Job 31:1-40

Job makes one final plea that summarizes his view of his situation.  He recognizes that sin is justly punished and he is ready to accept any just punishment for his transgressions.  However, Job’s conscience is clear before both God and man.  He does not know of any blatant sins in his life that would justify the current judgment from God that he has had to endure.  In this Chapter Job goes through a set of hypothetical situations where he simply states that if he had committed a wide variety of sinful actions or attitudes he would readily accept his current judgments as being just.  However, he is not at all aware of any of these sins being present in his life.  Job’s list of hypothetical sins provides us with a very good summary of the areas of our lives that we need to practice vigilance.  These are the areas of sinfulness that tend to capture the hearts of men and bring the wrath of God down upon us.

LUST FOR WOMEN: Job knows the weakness of men and their tendency to lust after women.  Job had made a covenant with his eyes not to look upon a young woman with lust.  He has taken every precaution to prevent his heart from desiring the wife of his neighbor or any woman that was not his wife.  Immorality is a common area of temptation for men.  We cannot be passive in our efforts to keep our eyes, minds and hearts pure from the lust of women.  We must take practical steps that will keep us accountable for the way we use our computers, what we watch on television and how we look at and think about members of the opposite sex.  Job recognized that these sins of immorality would just bring about the wrath and judgment of God.  However, Job was able to stand before God and his friends and affirm that he was above reproach in this area.  We must make every effort to be able to stand by Job’s side in this area and have a pure conscience.

LIES IN WORDS: Integrity is another area that is the downfall of many men.  Their words cannot be trusted and their actions are not accordance with the Law of the Lord.  Job was able to say that his words were trustworthy and that he had been obedient to the Law in his dealings with men.  He did not lie to create an advantage for himself.  He did not use unjust weights in his business or charge unfair prices for the things that he sold.  His words were honest and could be trusted by all who were around him.  I think that it is significant that he is able to make this case for himself before these friends who have been with him all of this time.  Obviously if he had been a man who lacked integrity these men would be able to point out times where he had been deceptive.  No such accusations were made.  We need to make every effort to watch our words and operate our businesses in a way that is above reproach.  We must value honesty and justice above our own personal comfort or profit.

LOVE OF WORLD: Love of money and the things that this world has to offer is another area that cases many men to stumble and fall.  The desire for riches, fame and power is a very common sin that has taken many men down the path of destruction.  It is easy to trust in our riches as opposed to trusting in the Lord.  It is easy to be selfish with our money instead of using it to meet the needs of those who are less fortunate than we are.  God blesses us with possessions so that we can be a blessing to others and invest those resources in the furtherance of the kingdom of God.  Job was a very wealthy man before all of this calamity came down upon him.  However, he did not love his wealth.  He used his wealth to serve others and continued to trust in the Lord.  Greed and the love of money is not just a plague on the hearts of men who have wealth.  All of us are greatly tempted in this area no matter how much or how little we may have.  Ingratitude is a dangerous sin that infects the hearts of many men.  We must learn to be content and grateful for whatever the Lord has provided.