Job 3

Scripture:  Job 3:1-4  After this, Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth.  He said: “May the day of my birth perish, and the night that said, ‘A boy is conceived!’  That day—may it turn to darkness; may God above not care about it; may no light shine on it.

Observation:  The book of Job tackles an interesting dilemma, the suffering of the innocent.  Throughout the book, we see an answer pointing to the complete infallibility of God’s character.  In chapter 3, Job has just lost about everything he had attained. After a period of seven days of silence, Job breaks the silence with a protest.  Job curses the day he was born. In verse four, the writer uses a contrast in language to Genesis. Where God breathed life into being by saying, “let there be light,” Job asks that the day he was born be turned into darkness.  Though, through this desire to no longer be in existence Job never curses God.

Understanding:  If you ask my wife, she will tell you that I am not good at being sick.  I don’t know if it’s just me, but if I get a minor fever or a common cold, I feel as though death has come to visit me.  It’s as if my body has completely betrayed me, I start writhing in pain and nothing can make me feel better. But, I also want Jen by my side all day, doing nothing but caring for me.  I mean, I question the meaning of my life when I get sick, and whether or not I am being punished for some unknown sin. And this is just with a cold or minor flu.  

One thing I love about the Bible is how real it is.  Job is a great example of this. The bible never turns away from the tougher subjects in life.  And through the divine inspiration of the writers, God shows us that it is okay to be human, to have doubts and question God.  We are never lied to, never told that everything is going to be sunshine and rainbows. In fact, we are often told quite the opposite, that we will definitely see rough times.  But, we are also told this suffering will bring us closer to our creator. In James 1:2-3 we read, “ Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.”  That has always been a tough verse to accept for me, who really likes going through tough times. But without the tough times, we will never know how good God really is.  

I think it’s safe to say that we have all had bad days.  Probably very few of us will see days like Job experienced.  Job, though, never turned away from God. It seems as though he intrinsically knew that God would equip him with the strength to overcome the hard times.  In Ephesians 6:10-18, we are told that God equips us with means to overcome this world. But it all starts with drawing closer to Him.

Life Application:  Jesus, help me to draw closer to you.  Help me to find my joy in You. I know that when I pull away from you, this is when I find the greatest dissatisfaction with life.  But, when I draw near to you, I can see life through the lens or eternity. Help me to embrace the seasons of life that I am in, both mourning and celebration.    

 

-Tyler Galloway