WHEN CURSING IS A GOOD THING

 “After this opened Job his mouth, and cursed his day.” Job 3:1

Let us now dissect the second part of Job’s wife’s statement—“curse God”; and then let us make an application to Job and, more importantly, to us “upon whom the ends of the world are come.” In order to understand what we are going to put forth here we must have some idea of what it means to “curse God.” While in its most basic sense we think of cursing as spewing forth some blasphemy against God, it goes beyond that in meaning. Those that “curse God” are only expressing what they feel in their hearts toward God. Sinners hate God and often express what they feel verbally—they are being honest about what their true emotions are toward God. However, we must all learn to be honest with God about how we feel, and that is the import of these words for Job.

Job 1:9 Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die.

Luke 6:45 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.

First of all, regarding Job, to say that he was above normal human emotions is to again say that he would have been some sort of superhuman, almost above sin, and not having the same weaknesses and temptations of the flesh that are common to the rest of us. Therefore Job, being just a man and an example to us of the suffering of God’s people, had to have the same feelings as any other human would in a similar situation. We must then ask ourselves how we would feel if we experienced the same losses that Job did and had been afflicted with the same disease as he was. What would be our state of mind and what emotions would we be feeling?

1Pet 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
9 Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.

1 Cor 10:13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

Although we are not trying to present a humanistic approach to what Job was going through, it is important to understand the human psychic and how God has to peel off the layers of our human protective skin in order to get us to see our real problems. Believers understand that all problems are innately spiritual; and while psychiatrists and psychologists may achieve some measure of success in dealing with human emotional needs, only the gospel can bring about complete and lasting healing. It is interesting however, in the light of Scriptural truth, to examine what many sincere and dedicated men and women of science have discovered; even though most of them do not have the ability, unless they are also believers, to apply spiritual truth to their understanding of the knowledge which they have gained. Many psychologists say that humans go through a five step process toward emotional healing from the loss of someone who is dear and precious to them, or when they suffer some catastrophic event in their life. Swiss-born psychiatrist, Dr. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, in her book, On Death and Dying, listed these stages as denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance.[1] If we examine the story of Job carefully, we can see how Job went through each of these stages as a man before he was able to receive true spiritual insight that brought healing to his soul.

Denial:

Job 1:20 Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped,
21 And said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.
22 In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly.

Anger:

Job 3:1 After this opened Job his mouth, and cursed his day.

Job  7:17 What is man, that thou shouldest magnify him? and that thou shouldest set thine heart upon him?
18 And that thou shouldest visit him every morning, and try him every moment?
19 How long wilt thou not depart from me, nor let me alone till I swallow down my spittle?
20 I have sinned; what shall I do unto thee, O thou preserver of men? why hast thou set me as a mark against thee, so that I am a burden to myself?

Bargaining:

Job 23:1 Then Job answered and said,
2 Even to day is my complaint bitter: my stroke is heavier than my groaning.
3 Oh that I knew where I might find him! that I might come even to his seat!
4 I would order my cause before him, and fill my mouth with arguments.
5 I would know the words which he would answer me, and understand what he would say unto me.
6 Will he plead against me with his great power? No; but he would put strength in me.
7 There the righteous might dispute with him; so should I be delivered for ever from my judge.

Depression:

Job 29:1 Moreover Job continued his parable, and said,
2 Oh that I were as in months past, as in the days when God preserved me;

Acceptance:

Job 42:1 Then Job answered the LORD, and said,
2 I know that thou canst do every thing, and that no thought can be withholden from thee.
3 Who is he that hideth counsel without knowledge? therefore have I uttered that I understood not; things too wonderful for me, which I knew not.
4 Hear, I beseech thee, and I will speak: I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me.
5 I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee.
6 Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.

