When Do Curses and Questions Cross the Line?
JOB’S VERY FIRST SPEECH (Job 3) introduces a large and recurring theme of the book. What is the place and nature of doubt and questioning in our relationship with God? Indeed, Job was neither the first nor the last Bible figure to experience—and express—doubt, disappointment, and even anger.
Since we know that God said at the beginning and end of this book that Job did not sin in his complaints against God, we have somewhat of a set of bookends or a perspective from which we can see all that Job says in the chapters in between. In other words, we must take none of his words at face value. We must see beyond the surface words to their true intent.
Job’s words are totally unfiltered because of his pain—“ . . . my words have been rash because the arrows of the Almighty are in me . . . ” (6:3b-4a). In another chapter, we will consider how our physical state affects our spiritual state. Suffice it to say here that this concept was something Job’s friends had no understanding of—or tolerance for.
His friends could not see beyond Job’s words. They approached him on the wrong level; they tried to reason with him theologically based solely on his “rash” choice of words instead of commiserating with him and journeying alongside him to a place of understanding—or at least acquiescence. They even seemed to fear Job’s words. In fact, that’s precisely what Job accused them of (v. 6:21). They apparently worried that God would hear and would be offended.
His curses and complaints were multiplied and varied throughout the third chapter. Job cursed the day he was conceived, he cursed the day he was born . . . he even cursed the stars that shone that night!
As already mentioned, Job is not alone in the words of scripture. Even Christ wished that certain things could have happened in other ways—the most poignant of those desires was expressed with bloody tears in the Garden of Gethsemane before the crucifixion, that the “cup” of suffering he would have to drink would pass from him (Matthew 26:39). Earlier, he had wished and “longed to” gather Jerusalem “under his wings” as a hen gathers her chicks, but they would not have it (Matthew 23:37, Luke 13:24). He used the word “will,” “wish,” or “desire” that implies “desire the best for.”
Doubts versus Questions
We will discuss what Job doubts and questions and how he doubts and questions. He has faith and seeks understanding. On a personal note, there have been times when I thought that it would have been better if I did not believe in an all-knowing, all-powerful, all-loving God. Then, I could blame all my less-than-happy experiences on blind chance or fate—with no moral “coloring” to them. Perhaps that is a bit like Job’s thinking here.
So, what is the difference between doubting and questioning? We have a prime example in the New Testament during Jesus’s first coming. Mary, his mother, wondered aloud to the angel how his birth would take place since she was a virgin. At the core, she did not doubt that the birth would happen. She simply desired clarification.
On the other hand, Zechariah, the priest, doubted that the birth of John the Baptist would even happen due to his age and that of his wife, Elizabeth. In Zechariah’s case, God made him mute for three months for his deliberate doubting. Mary, however, was given a tender (yet still incomprehensible) explanation of how her conception would take place.
God’s view and reaction to our doubt and fear appear to revolve around the intent or attitude of our hearts. In the case of sinful doubt, the heart assumes that the being does not exist, that the event will not happen, and that the words are false. In the questioning that is accompanied by faith, on the other hand, we are simply trying to align our reasoning and our experience with our heartfelt trust. The first type of attitude is rarely answered, or if it is, it is usually accompanied by punishment. The second is (sometimes) graciously answered.
Punishment versus Correction
God’s reaction to our doubt is sometimes mild and merciful, as with Zechariah, and occasionally deadly, as with the people of Israel, upon hearing the spies’ report before entering the promised land. They were sent back into the wilderness to die—rather more severe than simply being tongue-tied for a few months.
Our lesson is that God welcomes our questions. After all, he made us rational creatures in the first place. He appeals to our minds and to our emotions—perhaps even more. I think he enjoys it when we put our entire selves into learning of him, his world, and his ways. Like the scientist at his bench, the engineer at his wheel, the child learning to walk or talk, we are all learning of God and of God’s works. It is only when we think we know too much, that we know better than him, that our frustration—and ultimately our judgment—comes.