Job 3

 Job 3

Job begins his lament and begins with a full-on frontal assault. His first speech has three themes: vs. 1-10 is a curse of the day of his birth, v. 11-19 is a claim of the preference of death, and vs. 20-26 is about the bitterness of life. Two key points for us come from the beginning and at the end of this poem.

While it may not seem too dramatic to us when Job says there should be a curse on ‘the day of my birth,' he is in effect questioning God’s wisdom and providence. He is indirectly saying, “God made a mistake when He made me and gave me life." We might say such things in moments of extreme suffering, but it is nevertheless wrong and immoral. Such a statement may not have come from studied reason or careful thought but out of deep and painful emotions. Regardless of the reason, when we question our existence, we are questioning the plans, love, actions, and wisdom of God.

At the end of chapter three we see a comment from Job that is, perhaps, bigger than the verses it occupies. In vs. 25-26, Job speaks of “the fear I have” (literal translation). As we look at the narrative at the beginning of chapter 1, we see the life of a prosperous, pious, and popular man. That description is, at least from the outside perspective, accurate and complete. But in Job’s heart and mind there was a haunting fear. Perhaps Job's hard work was an attempt to build a fortress against those fears. Perhaps his piety was an attempt to secure divine protection against that which he dreaded. The fear remains unspecified. Perhaps it was the loss of wealth, family, reputation, health, or confidence in knowing how things work. Whatever that fear, what ever it was, has come to Job. In 1967 Ed Aymes released the song “Who Will Answer?" This song was the summation of anxiety of that age. But the song he asks, “Who will answer?” not “What is the answer?" Job is about to embark on a long verbal journey to discover, "Who will answer?”

“Lord, never let me fall into doubting Your goodness or wisdom, but rather, Lord, help me seek You for my answers. AMEN."