Although we are not going to try and make Job a case study about these five stages, we can apply the stages of denial and anger to what Job was going through. Although Job’s initial response to the reports about the loss of his wealth and children may be commendable, and is considered by many to be an act of the true patience of faith, it somehow denies that Job was a real human being—that he was subject to the same feelings as all of us. As we have already mentioned previously, something has happened to Job between the initial hearing of his loss and the later stages of the anger he began to feel towards God. All humans, when confronted with tragic human loss, enter into shock, not the physical kind, but that which numbs our soul. This shock, while preserving our sanity, has as it basis, denial—we do not want to accept what has happened. As believers, we may as Job did, commit the situation to God and attempt to ride out the crisis on a wing and a prayer in the hope that God will somehow make it all better. While we will not deny that God can and will operate that way in some situations, He did not in Job’s case, and most of the time He will not in ours. The passing of time without the presence of God or any change in our situation, soon wears down the resistance of denial and gives way to the anger that is beginning to surface.

Psa 13:1 How long wilt thou forget me, O LORD? for ever? how long wilt thou hide thy face from me?
2 How long shall I take counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart daily? how long shall mine enemy be exalted over me?

Psa 44:23 Awake, why sleepest thou, O Lord? arise, cast us not off for ever.
24 Wherefore hidest thou thy face, and forgettest our affliction and our oppression?
25 For our soul is bowed down to the dust: our belly cleaveth unto the earth.
26 Arise for our help, and redeem us for thy mercies' sake.

To Job’s credit, he acknowledged God’s hand in all that had happened to him. He recognized that the Lord gives and the Lord takes away; so he had already cleared a great hurdle that many believers do not see or want to see. To many people, God has nothing to do with the terrible things that happen to them, but think that He is somehow powerless to prevent them; that He is allowing things to happen as they will without wanting or being able to intervene. But how far from the God of the Bible is that viewpoint? Many others believe in the eternal war between good and evil, between God and Satan—that sometimes Satan wins and sometimes God wins, but in the final end God will triumph. They believe that God doesn’t want evil to happen, and He is doing all He can do to prevent it; but Satan is also powerful, and when men choose to follow him there is nothing God can do—but neither is that the teaching of Scripture.

Job 1:21 And said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.

Dan 4:34 And at the end of the days I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding returned unto me, and I blessed the most High, and I praised and honoured him that liveth for ever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to generation:
35 And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?

We may never understand, in time or eternity, what God is doing, but make no mistake, He is the Mastermind behind even the tiniest details of our lives. God is the Sovereign King over all His creation, and as we see from the Book of Job, nothing can happen unless He does it or permits it to take place. Even in the crucifixion of His own Son, God’s Sovereignty was at work. The Devil and sinful men may have been carrying out their evil desires, but it was God’s plan they were accomplishing.

Psa 40:5 Many, O LORD my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to us-ward: they cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered.

Job 1:12 And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the LORD.

Acts 4:25 Who by the mouth of thy servant David hast said, Why did the heathen rage, and the people imagine vain things?
26 The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and against his Christ.
27 For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together,
28 For to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done.

To anyone who still might doubt that God had a direct hand in all of those terrible sufferings Job went through, consider the following quotes from the beginning and the end of the book. In speaking to the devil the Lord said “thou movedst me against him, to destroy him without cause.” When his friends and family reunited with Job they “comforted him over all the evil that the LORD had brought upon him.”

Job 2:3 And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? and still he holdeth fast his integrity, although thou movedst me against him, to destroy him without cause.

Job 42:11 Then came there unto him all his brethren, and all his sisters, and all they that had been of his acquaintance before, and did eat bread with him in his house: and they bemoaned him, and comforted him over all the evil that the LORD had brought upon him: every man also gave him a piece of money, and every one an earring of gold.

The general misconception that the Devil is responsible for all of our troubles and sufferings is not totally Scriptural. The Devil may be the instrument God uses to bring problems and suffering into our lives, as he was in Job’s case, but he only fulfills the will of God. “God is light, and in him is no darkness at all”; but He also “create(d) darkness” for a Divine purpose. Peacableness is an attribute of God’s character; but He also “create(d) evil[2]” as a way to bring about His will.

