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约伯记［第3章］|Book of Job 3

【苦难人生的出路】

主讲: Ps. Deborah

14/12/2023


引言：生日快乐

生日是纪念一个人出生的日子。是一个人，人生当中重要的一天。通常会与家人朋友欢庆，并领受祝福和礼物的。总而言之是生日是开心的日子。但是今天晨祷第3章，约伯却让我们看到，他不喜欢生日，生日对他来说，一点都不快乐。

约伯记前两章提到因为神允许撒旦试探约伯，所以他从一个非常富有，儿女成群的大富豪，变得一无所有。不但如此，撒旦使他从脚掌到头顶全身都长了又脏又臭的毒疮，成为社会的边缘人。在这样的情况下，他的妻子不但没有给予安慰，还叫他离弃神，死掉算了。他只能独自承受着身心灵上的煎熬和苦楚，就连他的3个朋友也无法给予任何帮助。像这样从天堂掉到地狱的处境，让原本敬虔、坚定的约伯开始信心动摇，且陷入崩溃。终于打破长久的沉默，在今天第3章开口发出悲叹，唱出了生日的哀歌，并咒诅自己的出生。

一、苦难是出生的大错？（v1-10）

约伯记的第1-2章，还有最后42章，是叙述文。其他章节全都是诗歌体。约伯不知道这些苦难是来自于神所允许，对他的试炼，所以，经过了7天7夜的忍受，他开始疑惑，宣泄心中的情绪、苦楚、甚至咒诅自己的出生，觉得自己的出生是一个天大的错误。

弟兄姐妹，你是否有过像约伯这样的经历？一夜之间失去了所有的财富、亲生的儿女、事业以及身体的健康、家庭的和睦。在那种生不如死的痛苦中，你当时的回应是什么？是否也像约伯那样觉得，自己的出生是一个大错误？

二、死亡是最好的解脱？

(1) 死亡不是生命的终点 约伯在苦难中已经看不到神创造人的美意。V11约伯认为，既然一定要出世，那为什么不一出母胎就夭折或绝气身亡？ 很多人遇到像约伯这样绝望的地步，尤其是还没信主的，都会想求死算，因为觉得死了就能一了百了，解脱那痛不欲生的苦楚。但是事实真的是这样吗？

人死如灯灭，但死亡不是生命的终点。死亡只不过是永恒去处的开始。我们都知道死后有审判。而决定我们永恒会去哪里？将取决于今生是否回应神创造我们的目的。

(2) 灭亡也不是被造目的

约伯敬畏神，但还不够认识神，所以还不明白人生经历苦难和存活的目的。以为人只是在地上渡过一生，最后不论贵贱善恶都在死亡中安息，所以轻看生命而求死。灭亡不是神造人的目的。不然耶稣就不需要来到世间为我们死。神爱我们，祂希望我们在永恒里与祂同住。祂更希望我们在地上的年日，尤其是经历苦难时，至始至终仍爱祂、信任祂。

(3) 苦难是荣耀神的见证

每一个生命，都是神精雕细琢的作品。神期盼透过我们得胜苦难的生命见证得着荣耀。

三、求死的人需要有光 ( v20-26)

v20 & 23，2次提到受患难求死的人，为何有光赐给他呢？

光=原文有生命之光、兴旺之光、教导之光 虽然约伯已经绝望到求死的地步，被恐惧和惧怕淹没到只看到苦难却忘了神。但是神没有忘记他。不断的将光赐给他。要用光唤醒他、调整他的生命、教导引领他重新专注信靠神。神岂不也常常如此对待我们。

还没认识主的人，神都这么爱他们。更何况是我们，他所爱的儿女。只要我们愿意寻求祂的面，神就巴不得光照我们，帮助我们调整眼光心思，甚至给我们出路，派人来扶持我们等。

总结：紧抓神施恩的手 求神也帮助我们，痛苦中要以神为中心，紧抓神施恩的手。让神的光照进我们的心中。有光、有树、就有路。心中有光、命中有树、道中有路。

Job Chapter 3: The way out of a life of suffering

GK611 Morning Devotion 14/12/2023 The Morning Devotion Speaker: Ps Deborah Tan Introduction: Happy Birthday

A birthday is a day that commemorates a person's birth. It is an important day in a person's life. It is usually celebrated with family and friends and blessings and gifts are received. In short, birthdays are happy days. But today in Morning Devotion chapter 3, Job shows us that he doesn't like birthdays, he is not happy at all.

