30 March • Holy Saturday
Job 19:21-27
21 Have mercy on me, have mercy on me, O you my friends,
for the hand of God has touched me!
22 Why do you, like God, pursue me?
Why are you not satisfied with my flesh?
23 “Oh that my words were written!
Oh that they were inscribed in a book!
24 Oh that with an iron pen and lead
they were engraved in the rock forever!
25 For I know that my Redeemer lives,
and at the last he will stand upon the earth.
26 And after my skin has been thus destroyed,
yet in my flesh I shall see God,
27 whom I shall see for myself,
and my eyes shall behold, and not another.
My heart faints within me!
Meditation
These were the words of a broken man. Job, already smitten by God, lamented that his friends had shown him no sympathy and had instead pronounced judgement upon him. He wanted his words to be permanently recorded, presumably hoping for future vindication.
The identity of the “redeemer” in verse 25 is a subject of many debates, but here we will take it as a reference to God. Job attributed his suffering to God, yet in his despair, he still affirmed his faith in Him. He believed that God would eventually redeem his life,seemingly expressing his certainty regarding the bodily resurrection of the dead. Job could not have understood the true weight of his words, but his anticipation of the coming of his Redeemer would be ultimately fulfilled by Jesus Christ through His life, death, and resurrection. It is noteworthy that, after enduring a season of affliction, Job eventually received what he had sought: his words have been preserved in Scripture to this day. He received vindication from God Himself.
On Holy Saturday, we find ourselves in a period of waiting: the darkness of Good Friday still surrounds us as we yearn for the joy of Easter Sunday. Perhaps this mirrors an ongoing painful experience from which we long to be delivered? May we wait patiently for redemption and vindication from God, holding fast to the hope of resurrection life in the new creation, where we shall see His face and rejoice in His presence forevermore.
Prayer
Almighty God, help me to trust You even in the midst of darkness and pain, knowing that in Your perfect timing, redemption and vindication will come. Those who hope in You will not be put to shame. Amen.
Action
Reflect on the times when God has come through for you in the past. Let this strengthen your conviction that He will continue to deliver you as you walk in faithful obedience to Him.
Revd Christopher Chan
Ag Vicar
St Andrew’s Cathedral