From Victory to Despair -- 5/1/11

Sunday, May 1, 2011

FROM VICTORY TO DESPAIR

Job 2:11-3:26

This morning we come back to Job. When we left him, we were toward the end of chapter 2. So far he has been attacked severely on two occasions by Satan himself. The first time, Satan, after receiving permission from Almighty God, stripped Job of everything he owned and then killed all ten of his children. Let’s read again his response in Job 1:20-22, "Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped, 21. And said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD. 22. In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly." After failing to lead this man to curse God, Satan suggested to God that it was because Job was only concerned about his own life. If God would allow him to attack his body, he would surely curse God. Having received permission to do so, Satan brought terrible misery upon Job, afflicting him with boils from head to toe. Being forced to witness Job’s pain and misery, his own wife said to him, “Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse god and die” (2:9 ESV). We read Job’s response in 2:10 (ESV), “Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?” The verse ends with these words: “In all this Job did not sin with his lips.” Imagine that. Job did not even sin in his speech.

When we left Job, we also noted that we haven’t yet come to the end of chapter 2. Yet there are 42 chapters in this book. Without even reading ahead, we know that there must be a lot more to the story. Indeed, there is. So let’s pick it up where we left off. This morning we are going to be looking at the rest of chapter 2 and then chapter 3. Let’s begin with…

I. One Week of Silence

Please follow as I read 2:11-13…

Now when Job's three friends heard of all this evil that was come upon him, they came every one from his own place; Eliphaz the Temanite, and Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite: for they had made an appointment together to come to mourn with him and to comfort him. 12. And when they lifted up their eyes afar off, and knew him not, they lifted up their voice, and wept; and they rent everyone his mantle, and sprinkled dust upon their heads toward heaven. 13. So they sat down with him upon the ground seven days and seven nights, and none spake a word unto him: for they saw that his grief was very great.

We don’t know how many friends Job had, but he had at least three -- Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar. We could wade through the geography of where they lived, but I don’t think it would be of much benefit to us. Suffice it to say that these three friends were not next door neighbors to Job or to one another. That is why they made an appointment either to meet at Job’s place or get together to travel to Job’s place.

When the three friends arrived, they didn’t recognize Job. Why not? Because the physical affliction from Satan had taken its toll. We usually recognize a person primarily by his face. So the boils were so bad that even the appearance of his face was so marred that they didn’t recognize him from very far away. It is no wonder that they lifted up their voices and wept. They hurt with Job. As Job had done earlier, his friends tore their robes. And they sprinkled dust on their heads. Again, these were signs of great sorrow and mourning. As amazing as it may seem, they then sat silently on the ground with Job for seven days and seven nights, for they recognized that his grief was very great.

In this world in which we live, it is hard for us to conceive of a week of silence. Surely this can’t mean that they actually remained quiet for all that time? That is exactly what it means. The text is not ambiguous in any way, saying that no one spoke a word to Job. They simply hurt with him. Though we are not told, their weeping must have continued off and on during those seven days.

At this point, I must give us a sneak peek into the future. As most of you know, after these seven days of silence, Job’s three friends would have plenty to say. For 29 chapters they and Job will keep up a running dialogue which centered on Job’s affliction and his response to it. God does not see fit to tell us what he thinks of their seven days of silent mourning with Job. Some have said they would have been wise to have never opened their mouths at all. Others have said that during those seven days they could have spoken words of comfort. After we get into the chapters that follow, we will by necessity form some conclusions.

Now as we come to chapter 3, we move from one week of silence to…

II. One Chapter of Impassioned Speech

Though we are specifically told that Job’s three friends didn’t say a word to him during those seven days, we are not told whether Job himself spoke during that time. I get the impression that since we are not told otherwise, Job was also silent during that time. Though there were likely plenty of sighs and groans, we are not told that he spoke to his friends. But now we come to chapter 3.

The chapter begins with those words “after this.” After what? After Job and his three friends had shared a week of silent mourning together. Finally Job opened his mouth and began to speak. Understand that when Job uttered these words, he cried out with the great passion. This is no subdued monologue. Rather, it is an outburst, like the eruption of a volcano. Can we even begin to imagine all the feelings that were shut up in this man who had experienced such suffering?

