Introduction:

 * In this lesson we see that the Bible does not shy away from dealing with the topic of depression.

 “Depression is often characterized as a recent phenomenon, an illness of the modern age. But if you read the Bible, you will find that depression was just as present in those times too. Mnay great men of God-like David and Jeremiah-struggled with feelings of despair and darkness. We should find comfort in knowing that depression is something that can affect any person of faith, and that God sees and understands our pain.*”                 

 B. On one notable Sunday morning in 1866

            1. C. H. Spurgeon shocked his 5,000 listeners when he got up in

                 a. London’s Metropolitan Tabernacle

                 b. And began a sermon from Isaiah 41:14 with these words:

 “I have to speak today to myself, and whilst I shall be endeavoring to encourage those who are distressed and downhearted, I shall be preaching, I trust, to myself, for I need something which shall cheer my heart-why I cannot tell, wherefore I do not know, but I have a thorn in the flesh a messenger of Satan to buffet me, my soul is cast down with me; I feel as I had rather die than live; all that God has done by me seems to be forgotten, and my sprit flags and my courage breaks down…I need your prayers.”          – C. H. Spurgeon

 C. For some of Spurgeon’s listeners it was incomprehensible that

            1. The worlds’ greatest preacher would confess to such despair

 D. But no one is immune to depression;

            1. Not even great preachers and men of God

 E. Even the great reformer Martin Luther was subject to such fits of darkness

            1. That he would hide himself away for days

 F. His family would even remove all dangerous implements from the house

            1. For fear that he would harm himself

 G. In the midst of one of these times he wrote:

 “For more than a week I was as close to the gates of death and hell as one can be. I trembled in all my members. Christ was wholly lost. I was shaken by desperation and blasphemy of God.”    - Martin Luther

 H. Everyone from Adoniram Judson (America’s first foreign missionary) to –

            1. Pilgrim’s Progress author – John Bunyan, to –

            2. The prophet Elijah…

                        a. Suffered from the darkness of depression at one time or another in their lives

 I. Just what is depression?

 “It can be defined as a condition marked by low spirits, gloomy feelings, dejection, sadness, feelings of worthlessness, and accompanying guilt.*”        

 J. Too often today many define depression as many things,

            1. But it is important to remember that

 “Depression is much more than a case of the blues-depression is embodied emotional suffering. It is manifested in both mental and physical ways, in unfounded negativity and lethargy as well as deep pain and alienation.*”

 K. As we come to the 3^rd chapter of Job -

            1. His health is gone

            2. His family is gone

            3. His wife has abandoned him

            4. And he is sitting on the ash heap outside the city

 L. At this point, there is no indication that God intends to explain to Job what He is doing

            1. So to Job, this experience is totally void of meaning

 M. Ray C. Stedman, from his book ‘Let God be God’ wrote:

 “Few things are harder to bear than meaningless suffering. If we could see some reason for what we have to go through, we could more easily endure it. But pointless trouble is corrosive to our souls.”

 N. And so now as we begin Job 3;

            1. Job begins to express his grief

            2. For the 1^st time he really begins to talk;

            3. It is evident that something has happened to him

                        a. He has become full of depression and despair

 O. Job displays his emotions through the form of a question in 3 different laments;

            1. For tonight we will examine his 1^st lament

I. Why Was I Born? (3:1-10)

 ¹ After this Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth.

 A. How easy it would be to think:

            1. “Satan said that Job would curse God, now he does it”

 B. But look closer

            1. He is not cursing God, he is cursing the day of his birth

            2. There is a major difference

 C. Between the words:

            1. “Why was I ever born?” and

            2. “I no longer believe in You, God”…Job is saying –

 “I am so completely alone. I regret that I ever drew breath. I regret that I was ever conceived in my mother’s womb.”

 D. Now remember Job’s circumstances

            1. The man is sitting at the city dump

            2. Head shaved

            3. Wife wringing her hands

            4. Three friends sitting and staring in silence for 7 days/nights

            5. And worst of all, no hope from above

 E. After all that, Job opened his mouth and out came:

 “I wish that I had never been born.”

 F. And then he continues in Verse 2, saying -

 ² And Job spoke, and said: ³ ”May the day perish on which I was born, And the night in which it was said, ‘A male child is conceived.’

 A. Note Job doesn’t call the fetus a tissue; it’s a child

      1. As soon as the sperm enters the egg-LIFE!

 B. During the patriarchal era, “A boy! A boy!” We are going to have a boy! How wonderful!”

      1. Job here says, “No, no, don’t say that, don’t celebrate!”

 ⁴ May that day be darkness; May God above not seek it, Nor the light shine upon it. ⁵ May darkness and the shadow of death claim it; May a cloud settle on it; May the blackness of the day terrify it. ⁶ As for that night, may darkness seize it; May it not rejoice among the days of the year, May it not come into the number of the months (forget my birthday, take it off the calendar). ⁷ Oh, may that night be barren! May no joyful shout come into it! ⁸ May those curse it who curse the day, Those who are ready to arouse Leviathan.

 A. Sort of interesting here,

            1. Job says ‘let those who curse it, curse the day’

 B. Job’s not very experienced at cursing,

            1. So he says, “let those who use such profane talk, curse for me”

 C. He adds:

            1. “Who are prepared to rouse Leviathan”

 D. What in the world is Leviathan?

 Webster’s Dictionary

“A sea monster represented as an adversary.”

 E. But it goes further back than that-

            1. More specifically,

 “Leviathan was a 7-headed sea monster of ancient Near Eastern mythology. In the ancient Ugaritic literature of Canaan and Phoenicia, eclipses were caused by Leviathan’s coming out of the sea, swallowing the sun or the moon, and therefore causing darkness to be cast on this earth. As Leviathan was roused from its sleep in the sea, the myth saw it swallowing up the sun or the moon.

          You say, ‘What?’ And I answer “Poetry.” Like I mentioned earlier in this chapter, that’s a great way to handle such things as this, isn’t it? It’s poetry. NO, those thoughts are more than poetry, they represent mythology. If you travel to Turkey or Greece these days and you have an individual who is a native of that land now serving as a professional guide on the tour, you will hear a great deal about mythology. I might add, you will hear virtually no theology. Extensive mythology is the basis of the gods of those lands. And in the ancient, patriarchal days it remained a part of their culture and literature.”         – Charles Swindoll

 F. So Job picks up the thought and says, in effect

            1. “Let Leviathan swallow up the sun of the day, make it dark.”

  ⁹ May the stars of its morning be dark; May it look for light, but have none, And not see the dawning of the day; ¹⁰ Because it did not shut up the doors of my mother’s womb, Nor hide sorrow from my eyes.

 A. Notice here how many times Job uses the words ‘LET & MAY’

            1. Technically, these words are known as ‘jussives’ in Hebrew syntax

 B. Think of them as “wish verbs”

            1. They represent what Job is wishing…

                        a. “May this happen, may that happen…”

                        b. “Let this take place, let that take place..”

                        c. “Let these things occur. Let those things occur.”

                                    i. It’s poetry, remember?

 C. Job is depressed!

            1. “I want nothing to do with this thing called life”

 D. Interestingly, suicide doesn’t enter his mind

            1. Never an attempt

            2. Never a word about it

            3. This thought was foreign to the life of the faithful Job

*Tried, Tested, & Triumphant, the Book of Job – David Jeremiah