In Job 3, Job asks three poignant questions. The first is, “Why was I ever born?” Job hopes his birthday will be forgotten: “May its anniversary be ignored. Let it be a day that is darkened; let no one rejoice in it. Let it be a day of cursing instead of blessing.” Job’s life has become so miserable that he longs for death. Even all that he has enjoyed in the past seems of no value in the face of this tremendous anguish that he is enduring.
Though Job doesn’t curse God, he curses what God has allowed to happen. Nothing is more difficult for us to bear than unexplained trouble. When trouble seems to be pointless, it’s a terrible strain on the soul. This is what Job is experiencing, so he cries out, “Why was I ever born?”
Job’s second question is, “Having been born, why didn’t I die at birth?” He says, “My life has been totally meaningless. It would have been better to have died when I was born.” Job views death as a time of rest, a period of solitude and quiet after the tumult and trouble of life. Indeed, Job’s view of death is quite different at the end than it is here.
Job’s third question is, “Why can’t I die now?” Job’s argument is, “What’s the purpose of my life? Of what use is a life that is so filled with misery that you can do nothing but suffer and feel anguish? My life produces only fear and trouble, so it would be better to end it now.” Many people feel that there is no purpose to life when it is not enjoyable. But one of the lessons of Job is that life can still have meaning, even when it appears to be absolutely useless.
James 1:3-5a helps us with this as well: “Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So, don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work, so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way. If you don’t know what you’re doing, pray to the Father. He loves to help. You’ll get His help and won’t be condescended to when you ask for it.”
(We invite your comments. Feel free to share this devotion with your friends and invite them to subscribe by forwarding their email address to the Pastor at: fredjeffsmith@gmail.com.)
Mornings with Shiloh airs on WVLA Channel 33 each weekday at 6:58 a. m. CST. Mornings with Shiloh is available on our Youtube channel at 8:00 a.m. CST.
CLICK THE LINK BELOW TO ACCESS OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL:
https://www.youtube.com/@ShilohMBCBR/videos
Want to get more involved at Shiloh?
Browse our Ministries