Job 3:4

It may have been the pride of his heart, which could not bear to be found in such a state by people who had known his greatness. It may have been their sympathy, which weakened that pride and left him feeling his misery in full. Either way, it was the presence and the words of his friends that brought out all that was in his heart. The depths of Job's heart had not yet been reached, and reaching them was God's purpose. He acts in grace in cases like this, for the good of the soul He loves.

That day — let it be darkness; Let not God from above ask after it; And let not light shine upon it.

How could the day perish in which Job was born? (v.3). How could history reverse itself? That day had passed long before, and at the time it was a day of light that a man-child had been born into the world. Could Job's words change that light to darkness? He mentions God once in this section, wanting God to ignore that day (v.4). Later Job would thank God he had been born, and that thankfulness will last for eternity. But when trouble comes like Job's, we do not tend to think calmly and carefully. Wishful thinking will never achieve anything... he was moved by his anguish, not by faith.

Notice this. Job gives way to his feelings in this passionate outburst, yet he did not renounce God. There is not a word of rebellion against Him. All through his reply to his friends' arguments he does not lose sight of God. Again and again he expresses confidence in the unseen One.

Of only one man has it ever been said, by our Lord, that it would have been better for him if he had not been born: Judas, who sold his Master for thirty pieces of silver, betrayed Him with a kiss, and then went and hanged himself. For a child of God to wish he had never been born shows a complete, if only temporary, eclipse of faith.

The great point is what he mourns: that he was ever allowed to come into the world to bear such awful suffering. Where do you find that in Christ? "For I was sent for this purpose." The Lord accepts it; He felt it, felt it deeply; He was troubled in spirit. He felt it, but He also accepted it. For this cause He had come. Not so Job. His sufferings were nothing compared to those of Christ. Even so, he could not understand why a holy God should allow such suffering. It was inexplicable to Job.

When you wake up to the full sense of your misery, the first thought — and the most bitter one — is to curse your day. It is a terrible feeling, and where God is not known it is the thought that leads to suicide. But where God is known, as with Job, it is the start of healthy action. Not because of the discontent and wretchedness it uncovers, but because you now know and feel what death is: being cut off from everything... Discipline may have the effect of making us feel that death is better than life, but it is working out God's purpose.