1 John 1:5 This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.

Phil 4:7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Isa 45:7 I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.

Now it is acknowledged, that the things God uses are often very painful and impossible to deal with by human means. However, God is in control of every situation and nothing can happen to His own by accident, by mistake, or by the forces of evil, except what He allows. Evil does not touch His children without a divine purpose.

2 Cor 1:8 For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life:

Psa 91:1 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.
3 Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.
4 He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.
5 Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day;
6 Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.
7 A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.
8 Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked.
9 Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation;
10 There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.
11 For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.
12 They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.
13 Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet.
14 Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name.
15 He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him.
16 With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation.

Rom 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

2 Sam 7:14 I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men:

If Job understood the big issue, then what was he in denial about? First of all, he was in denial of his own grief. Job, like many people, was an emotionally strong man, and as such, feelings for him were difficult to express. Job had lost seven children as well as the comforts of everything he possessed. Can we imagine any man, no matter how strong their belief in God may be, not showing some emotion to such loss? Grief must have an emotional release—crying, mourning, and sorrow are part of the natural healing process. While God’s people do not sorrow like the world sorrows, in that we have a hope that they do not have, it nonetheless helps heal our grief as well. Job’s grief was so great that even his friends saw that no words of consolation could comfort him; and so they sat silent for seven days. Later, as the length of Job’s trial lingered, we read that Job finally began to release the emotions he felt. 

Job 1:20 Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped,

1The 4:13 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.
14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.

Job 2:11 Now when Job's three friends heard of all this evil that was come upon him, they came every one from his own place; Eliphaz the Temanite, and Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite: for they had made an appointment together to come to mourn with him and to comfort him.
12 And when they lifted up their eyes afar off, and knew him not, they lifted up their voice, and wept; and they rent every one his mantle, and sprinkled dust upon their heads toward heaven.
13 So they sat down with him upon the ground seven days and seven nights, and none spake a word unto him: for they saw that his grief was very great.

Job 6:1 But Job answered and said,
2 Oh that my grief were throughly weighed, and my calamity laid in the balances together!
3 For now it would be heavier than the sand of the sea: therefore my words are swallowed up.

Job 16:16 My face is foul with weeping, and my eyelids is the shadow of death;

Secondly, Job was in denial, or was spiritually blind to the realization that this trial was something that God was using to bring about a spiritual change in Job’s life. What Job could not understand, like all of us with only our natural minds, was God’s higher purpose in allowing these things to happen in order to change him and open his eyes to spiritual truth.

1 Cor 2:14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

Heb 12:11 Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.

Job saw himself, like many of us see ourselves, as a fairly good person. He might have recognized that he had a few faults, but compared to others, he believed himself to be better than most. He was satisfied and comfortable with his life, and based his relationship with God on how he viewed himself. Living before the writing of most, if not all of the Bible, the Book of Job being possibly it’s oldest account, we might excuse Job’s ignorance of such passages as, “every man at his best state is altogether vanity”; “all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags”; and “there is none that doeth good, no not one.” However, being like the rest of humanity, even like those of us living in the present who have the completed Word of God, he still would probably not have sufficiently equated the meaning of these verses to himself.

2 Cor 10:12 For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.

Psa 39:5 Behold, thou hast made my days as an handbreadth; and mine age is as nothing before thee: verily every man at his best state is altogether vanity. Selah.

Isa 64:6 But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

Psa 14:3 They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one.

* * * * *

When I was a very young believer, the pride of life being as yet a very strong influence in me, I thought of myself as somewhat a good person. I thought that because I was somewhat special God was attracted to me and therefore had saved me. When I was first born-again and God began to deal with my sin nature, I thought that there were only a few things that needed to be corrected until I was a truly great Christian. It was not until God’s chastening became more severe and prolonged, revealing ever more complex and deeper insights into my sin problem, that I realized the absolute foolishness of all the vanities about myself that I once held dear.

