Job 3

1 Primer discurso de Job
Por fin habló Job y maldijo el día de su nacimiento.

2 Dijo:

3 «Que sea borrado el día en que nací,
y la noche en que fui concebido.

4 Que ese día se convierta en oscuridad;
que se pierda aun para Dios en las alturas,
y que ninguna luz brille en él.

5 Que la oscuridad y la penumbra absoluta reclamen ese día para sí;
que una nube negra lo ensombrezca
y la oscuridad lo llene de terror.

6 Que esa noche sea borrada del calendario
y que nunca más se cuente entre los días del año
ni aparezca entre los meses.

7 Que esa noche sea estéril,
que no tenga ninguna alegría.

8 Que maldigan ese día los expertos en maldiciones,
los que, con una maldición, podrían despertar al Leviatán.

9 Que las estrellas de la mañana de ese día permanezcan en oscuridad;
que en vano espere la luz
y que nunca llegue a ver la aurora.

10 Maldigo ese día por no haber cerrado el vientre de mi madre,
por haberme dejado nacer para presenciar toda esta desgracia.

11 »¿Por qué no nací muerto?
¿Por qué no morí al salir del vientre?

12 ¿Por qué me pusieron en las rodillas de mi madre?
¿Por qué me alimentó con sus pechos?

13 Si hubiera muerto al nacer, ahora descansaría en paz;
estaría dormido y en reposo.

14 Descansaría con los reyes y con los primeros ministros del mundo,
cuyos grandiosos edificios ahora yacen en ruinas.

15 Descansaría junto a príncipes, ricos en oro,
cuyos palacios estuvieron llenos de plata.

16 ¿Por qué no me enterraron como a un niño que nace muerto,
como a un niño que nunca vivió para ver la luz?

17 Pues una vez muertos, los malvados no causan más problemas
y los cansados encuentran reposo.

18 Aun los cautivos logran tranquilidad en la muerte,
donde no hay guardias que los maldigan.

19 El rico y el pobre están allí,
y el esclavo se libera de su dueño.

20 »Oh, ¿por qué dar luz a los desdichados,
y vida a los amargados?

21 Ellos desean la muerte, pero no llega;
buscan la muerte con más fervor que a tesoro escondido.

22 Se llenan de alegría cuando finalmente mueren,
y se regocijan cuando llegan a la tumba.

23 ¿Por qué dar vida a los que no tienen futuro,
a quienes Dios ha rodeado de dificultades?

24 No puedo comer a causa de mis suspiros;
mis gemidos se derraman como el agua.

25 Lo que yo siempre había temido me ocurrió;
se hizo realidad lo que me horrorizaba.

26 No tengo paz ni tranquilidad;
no tengo descanso; sólo me vienen dificultades».

Job 3 Commentary

Chapter 3

Job complains that he was born. (1-10) Job complaining. (11-19) He complains of his life. (20-26)

Verses 1-10 For seven days Job's friends sat by him in silence, without offering consolidation: at the same time Satan assaulted his mind to shake his confidence, and to fill him with hard thoughts of God. The permission seems to have extended to this, as well as to torturing the body. Job was an especial type of Christ, whose inward sufferings, both in the garden and on the cross, were the most dreadful; and arose in a great degree from the assaults of Satan in that hour of darkness. These inward trials show the reason of the change that took place in Job's conduct, from entire submission to the will of God, to the impatience which appears here, and in other parts of the book. The believer, who knows that a few drops of this bitter cup are more dreadful than the sharpest outward afflictions, while he is favoured with a sweet sense of the love and presence of God, will not be surprised to find that Job proved a man of like passions with others; but will rejoice that Satan was disappointed, and could not prove him a hypocrite; for though he cursed the day of his birth, he did not curse his God. Job doubtless was afterwards ashamed of these wishes, and we may suppose what must be his judgment of them now he is in everlasting happiness.

Verses 11-19 Job complained of those present at his birth, for their tender attention to him. No creature comes into the world so helpless as man. God's power and providence upheld our frail lives, and his pity and patience spared our forfeited lives. Natural affection is put into parents' hearts by God. To desire to die that we may be with Christ, that we may be free from sin, is the effect and evidence of grace; but to desire to die, only that we may be delivered from the troubles of this life, savours of corruption. It is our wisdom and duty to make the best of that which is, be it living or dying; and so to live to the Lord, and die to the Lord, as in both to be his, ( Romans 14:8 ) . Observe how Job describes the repose of the grave; There the wicked cease from troubling. When persecutors die, they can no longer persecute. There the weary are at rest: in the grave they rest from all their labours. And a rest from sin, temptation, conflict, sorrows, and labours, remains in the presence and enjoyment of God. There believers rest in Jesus, nay, as far as we trust in the Lord Jesus and obey him, we here find rest to our souls, though in the world we have tribulation.

Verses 20-26 Job was like a man who had lost his way, and had no prospect of escape, or hope of better times. But surely he was in an ill frame for death when so unwilling to live. Let it be our constant care to get ready for another world, and then leave it to God to order our removal thither as he thinks fit. Grace teaches us in the midst of life's greatest comforts, to be willing to die, and in the midst of its greatest crosses, to be willing to live. Job's way was hid; he knew not wherefore God contended with him. The afflicted and tempted Christian knows something of this heaviness; when he has been looking too much at the things that are seen, some chastisement of his heavenly Father will give him a taste of this disgust of life, and a glance at these dark regions of despair. Nor is there any help until God shall restore to him the joys of his salvation. Blessed be God, the earth is full of his goodness, though full of man's wickedness. This life may be made tolerable if we attend to our duty. We look for eternal mercy, if willing to receive Christ as our Saviour.

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO JOB 3

In this chapter we have an account of Job's cursing the day of his birth, and the night of his conception; Job 3:1-3; first the day, to which he wishes the most extreme darkness, Job 3:4,5; then the night, to which he wishes the same and that it might be destitute of all joy, and be cursed by others as well as by himself, Job 3:6-9; The reasons follow, because it did not prevent his coming into the world, and because he died not on it, Job 3:10-12; which would, as he judged, have been an happiness to him; and this he illustrates by the still and quiet state of the dead, the company they are with, and their freedom from all trouble, oppression, and bondage, Job 3:13-19; but however, since it was otherwise with him, he desires his life might not be prolonged, and expostulates about the continuance of it, Job 3:20-23; and this by reason of his present troubles, which were many and great, and came upon him as he feared they would, and which had made him uneasy in his prosperity, Job 3:24-26.