The Joy of Glory

Job 27 (click here)
Far be it from me to say that you are right; till I die I will not put away my integrity from me. 6 I hold fast my righteousness and will not let it go; my heart does not reproach me for any of my days. (Job 27:5-6)

Reflection
Job will never agree with his friends that he is being punished for some hidden sin. To have a relationship of integrity with God is more valuable to him than life itself. His friends say, “Repent and you will have favorable circumstances again,” but Job says, “I haven’t sinned.”

Let’s imagine for just a moment that Job did what his friends asked. He repented (even though he had not sinned) in order to experience God’s good gifts again. If he did that… he would actually be proving Satan’s accusation in chapter 1, namely, that Job only follows God because of God’s good gifts.

Job will not try to manipulate God! He will not give into his friends who are actually serving as tempters on behalf of Satan. No. He will hold fast to his integrity and value God above all!

Temptation to sin can come from anywhere…even through people attempting to give us “Godly” counsel. Job was able to spot the temptation because he knew the Lord intimately and he knew he’d done nothing to harm that relationship. We will be able to spot and fight temptation more effectively when we know the Lord more intimately.

*The complete SVCC Lenten reading guide is available here.