B: 5th Sun in OrdTime (7 Feb 2021) - BREATH (Job 7:1-4, 6-7)

“Remember that my life is but a breath, and that my eyes will never again see joy” (Job 7:7).

Ru’ah is the word used here for “breath,” which can mean many things in the Hebrew Bible in its 378 occurrences (31 in the Book of Job). They are worth enumerating as points of reflection.

1. “breeze, breath” (e.g., Ezek 37:5)

2. “transitory breeze” (e.g., Psa 78:39)

3. “wind” (e.g., Eccl. 1:6)

4. “wind, meaning one of the sides of the world” (e.g., Ezek 42:16)

5. “breeze, breath” (e.g., Num 11:31)

6. “breath which supports life” (e.g., Gn 6:17)

7. “the natural spirit of humanity, as sense, mind, intellectual frame of mind” (e.g., Ezek 11:5)

8. “the spirit of Yahweh” (e.g., Jud 3:10)

9. “spirit of God” (e.g., Gn 1:2)

10. “a holy spirit” (e.g., Isa 63:10)

11. “(the) spirit of God” (e.g., Ezek 2:2)

12. “transferring the spirit from one person to another” (e.g., Num 11:17)

13. “particular types of spirit” (e.g., 1 Sm 16:14)

Looking at the list (cf. HALOT), one can stipulate three basic characteristics of the expression ru’ah, especially in relation to the life of Job, namely, passing, penetrating, and praising.

Passing. Hearing the life story of Job, who was inflicted with the severest human catastrophe, we can perceive that human life—inclusive of the material possessions and glory one enjoys—is something that is passing or transitory. In a blink of an eye, Job’s herd was destroyed (Job 1:14-17), his children perished (vv. 18-19), and his body was inflicted with boils (2:7). Adding insult to injury, his wife vehemently reproached him for believing in God, who seemingly had abandoned him (v. 9). The whole point, here, is that human life is something borrowed, and it can be taken from us regardless of one’s richness, social status, or influence on earth.

Penetrating. Ru’ah is something that can be felt since the breeze of the air can bring lingering chills, damaging effects, or a soothing sensation. In our reading today, it can even penetrate one’s thought-process. In this regard, Job was affected by the sudden turn of things when he displayed his anxiety and fear of the unknown with the words, “When I lie down I say, ‘When shall I arise?’ the night drags on; I am filled with restlessness until the dawn” (7:4). While dread of death is a throbbing experience, we ought to live with it, to embrace it, and to overcome it with determination and perseverance. Despite the volatile nature of our lifespan, we have the innate power to take control over it when we decide to live, and not give up in life.

Praising. Largely, ru’ah functions in direct reference to God. Accordingly, Job, upon receiving his first trial, proclaimed, “The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord” (1:20). Furthermore, after his second trial, he retorted his wife’s rebuke, saying, “We accept good things from God; should we not accept the evil?” (2:10). With the eyes of faith, catastrophes can truly be opportunities for us to be closer with God, as we need, all the more, his protection and assistance. We just need always to discern his loving plan behind the pains. Indeed, in him, do we put our trust especially in the year-long horror of the pandemic.

- Rex Fortes, CM