The Meaning Of Life

Most of the Book of Job is dialogue between he and his friends, and it is set up so that one chapter is Job saying his peace, then the next chapter is a friend who is responding to what he said. This goes back and forth, chapter by chapter, Job debated with his friends.

And while the Bible talks about how great a man Job was, he was not without sin and he was a mere mortal as we will soon learn. Despite Job’s problems, and despite is little faults, he remained faithful to God, and endured quite a bit. Have you every heard of the “Patience of Job”?

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

3 “May the day of my birth perish, and the night it was said, ‘A boy is conceived.’ 4 If only that day had turned to darkness! May God above disregard it; may no light shine upon it.

Job begins to talk about how miserable he is, so much in fact that he says that he wished he had never been born. This shows that Job was simply a human; despite how much we preach faith, when the times get really tough, it is often difficult to have faith. And the criminal is the human brain that leads us to feel this way, that and a healthy dose of temptation from Satan who is trying desperately to turn Job from God. And despite these faults, Job truly remained faithful.

5 May darkness and gloom reclaim it, and a cloud settle over it; may the blackness of the day overwhelm it. 6 If only darkness had taken that night away! May it not appear among the days of the year; may it never be entered in any of the months.

Put yourself in Job’s position. He has just lost his children. Forget about his wealth, the loss of those great herds of livestock, the lost of land and servants, Job’s children had just perished. It has to be devastating to lose one child, let alone all of them. And despite this, Job is still contemplating life. A normal person would be in hysterics, showing bouts of anger, cursing God, losing all faith. But Job is showing great reserve in acting the way he is.

7 Behold, may that night be barren; may no joyful voice come into it.

8 May it be cursed by those who curse the day —those prepared to rouse Leviathan.

From christianitypath.com, “The Leviathan is a fascinating creature mentioned in the Bible, stirring the imagination of readers for centuries. This massive, mysterious being appears in various parts of Scripture, often symbolizing chaos and power. Many wonder what it truly represents and how it relates to God’s creation. Understanding the Leviathan can give us insight into themes of strength, fear, and divine authority.”

The Bible never truly explains, or perhaps I’m not smart enough to decipher, the true meaning of Leviathon, so I have to trust someone’s definition. The word appears in three books of the Bible, obviously Job being one of them. In this sense, the definition I researched makes sense; it “symbolizes chaos and power”, and that is truly what Job is experiencing at this time.

9 May its morning stars grow dark; may it wait in vain for daylight; may it not see the breaking of dawn. 10 For that night did not shut the doors of the womb to hide the sorrow from my eyes. 11 Why did I not perish at birth; why did I not die as I came from the womb? 12 Why were there knees to receive me, and breasts that I should be nursed? 13 For now I would be lying down in peace; I would be asleep and at rest 14 with kings and counselors of the earth, who built for themselves cities now in ruins, 15 or with princes who had gold, who filled their houses with silver.

Once again, I will discuss this deeper in the future, but why is it that Job says “I would be lying down in peace; I would be asleep and at rest”? Why doesn’t Job say, “I would be in Heaven”? One more scripture that adds to my personal doctrine in my believe that when we die, we don’t automatically ascend into Heaven, but rather we simply “sleep” in our graves, waiting for the Second Coming of our Lord and Savior.

16 Or why was I not hidden like a stillborn child, like an infant who never sees daylight? 17 There the wicked cease from raging, and there the weary find rest. 18 The captives enjoy their ease; they do not hear the voice of the oppressor. 19 Both small and great are there, and the slave is freed from his master.

20 Why is light given to the miserable, and life to the bitter of soul, 21 who long for death that does not come, and search for it like hidden treasure, 22 who rejoice and greatly exult when they can find the grave?

23 Why is life given to a man whose way is hidden, whom God has hedged in? 24 I sigh when food is put before me, and my groans pour out like water.

25 For the thing I feared has overtaken me, and what I dreaded has befallen me. 26 I am not at ease or quiet; I have no rest, for trouble has come.”

Notice here that Jobs says “what I dreaded has befallen me”. Yes, Job was a man of God, but he was not without fault. This verse leads me to believe that when all was well with Job, he secretly “dreaded”; he was fearful that a day would come where he would lose his children. So Job didn’t have complete and total faith, or he wouldn’t have “dreaded” or “worried” about this. But remember, Job was only human, just like you and I, and he is going to have human imperfections. I believe the moral of this chapter is, “yes, we are all human like Job, and yes, we can have the faith of Job when confronted with adversity.” Because Job was truly faced with the adversity that most of us will never experience.

Father, give us the patience of Job. Give us the faith the Job had, not perfect faith, but the great faith Job displayed. I can’t begin to imagine the pain and suffering that Job was experiencing, but I can only admire the faith he maintained during this time. Let Job be an example for us, to maintain strength, and face, in these times of trouble we face. – Amen.