March 12, 2024

Is depression in the Bible?

Job 7

Bethany Cabrera
Tuesday's Devo

March 12, 2024

Tuesday's Devo

March 12, 2024

Tuesday's Devo

March 12, 2024

Tuesday's Devo

March 12, 2024

Big Book Idea

God is at work even when we can't see it.

Key Verse | Job 7:3

[S]o I am allotted months of emptiness,
and nights of misery are apportioned to me.

Job 7

Job Continues: My Life Has No Hope

1  Has not man a hard service on earth,
    and are not his days like the days of a hired hand?
2  Like a slave who longs for the shadow,
    and like a hired hand who looks for his wages,
3  so I am allotted months of emptiness,
    and nights of misery are apportioned to me.
4  When I lie down I say, ‘When shall I arise?’
    But the night is long,
    and I am full of tossing till the dawn.
5  My flesh is clothed with worms and dirt;
    my skin hardens, then breaks out afresh.
6  My days are swifter than a weaver's shuttle
    and come to their end without hope.

7  Remember that my life is a breath;
    my eye will never again see good.
8  The eye of him who sees me will behold me no more;
    while your eyes are on me, I shall be gone.
9  As the cloud fades and vanishes,
    so he who goes down to Sheol does not come up;
10  he returns no more to his house,
    nor does his place know him anymore.

11  Therefore I will not restrain my mouth;
    I will speak in the anguish of my spirit;
    I will complain in the bitterness of my soul.
12  Am I the sea, or a sea monster,
    that you set a guard over me?
13  When I say, ‘My bed will comfort me,
    my couch will ease my complaint,’
14  then you scare me with dreams
    and terrify me with visions,
15  so that I would choose strangling
    and death rather than my bones.
16  I loathe my life; I would not live forever.
    Leave me alone, for my days are a breath.
17  What is man, that you make so much of him,
    and that you set your heart on him,
18  visit him every morning
    and test him every moment?
19  How long will you not look away from me,
    nor leave me alone till I swallow my spit?
20  If I sin, what do I do to you, you watcher of mankind?
    Why have you made me your mark?
    Why have I become a burden to you?
21  Why do you not pardon my transgression
    and take away my iniquity?
For now I shall lie in the earth;
    you will seek me, but I shall not be.”

Table of Contents
Introduction to Job

Introduction to Job

Timeline

Author and Date

The unknown Israelite author of this book presents Job as a person living in Uz (see note on 1:1). Job’s godliness (1:1) matches the ideals of Israelite wisdom literature. He clearly knows Yahweh (1:21). The events of the book seem to be set in the times of the patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob).

Theological Themes

The book of Job concerns itself with the question of faith in a sovereign God. Can God be trusted? Is he good and just in his rule of the world? The book shows that the reasons for human suffering often remain a secret to human beings.

In the book of Job, God seems both too close and too far away. On the one hand, Job complains that God is watching him every moment so that he cannot even swallow his spit (7:19). On the other hand, Job finds God elusive (9:11). Though God is greatly concerned about humans, he does not always answer their most agonizing questions.

At the same time, Job’s friends offer no real help. They come to “comfort” him (2:11), but Job ends up declaring them “miserable comforters” who would console him “with empty nothings” (21:34). These friends represent an oversimplified view of faith. They think that all human troubles are divine punishments for wrongdoing. Their “comfort” consists largely of urging Job to identify his sin and repent of it. These friends are negative examples of how to comfort those who are suffering.

The book illustrates that one does not need to fully understand God’s will in order to be faithful while suffering. Those who suffer need not be afraid to express to God their confusion and questions.

Purpose

The book of Job was written to those who struggle with the question of how God can be good when the world is filled with suffering.

The author does not provide a formal defense of God’s justice. Rather, as Job’s friends offer their inadequate answers, the author shows how their reasoning fails. Then, in chs. 38–41, the Lord speaks in his own defense, bringing Job to fuller understanding (ch. 42).

Even during his suffering and confusion, before God finally speaks, Job can triumphantly declare, “I know that my Redeemer lives” (19:25).

