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!!
Even though we already have Jesus Christ, depression is real because we have to deal with our sinful nature and a sinful world! Christians can get depressed! Many people in the world get so depressed that they kill themselves! How should we deal with depression today?
God placed the Book of Job in the Bible for us!
1. God knows that we humans can be depressed, affecting our mental and emotional health! We will get depressed occasionally with our lives; we must grasp this truth that God knows when we are depressed but God is in control of everything! Let us remember what Jesus said in Matthew 6:25-27….“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?
The first thing we must do when we get depressed, is grasp the truth that God knows what we are going through. And so, what should we do next when depressed? After Jesus spoke about worrying, we read….
2. Matthew 6:33 - But seek first God’s kingdom and his righteousness!
I’m not an expert on depression and suicide, but we have a problem: Suicide rates have been increasing for the last 20 years. Here in America, the number of suicides in 20 years has doubled to about 50000 a year (men are 3 times more likely than women)! Yes, substance abuse lead to suicide but depression plays a significant role in suicides and a way out of depression is to know God who loves and is in control of everything! We must all focus on God and rest in Jesus Christ! Seek ye first the Kingdom of God!
But again, as we noted last week, there was something missing in how Job and his friends dealt with the situation. We don’t read Job and his friends pray. We note this with Job and later with his friends responding to Job; Even though Job and his friends all acknowledged God, they chose to explain the situation in their own wisdom. This should not be the case for us today! There is a big difference for us today; we have Jesus Christ! We also have the Holy Spirit within us! We have God’s Word! We have the church!
As Christians today, there are 2 other passages for us to note dealing with depression.
3. 1 Corinthians 1:25…. For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength. 1 Corinthians 3:18-20…Do not deceive yourselves. If any of you think you are wise by the standards of this age, you should become “fools” so that you may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight. As it is written: “He catches the wise in their craftiness” and again, “The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile.
We must not trust our own wisdom; always check and live with the truths from God’s Word! We are to live by faith, by the Word of God, not live by feelings! Live life with God’s wisdom!
And in everything, pray always! How does prayer work?
4. Romans 8:34… Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Jesus Christ is in heaven right now at the side of God the Father taking our prayers and giving them the right way to God the Father to handle!
And so, let us know and put into practice Philippians 4:6-7… Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Take a moment now to quietly ponder about these things and pray to God and perhaps you know someone who is depressed and is in need of your prayers….
Benediction – Colossians 4:4-9..…
