Theology

Definition of the Greek Word aionos (i-O-nos):

(1) the universe with some association to age or eon with the contextual idea that God has made everything (Heb 1:2; 11:3);

(2) an age or period of time (Rom 12:2; Eph 1:21; 2 Tim 4:10);

(3) a system of thought, belief, or zeitgeist (1 Co 1:20; 2:6, 8; Eph 2:2) marked by certain “standards” (1 Co 3:18);

(4) the full extent of all time eternally, an unlimited duration of future time (“the messiah will remain forever,” John 12:34 or “He will remain a priest forever,” Heb 7:3; cf. 1 Pet 4:11; Eph 3:21).  More elaborate expressions using the word are emphatic, particularly in doxologies (Luke 1:33; Rom 16:27; 2 Pet 3:18; Jude 25). “Eternal” also references unending time in both directions (“his eternal power and divine nature,” Rom 1:20 or “of the eternal God,” Rom 16:26). The idiomatic statement “the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Heb 13:8) references eternal time in terms of immutability;

(5) an exceedingly long period of time from an assumed beginning up to the present (“from the beginning of time,” John 9:32; “since all ages past,” Jude 25).  Of particular interest, however, are the happenings which transpired within that span.  For instance Colossians 1:26 identifies that there had been “a secret hid…from mankind” while Romans 16:25 expands “the revelation of the secret truth which was hidden from the beginning of time.”  2 Timothy 1:9 specifies “grace” as the gift given in Jesus “from all ages past.”

Exposition

Planned before time (Rev 13:8; 17:8), the space-time event of “eternal life” was seen and testified by Jesus’ followers (1 John 1:2).  Restoration of all things (Acts 3:21) was promised to the prophets marked by specific fulfillments (such as the gospel going to the Gentiles) which were known by God for all ages (Acts 15:18).

“God’s secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden…before time began” (1 Co 2:7) is in direct contrast to the “spirit of the age” held by rulers during a given time (1 Co 2:6, 8).  Revelatory truth was written down for us “on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come” (1 Co 10:11).

For those who live in a post-ascension world, we are part of the plan given in times past; what C.S. Lewis called “deep magic” in The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe.  “The eternal purpose” of Jesus’ accomplishment is now made known “through the church” to “the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms” (Eph 3:10-11).  His power now works within us, the church” for His glory (Eph 3:20-21).

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen but what is unseen; “what is unseen is eternal” (2 Co 4:17-18, 5:1).  “Sowing to please The Spirit, reaping eternal life” (Gal 6:8).  Jesus’ sacrifice “through the eternal Spirit” moves us to “serve the living God” (Heb 9:14) based on “the eternal covenant” which equips us with “everything good for doing His will” (Heb 13:20-21).  For in this life we have “eternal encouragement and good hope” which strengthens us for every “good deed and word” (2 Th 2:16-17).  We are to “take hold of the eternal life” (1 Tim 6:12) because “faith and knowledge rests on the hope of eternal life” (Titus 1:2; 3:7) prompting us toward devotion “doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone.” (3:8).  Perseverance is necessary for those who wait to be brought to eternal life (Jude 21).

Application

Biblically Integrative History: History begins in Eternity. God is the author of history (Gen 1:1; Ecc 3:10-11; Dan 4:34-35; Eph 1:9-10; Heb 1:1-2; Rev 22:1-7). God created all matter, space, and time, but God does not wear a watch.  He is not bound by time (cf. 2 Peter 3:8) since He is outside of and apart from time but God has chosen to work within time to accomplish His plan.  Jesus is the central person in God’s plan and human history.  Only He can, by His coming in the form of a man, bridge the gap between God’s eternal kingdom and the temporal world (cf. Isaiah 9:6-7; Galatians 4:4-5).  When studying history, we must frame our understanding of people, places, and events in the grand narrative of God’s plan to make it meaningful.  Apart from God, history is a meaningless record of man’s vanity.

