Hope for a Tree
“At least there is hope for a tree: If it is cut down, it will sprout again, and its new shoots will not fail.”
— Job 14:7 (NIV)
Job says this having lost his children, his health and his property. He is not being cheerful. He is looking at an olive stump, and olive trees really do this: cut one down and shoots come up around the base, which is why some groves in that region are centuries old. Job can see it happen for a tree and wants to know whether it is true for a person.
If something in your life got cut back, avoiding it is understandable. But then you will not see what is growing back. Olive roots push up shoots low to the ground, where nobody notices for a long time. Go back to that part of your life and see what has changed.
Look at the Stump
- 1Name the thing that got cut back. Say what it actually cost, without softening it.
- 2Name one small thing that has grown since, even something you would call insignificant.
- 3Tell one person both halves: the loss and the shoot.
God, it is hard to go back to what I lost. Show me what has changed since.
I will look where I have not looked for a long time.
Is Job being optimistic here?
No. He is in the middle of profound loss and is arguing. He can see renewal happen for a tree and asks whether it applies to a human being.
Why an olive tree specifically?
Olives regenerate from the root crown after being cut. Groves in the region survive for centuries this way, so the image was familiar to everyone listening.
Does the book of Job answer his question?
Not with an argument. God answers with presence and a long series of questions, and Job's situation is restored afterwards.