Bible Study

*Just Your Thoughts.*

*The Book of Job –*

*Expository Commentary on the Book of Job*

Bible Study – 5.*

*Unhappy Birthday*
The Two-Night Job *Cursed – Four “Why?” Questions He Asked*

Scripture Portion: Job Chapter 3
Job was a man of great wealth and influence, highly respected in his community. After his trials, he lived another 140 years (Job 42:16). Some Bible scholars suggest that Job may have been around seventy years old when he experienced these sufferings.
Until then, Job had enjoyed God's blessings and prosperity. Suddenly, he lost his children, wealth, health, and physical well-being. Isolating himself from society, he stayed in an ash heap outside the city where garbage was discarded. It was there that his friends came to visit him.
From chapters 3 through 31 of the book, we find the conversations between Job and his friends.
In chapter 3, Job did not blaspheme God, deny Him, or reject Him. However, Job chapter 3 is one of the most emotional chapters in Scripture, revealing the depths of human suffering. Having lost his wealth, children, and health, Job expresses his grief without falling into sin.
The Two Nights Job Cursed
1. The Night of His Birth
"May the day perish on which I was born" (Job 3:3).
Job cursed the day of his birth. In his deep anguish, he felt that it would have been better had he never been born to experience such suffering.
2. The Night His Conception Was Announced
"And the night that said, ‘A male child is conceived’" (Job 3:3).
Job also cursed the night when the news was announced that a baby boy had been conceived in his mother's womb. He felt that if his life was destined for such misery, it would have been better if that night had never existed.
Thus, Job cursed both the night of his birth and the night when his conception was announced. Yet he did not curse God; he merely poured out the anguish of his soul.
Four "Why?"s" Questions Asked by Job
In the midst of his suffering, Job raises four significant “Why?” questions.
1. Why Did I Not Die at Birth?
"Why did I not die at birth?" (Job 3:11).
Job wonders whether it would have been better to die at birth rather than endure such suffering.
2. Why Was I Kept Alive After Birth?
"Why were there knees to receive me, and breasts that I should nurse?" (Job 3:12).
Job questions why he was cared for and nurtured into life.
3. Why Is Life Given to Those Who Suffer?
"Why is light given to him who is in misery?" (Job 3:20).
Job asks what purpose life serves for those whose existence is filled only with pain.
4. Why Is Life Given to the Bitter in Soul?
"And life to the bitter in soul?" (Job 3:20).
He questions why people who long for death but continue to live in misery are given life.
Job did not receive immediate answers to these questions. However, by the end of the book, he received something greater than explanations—he gained a deeper knowledge of God.
"I had heard of You by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees You" (Job 42:5).
Job chapter 3 teaches us that asking “Why?” in times of suffering is not a sin. The victory of faith is remaining close to God even while those questions remain unanswered.
Another prophet who cursed the day of his birth was Jeremiah (Jeremiah 20:14–18).
Even our Lord Jesus Christ cried out on the cross:
"My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?"
Although Jesus knew all things, as One who suffered on behalf of humanity, He expressed the depth of that agony.3
Likewise, no matter how spiritually strong people may be, when they encounter overwhelming trials, words like these may emerge because of genuine human emotions.
Job says:
"What I feared has come upon me" (Job 3:25).
Having lived comfortably for many years without tasting the bitterness of suffering, these sudden losses shook Job to the core.

One lesson we learn from the Christian life is that anything can happen to us, at any time, and in any place.
No one desires suffering. Yet God has not promised a life completely free from trials.
The teaching that “believers will never experience suffering or hardship” is extremely dangerous. When such people face trials, they may find themselves unable to cope and may even fall away from the faith.
Therefore, no matter how faithful we are, we must learn to live prepared for whatever may come.
"No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear" (1 Corinthians 10:13).
Our Lord will never allow us to be tested beyond our ability to endure.