To End All Wars Prior to World War II, his three-year confinement in a prisoner of war camp, and Christ’s salvation, the author Ernest Gordon believed,

“The rapid progress being made in [the sciences] indicated that man could take care of himself and unravel his own dilemma without help from a divine power, no matter how benign.  Of such was the real world in which man had been placed by the evolutionary process, as the one creature conscious of what was going on.  As he floated down the stream of history, he could know that the current would ultimately land him in Utopia.  Many brave worlds were being projected in those days, and mine was one of them.”

After salvation, Gordon wrote, ““Our regeneration, sparked by conspicuous acts of self-sacrifice, had begun . . . It was dawning on us all—officers and other ranks alike—that the law of the jungle is not the law for man.  We had seen for ourselves how quickly it could strip most of us of our humanity and reduce us to levels lower than the beasts.  We were seeing for ourselves the sharp contrast between the forces that made for life and those that made for death . . .  Through our readings and discussions we gradually came to know Jesus.  He was one of us.  He would understand our problems, because they were the kind of problems he had faced himself.” 

Questions How does media impact relationships, original thinking or creativity? How is innovation corrupted by human thought or action? Do we consider the human source of invention, the creative person’s beliefs? Define the words utopia and dystopia. Has any person or group ever created a utopia? Do utopias become dystopias? Why or why not?

Social conscience begins with a look in the mirror.

“Did you read that article in Huffington Post about discrimination against minorities? That makes me so mad!”

“Can you believe it?! Mr. Jones refused to give Ashley another chance on her poor test grade! What a chauvinist!”

“I’m not going to buy Nike products anymore; they allow sweat-shops to produce their shoes!”

Teenagers seem to have a heightened sense of hypocrisy. Addressing various social constructs fuels indignation. Rich versus poor. Conservative versus liberal. One ethnicity versus another. Parent versus child. Teacher versus student. Young people are quick to identify perceived wrongs where, from their vantage-point, rights may have been violated or people were possibly marginalized.

“Social conscience”, or the desire to correct evils in the world, is a process for which students are quite adept. But what they don’t realize is that their sense of “fairness” comes because they reflect the character of their Creator. The responsibility of the Christian school is to make sure that a solid theological foundation is established for the correction of societal and personal wrongs.

Do We Expect Too Much of God?

“Why doesn’t God do something?”

“Why did He allow this to happen?”

“Maybe my atheist friends are right: if there is a good God and He allows bad things to happen, why should I believe in Him?”

Questions like these resound through high school classrooms. Human expectations of The Almighty are often improper. Teaching students to start with a biblical view of God begins the process of understanding social consciousness. The doctrines of God that follow give us guidance in establishing principles for practicing earthly justice.

1. Transcendence and Immanence Holiness is based on transcendence: God is set apart, different from His creation (Job 36:22-26). God sets the standards. Ethical codes are based upon Heaven’s Word. God never lowers His standard, but He does lower Himself. God’s immanence, care for His creatures, is demonstrated through The Written Word (Scripture) and The Living Word (Jesus), lived out through His covenant people (Philippians 2:1-11). Social consciousness begins with a Transcendent standard. Reaching out to others mirrors God’s personal custody of His world.

2. Justice and Righteousness Civil rights banners will often carry the former without the latter. Yet, there is no justice without righteousness (Deuteronomy 32:4). The words are often paired in the Old Testament (e.g. Psalm 119:121). And there can be no righteousness without the personification of The Just Judge (Psalm 11:7). The cry of “That’s not fair!” is premised upon and answered only in the person of God Himself.

3. Mercy and Truth A teacher is often a target of “grace expectations”. People like pardon. Once received, however, mercy is anticipated. Any absolute truth is forgotten. Standards are brushed aside. But the very need for mercy is built upon the result of law breaking. God declares truth and mercy is offered to humans (Romans 2:1-11). Concern for societal ills must acknowledge both.

4. Infallibility and Incomprehensibility Instead of asking “How could this happen?” students must be prompted to query “How should I respond now that this has happened?” God never fails. Human understanding of God, however, may fail (Job 33:12-30). God is infinite and humans are finite. People, therefore, do not always understand God (Job 11:7, 8) much less God’s actions in earthly affairs (Job 37:5; Isaiah 40:13-14). Social injustices result from The Fall (Romans 8:18-22). How The Creator uses human rebellion to His own ends is not something people can even grasp (note Habakkuk’s consternation when God judges Judah with the unrighteous Babylonians).