Let’s divide this one-chapter outburst into three parts. I have borrowed this little outline from Steve Lawson’s commentary on Job (part of the Holman Old Testament Commentary).

A. Job’s Weeping -- “I wish I would have never been born”

Let’s read Job 3:1-10 (NKJV)…

¹ After this Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth. ² And Job spoke, and said:

³ “May the day perish on which I was born,
And the night in which it was said,
‘A male child is conceived.’

⁴ May that day be darkness;
May God above not seek it,
Nor the light shine upon it.

⁵ May darkness and the shadow of death claim it;
May a cloud settle on it;
May the blackness of the day terrify it.

⁶ As for that night, may darkness seize it;
May it not rejoice^[a] among the days of the year,
May it not come into the number of the months.

⁷ Oh, may that night be barren!
May no joyful shout come into it!

⁸ May those curse it who curse the day,
Those who are ready to arouse Leviathan.

⁹ May the stars of its morning be dark;
May it look for light, but have none,
And not see the dawning of the day;

¹⁰ Because it did not shut up the doors of my mother’s womb,
Nor hide sorrow from my eyes.

The theme of this whole section is carried by the little preview contained in those words: “Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth.” Rather than just saying, “Cursed be the day of my birth,” he does so in very picturesque language. He not only curses the day of his birth, but also the night of his birth. Job wants to make sure he covers all of it. He wishes that day and night could be removed from the calendar, for if it had not existed, he would not have been born. Job wishes that he had never seen the light of day, that God had not been acquainted with the day of his birth.

We must understand that in that culture there was great joy when a child was born (as it should be), and especially when a boy was born to carry on the name of the father. While he begins with the idea of a male child being conceived, this whole section is not just about conception, but also about birth. Except when God gave special revelation, they didn’t know whether the child conceived was a boy or girl. But when there was conception, there was joy. And when a child was born, especially a boy, there was even greater joy. But notice what he says in verse 7, “May no joyful shout come into it.” Into what? Into the day when he was born. Rather than being a blessed day, he wants the day to be cursed. He longs for the curse on that day to be strong enough to stir up Leviathan, that mysterious sea monster that is mentioned only here, twice in the Psalms (74:14; 104:26), and Isaiah 27:1.

The imagery continues in verse 9, “Let the stars of its morning be dark; May it look for light, but have none, And not see the dawning of the day.” The ESV renders these heavenly bodies “stars of the dawn.” Job seems to be referring to the planets and stars which abound before the sun comes up. It is as if they are eagerly awaiting the dawn. But Job would have them look for the light of that day in vain. Why? Verse 10, “Because it [the day] did not sut up the doors of my mother’s womb.” He is still cursing the day of his birth. He then says, “Nor hide sorrow from my eyes” (10b). For a moment he abandons his imagery and speaks directly of his own sorrow. How he wishes that day had prevented his birth and thus hidden sorrow from his eyes.

B. Job’s Wailing -- “If I had to be born, I wish I had died at birth”

Now let’s read 3:11-19 (NKJV)…

¹¹ Why did I not die at birth?
Why did I not perish when I came from the womb?

¹² Why did the knees receive me?
Or why the breasts, that I should nurse?

¹³ For now I would have lain still and been quiet,
I would have been asleep;
Then I would have been at rest

¹⁴ With kings and counselors of the earth,
Who built ruins for themselves,

¹⁵ Or with princes who had gold,
Who filled their houses with silver;

¹⁶ Or why was I not hidden like a stillborn child,
Like infants who never saw light?

¹⁷ There the wicked cease from troubling,
And there the weary are at rest.

¹⁸ There the prisoners rest together;
They do not hear the voice of the oppressor.

¹⁹ The small and great are there,
And the servant is free from his master.

This section is summarized by Job’s words in verse 11, “Why did I not die at birth? Why did I not perish when I came from the womb?” The thought is simple enough: “Okay, if I had to be born, then when couldn’t I have died at birth?” In that day many more children died at birth than in our current society. Job wonders why he couldn’t have been one of them. Then he could have avoided all the misery that had become his.

