11. Lamentation of a Depressed Soul (3)

Hymns: RHC 335 Keep on Believing, 326 Only Believe, 337 Never Give Up

Job 3:20-26

^KJV Job 3:20 ²⁰Wherefore is light given to him that is in misery, and life unto the bitter in soul; ²¹Which long for death, but it cometh not; and dig for it more than for hid treasures; ²²Which rejoice exceedingly, and are glad, when  they can find the grave? ²³Why is light given to a man whose way is hid, and whom God hath hedged in? ²⁴For my sighing cometh before I eat, and my roarings are poured out like the waters. ²⁵For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me. ²⁶I was not in safety, neither had I rest, neither was I quiet; yet trouble came. (Job 3:1-26 KJV)

Lamentation of a Depressed Soul (3)

OUTLINE

(1) Why Was I Born? (v1-10)

(2) Why Did I Not Die Earlier? (v11-19)

(3) Why Am I Still Alive? (v20-26)

 

Continue…

 

(3) Why Am I Still Alive? (v20-26)

²⁰Wherefore is light given to him that is in misery, and life unto the bitter in soul; ²¹Which long for death, but it cometh not; and dig for it more than for hid treasures; ²²Which rejoice exceedingly, and are glad, when they can find the grave? ²³Why is light given to a man whose way is hid, and whom God hath hedged in? ²⁴For my sighing cometh before I eat, and my roarings are poured out like the waters. ²⁵For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me. ²⁶I was not in safety, neither had I rest, neither was I quiet; yet trouble came.

 

In the book “Out of the Valley” Betty Tapscott asked “Are you in a valley right now? Is your heart breaking from grief? Has your world crumbled around you? Perhaps you are in a valley of desolate that seemingly insurmountable cliffs of disappointing circumstances rise on either side of you. Do you feel there is no hope, no escape? The psalmist David felt that way when he cried, “And I said, Oh that I had wings like a dove! for then would I fly away, and be at rest.” (Psalm 55:6)

The Good News is that God promises He will give us a way of escape and will not send more than we can bear (see 1 Cor. 10:13). God said “…whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith” (Mark 11:23).

Perhaps you are physically ill with the added burden of enormous bills mounting every day. It may be that you are standing by watching as a loved one suffers in anguish and you are wondering, “Why, God, why?”

Has the black net of depression ensnared you to the point that you feel trapped? Do you feel devastatingly alone? Do you wonder if anyone knows you are hurting – if anyone cares at all? Perhaps you have even cried out to God, “Why have you forsaken me?”

God has not forsaken you. In fact, God is thinking of you every moment of the day. Psalm 139:17,18 says, “How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with thee.” (Psalm 139:17-18)”

Job was in the midst of such a struggle after he has experienced the sudden, devastating loss of all things – wealth, children, health, which most of us priced as crucial to a happy earthling! How can one cope?

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, It is by resting our hope and salvation in the Lord. The psalmist in Psalm 145:14 “The LORD upholdeth all that fall, and raiseth up all those that be bowed down.” This is the story of the reality of Christian trials and sufferings. And it is written in the first book God has ever written to teach us the skill to triumph.

Indeed, we all have problems. Being a Christian does not mean we are free from problems. Purkiser observed well, “It is not that God loves some people more than others. Nor is it that untroubled times are evidence of His special favour. To suppose that unruffled seas and blue skies are a token of divine approval is the cruel conceit of those whom all things go well.”

Indeed, we are reminded once again of Peter words in 1 Peter 4:12-13 “Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.”

Job’s trials were orchestrated in heaven and enacted on earth in God’s servant’s life. God is definitely very concern for the well-being of His servant Job. He even vouched for his integrity and steadfastness.

God allowed this episode of Job’s dejection in the thick of his trial to be spread open for us to help us to understand that He will make a way for us, we can trust Him to make good.

²⁰Wherefore is light given to him that is in misery, and life unto the bitter in soul; ²¹Which long for death, but it cometh not; and dig for it more than for hid treasures; ²²Which rejoice exceedingly, and are glad, when they can find the grave? 

Certainly, Job seemed to be airing openly his distress in open complaint alleging perhaps cruelty and injustice in the part of God, rather than a heart of humble submission which later will invite many reproofs. The word “light” means “life”. It is that God keeps people alive who would prefer to die; that he furnishes them with the means of sustaining existence, and actually preserves them when they would consider it an inestimable blessing to expire. [Barnes]

John W. Ritenbaugh counselled well on Fully Accepting God’s Sovereignty, “Among the truly distinctive biblical terms describing the attitudes of those journeying through the wilderness are forms of the term “murmur.” Such words are not used much today, as most would use a form of “complain,” “gripe,” “grumble,” “protest,” “criticize,” or “whine.” In referring to the children of Israel in the wilderness, The Bible uses a form of “murmur” 24 times. It is natural to complain against afflictions, losses, and hopeful expectations dashed. We seem to think that our possessions are ours unconditionally, especially those things on which we had set our hearts. We feel that having worked diligently, we are entitled to success and deserve to enjoy and keep what we have accumulated. In the same way, when we are surrounded by a loving family, no one has a right to break into that circle and strike down a loved one. We live our lives under the sovereignty of God, whose watchful oversight is on us constantly. How do we react to Him when things are not going well? It is easy to grip without even thinking of the ever-watchful God who promises to supply our every need. We may find ourselves complaining to Him about our state of affairs as if He is totally unaware. Have we forgotten that this One, who by His grace has called us into a relationship with Him, has neither afflicted us nor allowed us to be afflicted anywhere near what we truly deserve as the wages of our sinful lives?”

