Title: The Lament of Job/3:1-26
Content Title: The Lament of Job
Text:3:1-26
Introduction
Following Job's absolute obedience to God (2:10) and the battlefield ending with Job's hopeless silence, the text records Job's lament over his own body, drowning in a miserable reality.
The first part of this text curses the day of Job's birth (vv. 1-5).
It is composed of the second half (verses 6-10) that curses the night of inactivity. These “day” and “night” are emphasized in parallel with each other, and the same content of cursing the day of indecency (verse 3) is repeatedly expressed in this book. It shows the rich literary expression of the journalist.
The highlights of this section are as follows:
Main subject
1. Job Cursing Birthdays (3:1-10)
1) Prudence of language
The phrase “Job opened his mouth” (verse 1) is a Hebrew expression used at the beginning of a solemn and solemn speech (Psalm 38:13/Isa 53:7). Rather, it can be seen that it was vomited after a deep thought (2:13)
Also, Job personifies general objects and then develops detailed curses.
That is, expulsion from the calendar (verse 6). A state of lack of pleasure (verse 7). Curse by someone like a wizard (verse 8), longing for darkness (verse 9), etc.
The languages used in this curse of Job not only mobilized a majestic imagination, but also repetition and parallelism, highlighting the author's literary response.
2) The cross section of Job's selfishness
Job's lamentation did not take into account the happiness of others.
Just as Sarah rejoiced after receiving Isaac in the Bible (Genesis 21:1-7), so must have been Job's mother.
However, by groaning, Job reveals his disregard for the people around him who love him.
Also, Job's groaning seems to have stemmed from his judgment that his misfortune would continue in the future.
3) Meaning of sighing
The groaning of Job, which seems to be the realization of Satan's ultimate purpose, has the following meaning:
*Satan's Defeat- Satan expected Job to curse God for his suffering. If we look at Job's groaning recorded in the text as a strict law, Satan has triumphed.
But, seeing Job's lament for not directly cursing God's deeds and love, under God's grace, Satan's purpose was defeated.
*If Job's Fall - The confession in the battlefield (1:21/2:10) is an expression of Job's spiritual faith, the groaning in the text would be a fleshly dissatisfaction.
Comparing this battlefield with the text, it can be said that there was a slight problem in Job's absolute obedience.
Therefore, it is written in the Bible that there is no end to all human perfection (Psalm 119:96).
*Job's Sorrowful Passion - In the text, Job emphasizes his sorrow more and more by repeating words with similar meanings. Moreover, Job's greatest sorrow is not because of his great suffering, but because of the loss of trust in God. The writers of the Psalms and Lamentations made similar confessions.
In a text like this, we can realize that the human tongue can be a breeding ground for sin and that we should not curse Jehovah God, no matter how terribly tribulation and hardship we face.
Therefore, the saints should “remember the Bible’s words that he who thinks he is standing should be careful lest he fall, and he must keep humility and fear of God.
2. Job who curses life (3:11-19)
The text consists of the first part (verses 11-15) in which Job despises the gift of life and the second part (verses 16-19) in which Job longs for the state of vision
The emphasis in this structured text is as follows:
1) Asking strong ironic questions about God-given life
If it had come out after he died.
Had he died at birth
And it was expressed as a mournful lament that he hoped he would die soon after his birth.
On the other hand, Job recognizes the afterlife as a state of sleep and near non-existence. It reflects the fact that
But the Bible says about life:
*Man is a creature created by the sovereignty of God.
*The birth of man is possible under the great power of God.
*Life is a gift from God, as Job later realized
Therefore, Job's deep groaning can be said to be the refusal of life as well as the rejection of all life from God.
However, his appearance is not a genuine denial of God's sovereignty and authority, but rather the result of lamenting his despairing appearance.
2) It indicates the degree of suffering that Job is currently experiencing.
Job lamented his situation amidst the intensity and confusion of his heart.
His lamentation is finally shown as a gesture of refusing to be comforted.
Even Job attributes the excruciating present suffering to not being stillborn at birth.
In fact, if being born again is impossible like Job's lamentation, it would be better not to be born
But the birth of Christ solved Job's question of life
The fact that life can truly belong to God's grace and mercy is the good news of salvation for today's saints.
3) Mentioned the concept of the vagina in detail
In some parts of the Old Testament, the concept of Hades is mentioned slightly.
However, nowhere has the concept of the negatives been described as detailed and lengthy as this paragraph.
In particular, as shown in verse 13 of the main text, there is nowhere in the Bible that the characteristics of the world of death are well expressed. However, here, the concept of peace is described as rebellion against God's creation and the source of life, which is the extent of Job's suffering. It can be said that this implied
On the other hand, Job's desperate expression mentioned in Chapter 3-13 is similar to that of Jeremiah, who experienced suffering in a similar affliction.
We can learn the following lessons from this passage
In other words, we must guard against the underestimation of human life, the noblest gift of God.
The grave is a place too meager to think and understand as a refuge for sorrow.
Therefore, the saints should paradoxically ponder Job's question about death, realize God's mystical purpose in life, and fulfill the solemn responsibility that life entails.
3. Job currently longing for death (3:20-26)
The main text of the content is the first half of Job's groaning, who longed for death even now (verses 20-22).
It consists of the second half (verses 23-26) in which a secret accusation against the justice and wisdom of God, who does not allow death in the midst of the hardships of reality, is alluded to.
The highlights of the text in this form are as follows:
1) Describes the meaning of human life implicitly or ironically
In the text, Job laments that human life is nothing but a series of sorrows.
However, life and life can be sustained graciously even in the midst of suffering. Through such suffering, we must realize God's providence and realize His grace.
That is why the Bible says that God tests the hearts of believers through suffering, and that God also leads them to a better path through His discipline.
Therefore, it can be seen that the continued life of suffering human beings has the following meaning.
In other words, suffering is for testing and revealing the state of faith of the saints, for more complete sanctification, for future glory and improvement, and to reveal the glory of the faithful and powerful God.
2) The groaning of Job recorded in the text was not due to the exterminated wealth and the dead and scattered family, but because he confused the providence of God due to continued misfortune.
In other words, Job was afraid that his misfortune would continue, and this caused even fear of the future.
But the Bible says that worry about the future is beneficial if it protects you from worldly negligence, but harmful if it is because of the fear of God's redeeming love.
conclusion
We can learn the following lessons from this
First, the saints should not be overly concerned about realistic blessings.
As can be seen from the text, Job was able to keep his faith because he had a heavenly heart, not a worldly abundance.
Second, we can see that human caution and reverence cannot protect humans from disasters.
This is because God's principles that flow throughout human history are not arbitrarily adjusted by human methods. Not only that, God has not promised His people that He will eliminate suffering, but rather, when they are in suffering, He gives them to them. He promised to give me strength and comfort.