16 You'll watch over every step I take, but you won't keep track of my missteps. 17 My sins will be stuffed in a sack and thrown into the sea - sunk in deep ocean. 18 "Meanwhile, mountains wear down and boulders break up, 19 Stones wear smooth and soil erodes, as you relentlessly grind down our hope. 20 You're too much for us. As always, you get the last word. We don't like it and our faces show it, but you send us off anyway. 21 If our children do well for themselves, we never know it; if they do badly, we're spared the hurt. 22 Body and soul, that's it for us - a lifetime of pain, a lifetime of sorrow."
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Job 14:16-22
Commentary on Job 14:16-22
(Read Job 14:16-22)
Job's faith and hope spake, and grace appeared to revive; but depravity again prevailed. He represents God as carrying matters to extremity against him. The Lord must prevail against all who contend with him. God may send disease and pain, we may lose all comfort in those near and dear to us, every hope of earthly happiness may be destroyed, but God will receive the believer into realms of eternal happiness. But what a change awaits the prosperous unbeliever! How will he answer when God shall call him to his tribunal? The Lord is yet upon a mercy-seat, ready to be gracious. Oh that sinners would be wise, that they would consider their latter end! While man's flesh is upon him, that is, the body he is so loth to lay down, it shall have pain; and while his soul is within him, that is, the spirit he is so loth to resign, it shall mourn. Dying work is hard work; dying pangs often are sore pangs. It is folly for men to defer repentance to a death-bed, and to have that to do which is the one thing needful, when unfit to do anything.