardships conjured up by Satan, Job is subjected to and experiences tragedy after tragedy.  The massive personal losses pile up and topple upon him like boulders from a rock slide.  One stunning blow after another pummels him.  He loses everything of value including his children, possessions, and health.  Nearly everything he holds dear is destroyed except for his own life.  And just to add more sting to his plight, Job’s friends intently accuse him of past sin and wrongdoings to explain the horrible chain of events.  His wife even tells him to curse God and die (Ouch!  Now that’s a wonderfully committed life-long partner —- Not!).  Eventually, the stunning pain overwhelms Job so much that he curses the day he was born.  

So far, it would seem, Job’s complaint that God destroys the hope of Man is justified.  Admittedly, from our worldly perspective, it seems rather harsh to repay steadfastness with agony.  Job was devout, and even God, Himself, described Job as blameless and upright, and, still, God allowed Satan to attack him.  “That’s not fair,” we cry.  “That’s not a true and just God,” we lament.  Blessings should follow good behavior, not suffering.  It seems so unfair.  Why punish the good?  If that is the case, why even try?  In agreement, Job despairingly cries, “It is all the same; that is why I say, ‘He destroys both the blameless and the wicked.........Since I am already found guilty, why should I struggle in vain?” (Job 9:22, 29 NIV)

Consumed with physical and emotional pain beyond compare, Job’s words are laced wIth distraught bewilderment.  He wants to explain his case to God because he feels he has been unfairly treated.  It is the same desperate feeling that many have expressed throughout the ages;  “Why would a loving God allow bad things to happen to good people?”  Job continues echoing his “unjust” sentiment as he asks, “Why do the wicked live on, growing old and increasing in power?” (Job 21:7 NIV)

There are many lessons that can be learned from the book / life of Job.  So many, in fact, the plethora of life lessons would fill multiple Sunday mornings.  But for the sake of this article, I want to limit the topic to Job’s complaint against God.  Does God really destroy the hope of Man?

What is the hope of Man?  Is the hope of Man wealth?  Is the hope of Man an elevated status?  Is the hope of Man health and longevity of life?  Or is the hope of Man self-righteousness?  Quite possibly, everyone of those parameters define a little bit of hope for all of us.  We are all human.  We all would like health, wealth, respect, and the opportunity to “feel good” about our decisions and ourselves.  Unfortunately, those parameters also describe a worldly view of hope, and if those humanistic variables define and encompass ALL of our hopes, aspirations, and desires, it is very possible that God will allow our hopes to be destroyed.  

When Job complains to God about destroying the hope of Man, Job is offering a worldly view of hope.  It is a hope built upon the “life is short” and “you only live once” foundations.  It is a hope of financial security, fulfilled dreams, realized goals, success, outside beauty, vibrant health, and lots of fun.  It is a worldly perspective fueled by greed, ambition, and a self-righteous profile.  It is a hope that never looks beyond this life.  It is a perspective that lives for the “here and now” moment.  The problem with that view is that eventually that hope does get stripped away.  No matter how successful, educated, ambitious, hardworking, or “liked” we are, the great equalizer called “death” remains.  We all face it.  We all grow old.  We all die.  Therefore, Job is accurate in his complaint.  God does allow our “worldly” hope to erode away.  

An additional point of contention with “the hope of Man” is that we view God as being the Captain of the Justice League.  Firstly, we expect blessings for good, punishment for bad.  Right now!  It’s not fair to be good and work hard, and then have bad people excel.  Right?  But what really defines “good”?  What degree of “good” do we feel deserves reward?  Per the Bible, nobody is “good”.  We have all sinned.  We have all fallen short of the glory of God.  Secondly, God does not just declare judgement because we think He should nor does He offer repeated blessings for good works.  Anybody who puts God in a box and declares that He will offer multiple blessings just because we are “good” or live “upright” is not offering the truth.  

The fact of the matter is that down deep we humans have a couple of fiendish “stumbling blocks” that trip us up in our relationship with God.  They are devilish problems that linger in mankind’s heart, and they are extremely difficult to detect because they camouflage themselves as “good”.  As a result, they are insidious on how they plant seeds.  They could easily be categorized as proverbial “slippery slopes”.  They are called self-righteousness and self-sufficiency.

The self-righteous slope goes like this:  I’ve done multiple kind things for the needy.  I never curse.  I never drink.  I always goto church.  I pay tithes and volunteer at the local food bank.  People respect me for my steadfastness, prayer, and missions emphasis.  I deserve something special for all the “good works” I’ve performed.  I sure do like how all these things make me feel.

The self-sufficiency slope goes like this:  I’m doing alright.  I’ve got a good job.  I’m a respected and responsible individual.  I work hard.  I’m disciplined.  If I work a little harder, I can probably pay off all my debt next year.  I exercise and eat right.  I study and am continuing my education.  I am reliable and people need me.  I’m well liked.  I’ve got this.  I don’t need help.