5. Temporal and Eternal Wrongs not addressed in this life will be in the next. God’s people have counted on His vengeance throughout history (Deuteronomy 32:34-43; 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10). Humans have a tendency to be shortsighted. God takes the long view. While teenagers seethe with rage over some real or perceived inequity, God records it all and nothing escapes His sight. Hoping the “bad guys get it” may not happen on earth. But the basis for ethical living is premised upon the fact that God is eternal, as is His judgment (Psalm 73).

People may expect too much of God because they don’t understand Him. High school students must be taught not to limit God but base their thinking about social consciousness upon proper theology. But the problem of perception is a double-edged sword.

Do We Expect Too Little from Ourselves?

On the one hand, people want to blame God for injustice. On the other hand, people excuse their own behavior. “That’s not my problem!” “Why are you so up tight? Everybody does it!” “So, I blew it. I’m only human!” Indeed. Humanness is a problem.

What we know about the correct treatment of humans begins with knowing God. What we know of injustice, we bring upon ourselves. High school students know this full well. Being left out or put down for various teenage reasons produces its own discrimination. Wary of our inconsistency and preparing for opportunity helps us set guidelines for students.

1. Ourselves We all have blind spots. The awful actions of others are seen more closely by stepping in front of a mirror. Prejudice, bias, and presumption are human fallibilities. The truth of Romans 2:1-11 is all too real. The old maxim “if you point a finger at others, you have a few pointing back at yourself” is correct. While we fight for the dignity of others, we face our own depravity. The command of God to treat others based on the treatment we desire for ourselves is the linchpin of social consciousness (Leviticus 19:18; Mark 12:28-31).

2. Others Why do we care for others? Again, our interest is a reflection of God’s initial investment. The Christian worldview is based on a Just Judge who expects His people to act as His vice-regents on earth (Isaiah 58, 59). The response to social injustice must be paid in personal capital. While students learn about truth, they must also live truth (Romans 12:9-21).

3. Opposition While our sensibilities of justice are heightened by the nightly news, we must train students to ask, “Am I hearing both sides?” “Is there a slant in the coverage?” “Is there other information that I need to know?” Journalists and media outlets may not give us “all the news fit to print”. Every side of an issue should be fairly represented (Deuteronomy 19:15-18; Proverbs 18:17). While we rightly decry disenfranchisement of any minority we must ask, for instance, why we don’t hear about the persecution of Christians on the front pages of America’s newspapers.

4. Opportunities Involvement through editorial page, local soup kitchens, service projects, and church outreaches are imperative for Christian high school students to practice what they preach. Response to social problems must always be personal, specific, and measurable. Teachers should employ methods that help students interact with real life issues. Case studies, research, discussion, forums, and debates would help to process different perspectives while ferreting out true Truth. Looking for ways to instruct students “in the way they should go” must encourage biblical thinking that acknowledges fact, changes attitudes, and stresses participation leading to transformation (e.g., 2 Kings 23:25).

Social consciousness must be lived out. As believers in Jesus as Lord, our responsibility as “ambassadors of reconciliation” is demonstrated on the streets and in the classroom. Who God is and His influence on believers are the basis for true social change. Ministries to the poor, defenseless, homeless, prisoners, and hungry are begun by people with a mind for Jesus and a hand toward humanity (Matthew 25:34-40).

Dr. Mark Eckel taught high school and college students for over 30 years. This article was first published in Christian Education Journal, Winter, 2002.

My life is but a weaving, Between my God and me.

I cannot choose the colors, He weaveth steadily.

Oft’ times He weaveth sorrow; And I in foolish pride

Forget He sees the upper, While I the underside.

