The Pain is Real – Job 3:1-26

This sermon is part of the sermon series “God’s Blessing through Suffering”

Job was a righteous man who feared God and had been blessed with wealth, children, and good health.

• Job loses his children and wealth
• His wife tells him to curse God and die
• Three friends come to comfort him
• They sit in silence with him for seven days

The Reality
Every human experiences suffering in some form – physical pain, emotional distress, loss of loved ones, financial hardships, or spiritual struggles. It’s a universal part of the human experience that connects us all.

In times of suffering, we often feel isolated and alone, but Job’s story reminds us that even the most righteous people face intense trials.

Today’s passage – After losing his children, wealth, and health, Job breaks his seven-day silence with an outpouring of anguish and lament.

1. Job Expressing The Weight of His Suffering (Job 3:1-10)

After this Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth. And Job said:

“Let the day perish on which I was born,
and the night that said,
‘A man is conceived.’
Let that day be darkness!
May God above not seek it,

nor light shine upon it.
Let gloom and deep darkness claim it.
Let clouds dwell upon it;
let the blackness of the day terrify it.
That night—let thick darkness seize it!
Let it not rejoice among the days of the year;
let it not come into the number of the months.
Behold, let that night be barren;
let no joyful cry enter it.
Let those curse it who curse the day,
who are ready to rouse up Leviathan.
Let the stars of its dawn be dark;
let it hope for light, but have none,
nor see the eyelids of the morning,
because it did not shut the doors of my mother’s womb,
nor hide trouble from my eyes.”

Job curses the day of his birth, wishing he had never been born.

• He curses the day of his birth
• He wishes for darkness to claim that day
• He expresses deep regret for his existence

Imagine the intensity of his pain – unbelievable pai

• He longs for complete non-existence rather than facing his current pain
• He views his birth as a tragic event that brought him into suffering
• He sees life itself as a burden too heavy to bear

2. Job Questions the Purpose of his existence (Job 3:11-19)

“Why did I not die at birth,
come out from the womb and expire?
Why did the knees receive me?
Or why the breasts, that I should nurse?
For then I would have lain down and been quiet;
I would have slept; then I would have been at rest,
with kings and counselors of the earth
who rebuilt ruins for themselves,
or with princes who had gold,
who filled their houses with silver.
Or why was I not as a hidden stillborn child,
as infants who never see the light?
There the wicked cease from troubling,
and there the weary are at rest.
There the prisoners are at ease together;
they hear not the voice of the taskmaster.
The small and the great are there,
and the slave is free from his master.”

Job questions why he was given life if it would lead to such suffering.

• He ponders why he didn’t die at birth
• He observes how death brings rest to all people
• He notes how suffering ends in the grave

3. Job Questions why God gives suffering (Job 3:20-
26)

“Why is light given to him who is in misery,
and life to the bitter in soul,
who long for death, but it comes not,
and dig for it more than for hidden treasures,
who rejoice exceedingly
and are glad when they find the grave?
Why is light given to a man whose way is hidden,
whom God has hedged in?
For my sighing comes instead of my bread,
and my groanings are poured out like water.
For the thing that I fear comes upon me,
and what I dread befalls me.
I am not at ease, nor am I quiet;
I have no rest, but trouble comes.”

In verses 20-26, Job grapples with one of the most profound theological questions: why does God allow suffering to continue?

• He acknowledges God’s sovereignty over life and suffering
• He wrestles with the paradox of God giving life yet allowing misery
• He expresses the futility felt by those trapped in cycles of pain

The Reality of Pain in the Christian Life

• Faith doesn’t exempt us from suffering

Scripture provides many examples of faithful people experiencing suffering:

• David’s psalms of lament (Psalm 13:1-2): “How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?”
• Paul’s thorn in the flesh (2 Corinthians 12:7-9): “Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this… But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you'”
• Jesus in Gethsemane (Matthew 26:38): “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death”
• Jeremiah’s struggles (Lamentations 3:1-3): “I am the man who has seen affliction under the rod of his wrath”

These examples demonstrate that even those closest to God experienced deep suffering while maintaining their faith.

• God allows space for genuine lament

The Bible offers numerous examples of lament and crying out to God:

• “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning?” (Psalm 22:1)
• “Why, O Lord, do you stand far away? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?” (Psalm 10:1)
• Pain can coexist with deep faith

As people of the new covenant, we ought to look at suffering through the lens of the Gospel.

How the Gospel Transforms Our Pain

The gospel doesn’t eliminate our pain, but it reframes it in several powerful ways:

• Jesus experienced human suffering, demonstrating God’s empathy
• The cross shows that God can bring purpose out of pain
• The resurrection promises ultimate restoration
• Our suffering is temporary in light of eternal hope

Practical Steps for Processing Pain Through the Gospel Lens

Acknowledge the Pain: Like Job, we can be honest with God about our
suffering

1. Acknowledge the Pain: Like Job, we can be honest with God about our suffering
2. Remember Christ’s Suffering: Jesus experienced physical, emotional, and spiritual anguish on the cross
3. Trust God’s Presence: Even when we can’t feel Him, God promises to never leave us (Hebrews 13:5)

“Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.'”

4. Look to Community: Share burdens with fellow believers who can pray and support us

5. Focus on Eternal Hope: Our present sufferings are not worth comparing with future glory (Romans 8:18)

“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.”

The Purpose of Pain in Light of the Gospel

• Pain can deepen our dependence on Christ
• Suffering can make us more compassionate toward others
• Trials can refine our faith and character
• Our testimony in suffering can point others to Jesus

Remember: The gospel doesn’t just give us hope for the future; it gives meaning to our present suffering as we follow in the footsteps of our suffering Savior who ultimately triumphed over all pain and death.

Conclusion

As we conclude our study of Job 3, we are reminded that expressing pain and questioning God in times of suffering is not a sign of weak faith. Job’s raw honesty teaches us that we can bring our deepest anguish to God.

However, unlike Job who could only see his suffering through the lens of the old covenant, we have the privilege of viewing our trials through the transformative lens of the cross. We know that our suffering is not meaningless and that God Himself, through Jesus Christ, entered into our suffering to redeem it.

Application Question: How will you view your current struggles differently when seen through the lens of Christ’s suffering and triumph?

Let us pray: Heavenly Father, thank you that you are not distant from our
pain but entered into it through your Son Jesus Christ. Help us to trust you even when we don’t understand our suffering. Give us the strength to persevere, knowing that you are working all things for our good and your glory. In Jesus’ name, Amen.