Human Depression Series

Please open your bibles to the Book of Job……

We have noted so far that Job was a godly man who was enjoying life with family and all his possessions. But the devil Satan challenged God to see how Job will respond to God once much of his possessions and family are taken away and his entire body was attacked by a severe disease of painful sores. The pain was so bad that his wife told him to curse God and die! And when his friends saw his troubles, they empathized with Job, tore their robes, placed ashes on their heads and sat quietly on a garbage dump with Job for a week! But…

In spite of all the troubles, Job did not sin! Let us also note that Job had no idea that he was being put to the test by Satan! Job was unaware of what was going on in the spiritual world! Here’s a rhetorical question: How much should we know today of the spiritual world around us and for us?

Let us now read what happened next after Job and his friends mourned quietly together for a week because of Job’s disease…. Read along with me Job 3:1-26….

And so, Job finally spoke…. And who can we say did he spoke to? - Job spoke to himself, his friends, and God!

V1: Job did not curse God but he cursed the day of his birth! Did Job sin here? He was cursing the creation of God!

V2-10: Job wished for his birth day to be blotted out!

V11-12: Job wished he was aborted! How sad!!!

But what was Job talking about in v13-15? – should remind us of Ecclesiastes 1… Solomon, the wisest and richest man in the world, son of King David, stated ““Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher; “Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.” What profit has a man from all his labor In which he toils under the sun?”

Job was commenting that his life was meaningless!

V16-19: Job described what he wished for, to be dead and buried! Job was saying to himself “My I Rest-In-Peace!” Ever feel that way?

V20-25: Sums up Job’s emotions and thinking; he questioned living! Ever hear yourself or someone else with these statements from Job?

- Why have light when you’re miserable?

- Why have life when your soul is bitter?

- Why can’t I die already?

- Why do I have life when I can’t find a reason?

- My sighing and groaning is greater than my hunger for food or drink?

- I am living a life I did not expect: no peace, no quietness, no rest, but only turmoil!

A sad time for Job but what is sadder is that many people today feel the same way and commit suicide.

And so, at that point in time in his life, Job was not only saying “life stinks” but also “not worthy of living!” At that point in time in Job’s life, he was committing mental and emotional suicide! But let us note, Job, although super depressed, did not commit physical suicide! It was close, but why do you think Job didn’t kill himself?

Let us remember how Job ended up in that situation. God was directly involved in Job’s troubles and it is not too far-fetched that God was keeping Job from killing himself! And remember, God commanded Satan not to take Job’s life.

What can we learn from this story of Job? Can we blame Job for feeling that way? Remember, Job had everything going for him in the world; Job was healthy; he had many farms, animals, servants; he had a nice big family; in today’s standards, we can say that Job was a multi-millionaire very happy with life!

But then, not from his own wrongdoing, he didn’t even sin to God, everything was taken away from Job, including his health; and we find him sitting in a garbage dump with a painful disease with friends who could not do anything for him! We can not blame Job for how he felt! With all his troubles, Job had no idea that God was using him as an instrument of faith (to know the spiritual realm) and we also do not hear from Satan accusing him of anything wrong! There’s a purpose for Job’s struggles. The purpose is for us today to learn!

Imagine yourself for a moment being Job going through all of that hardships, not knowing what you did wrong? We cannot blame Job for being super depressed! I believe a main point which God wants us to understand from Job Chapter 3 is human depression! There is human depression in life!

Now, we may never have hardships like what Job had, but once in a while we get depressed don’t we? I think most of you know, because I have shared them, there have been many times, I have been depressed! We can all get depressed! We can be depressed with many big and simple problems: the weather, relationships, economics, politics, disappointments, diseases, death of a loved one… people get easily depressed just because it’s a Monday or Christmas is coming!!