The first two chapters of the book of Job mention that because God allowed Satan to tempt Job, he went from being a very rich man with lots of children to having nothing. Not only that, but Satan caused him to have dirty, smelly, painful boils all over his body from the soles of his feet to the top of his head, making him a marginalised member of society. In such a situation, his wife not only did not give him comfort, but also told him to forsake God and die. He could only bear the physical and spiritual torment and suffering alone, and even his three friends could not give him any help. The situation of falling from heaven to hell like this made the originally godly and firm Job's faith begin to waver and fall into a state of collapse. He finally breaks his long silence and opens his mouth in today's chapter 3 to lament, sing a birthday's lamentations, and curse his own birth.

1. Is suffering the great fault of birth? (v1-10)

Chapters 1-2, and the last 42 chapters of Job, are narrative. All the other chapters are in poetic form. Job did not know that these sufferings were from God's permitted trials for him, so after 7 days and 7 nights of enduring, he began to doubt, venting his heart's emotions, bitterness, and even cursing his own birth, feeling that his birth was a great mistake. Brothers and sisters, have you ever had an experience like Job? Overnight you lost all your wealth, your own children, your career, and your physical health and family harmony. In that kind of pain that is worse than death, what was your response at that time? Did you feel, like Job, that your birth was a big mistake?

2. Is death the best relief? (v11-19）

(1) Death is not the end of life

Job had lost sight of the beauty of God's creation in his suffering. V11 Job thought, "Why did I not die at birth? Why did I not perish when I came from the womb?

Many people, especially those who have not yet believed in the Lord, would want to seek death because they think that death would be the end of the matter, relieving them of the pain and suffering. But is this really the case?

Death is like extinguishing a lamp, but death is not the end of life. Death is only the beginning of an eternal destination. We all know there is judgment after death. And the decision of where we will go in eternity? It will depend on whether or not this life responds to God's purpose for creating us.

(2) Neither is perishing the purpose of creation

Job feared God, but did not know Him well enough to understand the purpose of life through suffering and survival. He thought that man only spends his life on earth, and at the end of it, no matter how good or bad he is, he rests in death, so he despised life and sought death. Perishing is not the purpose of God's creation. Otherwise Jesus would not have needed to come to earth to die for us. God loves us and He wants us to live with Him in eternity. He wants us to love and trust Him throughout our years on earth, especially when we go through suffering.

(3) Suffering is a testimony to the glory of God

Every life is a work of God's fine craftsmanship. God expects to be glorified through the testimony of our lives that we have overcome suffering.

3. Those who seek death need light (v20-26)

v20 & 23, 2 references to the afflicted man who seeks death, why is there light given to him? Light = in the original text, light of life, light of prosperity, light of instruction Though Job was desperate enough to seek death, so overwhelmed by fear and dread that he only saw suffering but forgot God. But God did not forget him. Constantly giving him light. To awaken him with light, to adjust his life, and to teach and lead him to refocus his trust in God. Doesn't God often do the same with us?

He loves those who have not yet come to know the Lord. Not to mention us, His beloved children. As long as we are willing to seek His face, God is eager to shine His light on us, to help us adjust our vision and mind, and even to give us a way out, to send us someone to support us, etc.

Conclusion: Hold on to God's hand of grace

Pray that God will also help us to be God-centered in our pain and to hold on to God's hand of grace. Let God's light shine into our hearts. Where there is light, there is a tree, there is a way. When there is light in our hearts, tree in our lives and ways in the Word

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