Outline

  1. Prologue: Job’s Character and the Circumstances of His Test (1:1–2:13)
  2. Dialogue: Job, His Suffering, and His Standing before God (3:1–42:6)
    1. Job: despair for the day of his birth (3:1–26)
    2. The friends and Job: can Job be right before God? (4:1–25:6)
      1. First cycle (4:1–14:22)
      2. Second cycle (15:1–21:34)
      3. Third cycle (22:1–25:6)
    3. Job: the power of God, place of wisdom, and path of integrity (26:1–31:40)
    4. Elihu: suffering as a discipline (32:1–37:24)
    5. Challenge: the Lord answers Job (38:1–42:6)
  3. Epilogue: The Vindication, Intercession, and Restoration of Job (42:7–17)
The Global Message of Job

The Global Message of Job

Universal Questions

With its story of one man’s life and suffering, the book of Job raises universal questions. Why do people suffer, especially godly people? Where is God in suffering? Can God be trusted amid suffering? Job’s friends try to answer such questions with superficial and simplistic solutions, eventually earning God’s rebuke (Job 42:7–9).

Ultimately we learn from Job that we can hope steadfastly in our sovereign God. Instead of providing easy answers to hard questions, this incomparably glorious, all-knowing, and almighty God presents to people in all places and in all times the simplest, most powerful, and most universal answer to these questions. God’s answer to human suffering has everything to do with his own infinite goodness and care for his creation.

Suffering in a Fallen World

In the life of Job we see the breadth and depth of human suffering. We see suffering in health (Job 2:7), suffering in the loss of property (1:14–17), and suffering in the tragic death of family members (1:18–19). In Job we also listen in on a discussion in the heavenly courtroom between God and Satan (1:6–12; 2:1–7), in which God delights in the upright life of Job. There we are given a window into the normally invisible reasons for our trials and suffering.

Sin and suffering. Suffering is universal, though the kind of suffering differs from circumstance to circumstance. Sometimes we suffer because of our own sin. There is no such thing as sin without consequences. Sometimes God himself directly chastises his people for their sins. However, Job’s friends are wrong to assume that his suffering is a direct result of disobedience (Job 8:4), and it would likewise be wrong to conclude that all or even most suffering in the world today is divine punishment for specific sins. The speeches of Eliphaz (chs. 4; 5; 15; 22), Bildad (chs. 8; 18; 25), and Zophar (chs. 11; 20) reflect such wrong assumptions.

Common suffering. Another type of suffering is what we might call “common suffering.” This is suffering that affects all people without distinction. It is simply the result of living in a fallen world. It includes health problems from colds to cancer. It includes bad weather, earthquakes, and typhoons. It includes financial struggles, and even death itself. Each tragic incident in Job’s life includes an element of this common suffering.

Godliness and suffering. Not only are godly people afflicted with suffering just as others are, but the godly experience some kinds of suffering due specifically to their godliness (Matt. 10:24–33; Acts 14:22; 2 Tim. 3:12). Faithfulness to Christ will bring insult and at times persecution—suffering that could be avoided if we were not disciples of Christ. We see this principle in Job, for it was precisely Job’s uprightness that prompted God to single him out to Satan and then led Satan to seek to afflict him (Job 1:8–12).

Devastating suffering. Job’s suffering is uniquely profound and painful. Some suffering, we learn, defies any category. We discover in Job that Satan has a hand in some of the suffering of God’s people (Job 1:6–12; 2:1–7; compare 2 Cor. 12:1–10). But even such demonically instigated suffering is not outside of God’s sovereignty. Nor should our focus be on Satan when we suffer but rather on persisting in steadfast faith amid such God-ordained pain. At the very least a lesson to be learned from Job is that our vision and insight into suffering is severely limited. What is not limited, however, is God’s perfect understanding and sovereign control over every event in our lives. In the “Yahweh speeches” of Job (chs. 38–41), God does not engage Job in the details of his questions and complaints. Rather, God reminds Job that God is God and Job is not. God laid the foundation of the earth (38:4); he is God over the seas (38:8, 16), over the stars (38:31–33), and over every creature (39:1–30; 40:15–41:34).