Rom 7:18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.
19 For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.
20 Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.
21 I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.
22 For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:
23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.
24 O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?

* * * * *

Thirdly, Job was in denial of the anger that was beginning to build up within himself concerning the pain he thought he was needlessly going through. More importantly, he was beginning to feel anger toward the One he knew was responsible for causing or allowing it to happen. This also may be considered the second stage of Job’s healing process.  Anger is one of our stronger emotions and in certain situations is not sinful or evil; but is a part of the psychic that God created us with. Jesus Himself displayed anger when He overthrew the tables of the money changers and drove them out of the temple with a corded rope. God is angry with the wicked every day, and throughout the Bible displays His anger even towards His own people. As Christians, we are told that it is okay to be angry, but not to let that anger lead to sins such as bitterness, hatred, and vengeance. We are told not to allow that anger to consume us or even to go to bed with it in our hearts.

John 2:13 And the Jews' passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem,
14 And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting:
15 And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers' money, and overthrew the tables;
16 And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father's house an house of merchandise.
17 And his disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up.

Mark 3:1 And he entered again into the synagogue; and there was a man there which had a withered hand.
2 And they watched him, whether he would heal him on the sabbath day; that they might accuse him.
3 And he saith unto the man which had the withered hand, Stand forth.
4 And he saith unto them, Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath days, or to do evil? to save life, or to kill? But they held their peace.
5 And when he had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, he saith unto the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it out: and his hand was restored whole as the other.

Psa 7:11 God judgeth the righteous, and God is angry with the wicked every day.

Exo 4:14 And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Moses, and he said, Is not Aaron the Levite thy brother? I know that he can speak well. And also, behold, he cometh forth to meet thee: and when he seeth thee, he will be glad in his heart.

Num 11:1 And when the people complained, it displeased the LORD: and the LORD heard it; and his anger was kindled; and the fire of the LORD burnt among them, and consumed them that were in the uttermost parts of the camp.

Gen 49:5 Simeon and Levi are brethren; instruments of cruelty are in their habitations.
6 O my soul, come not thou into their secret; unto their assembly, mine honour, be not thou united: for in their anger they slew a man, and in their selfwill they digged down a wall.
7 Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce; and their wrath, for it was cruel: I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel.

Eph 4:26 Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:

Anger must be dealt with or it will lead to bitterness and resentment. When someone makes us angry, and after we have thought about it we still believe that they have wronged us about something that truly matters, we must be open about it and confess it to God. We must forgive that person, ask God to forgive them, and possibly even confront the person so that they might realize their wrongdoing in order to seek God’s forgiveness for themselves.

Matt 18:15 Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.

Grief is often an all consuming emotion and we are powerless in its grip, but as time passes, many questions arise. Why did this happen to me or to my loved one; what did I do to cause this to happen to me; why did God allow this to happen; and where is God now when I need Him? So Job, being human and having nothing else to do but to sit and think about his trial, his life, and his God, also began to contemplate these and many other questions. Although he heretofore had expressed no outward manifestation of this inward struggle, his feelings of anger and bitterness were about to boil over. Even though he was trying hard not to express these questions and doubts to others, God already knew what was in his heart. Although God had certainly not wronged Job, or had any need to apologize to him, Job himself needed to get his feelings off his chest and express what he felt.

Heb 4:12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
13 Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.

Prov 28:13 He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.

God demands openness from us. He wants us to be honest with Him and with ourselves— to quit pretending we don’t have a problem or that nothing is bothering us. When God said to Adam, “where art thou,” as Adam hid among the trees, it wasn’t that God did not know where Adam was or what had already taken place. He wanted Adam to quit hiding and to be honest with himself and with God about what he had done. Adam was hiding in fear and would not face up to what he had done, even when confronted by the Lord. He made excuses and blamed everyone else—which in his situation only included his wife and God.

Gen 3: 8 And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.
9 And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?
10 And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.
11 And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?
12 And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.

