Job was a remarkable man. He’s described as being “blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil.”
When he was totally wiped out by robbers, murderers and natural catastrophes it says in Job 1:20-22, “At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship and said: ‘Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.’ In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing.”
Then, when his health was attacked and his wife encouraged him to “Curse God and die,” he replied, “You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?” (Job 2:9-10). Job said all the right things. He didn’t sin in what he said.
But there were feelings of anger brewing inside of him. When his friends came and sympathized with him and tried comforting him he continued to not sin with his lips. After seven days of silence he felt comfortable enough in the small group setting of his friends to begin sharing his heart.
Job 3 opens like this: “After this, Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth.” The rest of the chapter is a lament of his despair concluding with the words, “I have no peace, no quietness; I have no rest, but only turmoil.”
Many small groups never get to the place where a member feels safe enough to share his heart. They’re satisfied with a safe level of sharing that never gets to the heart, and robs them of deep, soul healing. That’s too bad. Real healing is tough.
