After this opened Job his mouth, and cursed his day.
And Job spake, and said,
Let the day perish wherein I was born, and the night in which it was said, There is a man child conceived.
Let that day be darkness; let not God regard it from above, neither let the light shine upon it.
Let darkness and the shadow of death stain it; let a cloud dwell upon it; let the blackness of the day terrify it.
As for that night, let darkness seize upon it; let it not be joined unto the days of the year, let it not come into the number of the months.
Lo, let that night be solitary, let no joyful voice come therein.
Let them curse it that curse the day, who are ready to raise up their mourning.
Let the stars of the twilight thereof be dark; let it look for light, but have none; neither let it see the dawning of the day:
Because it shut not up the doors of my mother’s womb, nor hid sorrow from mine eyes.
Why died I not from the womb? why did I not give up the ghost when I came out of the belly?
Why did the knees prevent me? or why the breasts that I should suck?
For now should I have lain still and been quiet, I should have slept: then had I been at rest,
With kings and counsellors of the earth, which built desolate places for themselves;
Or with princes that had gold, who filled their houses with silver:
Or as an hidden untimely birth I had not been; as infants which never saw light.
There the wicked cease from troubling; and there the weary be at rest.
There the prisoners rest together; they hear not the voice of the oppressor.
The small and great are there; and the servant is free from his master.
Wherefore is light given to him that is in misery, and life unto the bitter in soul;
Which long for death, but it cometh not; and dig for it more than for hid treasures;
Which rejoice exceedingly, and are glad, when they can find the grave?
Why is light given to a man whose way is hid, and whom God hath hedged in?
For my sighing cometh before I eat, and my roarings are poured out like the waters.
For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me.
I was not in safety, neither had I rest, neither was I quiet; yet trouble came.
Job 3 marks a turning point in the book. After the prologue establishes Job's righteousness and the divine-Satanic wager that precipitates his suffering, and after his friends arrive to comfort him, Job finally breaks his silence. What pours forth is not a theological treatise or a stoic acceptance of fate, but a raw, visceral lament. Job 3:1-26 reveals a man brought to the brink, his physical, emotional, and spiritual reserves depleted.
The Curse of Existence (Job 3:1-10)
Job doesn't curse God, but he curses the day of his birth (Job 3:1). This is a crucial distinction. It's not a rejection of faith, but an expression of profound anguish. The intensity of his suffering has driven him to this point. He longs for the oblivion of never having existed, wishing the day of his conception and birth would be blotted out, shrouded in darkness, and forgotten (Job 3:3-10). He envisioned that day swallowed by gloom and darkness.
A Yearning for Rest (Job 3:11-19)
The core of Job's lament lies in his longing for rest. He questions why he wasn’t stillborn (Job 3:11-19). He reasons that if he had died at birth, he would be at peace, resting with kings and counselors, free from the turmoil and pain of his current existence (Job 3:13). He paints a picture of Sheol, the realm of the dead, as a place where the wicked cease from troubling and the weary are at rest (Job 3:17). In his mind, even slaves find respite in death.
The Agony of Prolonged Suffering (Job 3:20-26)
Job's suffering is compounded by its apparent meaninglessness. Why is light given to those in misery, and life to the bitter in soul (Job 3:20)? He feels trapped, hedged in by God (Job 3:23), unable to escape the torment. He expected peace, quietness, and rest, but instead, turmoil has come (Job 3:26).
Understanding Job's Lament
Job's words are a reminder that faith doesn't preclude doubt. Even the most devout believers can experience moments of intense questioning and despair. God is big enough to handle our doubts, provided we maintain open communication with Him.
It's also important to note that Job, even in his despair, acknowledges God's sovereignty. He doesn't blame Satan directly. Instead, he asks why life is given to a man "whom God has hedged in?" (Job 3:23). He recognizes that his suffering, however inexplicable, comes from the hand of God. This is a crucial point. Job's struggle is not with God's power, but with His purpose.
Theological Implications and Practical Application
Job 3 isn't just a historical account; it's a deeply relatable expression of human suffering. It teaches us:
- It's okay to lament: God isn't afraid of our honest emotions, even when they're painful.
- Doubt doesn't equal disbelief: Questioning God doesn't mean abandoning faith.
- God is sovereign, even in suffering: Recognizing God's control can provide comfort, even when we don't understand His reasons.
In times of intense suffering, like Job, we can bring our raw emotions to God. We can question, lament, and even express our desire for relief. But, like Job, we must also hold on to the truth of God's sovereignty and trust that He is working, even when we can't see it. Job 3 is not an end point, but a starting point for a deeper exploration of faith, suffering, and God's unwavering presence in the midst of life's storms.
