Nights of Misery
Insomnia through the ages
The Book of Job starts with an argument between God and Satan. God brags that Job is one of his most devoted servants. Satan counters with the idea that Job is only loyal to God because God has provided him with a happy and satisfying life. So God tells Satan to go ahead and ruin Job’s life to test his loyalty.
Satan proceeds to kill Job’s livestock and children and plagues him with boils and worms. On top of that, Job doesn’t get to sleep. Job complains:
Like a slave longing for the evening shadows,
or a hired laborer waiting to be paid,
so I have been allotted months of futility,
and nights of misery have been assigned to me.
When I lie down I think, ‘How long before I get up?’
The night drags on, and I toss and turn until dawn…
When I think my bed will comfort me
and my couch will ease my complaint,
even then you frighten me with dreams
and terrify me with visions,
so that I prefer strangling and death,
rather than this body of mine.
I despise my life; I would not live forever.