“Life is But a Weaving,” Corrie Ten Boom

One picture I use to explain God’s sovereignty to my classes is that of a tapestry. On the board I draw the top side, then the bottom side, inscribing “Job 1 and 2” as the text underneath. I then explain that if it were not for chapters 1 and 2 in Job, there would be no sense believing in Yahweh’s explanation of suffering. Job 1 and 2 give credence to a Heaven-centered view of pain. As a human, I am not pleased by the hurt I bear. But I can abide the gut-wrenching agonies I face if I know there is a Personal, Eternal, Triune Creator who superintends my life. God is not absent in suffering. He has not left the building. God’s supposed silence does not indicate an uncaring attitude. I can live with an earth view of the tapestry when I am assured Heaven’s view is unobstructed.

In The First Testament (Old Testament) time period, pagan peoples believed in fate. Impersonal forces mysteriously presented themselves; humans were left to deal with the psychological aftershocks. There are few cultural differences between then and now when it comes to pagan views of suffering. Neither luck, chance, accident, serendipity, nor destiny exists. Yahweh superintends, sustains, supports, and saves His creation in spite of the suffering introduced through human sin. As Job 38-42 indicate, we may ask “Why did this happen to me?” but Yahweh responds with 68 questions of His own; about His creation He asks “If you cannot understand My creation, why should you think you’ll understand The Creator?”

Job 3 is Job’s first foray into asking “Why?” In the first three parts of this series on lament, we have understood that we suffer for unidentified reasons (“blindsided”), we have good cause to cry out (“pain”), and we sometimes wonder if life is worth living (“doom”). Lament is a proper form for human response to wounds. But we cannot stay in a state of lament. Here is where we must add a dozen specific applications to the nature and character of God as well as our response to Who God Is in the midst of our laments.

1. Teach the nature, attributes, and character of God early in life. Children need to know Who Yahweh is. To this day, people ask me, “What is the most important thing I can teach?” My answer is always the same. Teach children Who God Is. [Psalm 78]

2. The best time to teach sovereignty is before humanly bad things happen. Shut up and listen. If Job’s three friends had followed this simple rule of human response to suffering, Job would have been a short book! Doctrinal teaching in the midst of pain will be rightfully met with rage from the people who ache. Attempting trite, superficial, hyped God-talk is the worst response to suffering. Building strong biblical-theological structures on the bedrock of Scripture will allow the house to stand when the earthquakes come. [Psalm 119]

3. There is no one-for-one correspondence between wrongdoings committed and pain experienced. Reason, purpose, and meaning in suffering is not ours to decide. Our views of human experience should be tempered by this knowledge: we understand little. Scripture clearly teaches evildoers do not always receive their just desserts for wrongs committed here. [Psalm 73]

4. There is no absolute correlation between doing right and rewards. The exact opposite is also true: do not assume that our goodness will be reciprocated with human-viewed good from God. We need to eschew a works-centered view of life, seeing a grace-centered viewpoint instead. We should continue to do good, discontinuing our belief that we deserve something good because of it. [Titus 3:1-8]

5. Answers to the “why” questions are not our domain. God controls the mysteries of life. There are no explanations for suffering; we should not expect any. In fact, mystery is a marker of the truth God’s revelation to us. If we could figure out mystery, why worship? [John 9:3: 11:3]

6. We should never doubt God’s presence in suffering. He is with us in it. And for our pagan friends who wonder, “Where is God when bad things happen?” we must ask them, “Where is your praise for God for all the good things that happen to you?” [Hebrews 2, 9, 10]

7. We are outraged by “undeserved” suffering. We have repented of sin, we serve God and man, “We’re all in” as the poker player calls it: we have a royal flush. And suddenly, out of nowhere, someone has created a new, winning hand. Our flush is crushed. We respond in anger to injustice but leave the ultimate response to The Just Judge. [Habakkuk]

8. A proper view of suffering suggests that the answer to pain will not be satisfied by welfare, government programs, warfare, or the judicial system. [Daniel 4:34-37]

9. Suffering happens, it cannot be prevented. For those who would want to blame God for suffering we must redirect their attention to Eden and our collective responsibility as the human race for the state we are in. [Genesis 3]