Of course, to commit sin is a fearful thing; and for those who are under the judgment of God, it is a much more fearful thing; but for the child of God, we should not have the horrific kind of fear like those who are lost. Because God loves us, we can come to Him for forgiveness and cleansing if we are only honest with Him. He wants us to confess what is on our minds and hearts; to get things out into the open; to put into words what we are feeling; even if what we are feeling is wrong, or sinful, or questions God’s character. Nothing is hidden from God; He knows what is in our hearts. So why do we ignore our emotions and pretend that if we just don’t say anything it won’t be considered sin? Now, this openness is before God alone. We are not talking about going in front of the church or even to our closest friends and divulging our most intimate thoughts—although that may be helpful if our friend or soul-mate is truly spiritual and is given to praying and not to gossip.

1 John 4:18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.

1 John 1:7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

Jas 5:16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

Regarding the unsaved, they must be honest with God about their sin if they are going to be brought to the Saviour. Jesus, in dealing with the Samaritan woman, had to get her to face her sin openly before forgiveness could take place. As long as she was living in denial about her sinful lifestyle, what Jesus had to offer her would be meaningless. Jesus did not come into the world to save “good people”; He came into the world to save sinners.

John 4:16 Jesus saith unto her, Go, call thy husband, and come hither.
17 The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband:
18 For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly.
19 The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet.
20 Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.
21 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father.
22 Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews.
23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

1 Tim 1:15 This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.

To be honest with God is not a sin, but to try and hide our sins and feelings from Him is deceitful. Throughout the Bible we are given numerous examples of the people of God who were very open and expressive about how they felt, even toward God. The most godly men and women were often the most honest; Moses, Naomi, David, Jeremiah, even the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, all expressed in words what they were feeling.

Num 11:10 Then Moses heard the people weep throughout their families, every man in the door of his tent: and the anger of the LORD was kindled greatly; Moses also was displeased.
11 And Moses said unto the LORD, Wherefore hast thou afflicted thy servant? and wherefore have I not found favour in thy sight, that thou layest the burden of all this people upon me?
12 Have I conceived all this people? have I begotten them, that thou shouldest say unto me, Carry them in thy bosom, as a nursing father beareth the sucking child, unto the land which thou swarest unto their fathers?
13 Whence should I have flesh to give unto all this people? for they weep unto me, saying, Give us flesh, that we may eat.
14 I am not able to bear all this people alone, because it is too heavy for me.
15 And if thou deal thus with me, kill me, I pray thee, out of hand, if I have found favour in thy sight; and let me not see my wretchedness.

Ruth 1:20 And she said unto them, Call me not Naomi, call me Mara: for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me.
21 I went out full, and the LORD hath brought me home again empty: why then call ye me Naomi, seeing the LORD hath testified against me, and the Almighty hath afflicted me?

Psa 73:13 Verily I have cleansed my heart in vain, and washed my hands in innocency.
14 For all the day long have I been plagued, and chastened every morning.

Jer 20:7 O LORD, thou hast deceived me, and I was deceived: thou art stronger than I, and hast prevailed: I am in derision daily, every one mocketh me.
8 For since I spake, I cried out, I cried violence and spoil; because the word of the LORD was made a reproach unto me, and a derision, daily.
9 Then I said, I will not make mention of him, nor speak any more in his name. But his word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay.

Matt 27:46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?

In conclusion, for Job to “curse God” meant for him to express what he was already feeling. Already in his heart he was beginning to question God’s fairness and goodness, so why not say what he felt. From whom did Job think he was hiding his thoughts, certainly not from God? We may lie to our friends and say everything is okay, when inside we are a raging inferno; but God sees the heart and understands our thoughts afar off, even before we think them. How we think and feel is just as accountable as what we say and do, so why not be honest?

1 Sam16:7 But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.

1 Chr 28:9 And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind: for the LORD searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts: if thou seek him, he will be found of thee; but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off for ever.

Psa 139:2 Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off.

