Job 3

God and Satan interacted in the courts of heaven. Satan leveled allegations against both Job and God. Reading their discourse reveals a unique perspective, and I want to emphasize that Scripture indicates Satan appears before God continuously. Revelation 12:10 states that Satan accuses us, “day and night before our God.” In the dialogue recorded in Job 2, Satan argued that God secured Job’s love through blessings, which led God to permit Satan to initiate severe tests to prove the charges false.

Job lost his family, wealth, and health. His wife, devastated by her grief, is unable to offer support. Job moved from his beautiful home to the city dump, where he scraped his oozing sores with shards of broken pottery. He waited to die, yearning for God’s story in his suffering to end quickly.

From a literary standpoint, the first two chapters of Job are written in narrative form, telling a story. In Job 3, the account continues in poetic form. Job is the first of five books of poetry in the Old Testament, followed by Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Solomon. Let’s delve into this chapter.

Job’s friends, Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar, joined him and were moved by his suffering. They remained silent for seven days. Finally, Job disrupted the silence. One commentator refers to this chapter as “one of the most depressing chapters in the Bible . . . It is the lowest of several low points in the book.”^[1] Job did not curse God, as his wife suggested (Job 2:9); instead, he cursed the day of his birth.

Job 3:1
After this Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth.

The phrase “after this” refers to all the tragedies Job endured—the loss of his children, health, and wealth. He didn’t curse God; instead, Job cursed the day he was born. The Hebrew word translated as “curse” means “to lighten,” “to belittle,” or “to render something insignificant.” Meanwhile, the Hebrew word for “honor” signifies regarding something as weighty or significant. Thus, to curse something is the opposite of honoring it. Rather than viewing something as substantial, one sees it as minor and unimportant. Job’s parents would have honored the day their son was born, while Job’s suffering led him to wish that his birth had never occurred.

Job continues to express his anguish, arguing that his birthday should have been removed from the calendar. Acknowledging that life begins at conception, Job reflects on the night he was conceived and wishes that God had closed his mother’s womb, preventing the spark of life from igniting (Job 3:3, 10). He longs for that day to have vanished, for the sun to have never risen, and for the great sea monster, Leviathan, to have emerged from the depths to swallow the sun and moon, ensuring his birthday would never have occurred (Job 3:1-9). Since he was conceived, Job further expresses a desire to have been stillborn, dying in his mother’s womb (Job 3:16). Aware of his existence, Job laments that he hadn’t died shortly after birth. He questions, “Why did I not die at birth, come out from the womb and expire? Why did the knees receive me? Or why the breasts, that I should nurse?” (Job 3:11-12).

Feeling “trapped” and confined in a body tormented by pain (Job 3:23), Job wonders why life is continuously granted to those who are “bitter in soul” (Job 3:20). Some exist in such despair that they long for death. They are “glad when they find the grave,” yet death does not come (Job 3:21-22). Job believes his grief and illness have imprisoned him; death would free him from his suffering and anguish.

Job 3:17-19
There [in death] the wicked cease from troubling, and there the weary are at rest. ¹⁸ There the prisoners are at ease together; they hear not the voice of the taskmaster. ¹⁹ The small and the great are there, and the slave is free from his master.

Here are three points to think about as I conclude this chapter.

1. Job wasn’t the only godly man depicted in the Bible who longed for the “respite” of death. Moses asked God to take his life after being worn out by the grumbling Israelites (Num. 11:10-15). Elijah desired death after fleeing from Jezebel (1 Kings 19). Jonah too had a moment when he told God he wished to die (Jonah 4:3). Godly men and women endure difficult times, and knowing what awaits us in heaven is comforting. The pain we experience here makes us yearn for eternal rest there. These faithful individuals waited on God; they didn’t take their own lives. If you find yourself contemplating suicide, please reach out for help immediately. Suicide leaves others in deep pain, anger, and guilt-ridden despair.
2. Do you ever wonder how you would cope with the devastation that Job experienced? I do. Sometimes, my thoughts drift to the frightening scenario of losing a loved one. How would I respond? A friend recently visited the doctor, not expecting to receive a cancer diagnosis, and began chemotherapy treatment within days. There was no time to waste. How would I react in that situation? I know friends who have lost their homes to natural disasters and others whose once-thriving businesses have failed. Therefore, I find comfort in Job. He was godly and blessed with much, yet he contemplated the possibility that the good in his life could be taken away. Job said, “For the thing that I fear comes upon me, and what I dread befalls me. I am not at ease, nor am I quiet; I have no rest, but trouble comes” (Job 3:25-26). Our study of Job will help prepare us for the moments and circumstances we fear. Jesus made it clear that in this life, we will face trouble. And because of him, we can confront it with courage (John 16:33).
3. Asking “Why?” is a natural and normal response. In this chapter, Job asks “Why?” five times. Job felt, as we do, that we could endure the pain if we understood why God allowed it. However, God’s answers are not immediate; sometimes they never come. This brings us back to the basic three questions we should ask ourselves as we study this book.

Can I trust God when life doesn’t make sense?

Can I trust God during my pain?

Is God enough?

PERSONAL TIME WITH GOD
Read Job 3
This chapter is tough to read. Ask God to help you comprehend Job’s suffering. And remember, God never abandons Job. He is always at work writing our story.  

Talking to God
This chapter teaches us that we can speak openly and honestly with God. Tell him your struggles and your challenges.

Have Questions?
Please ask if you have any questions about today’s reading or teaching. Our team is here to assist you as you explore God’s Word. Submit your question below, and we’ll reply soon.

For a deeper study of Satan’s work and the believer’s power to resist, check out my six-part sermon series Battle Ready HERE.

Be sure to listen to a conversation with Arie Harel about his mom and dad’s survival of the Holocaust and their response to God. Visit The Journey with Ron Moore Podcast, Episode 67 on your preferred podcast platform.

^[1] Robert L. Alden, Job, vol. 11, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1993), 71.