A Global Message of Comfort and Hope

The almighty, all-good God. Despite its focus on challenges and sufferings, the book of Job speaks a message of great hope to the world. We live in a world longing for comfort and hope, and such hope is found in the sovereign God who sees, who is good, and who is faithful. We are not victims of random fate or uncontrolled circumstances. We are loved faithfully and passionately by a sovereign God who works all things for our good (Rom. 8:28). The suffering global church can take comfort amid suffering, knowing that God is pleased with our faithfulness to him, even as God expressed delight in “my servant Job” (Job 1:6–8; 2:3). James 5:11 reminds us that God will fulfill his good purposes and is indeed compassionate and merciful toward his people.

No neat formulas. Living an upright life of faith in God does not exempt us from suffering. This was the fundamental misunderstanding of Job’s friends (Job 8:6) and the reason that their “comfort” was so “miserable” (16:2). Indeed, in Job and in all of Scripture we see that suffering is a part of the experience of godly people, and that suffering is also a means for our sanctification. Suffering is a blessing as through it we learn that God’s ways and purposes are much greater than we can know (chs. 40–41). His purposes and faithfulness are much greater than the achievement of ease and a comfortable life; the global church must not make an idol out of worldly comfort and earthly abundance.

The sufferings of the Savior. Job confessed faith in the living Redeemer (Job 19:25). That Redeemer would one day come and suffer for us on a cross. Here we have yet another kind of suffering, the atoning sufferings of Christ. He suffered for our salvation, bearing the penalty for our sin. It is also our great privilege to share in his suffering (2 Cor. 1:5; 2 Tim. 1:8; 2:3; 1 Pet. 4:13). These are not the sufferings of health problems or bad weather or the consequences of our own folly. These are sufferings that flow from our union with and loyalty to Christ. There is a global attack on the righteous, but God will continue to provide sufficient grace to his people (2 Cor. 12:9).He will grow both his people and his kingdom through such suffering as it is endured in faith.

Our Intercession and Mission of Hope

Though God’s righteous anger burned against the three friends of Job, their folly was forgiven in response to the righteous intervention of Job’s prayers (Job 42:7–9). What then is the Christian response to those who suffer—and to those who cause suffering?

We are to intercede for the world, both in prayer and in life. We are to “comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God” (2 Cor. 1:4). This comfort must find expression in our ministry and service to those in need both where we live as well as around the world—to orphans, widows, and all those who suffer.

This comfort is most gloriously and eternally known as the church ministers the gospel of new hope in Christ to the world—to the lost, to the downtrodden, and even to our enemies (Matt. 5:44). For the greatest suffering in this world is not the loss of property or even family; it is to be lost in sin, without the living Redeemer.

Proverbs Fact #1: Wisdom

Fact: Wisdom

Wisdom is a key term in Job, Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes. The word can mean “skilled at making sound decisions in life.” Proverbs 9:10 states that “the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom.”

Job Fact #1: Comfort

Fact: Comfort

Comfort is a key word in the book of Job. When faced with personal tragedies, Job receives no comfort from his friends (16:2). But when God answers him (see chs. 38–41), he finds the comfort he needs.

Job Fact #7: Three cycles of conversations

Fact: Three cycles of conversations

The book of Job includes three cycles of conversations in which the friends of Job offer their comfort and advice, and then listen as Job responds. The first cycle covers chs. 4–14.

Job Fact #15: Elihu

Fact: Elihu

Elihu is the only character in the book of Job with a Hebrew name.

Job Fact #4: What is Sheol

Fact: What is Sheol

What is Sheol? In the OT, Sheol (7:9–10) is where the dead reside. It is a place of rest for believers (1 Sam. 28:14), but a place of punishment for the wicked (Isa. 14:3–23).

Job Fact #5: The sea

Fact: The sea

In the literature of the ancient Near East, the sea (9:8) is often seen as a threat to the order of nature. People looked upon the sea as something that could not be contained or conquered.

Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar

Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar

After the Lord allowed Satan to afflict Job, three of his friends, Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar, came to comfort him. However, all three wrongly assumed that Job’s suffering was the result of some hidden sin. Each man urged Job to repent so that God would have mercy on him. But Job insisted that he was innocent. Although it is true that some suffering is a result of sin, Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar oversimplified this truth. They believed that all troubles are punishments for wrongdoing, which was not the case for Job. The wrong actions of Job’s three friends should remind believers today to be wise and sensitive when dealing with people in distress. The Lord rebuked Job’s three friends and instructed Job to pray for them. (Job 42:7–9)

Study Notes
Job Fact #4: What is Sheol

Fact: What is Sheol

What is Sheol? In the OT, Sheol (7:9–10) is where the dead reside. It is a place of rest for believers (1 Sam. 28:14), but a place of punishment for the wicked (Isa. 14:3–23).

Study Notes

Job 7:11 The three parallel statements of this verse (I will . . . ) mark the transition from Job’s response to Eliphaz to his response to God. That transition is also marked by the change in reference to God from the third person (“he”) in 6:9 to the second person (“you”) in 7:12.

Study Notes

Job 7:12 Job wonders why God treats him as if he were as powerful and dangerous as the sea or a sea monster.

Job Fact #5: The sea

Fact: The sea

In the literature of the ancient Near East, the sea (9:8) is often seen as a threat to the order of nature. People looked upon the sea as something that could not be contained or conquered.

Study Notes

Job 7:16 I loathe my life. Compare 9:21; 42:6.

Study Notes

Job 7:17–18 What is man, that you make so much of him echoes Ps. 8:4 (“what is man that you are mindful of him”). However, where Psalm 8 marvels at how humanity has been crowned with glory by God, Job laments the weight of God’s watchful presence crushing him (Job 7:20).

Study Notes

Job 6:1–7:21 Job responds to Eliphaz’s words of “comfort.”

S3:052 Job 7

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Dive Deeper | Job 7

Throughout life, I have found a lot of security in the comfort that came from being raised in a Christian home.

All my life, I identified myself with my upbringing in an esteemed, whole, and picturesque Bible-believing family. Yet in the summer of 2022, that image crumbled to pieces. On August 5 of that year, I found myself driving to Springfield, MO, responding to the reality that my 28-year-old sister was rapidly dying of liver failure from alcoholism—just two weeks after my parents' 34-year marriage ended in divorce.

Inconceivably, I was doused with the peace and presence of God in those initial days of shock and loss. Yet, many days since, I have felt entirely ransacked from peace. While my story falls short compared to the endless list of Job's sufferings, I don't feel like a stranger to his response to loss and disappointment.

In the depths of his sorrow, Job asks questions of God about things that are actually not true of His character and nature. So was it wrong for him to present himself to God and his friends with such rawness and honesty?

I've questioned many times when faced with the depths of sorrow, how do I keep on living at the same enthusiastic pace as those around me? How do I respond to small talk and simple questions, like "How are you?" when you want to answer genuinely, but you also know the answer is more than the questioner really desires to hear.

Like Job, there has been a lot I still wrestle with. As hardships compounded, I felt a shift from grief to absolute depression. Yet assurance, hope, and comfort can still be found in Psalms 34:19, "Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him out of them all."

None of us know the end date to emptiness and misery, and that's okay. Even in our mess and instability, we can still find hope that one day all will be made right. Afflictions may be many, and responses might not be pretty. Yet, hope can be found because, even in the ugly, God will deliver me.

This month's memory verse

but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

– Romans 5:8

Discussion Questions

1. In what areas of your life do you find peace and security in places other than Christ Himself?

2. Do you allow yourself to walk through the hard emotions in seasons of grief and loss?

3. With whom are you able to be fully transparent while walking through hardship?

4. Which parts of Job's statements are true of God and which are off the mark?

5. Is it okay not to be okay?

As we gear up to release even more features for Join The Journey in 2025, our staff team, unfortunately, no longer has the margin to continue to support the comment functionality. We have big things in store for Join The Journey 2025. Stay tuned!