²³Why is light given to a man whose way is hid, and whom God hath hedged in? ²⁴For my sighing cometh before I eat, and my roarings are poured out like the waters. ²⁵For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me. ²⁶I was not in safety, neither had I rest, neither was I quiet; yet trouble came.

Job articuated the hard conditions in his life. He felt so lonely for all that has befallen him. He felt forsaken and forlorn. He articuated it for our understanding. Does God forsake His people? May we seek the Lord in prayer and share all our woes with Him.

1	What a Friend we have in Jesus, All our sins and griefs to bear! What a privilege to carry Everything to God in prayer! O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear, All because we do not carry Everything to God in prayer!
2	Have we trials and temptations? Is there trouble anywhere? We should never be discouraged, Take it to the Lord in prayer. Can we find a friend so faithful Who will all our sorrows share? Jesus knows our every weakness, Take it to the Lord in prayer.
3	Are we weak and heavy-laden, Cumbered with a load of care? Precious Savior, still our refuge— Take it to the Lord in prayer; Do thy friends despise, forsake thee? Take it to the Lord in prayer; In His arms He’ll take and shield thee, Thou wilt find a solace there.

Does God hide from His people? (Psalm 13:1c)

Due to the harshness and difficult circumstance that had confronted the psalmist, he felt that God is hiding Himself from him. Have you experienced how things seem to go wrong one after another and there seemed to be no let up? God seemed to be so far away in terms of giving favourable circumstances for him! Should we equate ‘good circumstance’ to God’s favour?

The psalmist seemed to have a tenacity, an inner strength, in his heart not to give up although he could not understand the situations that had confronted him. This is the work of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer.

What a beautiful picture of the abiding presence of our LORD dwelling with His people even when we are at the bottom of our lives. It is a picture of great comfort. Remember in Pilgrim’s Progress, Christian arrived at a fire place in a house where he saw a man pouring water constantly on the fire but it does not extinguish? He was brought to the back of the fire place in another room. There he saw a man pouring oil to keep the flickering fire aflame. The interpreter explained to Christian that the man pouring oil is Jesus Christ. He is the one that pours the oil of grace to keep the heart of faith aflame always even though Satan, the man in front of the fire place keeps pouring water. Jesus is at the back of the fire place, He is apparently not visible to us in our affliction, but He is there sustaining us by His grace!

God does not hide from His people.

His care and love for His children is constant and consistent. He that keeps Israel does neither slumber nor sleep. It does happen when we allow faithless thoughts and doubts to assail our soul.

Psalms 13:3-4 “Consider and hear me, O LORD my God: lighten mine eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death; Lest mine enemy say, I have prevailed against him; and those that trouble me rejoice when I am moved.”

The psalmist pleaded urgently to a state of desperation with the LORD to show His favour upon him again and answer His prayer. He asked the LORD to let him see the light at the end of the tunnel. We can often see the state of a person’s predicament by the look of his/her eyes. Give to me LORD the breath of life, breathe life into me. He gave two reasons. The idea is, that death, whose approach was indicated by the dimness of vision, was fast stealing over him as a sleep, and that unless his clearness of vision were restored, it would soon end in the total darkness – the deep and profound sleep – of death. Death is often compared to sleep. And lest his enemies rejoice when they saw that he has given up hope in God totally.

Psalms 13:5-6 “But I have trusted in thy mercy; my heart shall rejoice in thy salvation. I will sing unto the LORD, because he hath dealt bountifully with me.”

This is the turning point in a trial. The psalmist reaffirms his faith in the LORD. He said I have trusted in Thy mercy. The mercy of God is the loving kindness and goodness of God.

It describes the compassion of God on His people. The root verb is “love” (raham). It is the outworking of God’s love for His people. It is derived from the noun “womb”. The picture of God’s love for His people is likened to the unborn baby nourished in the mother’s womb. The umbilical cord supplies the oxygenated, nutrient-rich blood to nourish the unborn baby. The unborn baby is fully dependent on the life-line of the mother. This is how much we are dependent on our Creator, who is also our Sustainer and most importantly, our Saviour. We are lost and helpless, estranged from God, when we choose to walk our own way.

He put his faith in God first. This is what is needed in a trial. It is the critical point and test. May we not falter but triumph by faith. And because he put his faith in God first, he believed therefore he is blessed. He said ‘my heart shall rejoice to see Thy salvation.’ Has he saw God salvation already? No physically but by faith he saw and he shall receive. Remember when Abraham was asked to kill Issac his own son, this is the same test.

Because the psalmist believed therefore he saw the glory of God in his salvation. He rejoiced to see the bountiful hand of God upon him.

CONCLUSION

May the Lord strengthen the hearts of His people to exercise faith in times of trial to trust in His unfailing mercy! Amen.