God requires truthfulness in the inward parts, even if it is not flattering to Him. If we go to a physician because of some ailment, we must express to him or her why we have come and what our symptoms are. We must be willing to share with the doctor even embarrassing details about our condition, and be willing for him to prescribe a cure. For emotional healing to begin we must also address what is causing the pain. Job’s doubts were causing him emotional pain, and he needed to tell the Great Physician how and where it hurt. God’s word to Job, through his wife, was not meant to dishonor God by expressing his anger in front of others who could offer no help, but before God, who alone could heal his pain.

Mark 2:17 When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

Psa 51:6 Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.

Lastly, we would say that God was leading Job to express these hidden thoughts as the means to heal Job and bring him into a better relationship with God. In the normal course of events, Job’s integrity and self-righteousness would never have allowed him to face what God wanted him to see about himself and his need for God. The Creator knows our psychic better then the psychologists who merely discover how God has made us. God understands the processes that we must go through and uses them for His own ends. Our outward shell must be, as it where, cracked open before our hearts can be reached. Just as a heart surgeon must cut through the skin and break open the breast bone in order to operate on a diseased heart, so must God. We must be made to face our true feelings about God and understand our own wicked, diseased hearts. When these emotions come out of our mouth it is hard to hide behind our “refuge of lies,” “the hiding place” of our sin.

Jer 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?

Isa 28:17 Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place.

Even as believers, this outward shell of self-righteousness and fleshly resistance to the truth must be cracked open in order for the light and power of the Holy Spirit to show through. In the account of Gideon’s victory over the Midianites, God used only three hundred men to bring about this triumph. If we dissect the analogy of how this victory was won, we can easily come to see what the Scripture is teaching. The empty pitchers were literally vessels of clay, which represents our flesh, our outward shell. Hidden inside of these vessels were lamps of oil burning bright, but their light could not be seen from without. Inside of our bodies, believers have the presence of the Holy Spirit dwelling within them. Gideon’s vessels of clay had to be shattered in order for the lamps to shine forth, just as our outward shells must be broken in order for God’s Spirit to shine forth in our lives. The light of God’s Spirit, which heretofore was covered up by the flesh, now becomes a shining beacon to draw others to Christ.

Judg 7:16 And he divided the three hundred men into three companies, and he put a trumpet in every man's hand, with empty pitchers, and lamps within the pitchers.
17 And he said unto them, Look on me, and do likewise: and, behold, when I come to the outside of the camp, it shall be that, as I do, so shall ye do.
18 When I blow with a trumpet, I and all that are with me, then blow ye the trumpets also on every side of all the camp, and say, The sword of the LORD, and of Gideon.
19 So Gideon, and the hundred men that were with him, came unto the outside of the camp in the beginning of the middle watch; and they had but newly set the watch: and they blew the trumpets, and brake the pitchers that were in their hands.
20 And the three companies blew the trumpets, and brake the pitchers, and held the lamps in their left hands, and the trumpets in their right hands to blow withal: and they cried, The sword of the LORD, and of Gideon.
21 And they stood every man in his place round about the camp: and all the host ran, and cried, and fled.

Jer 18:3 Then I went down to the potter's house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels.
4 And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it.
5 Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
6 O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the LORD. Behold, as the clay is in the potter's hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel.

Matt 5:14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.
15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.

As new believers, we are so entrenched in the ways of the flesh that even when we attempt to witness or do battle for the Lord, our efforts prove to be disastrous. I well remember many times in my life, when in mine own strength, I would try to be a witness or do some work for the Lord. Instead of seeing God’s blessings on my efforts, I experienced only defeat and shame. Religious pride and fleshly strength have no power in the battle for the souls of men. Most people see through our religious piety and are repulsed by it. In order for our efforts to be effective, we must be broken vessels, we must have “a broken and a contrite heart.” Only those who have learned to “sow in tears shall reap in joy.”

2 Cor 10:3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:
4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)

Psa 51:17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.