GJ

greg jones

“Job asks questions of God about things that are actually not true of His character and nature.” There are things that we can know to be true of God character and nature. But that is different than comprehending the depth of God’s character and nature. “So was it wrong for him to present himself to God and his friends with such rawness and honesty?“ No I don’t think so. Rawness and honesty is the difference between knowing what is true of God’s character and nature and comprehending the depth of God’s character and nature. It’s the difference between knowing how Job’s story is traditionally translated and living your own experience. “I've questioned many times when faced with the depths of sorrow, how do I keep on living at the same enthusiastic pace as those around me?” They need to slowdown around you. That’s on them. But you will probably live out a ton of grace before them because that is probably a part of the depth of your character and nature. “How do I respond to small talk and simple questions, like "How are you?" when you want to answer genuinely, but you also know the answer is more than the questioner really desires to hear.“ There’s no good answer to that question. But a better version of yourself will have struggled through it. “Like Job, there has been a lot I still wrestle with.” We know Job’s struggles by our own. The same Spirit that inspired the writer of Job uses our background and foreground to inspire the Word within us. “Even in the ugly, God will deliver me.” There’s a beautiful new comprehension of the depth of God’s character and nature that comes after that. It comes with a cost of a very hard experience. Great devotional Bethany. I get it.
TJ

tim jones

1. In what areas of your life do you find peace and security in places other than Christ Himself? I find peace many times in the smalls of my day. I find peace at the gym, knowing that I am doing something to better myself. I find peace playing guitar, the feeling of creating something. I find peace in my laziness at times. But these things are not the true peace I find when I am able to spend time with the Father and pour my heart out. 2. Do you allow yourself to walk through the hard emotions in seasons of grief and loss? No. I actually was one of the boys who were taught never to cry. Now as an adult it is hard for my to express myself in anything but anger to those around me when I am experiencing tough emotions. When people around me cry I get uncomfortable. I know that if the creator wept I should be able too now but it is something I am working on. 3. With whom are you able to be fully transparent while walking through hardship? My wife. She has broken through a lot o my issues and I feel that I am able to be completely vulnerable with her. 4. Which parts of Job's statements are true of God and which are off the mark? Job’s issues are not specifically true , but they are what he is feeling in the moment. Job lost everything but his life and he feels that God has abandoned him. God did not create man to struggle, but he created us to work and multiply. Then we were cursed with work being hard. So the thing we are cursed to do it supposed to be hard. 5. Is it okay not to be okay? Absolutely. For a time. But at some point there needs to be an understanding that God has his power and we may not understand his plan, it he is all powerful and knowing. Ask Him to restore your joy.
BA

ben alexander

Thanks Bethany, I appreciate the reminder of God’s deliverance … not easy to wait on the Lord. - Benjamin
CW

Carolyn Walker

I’m with you, Bethany.
MS

Michael Scaman

Job's friends try to nail the origins of Job's problem directly on Job. Job responds strongly nailing as it were his thesis of laments to the wall of the conversation where the origins of Job's problems, Job claims, are really somehow in God. Martin Luther's thesis started the whole of the Christian life is repentence, Job's will start differntly. 1 - The Whole of life is suffering Job compares human life to that of a hired hand or a slave, emphasizing the toil, emptiness, and misery that characterize his days on earth. 2 - I can't take it: He describes physical afflictions, such as his flesh being clothed with worms and dirt, and emotional turmoil, including sleepless nights filled with tossing and turning. 3 - Life is way too short and time flies before you can make sense of it: Job reflects on the fleeting nature of life, comparing it to the swiftness of a weaver's shuttle, and expresses a sense of hopelessness and despair. 4 - Life is way too short and then you die: He contemplates the brevity of life and the inevitability of death, likening death to a descent into Sheol, the realm of the dead, where one does not return. 5 - It Makes Me Angry : Job expresses his anguish and bitterness, questioning why he is subjected to such suffering and lamenting the apparent indifference of God towards his plight. 6 - It feels meaningless Job raises existential questions about the nature of humanity and its relationship with God, pondering why God is so mindful of humans and yet seemingly burdens them with suffering. 7 - I need help: He appeals to God for relief from his suffering, questioning why God does not pardon his transgressions and alleviate his pain. Tim Keller might say this is like some of the lament Psalms, Job is bringing his unvarnished pre-reflective hurt to God with his wrong ideans. Bring them to God. Psalm 39:13 : "Look away from me, that I may enjoy life again before I depart and am no more." Psalm 88: 18: "You have taken from me friend and neighbor—darkness is my closest friend." At the end of the book, God will say his friends spoke wrongly about God and Job had to make a sacrifice for them. The same critisism was not applied to Job (or Elihu) at least not in the same manner.
MS