10. Protesting our pain before God is a godly position. ‘Lament’ is a form of expressing our human grief from a God-centered perspective. [Lamentations]

11. Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet: only through experience of trial and suffering. [Romans 5:1-4; 1 Peter]

12. If there is a beginning there will always be an end. If there is doubt, there is hope. If there is darkness, there is light. If there is pain, there is release. If there is heartache, there is joy. If there is a creation, there is a second coming. If there is a cross, there is an empty grave. If despair, delight. If mystery, worship its Author. If there is an underside to the tapestry, be assured the top side is being woven by Yahweh. [Job 42; Isaiah 60-66; Revelation 21-22]

Mark has been teaching the tapestry for four decades. The basis for this 4 part series was taken from a sermon preached in January, 2008 at Zionsville Fellowship, Zionsville, IN. The ‘lament’ series has been a guest blogging entry during March, 2012 at https://christianpsych.org/wp_scp/blog/

“You don’t see no hearses with luggage racks.”

Don Henley, Gimme What You Got

Pistons explode from shoulder to fist to face. In a boxing bout the word “jabs” describes one opponent snapping his adversary’s head back with each blow. This is Job 3.11-26.  Job then picks up an automatic pistol, firing controlled bursts of bullets expressing the subject of his agony. Every single line and each nuance of meaning in the Hebrew throughout this chapter depicts the ferocity of blows and bullets. The power of this gut wrenching groan that reaches a roar at the end of the poem is not done justice in English. A taste of these compact attacks is summarized by verse eleven’s seven word-Hebrew-line: “Why not die birth womb came expire?!”

A crescendo of impending doom pounds throughout the first half of the poem. Verses 11 and 12 refer to the event Job wishes had never happened in verses 3-10—his birth.  Placed on his father’s knees (a sign legitimizing the birth father) and at his mother’s breast to feed, now his awful life commences.  Verses 1-10 repeat the idea of “may this never be!” and verses 11-26 repeat “Why did this happen in the first place?!” Verses 1-10 repeat “May…may…may” verses 11-26 repeat “Why? Why? Why?”

Job “piles on” the words for death: death will be a repose, an anticipated rest, lying down, be at peace, tranquility, what we call “the big sleep,” or “the long dirt nap.” Death is better than life because life is full of trouble. The list, the catalog, the pile that Job creates has but one idea: life is nothing but trouble, in every way, for everyone. Pick a social strata, they are all represented here: the powerful, rich, leaders, wicked, the weary, slaves, forced laborers, prisoners, the small (underprivileged) and the great (the privileged). Right in the middle of this grouping is what Job would have wished for originally—to be stillborn, dead at birth.

Verse 19 is a final resting place for death. In the Hebrew, there are no verbs present. Instead of reading, “Small and great are there,” rather we should read “Small and great there, dead, no more activity.” Every positive statement is about being dead: “the weary are at rest,” “captives enjoy their ease,” “slave freed,” and there is “gladness in reaching the grave.”  Why is death best? Because it releases us from life’s miseries.  All the things we build during our lifetime will be ruined.  All the money we accumulate, gone. All the work we do, useless activity. Our position and place in life, gone.  Before Kregel’s bookstore in Grand Rapids was sold, I loved to wander through the stacks.  Most of Kregel’s inventory was located in a huge basement.  The smell of old books as I searched for various titles is etched in my memory.  But it struck me one day: most of the men who have written these books are dead.  These are dead men’s books. It reminded me of my own demise.  What we produce on this earth is literally “here today and gone tomorrow.”

Can we count on what believers refer to as “God’s hedge of protection”?  Notice that the hedge of protection Satan thought God offered to Job in 1:10 is now thought by Job to be God’s trap 3:23.  When he says “man’s way is hidden” in 3:23 he refers to life being without purpose.  He has lost all sense of meaning because of all his losses.  Verses 24-26 are very hard Hebrew. But a few ideas stand out: (1) “sighing” and “groaning” are too soft. The words are used for “roaring lions” in other passages. (2) The very thing Job dreaded (the loss of God’s favor in 1:5) has happened. (3) The final lines come back to my comments about head-snapping jabs at the beginning of this section.   It’s as if Job is spitting out the words, disgusted, he can’t wait to get them out of his mouth. “I have no peace, I have no quiet, I have no rest; Enter trouble.”  What he said in verse 13 he repeats here—he wants tranquility, serenity, to enjoy life.  But all these words for rest suggest he has physical turmoil, mental anguish, and social discomfort.  All he has is “trouble”—the word for agitation without peace.

