Job 3

Job 3:1

II. THE DEBATE BETWEEN JOB AND HIS FRIENDS (Chaps. 331)Chapter 3 begins a series of discourses by Job and his friends, the largest and most complex section of the book. Ridout describes it well: It has been well named The Entanglement, for it is a mass of argument, denunciation, accusation, suspicion, partly correct theories, and withal flashes of faith and hopeall in the language of loftiest poetry, with magnificent luxuriance of Oriental metaphor. To the casual reader there may seem to be no progress, and but little clarity in the controversy. And it must be confessed that God’s people at large seem to have gained little from these chapters beyond a few familiar, beautiful and oft-quoted verses. These discourses may be divided into three series: Job first speaks, then is answered by one of his friends; Job replies to him, only to be answered by another; poor Job seeks to defend himself againonly to be rebuked by the third friend! The three series of discourses may be shown as follows:

First RoundSecond RoundThird RoundJob: Chap. 3Job: Chaps. 12-14Job: Chap. 21Eliphaz: Chaps. 4, 5Eliphaz: Chap. 15Eliphaz: Chap. 22Job: Chaps. 6, 7Job: Chaps. 16, 17Job: Chaps. 23, 24Bildad: Chap. 8Bildad: Chap. 18Bildad: Chap. 25Job: Chaps. 9, 10Job: Chap. 19Job: Chaps. 26-31Zophar: Chap. 11Zophar: Chap. 20(Zophar does not speak again.)The arguments of the three friends may be summarized as follows: Eliphaz stresses experience or general observation: “I have seen. . . .” (Job_4:8, Job_4:15; Job_5:3; Job_15:7; Job_22:19). Bildad is the voice of tradition and the authority of antiquity (Job_8:8). “His discourses abound in proverbs and pious platitudes which, though true enough, are known to everyone (Job_9:1-3; Job_13:2).” Zophar counsels legalism and religiosity (Job_11:14-15). “He presumes to know what God will do in any given case, why He will do it, and what His thoughts about it are.” His ideas are mere assumptions, pure dogmatism. The remaining portion of the book is taken up with a long speech by a young man named Elihu (Chaps. 32-37), and then by a conversation between God and Job (Chaps. 38-42). Job ends with a prose epilogue that matches the prologue. A. The First Round of Speeches (Chaps. 314)

1. Job’s Opening Lament (Chap. 3)3:1-9 This chapter has been well titled “Unhappy Birthday,” because in it Job curses the day of his birth, extols the blessings of death, and yet complains that he cannot die! He assigns total darkness to the day a male childhimselfwas conceived. 3:10-12 Since he was conceived and born, why couldn’t he have died at birth? (It is worth noting that even in his tremendous bitterness and grief Job does not suggest either abortion or infanticide, which were common evils in the ancient world, and are now so again today in the West.) 3:13-19 Job praises death as a situation where the weary are at rest, small and great are there, and the servant is free from his master. 3:20-26 Next he questions why the light of life is given to those who are in misery (as he was) and long for death as if for hidden treasures. Verse 25 is very famous: For the thing I greatly feared has come upon me, And what I dreaded has happened to me. Could this indicate that even in Job’s happy and prosperous days he had fears of losing what he had? This is a common characteristic of the very rich: extreme fear of losing wealth and having to live a frugal life. Riches give no real security; only God can give that.