7 “For there is hope for a tree,
When it is cut down, that it will sprout again,
And its shoots will not fail.
8 “Though its roots grow old in the ground
And its stump dies in the dry soil,
9 At the scent of water it will flourish
And put forth sprigs like a plant (Job 14:7-9, NASB).
When I read through this particular passage on the finality of man -- yet in light of the Resurrection, in reception of salvation, and in anticipation of the Second Coming -- I marvel at the thought of the believer's guarantee so imagined in similar detail for our understanding. We struggle within the limitations of language to capture the gift our Heavenly Father offers to any who would receive, that at times all that is able to be done is dropping to one's knees and saying in praise, "amen." Emotions, feelings, expressions of gratitude -- all felt -- alone fall short as well as a culminating response. One expression elicited by the Spirit that must be communicated, which captures the essence of the acknowledgement, humility, and thankfulness deserved by Him only, is worship.
Ah, but it does not quite end there. As there are two great commandments, there are two corresponding obediences. Our love of God finds fullness in worship. Our love of others finds fullness in witness in the entirety of our words, our deeds, and our lives, especially when forfeited for their sake.
And so, along with the wonder felt when considering the believer as a tree in flourish, sprouting anew, a weighted sorrow comes to bear for those who both live in and for their finality in the flesh...who are in the turmoil of their own pleasure...who wither...who are without hope by their refusal of Christ.
Oh, if they would but draw in the scent of the Living Water, restoration would follow.