After this opened Job his mouth, and cursed his day.
And Job spake, and said,
Let the day perish wherein I was born, and the night in which it was said, There is a man child conceived.
Let that day be darkness; let not God regard it from above, neither let the light shine upon it.
Let darkness and the shadow of death stain it; let a cloud dwell upon it; let the blackness of the day terrify it.
As for that night, let darkness seize upon it; let it not be joined unto the days of the year, let it not come into the number of the months.
Lo, let that night be solitary, let no joyful voice come therein.
Let them curse it that curse the day, who are ready to raise up their mourning.
Let the stars of the twilight thereof be dark; let it look for light, but have none; neither let it see the dawning of the day:
Because it shut not up the doors of my mother’s womb, nor hid sorrow from mine eyes.
Why died I not from the womb? why did I not give up the ghost when I came out of the belly?
Why did the knees prevent me? or why the breasts that I should suck?
For now should I have lain still and been quiet, I should have slept: then had I been at rest,
With kings and counsellors of the earth, which built desolate places for themselves;
Or with princes that had gold, who filled their houses with silver:
Or as an hidden untimely birth I had not been; as infants which never saw light.
There the wicked cease from troubling; and there the weary be at rest.
There the prisoners rest together; they hear not the voice of the oppressor.
The small and great are there; and the servant is free from his master.
Wherefore is light given to him that is in misery, and life unto the bitter in soul;
Which long for death, but it cometh not; and dig for it more than for hid treasures;
Which rejoice exceedingly, and are glad, when they can find the grave?
Why is light given to a man whose way is hid, and whom God hath hedged in?
For my sighing cometh before I eat, and my roarings are poured out like the waters.
For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me.
I was not in safety, neither had I rest, neither was I quiet; yet trouble came.
Job 3 marks a turning point in the book. After the prologue establishes Job's righteousness and the divine-Satanic wager that precipitates his suffering, and after his friends arrive to comfort him, Job finally breaks his silence. What pours forth is not a theological treatise or a stoic acceptance of fate, but a raw, visceral lament. Job 3:1-26 reveals a man brought to the brink, his physical, emotional, and spiritual reserves depleted.
The Curse of Existence (Job 3:1-10)
Job doesn't curse God, but he curses the day of his birth (Job 3:1). This is a crucial distinction. It's not a rejection of faith, but an expression of profound anguish. The intensity of his suffering has driven him to this point. He longs for the oblivion of never having existed, wishing the day of his conception and birth would be blotted out, shrouded in darkness, and forgotten (Job 3:3-10). He envisioned that day swallowed by gloom and darkness.
A Yearning for Rest (Job 3:11-19)
The core of Job's lament lies in his longing for rest. He questions why he wasn’t stillborn (Job 3:11-19). He reasons that if he had died at birth, he would be at peace, resting with kings and counselors, free from the turmoil and pain of his current existence (Job 3:13). He paints a picture of Sheol, the realm of the dead, as a place where the wicked cease from troubling and the weary are at rest (Job 3:17). In his mind, even slaves find respite in death.
The Agony of Prolonged Suffering (Job 3:20-26)
Job's suffering is compounded by its apparent meaninglessness. Why is light given to those in misery, and life to the bitter in soul (Job 3:20)? He feels trapped, hedged in by God (Job 3:23), unable to escape the torment. He expected peace, quietness, and rest, but instead, turmoil has come (Job 3:26).
Understanding Job's Lament
Job's words are a reminder that faith doesn't preclude doubt. Even the most devout believers can experience moments of intense questioning and despair. God is big enough to handle our doubts, provided we maintain open communication with Him.
It's also important to note that Job, even in his despair, acknowledges God's sovereignty. He doesn't blame Satan directly. Instead, he asks why life is given to a man "whom God has hedged in?" (Job 3:23). He recognizes that his suffering, however inexplicable, comes from the hand of God. This is a crucial point. Job's struggle is not with God's power, but with His purpose.
Theological Implications and Practical Application
Job 3 isn't just a historical account; it's a deeply relatable expression of human suffering. It teaches us:
- It's okay to lament: God isn't afraid of our honest emotions, even when they're painful.
- Doubt doesn't equal disbelief: Questioning God doesn't mean abandoning faith.
- God is sovereign, even in suffering: Recognizing God's control can provide comfort, even when we don't understand His reasons.
In times of intense suffering, like Job, we can bring our raw emotions to God. We can question, lament, and even express our desire for relief. But, like Job, we must also hold on to the truth of God's sovereignty and trust that He is working, even when we can't see it. Job 3 is not an end point, but a starting point for a deeper exploration of faith, suffering, and God's unwavering presence in the midst of life's storms.