Michael Scaman

Yes depression is in the Bible and in real life. William Cooper had life long serious depression and to cope with it wrote poetry and hyms with his friend John Newton. Together they wrote the Olney Hymnbook where Amazing Grace first appeared. William Cowper (1731–1800) was a prolific hymn writer, best known for his contributions to English hymnody. Some of his most popular hymns include: 1. "God Moves in a Mysterious Way" - This hymn reflects on God's providence and sovereignty in the midst of life's trials and uncertainties. It is widely regarded as one of Cowper's masterpieces. 2. "There Is a Fountain Filled with Blood" - This hymn celebrates the cleansing power of Jesus' blood and the redemption available through His sacrifice on the cross. It remains a beloved hymn in many Christian traditions. 3. "O for a Closer Walk with God" - This hymn expresses the desire for a deeper and more intimate relationship with God, accompanied by a longing for spiritual renewal and growth. 4. "Sometimes a Light Surprises" - This hymn emphasizes the unexpected moments of grace and divine intervention that illuminate life's darkest moments, offering hope and comfort to believers. 5. "Hark, My Soul! It Is the Lord" - This hymn encourages believers to listen attentively to the voice of the Lord and to respond with faith and obedience. It conveys themes of worship, discipleship, and divine guidance. These hymns have endured through the centuries and continue to be sung in churches around the world, but Cooper fought his depression his whole life long.
JC

Jason Cromwell

The worst saying ever Invented is, "God Helps Those Who Help Themselves." I've heard this repeated from pulpits and in Sunday School Classes. Nothing can ever be more un-Biblical than this heresy. The Bible actually teaches the exact opposite. It's only when we come to the end of ourselves that God steps in and does it for us. So pain helps us realize our need of a Savior.
SB

Sue Bohlin

Thank you for your honesty, Bethany. I’ve been living with two depressed men for 15+ years. That’s a lot of HARD. I see both of them in today’s chapter. My husband forgot his nighttime sleep meds at home and we’re on a cruise this week. Poor Ray understands all too well, “But the night is long, and I am full of tossing till the dawn.” Our son has struggled for over half his life with not understanding what God doesn’t just take him home to heaven. He understands all too well, “I loathe my life.” Oh yes, depression is in the Bible.
AL

Amy Lowther

1. In the area of life designated by God for my mom and dad, I have peace and I find peace. 2. Yes. God and Jesus help me walk through grief and loss objectively. This helps me with the learning process that goes along with loss and grief, none of which is fun. 3. I would say God because hardship is HARD. 4. The part of Job’s statement which says, “you will seek me”, is an idea I believe is true of God towards the general public. God seeks to know everyone. The part of the statement which says, “but I shall not be” is an idea of Job’s I believe is off the mark because God acknowledges each of us whether we acknowledge Him or not. 5. Yes it is ok to not be ok so long as you don’t hurt yourself or others. Bethany - Thank you for sharing your ideas. Thank you for your honesty in saying, “None of us know the end date to emptiness and misery, and that's okay. Even in our mess and instability, we can still find hope that one day all will be made right. Afflictions may be many, and responses might not be pretty. Yet, hope can be found because, even in the ugly, God will deliver me”. Excellent!