Job 7:17-19
What is man, that you make so much of him, and that you set your heart on him, visit him every morning and test him every moment? How long will you not look away from me, nor leave me alone till I swallow my spit?
English Standard Version (ESV)
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Job is expressing sheer astonishment that God, the Almighty, would "set His heart" on mortal man. This isn't just about God noticing us, but about an intense, deep consideration and affection – almost as if God were infatuated with us, despite our frailty and tendency to mess up. It flips the script from us trying to earn God's attention to marveling that He so deeply invests Himself in us.
Job is in the depths of suffering, lamenting his miserable existence and questioning God's intense scrutiny of him. He feels like a plaything for God, who seems to focus all His attention on his every flaw and transgression, magnifying his sins rather than his worth. This questioning arises from his overwhelming pain and a sense of God's relentless pursuit, making him wonder why the Almighty bothers with such a seemingly insignificant creature.
Job is reeling from suffering, questioning why God would even notice him. It's a cry of utter bewilderment at being targeted by the Almighty.
Job asks, "What is man, that you make so much of him?" This isn't just a rhetorical question; it's a deep existential cry from the heart of someone crushed by suffering.
The Humble Starting Point
Man, in his earthly state (as the Hebrew word 'enosh' often implies), is frail, weak, and fleeting. Compared to the infinite majesty of God, we are like dust. Job feels utterly insignificant, believing he's too small to warrant God's intense focus, especially a focus that brings such pain.
The Divine Counterpoint
Yet, the text reveals a God who does magnify us, who does set His heart on us. This is the incredible tension: our perceived worthlessness against God's active, deliberate valuation of humanity. It’s not that we earn this attention; it's that God, in His sovereign purpose and deep love, chooses to bestow it.
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The phrase 'set your heart on him' is powerful. What does it truly mean for the Creator of the universe to 'set His heart' on a creature like us?
The expression 'set your heart upon him' is a profound way to describe divine affection and intense focus. While Job uses it in the context of his suffering, questioning why God would focus so intensely on him (even for punishment), the deeper truth revealed is God's deep-seated love and purposeful engagement with humanity.
More Than Just Attention
This isn't merely passive observation. It speaks to God's deliberate involvement, His deep consideration, and His profound affection. It encompasses His plans, His decrees, His covenant, and ultimately, His redemptive work through Christ.
The Ultimate Expression
From a divine perspective, magnifying humanity and setting His heart upon us finds its ultimate expression in the incarnation, the atonement, and the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit. It's a love that elevates us, redeems us, and makes us heirs of glory.
Understand the original words
enosh · Hebrew Noun
A term for humanity, often emphasizing its frailty, mortality, and weakness in contrast to the eternal, sovereign God.
leb · Hebrew Noun
To direct one's deepest affection, concern, or attention toward someone. When applied to God, it signifies His deliberate and purposeful engagement with His creation.
paqad · Hebrew Verb
In a theological context, God's intervention in human affairs, whether in judgment or in grace, appearing to inspect or intervene in an individual's life.
bachan · Hebrew Verb
A trial or examination used to prove, refine, or reveal the true character, integrity, or faith of a person.
This Psalm echoes Job's wonder, asking 'What is man, that you are mindful of him?' but from a place of awe and adoration for God's creation, contrasting with Job's desperate questioning.
Psalm 144:3Here, the Psalmist uses almost identical phrasing to express wonder at God's attention to humankind, highlighting the vast disparity between the Creator and the creature, a theme Job grapples with in his suffering.
Luke 12:7Jesus speaks of God's intimate knowledge and care, even for the smallest creatures, reinforcing the idea that 'you are of more value than many sparrows,' a truth that Job, in his pain, questions but which is fundamental to God's relationship with humanity.
Hebrews 2:6-7This passage directly quotes and interprets Psalm 8, revealing that God's 'magnifying' of man and 'setting His heart' on him finds its ultimate expression in Jesus, who was made for a little while lower than the angels, so that through death He might bring many sons to glory.
clarkeJob 7:17: "What is man, that thou shouldest magnify him? and that thou shouldest set thine heart upon him?"
What is man that thou shouldest magnify him? and that thou shouldest set thine heart upon him? - Two different ideas have been drawn from these words: - 1. Man is not worth thy notice; why therefore dost thou contend with him? 2. How astonishing is thy kindness that thou shouldest fix thy heart - thy strongest affections, on such a poor, base, vile, impotent creature as man, (אנוש enosh)…
jfbJob 7:17: "What is man, that thou shouldest magnify him? and that thou shouldest set thine heart upon him?"
- (Ps 8:4; 144:3). Job means, "What is man that thou shouldst make him [of so much importance], and that thou shouldst expend such attention [or, heart-thought] upon him" as to make him the subject of so severe trials? Job ought rather to have reasoned from God's condescending so far to notice man as to try him, that there must be a wise and loving purpose in trial. David uses the same…
Job is expressing sheer astonishment that God, the Almighty, would "set His heart" on mortal man. This isn't just about God noticing us, but about an intense, deep consideration and affection – almost as if God were infatuated with us, despite our frailty and tendency to mess up. It flips the script from us trying to earn God's attention to marveling that He so deeply invests Himself in us.
Job is in the depths of suffering, lamenting his miserable existence and questioning God's intense scrutiny of him. He feels like a plaything for God, who seems to focus all His attention on his every flaw and transgression, magnifying his sins rather than his worth. This questioning arises from his overwhelming pain and a sense of God's relentless pursuit, making him wonder why the Almighty bothers with such a seemingly insignificant creature.
Job is in the depths of suffering, lamenting his miserable existence and questioning God's intense scrutiny of him. He feels like a plaything for God, who seems to focus all His attention on his every flaw and transgression, magnifying his sins rather than his worth. This questioning arises from his overwhelming pain and a sense of God's relentless pursuit, making him wonder why the Almighty bothers with such a seemingly insignificant creature.
"What is man, that you make so much of him, and that you set your heart on him, visit him every morning and test him every moment? How long will you not look away from me, nor leave me alone till I swallow my spit?" — Job is expressing sheer astonishment that God, the Almighty, would "set His heart" on mortal man. This isn't just about God noticing us, but about an intense, deep consideration and affection – almos…
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