The sorrow of Job:: his first speech

Job’s speech marks the beginning of the dialogues that dominate much of the book. This chapter is rich in thematic language, and highly poetic. Job calls upon universal images of light and darkness to communicate sadness and joy, good and evil. Job’s first words brim with overwhelming pain. His words are turned in on himself.

Job begins with the day of his birth and seeks to override it - that it may turn to darkness unobserved by God (vs 4). Job utters six encantations seeking for the day of his birth to be made dark. Note the alliteration in verses 4, 5 and 6. Darkness can be seen as analogous to the absence of God, and its usage here is reminiscent of the reversal of creation itself. Night in the midst of day is an abnormal occurrence, a distant precursor of that moment on the hill of Golgotha. Job’s desire for the day of his birth to be associated with darkness is an unsettling image, as unnatural as it would be not to celebrate the birth of a male child in his culture.

In verse 6 Job progresses from the day to night, wishing for it to be so overlooked that its passing is not even marked on calendar. In verse 7 Job moves from blackness to barrenness. Does the shout of joy Job wishes to erase refer to his birth, or to his conception? The later incantation in verse 10 invoked because the night did not close the womb suggests the latter. Verse 8 is intriguing. I am not sure what Leviathan (sea monster) refers to, and its significance here. However, the language of cursing continues. Verse 9 continues the images of reversal and frustration of a night that never gives way to dawn. Job moves on to his birth, and again evokes strong biologically based imagery supporting his wish to have not sustained life after birth. Job concludes his speech with powerful descriptors of his turmoil and lack of peace.

Job experiences the darkness of his pain as an endless night that is not relieved by day. It is a picture of hopelessness. The smothering of the day by the night may also be a metaphor for the loss of his happiness. For Job, his old life may as well never have been, as it now offers no hope or comfort. Job sees in black and white – his very life is the source of his sorrow. At this moment he seems so deep in grief that he has lost perspective. His suffering is acute – both psychologically and physically.

Job’s first words uttered after his loss reflect deep psychological pain. Pain is not something we like to think about terribly much, despite the inevitability of experiencing pain throughout different seasons of our lives. Some of us far more than others. Part of our reluctance is probably a good thing - too much time looking at pain can leave us feeling depressed and pessimistic. Just ask any introspective person! As Christians, we have a range of responses, some helpful and some not. Pain challenges us, our beliefs, and how strongly we hold them. Michael Card, a Christian song writer said that

“Like Job, our theology will fail us in times of intense sadness.”

Certainly, there is nothing like sorrow to put our faith to the test. And some (if not many) of the platitudes we grow up with fall short. I remember reading the book by Tania Levin called People in Glass Houses. She grew up in a large Pentecostal church. Throughout her youth she believed strongly that if she trusted God, committed herself to Him, prayed etc, then God would give her the desires of her heart. She was determined to follow a particular career path, studied hard, prayed about it, and was then totally devastated when she was not accepted into the course. Her theology failed her, and did not sustain her through the difficult time she faced following that failure.

I always been drawn to stories of suffering, even as a teenager. One of my favorite writers or philosophers is Elie Wiesel. Amongst many books, he wrote a slim book called Night - about his experience of the Holocaust. He later wrote:

“I have not lost faith in God. I have moments of anger and protest. Sometimes I've been closer to him for that reason.”

This quote fits well with Job who maintains a relationship with God that is honest and raw. God affirms Job, even though throughout his speeches we see Job expressing considerable anger towards God.  C.S. Lewis has written a couple of books on the subject of pain. This quote is from “A grief Observed”.

"Where is God? Go to him when your need is desperate, when all other help is vain, and what do you find? A door slammed in your face, and a sound of bolting and double-bolting on the inside. After that, silence."

These are powerful words from C.S. Lewis, written after the loss of his wife. I think many of us can relate to this - the disappointment, loneliness and anger that Lewis expresses so vividly. I can almost hear the bolt. I imagine Job could too.