Today we are going to focus on the last 6 verses in Job 3 from God’s Word translation. Verses 20 - 23 appear as thought Job asks 2 questions, however in truth they are rhetorical statements. Given that Job has always been the one to “give answers” the poor guys probably does not know how to be vulnerable…..and appreciate receiving care. Or maybe it is simply that no one around was attempting to give him any care or compassion. Have you ever experienced Job’s land of UZ? Let’s look at these 6 verses and separate the truth from the fiction:
“Why give light to one in misery and life to those who find it so bitter, to those who long for death but it never comes – though they dig for it more than for buried treasure?”As you all know by know one of my greatest praises to God is that I am forever grateful to live in the space this side of the cross. Job did not have the bible in which God had someone record the scene in heaven so that he could understand what we know as the spiritual battle. We also have the word of God which gave us the true knowledge so that we would not be mislead as Job was.
“They are ecstatic, delighted to find the grave, Why give light to those whose paths have been hidden, to those whom God has fenced in ?”
For instance, why give light to one in misery? We know that Christ is the truth, the way and the life. The reason is so that we can find our way, see the light and have a reason for hope. It is only through hope that misery flees. Christ came to bind up the broken hearted and to set captives free. His light shines on the darkness so that the darkness must flee. He sends the comforter for misery and when someone finds comfort their bitterness or hardness softens. It is then and only then that hope blossoms.
…..to those who long for death but it never comes – though they dig for it more than for buried treasure?'” : We are promised that God does not cut our time short and that is another reason for our hope. We are to search for Him, dig if you will, with all our heart, strength and soul. Although we know our desire is to find relief it comes from life, not death. We cannot perceive that we are already dead and in this death there is only anguish. The only relief from death is life. Most people or at least those seeking are in fear of loss, death, finality.
We know that Satan is in Jobs head when we hear the perversion from these words: Why give light to those whose paths have been hidden, to those whom God has fenced in. Sound familiar? In Job, scene 1, satan answered the Lord with this statement: “Haven’t you put a protective fence around him, his home, and everything he has?” Now we hear Job confessing that the protection of his Almighty is claustrophobic.
The next three verses are very important in order for us to see the truth in what is taking place here:
- When my food is in front of me, I sigh
- I pour out my groaning like water
- What I fear most overtakes me
- what I dread happens to me
- I have no peace
- I have no quiet
- I have no rest
The first thing we give thanks for to God is our daily bread. We know we cannot live by bread alone, but from the very word of God. Job is struggling with both here. His gratitude, for the one thing God stated satan could not take away, his very life is more than flailing here.
“I pour out my groaning like water” – we discussed last week how an unclean spirit is seeking out a waterless place to rest. These spirits in the past could not enter Job because he was water filled. So they waited, provoked,tormented, abandoned, mocked and belittled Job till he did not have the strength left to fight them off - “What I fear most overtakes me!”
How awful, have you ever been there. All you see is darkness, you feel it crushing in ………and you don’t have the in your heart and mind these wonderful words to help you persevere “We may be pressed on all sides but we are not crushed!” So we see that they did come in and they found rest because Job didn’t have it any longer. He had no peace and obviously their voices were disturbing his mind because he stated he had no quiet.
This my friends sound like “Hell on Earth”. And true to the rest of the verse from last week “the state of the man became worse than the first!”
Satan lost that first round, so he came back with 7 more powerful. They were wicked unclean spirits.
These are the things I want you to think about then write your thoughts for us to discuss:
Satan had been circling Job as a lion studying his prey. Do you think he had a pack of demons surrounding Job as well?
Job had 7 sons we are told and three daughters. His sons were the ones creating the parties and opening their doors to encourage others to join in. All that Job had been blessed with was theirs and they were using this prosperity in ways that harmed Job’s peace, and ultimately his reputation. Could they have been waterless places in which evil found a resting place?
For today, I thank God that we have His mercy, grace and written word in order that we may know all things in advance. I pray that those of us in need of wisdom, that our spirit prospers even as our soul just as He has promised. I ask that we all intercede for each other first and then make requests on our own behalf so that God may have a body to call his very own – complete in all ways.
In Christ,
Candace
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