book of אִיּוֹב

3:3 Let the day perish wherein I was born, and the night in which it was said, There is a man child conceived.

3:4 Let that day be darkness; let not God regard it from above, neither let the light shine upon it.

3:5 Let darkness and the shadow of death stain it; let a cloud dwell upon it; let the blackness of the day terrify it.

3:6 As for that night, let darkness seize upon it; let it not be joined unto the days of the year, let it not come into the number of the months.

3:7 Lo, let that night be solitary, let no joyful voice come therein.

3:8 Let them curse it that curse the day, who are ready to raise up their mourning.

3:9 Let the stars of the twilight thereof be dark; let it look for light, but have none; neither let it see the dawning of the day: 3:10 Because it shut not up the doors of my mother's womb, nor hid sorrow from mine eyes.

3:11 Why died I not from the womb? why did I not give up the ghost when I came out of the belly? 3:12 Why did the knees prevent me? or why the breasts that I should suck? 3:13 For now should I have lain still and been quiet, I should have slept: then had I been at rest, 3:14 With kings and counsellors of the earth, which build desolate places for themselves; 3:15 Or with princes that had gold, who filled their houses with silver: 3:16 Or as an hidden untimely birth I had not been; as infants which never saw light.

3:17 There the wicked cease from troubling; and there the weary be at rest.

3:18 There the prisoners rest together; they hear not the voice of the oppressor.

3:19 The small and great are there; and the servant is free from his master.

3:20 Wherefore is light given to him that is in misery, and life unto the bitter in soul; 3:21 Which long for death, but it cometh not; and dig for it more than for hid treasures; 3:22 Which rejoice exceedingly, and are glad, when they can find the grave? 3:23 Why is light given to a man whose way is hid, and whom God hath hedged in? 3:24 For my sighing cometh before I eat, and my roarings are poured out like the waters.

3:25 For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me.

3:26 I was not in safety, neither had I rest, neither was I quiet; yet trouble came.

book of job's gotta be one of the most discussed topic in the world, in the most general sense of the topic, not restricted to any particular religious perspective. for not doing anything but just being around, job is played as a pawn between satan and god, seriously getting his butt kicked. it's highly unfair but why is it that we are expected to find this great salvation through job's suffering if he clearly did not deserve any of it? is he simply expected to pull through just because he is a god supporter? does job's suffering matter to either parties? did they care- if so, were they caring for the outcome of their bet (hoping job wont die before the bet was over) or the pawn itself? let's simply forget the usual question associated with book of job and take a short look: why does bad things happen to good people?

it doesnt really matter the way i look at book of job today. bad things happen, yes, but it shouldnt happen just because there are external parties involved who are playing around with another life, just prove a point- or to create a point, establish a case, make an example, whatevers in between. job really didnt do anything in particular that made him to 'deserve' his situation. job just happened to be an exemplanary person (which, if one may pinpoint, should have been recognized and at least not punished for it), and just because he was capable, or god/satan thought job was the fitting choice of such experimentation, job suffers. needlessly. without ground.

yes, sure, the book of job talks about how he gets supplimented later for his 'given' sufferings with long life and such, but really, is that even fair? to suffer not because of one's actions, but because of one's external circumstances? and when you say 'thank you' later, or even be patronized for the suffering later, does it really nullify the thoughtlessness of god/satan?

may be i am too human, but as i look at book of job today, i cant help but agree with job's litany about his suffering. it had nothing to do with his own actions, but everything to do with being at the wrong place at the wrong time. then should job just forgive god for playing a pawn with him later? just because god explained later? just because god 'rewarded' job?

the external parties playing games with job's life angers me today.

3:16 Or as an hidden untimely birth I had not been; as infants which never saw light.