Psychologists and physicians alike tell us that suffering produces questions of purpose and the will to continue in life. Amnesty International, for instance, attempts to get those who have been tortured to record their pain. Paul Brand’s book Pain: The Gift No One Wants is a tremendous source for understanding the physiology of pain and human response to it. I personally learned from a world renown physical therapist that the best response of the physician is listen to the person whose body is in pain.  The patient knows their body better than the doctor imposing a diagnosis.

But, perhaps, the best example of response to pain is the genre of music referred to as the “negro spiritual.”  M. Shawn Copeland, who teaches at Marquette University, has said

The spirituals . . . were an important resource of resistance. The spirituals reshaped the characters and stories, the events and miracles of the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures. These songs told the mercy of God anew and testified to the ways in which the enslaved people met God at the whipping post, on the auction block, in the midnight flight to freedom…. If the makers of the spirituals glorified in singing of the cross of Jesus, it was not because they were masochistic and enjoyed suffering. Rather, the enslaved Africans sang because they saw in the rugged wooden planks One who had endured what was their daily portion. The cross was treasured because it enthroned the One who went all the way with them and for them. The enslaved Africans sang because they saw the result of the cross—triumph over the principalities and powers of death, triumph over evil in this world. (1)

Slaves suffered with hope in the Savior. But Job 3 ends without hope which Psalm 88 expresses, “And darkness is my closest friend.” What happens when we beaten by the incessant fist blows of some earthly oppression?  What happens when the automatic gun fire of suffering is unrelenting?  There are days when this is our lot.  To understand how we feel, how others feel, in the onslaught of suffering is to live in Job 3.

Dr. Mark Eckel believes it does not matter what kind of suffering you suffer.  Suffering hurts, and sometimes it feels like all we want to do is die.   

(1) M. Shawn Copeland, “‘Wading Through Many Sorrows’: Towards a Theology of Suffering in a Womanist Perspective,” Charles Curran, Margaret Farley and Richard McCormick, ed. Feminist Ethics and the Catholic Moral Tradition (Mahwah: Paulist Press, 1996) 150.

I focus on the pain, the only thing that’s real. “Hurt,” Johnny Cash

Bono of U2 fame has said,

Evangelical Christian music is too happy. It does not reflect the realities of life. That’s why I like ‘the blues.’ That’s why I like the Psalms. The Psalms are ‘the blues’ of the Old Testament.

Bono and Cash have it right. We understand Job 3 is about us—we all suffer, hurt. Everyone wishes they could just turn back time, declare a mulligan, or cry for a child’s game “do over.” Pregnant metaphors, pulsating with profound passion and pain, wed our grief with Job 3: it is personal, vivid, honest, and bold. We may not comprehend each other’s specific grief. What we can say is we have all experienced some of what Job is saying in chapter three. This week and next Job 3 will speak for itself. Interpretation will lead to application leading to lamentation.

Job’s lament begins as a curse from the womb, an anti-birthday-birthday. “May, may, may” mark verses 1-10, the wish, the longing for something, anything other than what he must endure. When Job “curses” the Hebrew word marks a formula; Job curses or removes the blessing from his birth. Celebration is now rejection. It might be as if one lover says to the other, “I wish I’d never met you!” Once the day was cause for joy; the next, cause for a curse. Job goes so far as to call out the sorcerers, the spiritists to curse the day, to reverse the spell. If it’s possible, do it. Because such an incantation is impossible it shows the acuteness of Job’s agony, his misery (v 8).

