The Valley of Questioning

“I Cannot Relax!

I Cannot Stay Calm!

I Cannot Rest!

My Trouble keeps coming back!”

That is how Job ends his first speech in chapter 3.

If the 7 stages of grief had been coined in Job’s day, he would be somewhere between stages 4-5, anger, bargaining, depression, loneliness.

In fact, this is perhaps one of the most depressing chapters in all the Bible.

There are no high and mighty promises in this chapter that we can lay hold of and claim in the dead of night.

There are no valiant one-liners and uplifting, courageous banners to wave.

Rather, here, where we see Job first opening his mouth to speak after his initial responses to suffering, we see a vision of human suffering and intense, deep, agonizing grief poured out in a way that is almost beyond words.

Almost beyond words, hebrew difficult.

Job is in this difficult place because he cannot separate the fact that God exists, and this tragic string of events took place.

The question “why?” almost can’t suffice to sum up the feelings here.

This passage is one of those which would be easy to summarize and skip, running ahead to the end of the book where God speaks to Job, restores his blessings, and Job stops asking the questions.

But there is use in this passage.

2 Timothy 3:16–17 ESV

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

As people, we will go through intense and agonizing grief. And in those times, it is good to be reminded of the parameters of living.

Teaches us that it is okay to ask why, it is okay to grieve and wail, it is okay to be honest before the Lord.

reproves us from thinking “well if I were in that position I would never...”

corrects a kind of arrogant or “put on” stoicism in the face of intense suffering.

trains us to prepare our hearts for tragedy before it strikes. For if righteous Job suffered and grieved this intensely, how do we grieve without the Lord?

Also, we see Job as profitable even as James refers to Him.

So even with this, Job’s darkest hour so to speak, Job remains helpful. Job didn’t go off the deep end. Job’s expressions here are honest, they are sharp, but they are not sinful.

James 5:11 ESV

Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.

Advantages we have over Job in this

Job had very limited revelation

No prophecies of redemption

No psalms of comfort

No stories of God’s great victory

Job had not seen his Savior

Job could not look at his suffering in light of Christ’s suffering

Job did not have the body of Christ

Job was a righteous man apart from the grace of the Lord’s people

We probably have not suffered as Job did

And mostly, in this chapter we see again one of the big points of the book. Job questioned, Job complained, but Job never cursed God. And God never curses Job either.

There is a difference between a suffering man who has no trust in God, no hope in the Lord, and a suffering man whose habit is to trust in God.

The one with no trust, the suffering exacerbates the hopelessness.

The one with trust, there is a confusion, a wondering, a clouding, but there is still someone to run to.

Is it wrong to question? Is it wrong to wonder? Is it wrong to not understand? When we are in the valley of questioning, we must be assured of the one of whom we ask.

1. The Silence of Suffering

Came from abroad

Came together

made appointement

We assume their sincerity and genuineness

We assume their good motives

Their tact and undiscerning advice is not helpful, but it wasn’t meant to hurt. Grace for friends.

12 - Job was entirely changed as a person

his disease

his countenance

his baldness

They grieved with him

story of standing in receiving line at funeral

They joined him in his suffering

seven days

mourning death for his children, but hints at mourning his own “death.”

Ezekiel 3:15 ESV

And I came to the exiles at Tel-abib, who were dwelling by the Chebar canal, and I sat where they were dwelling. And I sat there overwhelmed among them seven days.

Most understated line in the book

they saw that his suffering was very great.

The silent presence of friends was not meant to remove suffering, it was meant actually to confirm grief.

Friends may not know exactly what you are feeling, there may be no good comparison of your suffering, but to have the silent grace of a companion saying “I see you” is often a treasure.

More than that, though, our Savior can sit with us in any amount of grief and not only say “I see you” but he can say “I suffered for that suffering” “I died for the curse that caused that pain”

we are blessed, Job did not yet have that revelation.

2. The Sting of Not Knowing

Job Curses his Birth - 1-10

Job Questions his Birth - 11-19

Job Questions his Life - 20-26

3. The Serenity of Honesty

Job is not the only man in scripture to be honest before God. Job is not the only righteous man in scripture to be honest before God.

Lamentations 3:1 ESV

I am the man who has seen affliction under the rod of his wrath;

Lamentations 3:2 ESV

he has driven and brought me into darkness without any light;

Lamentations 3:7–8 ESV

He has walled me about so that I cannot escape; he has made my chains heavy; though I call and cry for help, he shuts out my prayer;

Psalm 88:13–14 ESV

But I, O Lord, cry to you; in the morning my prayer comes before you. O Lord, why do you cast my soul away? Why do you hide your face from me?

Psalm 22:1 ESV

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning?

Luke 22:42 ESV

saying, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.”

Matthew 27:46 ESV

And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

Hebrews 4:15 ESV

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.

So, we can run to Him.

Just as Jeremiah would run to Him, the Lord, in lamentations 3.

Lamentations 3:21–23 ESV

But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

Just as David would run to Him in Psalm 23

Psalm 23:4 ESV

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

We can run to Him, because he has experienced our deepest griefs.

He has felt the deepest pain.

He has known the darkest separation and loss.

And he has paid for them.

However, that does not mean that we must never express our grief, our pain, and our loss.

for even Christ did. And he did it without sin.

There is no shame in suffering

There is no belittled position in weakness.

There is no mockery of mourning.

Matthew 5:4 ESV

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

Exodus 3:7 ESV

Then the Lord said, “I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters. I know their sufferings,

Exodus 3:8 (ESV)

and I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land

When in grief, we know that salvation is ultimately coming - but we understand that in our grief, God sees and he knows.

God hears our affliction and mourning and woes. God doesn’t sneer at them and say “stop complaining you little brats”

He says, “I see, I hear, I care, and I am making it better.”

We live, often, in the valley of questioning. Job was in the valley of questioning.

Job and friends couldn’t answer the question “why?”

God chooses not to answer the question “why?”

Probably the answer would not suffice us, for who has known the mind of God? We have no reference for working out all things for good in perfect wisdom.