Job: Self-Righteousness and Integrity
“And the Lord said unto Satan, hast thou considered Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God and escheweth evil” (Job 2:33And 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 2:3)). Notice that still he holds fast his integrity. This was not mentioned in the other instances.
This is the key to the book of Job — integrity. What does integrity mean? Well, we understand it as an honest man, a faithful man, but it means also one who holds himself righteous, self-righteousness.
That was his trouble, he was self-righteous. This was something that man could not see very well, but God could see it. As far as men were concerned, Job was upright in all his ways; none could point their finger at Job. And now God is going to allow this to come out. God is going to deal with Job, and so Satan asks that Job might be put into his hand again, and he was.
Job breaks out in boils, (notice) from the foot to the top of his head. How would you like to go around with boils covering your body from your foot to your head? Job did, I do not know how long; Job 29:22Oh that I were as in months past, as in the days when God preserved me; (Job 29:2) speaks of months, several months, but he was covered with boils.
Now notice Job 2:9: “Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? Curse God and die.” She knew, yes, she knew. Integrity, self-righteousness; oh yes, he was a righteous man before men. He did not walk in sin, but he carried that character that he himself was righteous before God, and that will never do.
And what else does she say? “Dost thou still retain thine integrity? Curse God and die.” So Job says, “Thou speakest as one of the foolish women do.” He did not say that his wife was a fool, no he kept his lips. He only said what was in order, “Thou speakest as one of the foolish women do” (Job 2:1010But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips. (Job 2:10)). But he said unto her, “What? Shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips” (Job 2:1010But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips. (Job 2:10)). As far as men were concerned his pathway was good. But God looks into the secret of our lives, and reminds us of ourselves.
And as Job was debating with his three friends in the next chapters, we find that Job finally admits that there were sins in his life, but he did not consider them too bad. He was righteous: do you see what that does to a man? It does not make a man humble, it makes him proud. Job was proud of his righteousness. That will not do.
Redemption and Resurrection Job 19
“For I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: and though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God.” Job had a Redeemer; do you have a Savior? Do you believe in resurrection? Job did. He said, “After the worms destroy this body,” (he expected to die anytime—boils from head to foot), “in my flesh I shall see God.” Isn’t that wonderful?
O what a wonderful thing resurrection is, and to “see God” in our flesh. Bodies of glory; Job did not know about the body of glory, but we do.
Elihu Job 36
Now we turn to the thirty-sixth chapter. We have another person coming in on the scene besides the three friends — Elihu. Elihu gave many wonderful things in his ministry, in his answers, but I would like to call attention to two of them.
First, “Behold, God exalteth by his power”; and second, “Who teacheth like him?” (Job 36:2222Behold, God exalteth by his power: who teacheth like him? (Job 36:22)).
The Lord Takes Over Job 38
Now that is just before the thirty-eighth chapter, where the Lord Jesus Himself takes over, and He deals with His servant Job, personally. Before he accuses him of sin, we read — “Canst thou bind the sweet influences of Pleiades, or loose the bands of Orion?” (Job 38:3131Canst thou bind the sweet influences of Pleiades, or loose the bands of Orion? (Job 38:31)). What are the sweet influences of Pleiades, or the bands of Orion? Heavenly! Job, can you bind them?
What are the sweet influences of Pleiades? There were several stars in a cluster, they are up there now, six are visible. They have some effect on the earth, sweet influences! That is the literal side of things, but you have in the next chapter or two God speaking to Job, He is going to restore his soul, and Elihu introduces it by speaking of God’s power, and now we have this introduced in the midst of it.
Here we have this beautiful illustration, “the sweet influences of Pleiades, the sweet influences of heaven. What were they? The Lord Himself is introducing things that are going to restore this man’s soul. Would he want it otherwise? No! When it is over he wants it that way, but he did not know it then. O how good God is; there was no other way. You see that Job was self-righteous, he did not know that he was a sinner from the bottom of his sole to the top of his head.
Job’s State Job 40-42
In all of these later chapters the Lord is speaking about His power, so we turn now to Job 40.
In Job’s debating with his friends he told about how God was unrighteous in what He was doing to him. Is God unrighteous in what He is doing to His people? No, He is doing the best that He can “according to our state of soul.”
“Then Job answered the Lord, and said, I know that thou canst do everything, and that no thought can be withholden from thee. I uttered that I understood not; things too wonderful for me, which I knew not. Hear, I beseech thee, I will speak, and I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me. I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee. Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes” (Job 42:1-61Then Job answered the Lord, and said, 2I know that thou canst do every thing, and that no thought can be withholden from thee. 3Who is he that hideth counsel without knowledge? therefore have I uttered that I understood not; things too wonderful for me, which I knew not. 4Hear, I beseech thee, and I will speak: I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me. 5I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee. 6Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes. (Job 42:1‑6)).
Integrity, oh! That was his trouble, and now he repents of the whole thing. Job was full of sores from the bottom of his feet to the top of his head in the sight of God. It was a picture of what he was morally by nature. He discovered it, have you discovered that?
What a wonderful discovery, because you know that God can flow out in all of this grace to us. Have we discovered that all of the time we were thinking of ourselves and our self-righteousness, we do not have any? If we are righteous it is because God in His matchless grace sent His Son down here to die, that we might have a divine righteous. That is all that have, not human righteousness.
Now, what is the result? It is so blessed, this last chapter of Job. When we read stories, we love to have them end up well. This one ends well; beautiful!
C. E. Lunden (adapted)