The imagery of verse 12 is striking and beautiful. The NKJV and the ESV render 12a, “Why did the knees receive me?” The KJV has, “Why did the knees prevent me.” “Prevent” is an old English word that means “to anticipate” or “to go before.” It is an accurate translation of the Hebrew word. It is the idea of preparation. The knees are those of the midwife, or whoever was helping with the birth. The baby was delivered into the lap which was well prepared to receive it. After that, the baby was given to the mother so that she could nurse it. Job bemoans the fact that such preparation and care was giving him, because without it he could have died.

Job then proceeds to enumerate the blessings of death over life. If he had died, he would have lain still and been quiet, as if he had simply gone to sleep. He would have been at rest (verse 13). Job saw death as the great equalizer, which would set him alongside kings, the wise, and the rich (14-15). Then he comes back to his basic wish in verse 16, “Why was I not hidden like a stillborn child, life infants who never saw light?” He saw death as a place of peace even for the ungodly (17). There prisoners and slaves will rest together (18). He summarizes his thoughts in verse 19, “The small and great are there, and the servant is free from his master.” Job had been great, but now he saw himself as a slave of pain and misery, and he longed to be freed by death.

C. Job’s Woe -- “Since I didn’t die at birth, let me die now”

Now let’s read 3:20-26…

²⁰ Why is light given to him who is in misery,
And life to the bitter of soul,

²¹ Who long for death, but it does not come,
And search for it more than hidden treasures;

²² Who rejoice exceedingly,
And are glad when they can find the grave?

²³ Why is light given to a man whose way is hidden,
And whom God has hedged in?

²⁴ For my sighing comes before I eat,^[b]
And my groanings pour out like water.

²⁵ For the thing I greatly feared has come upon me,
And what I dreaded has happened to me.

²⁶ I am not at ease, nor am I quiet;
I have no rest, for trouble comes.

Now Job expresses his woe in no uncertain terms. Obviously, he was born. He did not die at birth. Those truths are made evident by the fact that he is feeling such pain and misery. Job is indeed alive, but now he questions why? “Why is light given to him who is in misery, and life to the bitter of soul.” This is a great example of Hebrew parallelism. You can’t miss it. “Light” corresponds to “life,” and “him who is in misery” to “the bitter of soul.” The question is simple and straightforward. Why should those who are miserable and bitter of soul be forced to remain alive in this life.

In verses 21 and 22 Job describes those who are miserable and bitter of soul. Though he puts it in the third person, it is obvious that he is talking about himself. Job is so miserable that he longs for death, but death doesn’t come. Job is not contemplating suicide. That never enters the picture. Such an end never occurred to this man who was blameless and upright. On the other hand, he would welcome it, if the Lord would end his life. Job says that he is searching for death more than for hidden treasures. Having been rich, he knows full well that all the riches in the world could do nothing to relieve his suffering. He (and he supposes any other who is facing similar circumstances) would rejoice exceedingly if could just find the grave.

Job rephrases the same question in verse 23, “Why is light given to a man whose way is hidden, and whom God has hedged in?” Again, “light” is used in the sense of “life.” Why should God continue to give life to a man whose way is hidden, who cannot make sense out of anything that is happening. Surely it is hopeless because God has hedged him in. You will recognize that word “hedged” from chapter 1 (form of the same word), when Satan responded to God’s challenge to consider his upright servant Job. “Well, God, Job doesn’t serve you for nothing. You have built a hedge around him and everything he owns, so that nothing can touch him (1:9-10). Now Job uses the word to describe how God has hedged him in, has put him in such adverse circumstances that he isn’t able to make any sense out of it. Things are so bad that Job has no appetite, only being able to sigh instead of receiving the nourishment of food. When he groans in pain, it is like the pouring out of water (24).

Notice verse 25, “For the thing I greatly feared has come upon me, and what I dreaded has happened to me.” We notice again the parallelism. That first part reads more literally, “I feared a fear, and it has come upon me.” What is it that Job greatly feared? Bible students have differed in their interpretation of these words. Some believe that when Job was doing well, before any of these attacks from Satan, he was in constant fear that he would lose what he had. The problem with that idea is that it would seem to contradict the testimony of God Himself that Job was a blameless and upright man. Surely such words do not describe a man who is constantly fearing that he is going to lose what he has. It seems more likely that this fear began when the disasters commenced. When the message came that he had lost his oxen and donkeys, he suddenly feared that he might lose the rest of his possessions. When he had lost them, he then feared that he might lose his own family. If that is the case, then the fear intensified rapidly until he came to a time when he had no rest. And that is what is described in verse 26, “I was not in safety, neither had I rest, neither was I quiet; yet trouble came.”