Ironically, most people would say both slopes are full of good things.  We ask, how can they be problematic obstacles?  The answer lies in how they both nurture and elevate self-pride.  They have a tendency to emphasize self-importance, self-interest, self-centeredness, and “good” works which specifically contradicts Scripture.

“God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.”

Ephesians 2:8-9 NLT

The epitome of self-righteousness were the Pharisees of Jesus’ day.  A person doesn’t have to spend much time reading the Bible to get an understanding of how Jesus felt about the Pharisees.  He did not have very nice things to say about them.

Self-reliance, too, is a very “slippery slope”.  Personally, I have struggled up this hill countless times.  It seems like I always slip and have to start climbing again.  It helps me to get further up the hill if I repeat a little Scripture along the way:  “.....apart from Him, I can do nothing.”

““I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”

John 15:5 NIV

One of the main reasons God allowed Job to be tested was to teach him that self-righteousness and self-sufficiency were hidden deep in his heart.  Job also needed to learn that God is far beyond what Man can comprehend or understand.  Man is in no position to make a case against nor challenge God.  God is beyond contestation.  God is God.

There is no doubt that Job was a good man.  Even God, Himself, said Job was blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.  But God wanted to teach Job that “good” doesn’t make the grade.  Job needed to learn that nothing he did in his own strength was acceptable before God.  It was only through God’s grace and the acceptance of God’s gift, that he could be found righteous.  In order to teach the lesson, God allowed Job to fall into trials.  In order for Job to see those hidden diabolical degrees in his own heart, God let Satan cut Job deeply.

Job was not tested because of some great sin, much to the chagrin of his friends.  We don’t have to be wicked for God to want to teach us more.  Job was tested so that he could learn more about himself and God.  He was tested to learn about the sovereignty of God.  He was tested to find a deeper relationship with God.  He was tested so that others might see, observe, and learn valuable lessons as well.  That point gets glossed over quite often, but it shouldn’t so I’m going to quickly expound.

At the beginning of Job, Satan makes an accusation against mankind.  His proclamation before the Heavenly Court is that Man serves God only because God blesses and protects them.  Satan’s argument is that Man will curse God if those blessings and protections are stripped away.  In other words, Satan is stating that Man only serves God to remain prosperous and be rewarded.  Man finds little value in a relationship with God aside from self-interest.  Without blessings, Man will curse God.  As a result, Job is given a great honor by God.  God believes in Job enough to place him on the front lines as an example to prove Satan wrong.  Before the entire Heavenly Court, all of the universe, God chooses Job as his warrior.  That, my friend, is a high privilege.

For those who have experienced many Job-like trials in their lifetime and still carry the shield of faith and uphold the Standard, I personally believe that God has given you a great privilege and great honor.  God has chosen you as a warrior and a representative for Man to squelch the accusations of Satan.  Your actions prove Satan wrong and uphold the glory of God.  Your steadfast example through tribulations has proven that Satan’s proclamation is not valid.  At the same time, your example has allowed the rest of us to learn and gain needed strength, fortitude, and character.  We all carry our shields a little higher simply because you never dropped yours, despite all the hardships.  Yours is a burdensome warrior’s path paved with endurance and constitution that few can comprehend, but many admire.  God chose you for the front lines for a reason and, believe me, it has not gone unnoticed.  We that follow have watched and learned.  God is still God and worthy of praise and honor no matter what.  Fight on warrior!

Yes, Job complained through his trials.  Who wouldn’t?  But he never cursed God.  He came close, but he never did.  That’s crucial because that is what Satan wanted all along.  If Job had failed that test, he would have lost everything.  Despite Satan’s best attempt, Job passed.  The trials were incomprehensible, but God knew Job had the strength to endure.  And through it, Job learned about the condition of his own heart, and then he immediately repented to God.  Valuable lessons learned!

Like the Waimea River carving and eroding through the Waimea Canyon, there are many strata levels that get exposed the deeper the river incision carves.  In order to expose those long concealed levels, the incision has to cut fairly deep.  Yet, the beauty that is reflected afterwards is truly amazing.  It is the same with us.  Many times the trials can become difficult and slice deeply, but it is when those hidden levels in our hearts are exposed that we learn that the “hope of Man” is not found in us or what we’ve done.  The true “hope of Man” is found in God and His One and only Son, Jesus.  There is a beautiful image that resides in that hope.  There is a beautiful relationship that resides in that lesson.

After Job’s trials and repentance, God multiplied his blessings far beyond what he had possessed before.  The Bible says that God blessed Job with three daughters that were the most beautiful women in the land.  I find that passage interesting and significant.  After enduring much hardship, Job was blessed with incomparable beauty in his life.

It is as Apostle Paul wrote in Romans Chapter 5.  “We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment.”  That hope Paul writes about is full of peace and beauty encapsulated by the love of God.  That hope will never dissolve.  That hope will never erode nor be destroyed.

Like Waimea Canyon, a tumultuous past with many trials can bring about great beauty.  We might struggle to understand our lives while the trials carve through us and into our hearts, but if our hope is in God and His love, there is indescribable and incomparable beauty ahead.  Oh, what a sight to behold.  It will be awe inspiring!