Job 19:25-27

It is at times such as this that we are sure that no one else as ever experienced the pain and loneliness that we feel. That no one understands what we are going through. Although it is true that no one knows exactly how we feel, others have experienced the devastation of the loss of a loved one.

The experience of one such person is recorded in the Bible in the book of Job. Job had it all, he had ten children, fields of livestock, an abundance of land, a houseful of servants, and a substantial stack of cash or the equivalent at the time. And then, without warning, like an avalanche, adversity struck. He lost his livestock, crops, land, servants, and if you can believe it all ten of his children.

Soon thereafter he lost the last human vestige of hope, his health. He had experienced his own sea of pain and he could therefore write from experience of his own intense inner suffering.

But in the midst of his pain he made a profound statement of faith and hope recorded in Chapter 19, verses twenty-five through twenty-seven. I would like to share that with you now.

Job writes, “For I know that my Redeemer lives, And He shall stand at last on the earth; (26) And after my skin is destroyed, this I know, That in my flesh I shall see God, (27) Whom I shall see for myself, And my eyes shall behold, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!”

Notice Job’s certainty. Like Job, even in our pain there are some things that we can “know” that is be certain about. Twice in this passage Job states there are some things that he “knows” (vs. 25, 26) with certainty.

First, Job states that he knows that there is a Redeemer. In verse twenty-five “I know that my Redeemer lives….” Job states that he is “my” redeemer; he had a personal relationship with the Redeemer. This is a personal statement, born out of personal conviction, not hearsay, not speculation, but truth uttered from his heart with assurance and firm conviction.

What is a redeemer? “One who re-purchases” and “One who delivers from bondage by paying a ransom”. Now Job could have said, “I know that my Savior lives”. He would have been accurate. He could have said, “I know that my Champion lives”. He would have been accurate. He could have said, “I know that my Advocate lives”. He would have been accurate. But he didn’t use any of those terms or any other. He said, “Redeemer”. That means that Job knew he needed to be purchased back. He knew that he ultimately belonged to God, but that sin had interrupted that relationship. He had the confidence in God and His goodness and faithfulness to say, “I know that my Redeemer lives.…” The One who buys me back.

Do you know that? Is that your firm conviction today? Can you say that with confidence, “I KNOW that my Redeemer lives”? Jesus loves you more than you can imagine and He is with you every day in every situation, no matter what it may be!