There it is -- one chapter of impassioned speech. Job and his friends sat quietly for a week, but now we have this mighty outburst from the sufferer.

III. One Hard Nut to Crack

One week of silence. One week of impassioned speech. Now let’s conclude with one hard nut to crack. That’s right, Job is one hard nut to crack. His entire experience as recorded in this book is one hard nut to crack. When we read through the book of Job, we’re not sure exactly what we have. What are we supposed to do with this? It would be much more to our liking, if the story went more like this…

Long ago there lived a righteous man named Job. After obtaining permission from God, Satan attacked him and took away all his possessions and even his ten children. Job responded by worshiping God and saying, “The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; Blessed be the name of the Lord.” Satan came to God again, this time receiving permission to afflict Job himself. He did so by filling his entire body with boils, a disease which brought absolute misery. Even Job’s wife told him to curse God and die. Job responded by saying: “Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?” In all this Job did not sin, not even in the words he spoke. Satan, having failed, slinked away in defeat. As a reward for Job’s faithfulness, God relieved him of his suffering, gave to him seven sons and three beautiful daughters, and blessed him with twice as much as he had before. So Job and his family lived happily ever after.

What do you think? We might call that “The Reader’s Digest Version” of Job. I can tell that some of you like it. Of course, I just skipped chapters 3-41. And that is the very reason you like it. We’re not sure how to crack that hard nut.

Isn’t life kind of like that. A little girl comes into the world. Being a sinner from birth, she grows up doing what sinners do, committing sins. Though she most often seems to be a sweet young lady, in reality she is a self-loving, stubborn, God-defying rebel. But in time her eyes are opened and she sees God for who He is -- the Almighty Creator who is holy, righteous, and sovereign over all. In response, she repents of her sin and throws herself on Jesus, who took upon Himself the wrath of God that she might be made the righteousness of God. She is a new creation in Christ. She then lives happily ever after until God takes her home to heaven.

Is that the way it is? Not exactly. Though there is overwhelming joy in Christ, her circumstances will not always be happy. It may be that her circumstances are very seldom what we would consider happy. The process by which God makes us like His Son Jesus is not often described by “happily ever after.” Instead, we endure sorrows and pain and grief and misunderstanding and confusion, as we walk in fellowship with our Lord. Sometimes we understand what He is doing in us; sometimes we just have to trust Him. We see that in the story of Job.

So what about chapter 3 in particular. Let’s read again his response to the physical and emotional agony Satan brought on him with the boils. 2:10, "But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips." Do you sense Job’s deep trust in God? How can we rejoice when He gives us good, and then complain when He gives us what we don’t think is so good? Shall we not trust Him? Here’s the question: How does Job move from the faithful response of 2:10 to the despair of chapter 3?

We must note that Job does not curse God. However, in cursing the day of his birth, he is cursing the day that God made. Without doubt, he is questioning God’s wisdom in allowing him to be born, not killing him at birth, and allowing him to continue to live. What happened between 2:10 and chapter 3?

Just read the text. It is obvious that something took place. That something was the arrival of Job’s three friends. Even though they haven’t said a word yet, this might be a hint of things to come. Once Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar began to speak, they did not bring great comfort or wisdom to Job. Perhaps this outburst of chapter 3 is a preview of the effect these three would have upon Job.

However, there is another factor that likely has even more weight. How much time passed between 2:10 and the beginning of chapter 3? We know that the friends sat silently with Job for seven days, but that doesn’t give us the whole story. How long was it before these friends heard of what happened to Job? Remember that these events took place not only before the internet, but also before any form of rapid communication. They didn’t even have an old rotary dial phone. And then how long did it take for the friends to communicate with one another and establish a plan to meet? And how long did it take them to get there?