Job is spewing out his cries of rage through this Hebrew poetry. Hebrew parallelism runs through the whole chapter. Job’s cries come in two forms: synthetic parallelism—saying the same thing in a similar way—amplifies Job’s grief (v 11) and synonymous parallelism—stacking one negative concept on top of another—adds insult to injury (v 5). In sports we say “Let’s take it to the next level!” In literature, “The author is building toward a climax.” Musicians refer to this intensity in their scores as a crescendo, from piano (meaning “softly”) to fortissimo (meaning “very loud”). In mathematical terms we express exponential growth in terms of “rising powers”: ten to the second power, ten to the third power, ten to the fourth power, etc. “Compound interest,” is money accrued or growing in a bank account. All the parallels in the poetic lament give this sense of intensification.

Job’s “birthday” was his “death-day,” an awful day, an awful event, one he wished had never happened. “May” or “let” is repeated in English word or understanding multiple times in verses 3 through 10. Job is recalling something in his past, thinking about it in the future, we would call this a “retrospective”—contemplating or surveying the past. For Job, this retrospective is anything but a smiling muse of past events. The retrospective for Job means “When you think about my beginning, my birth, the night I was conceived, curse it; reverse the celebration of it!” Job wants to cancel not only his birth but the triumph of the man who knows he has produced offspring (v. 3).

Job wishes he had never been born. “Curse the day!” The only way to do this is to wipe his birthday off the calendar. As long as his day of birth is repeated or recreated every year his existence continues until death. He wants it removed, gone. Not only is Job “anti-birthday” he is “anti-Creation.” Job wants “that day—let it be darkness” (v. 4). This is the direct opposite of God’s first words in creation “Let there be light” (Gen 1.3). God began with light and ended resting. Job begins by calling for darkness and ends in verse 13 by saying, “If darkness had blotted out his birthday—if he had never existed—he would be at rest.” The words he uses in verses 4-6 confirm his pain: darkness, deep dark (a darkness so thick you can’t see your hand in front of your face), cloud mass (a covering so dense it blocks out the sun), blackness (a fog so intense that it hides the sun). He wants rest so badly that he uses four separate Hebrew words: he wants to lie down, be quiet, sleep, and rest. To the person in pain, birth equals trouble (v. 10): the agony or misery of extreme hardship is cruel and fatiguing.

Job is in the deep throes of outrageous pain, wailing and moaning. If we saw someone like this we would probably say, “They’re beside themselves! I’ve never seen them like this before!” This is Job’s state as he curses or removes the celebration of his birth. It does not mean that Job has lost control. Job is expressing the deepest, rawest of emotions a person can express. There is no shame or sin here, only humanness. If we read the Lamentations of Jeremiah the weeping prophet or Jesus’ own wrenching turmoil in Gethsemane prior to His crucifixion we would see the same imprint of humanity. In fact, James 5:11 lauds Job for endurance, the meaning of the word “patience.”

We need be careful of our response to believing people when they gush honest, profound, anguished cries, when hurt is too great to bear. Angry honesty from a Christian sometimes shocks us. I think this is because we live in a culture of “niceness”—critical or caustic responses are met with repudiation. Given the responses of Job’s three friends throughout the book, we sometimes misapply our theology either with trite, bumper sticker slogans that hurt more than help or we condemn the person who is in pain for expressing their pain. The best response to anyone in pain is to do as Paul commanded: “weep with those who weep.” Our futile attempts to interpret or explain another’s suffering is to fall into the trap of Job’s three friends. To listen, to be attentive is exactly the right response.

In the Coen brother’s film O Brother, Where Art Thou? one song provides the underlying refrain: “I’m a Man of Constant Sorrow.” This is Job’s song, the lament of Job 3:1-10. Johnny Cash knew it. Bono knows it. And if we’re honest, we know it too. Caring for others means we must engage the deepest, darkest depths of despair.

When Mark listens to “Hurt” on YouTube, tears well up in his eyes. The basis for this 4 part series was taken from a sermon preached in January, 2008 at Zionsville Fellowship, Zionsville, IN. This entry was also published at https://christianpsych.org/wp_scp/2012/03/11/