There is a very interesting note in chapter 7. After the first speech of Eliphaz in chapters 4 and 5, Job’s response is recorded in chapters 6 and 7. Let’s read Job 7:1-3, "Is there not an appointed time to man upon earth? Are not his days also like the days of an hireling? 2. As a servant earnestly desireth the shadow, and as an hireling looketh for the reward of his work: 3. So am I made to possess months of vanity, and wearisome nights are appointed to me." Notice that word “months.” Job speaks of months of futility (KJV--vanity). This makes it clear that a good bit of time has passed since Job began to experience all of these tragedies. Maybe it was three months; maybe it was eight months. We don’t know, but we do know that it was a matter of months.

Think about it. It is one thing to weather the immediate storm; it is another to endure the lingering effects that it leaves. A wife’s husband is suddenly killed in a car accident. God strengthens her by His grace, and everyone is amazed at how she trusts the Lord and does so well. But then six months later, she is so down that she can barely function. That’s the kind of thing we see in Job.

Listen to me. None of us are immune to deep discouragement. Some may be more vulnerable than others, but none of us are immune. We might have thought it of Job, but he had his breaking point and became extremely discouraged to the point that he didn’t want to live. Discouragement is one of Satan’s greatest tools. Steve Lawson relates this little parable told by Martin Luther…

…The devil was listening to his demons report their progress in destroying the souls of men. One evil spirit said, “There was a company of Christian crossing the desert, and I loosed the lions upon them. Soon the sands of the desert were strewn with their mangled corpses.” “But what good is that?” Satan barked. “The lions destroyed their bodies, but their souls were saved. It is their souls I am after.” Then another unclean spirit gave his evil report: “There was a company of Christian pilgrims sailing through the sea on a vessel. I sent a great wind which drove the ship on the rocks, and every Christian aboard was drowned.” But Satan retorted, “What good is that? Their bodies were drowned in the sea, but their souls were saved. It is their souls I am after.” Then a third fallen angel stepped forward to give his fiendish report: “For ten years I have been trying to cast one particular Christian into a deep despair and depression. At last, I have succeeded.” And with that report, the corridors of hell rang with shouts of triumph. The sinister mission had been accomplished. The soul of a believer had been defeated.

The point is simple. The battle is not for mastery of the outward circumstances; the battle is for the state of the heart and mind. And when discouragement sets in, the believer is vulnerable to the enemy.

But let’s not conclude on a note of discouragement. Let’s let Job be our springboard to look to Jesus. Jesus also faced a great crisis. He had few possessions to lose; he had no children to lose. There is no record that Satan ever attacked his body with diseases. Nevertheless, Jesus faced a crisis far greater than anything Job had ever faced. Satan hit Him hard immediately after His baptism, but Jesus remained faithful to His Father, answering the enemy with carefully chosen truths from God’s Word. He survived that initial attack, but what about the weeks and months that followed, when Satan used the religious leaders to constantly confront Jesus and try to trip Him up? Day after day Jesus faced the fact that He was headed to the cross, that His Father was sending Him to bear the sins of many? Can anyone possibly bear up under such pressure? Job faltered; Jesus was victorious under far greater attacks. Though He dreaded the agony of the cross, of being separated from His Father, He finally said, “Yet not what I want, but what you want.”

Praise God for the example and life of our Lord Jesus. We can’t say “example” and leave it at that. Jesus set the example, but we can’t follow it in our own strength. But praise His holy name that He has sent us His Spirit to live within us. He has given us His life. His grace is more than a match for all the attacks of Satan. His power gives victory over the worst circumstances imaginable. God doesn’t take away the pain, but He sets our eyes on things above, where Christ sits on the right hand of God. He enables us to rest in Him, to dwell in the secret place of the Most High, that we may abide under the shadow of the Almighty (Ps. 91:1).

We learn from the experience of Job. As we see Job’s despair, we look to Jesus, who is our hope. As we observe Job’s questioning of God’s wisdom, by God’s grace we trust Him who has never made a mistake.

Assignment: When you face tough circumstances this week, remember Job. It is doubtful your difficulties will rival Job’s. Remember Job, and then run to Jesus. There is victory in Him. I love those words in the song “In Christ Alone…”

And as He stands in victory,

Sin’s curse has lost its grip on me.

Praise God!