7. Hold Fast Thine Integrity
Hymns: RHC 106 Christ Liveth In Me, 399 I Am Thine, O Lord, 335 Keep on Believing
Job 2:7-10
7So went Satan forth from the presence of the LORD, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown. 8And he took him a potsherd to scrape himself withal; and he sat down among the ashes. 9Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die. 10But 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 2:7-10 KJV)
Hold Fast Thine Integrity
OUTLINE
(1) In Adverse Circumstances (v7-8)
(2) With Difficult Loved Ones (v9)
(3) Godly Response to Provocation (v10)
INTRODUCTION
Why do Christians face setbacks in life? Why do we go through trials? Trials are designed to prove our faith in God. That it may become evident whether we truly belong to Him and we truly love Him and whether we fully embrace as the God of our life. For if we belong to Him, this is how the Christian go through trials? With joy and with a steadfast love toward God looking for His approval, holding faith in God without wavering.
This is how the Apostle Peter articulated it:
1 Peter 1:6-9 Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.
Trials are for a season. The season speaks of a temporal time span. There is a beginning and an ending of the season. These seasons of life come and go. God is doing in these seasons of life a mysterious work of grace in your life, a work of purification in your heart to render you more aware that this world is not your home, this self in you is not conforming to the image of God in you, and your adversary, Satan, seeks to tempt you to forsake your faith in God – lusts of the flesh, lusts of the eyes and the pride of life. These trials manifest themselves in hard circumstances and difficult people. Trials are meant to test your endurance, a patient waiting upon God, manifested in adverse circumstances and the face of difficult people. Unbeknown to Job, his trials came because of a conversation in the heavenlies between God and Satan.
It is always with the permission of God that Satan is allowed to try God’s children. And it must be highlighted that Job is not aware of the heavenly conversation between God and Satan.
We recall: KJV Job 2:1Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the LORD. 2And the LORD said unto Satan, From whence comest thou? And Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it. 3And 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. 4And Satan answered the LORD, and said, Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life. 5But put forth thine hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse thee to thy face. 6And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, he is in thine hand; but save his life. (Job 2:1-6 KJV)
We may be able to picture the plight of God’s leading servant on earth living in abject poverty, friends deserted him, mourning for the loss of his beloved children, struggling mentally, emotionally, now physically, to understand his predicament as he suddenly became infected with boils all over his body, no part of his body was spared, from the crown of his head to the bottom of his toes, he was plagued, suffering greatly.
He has to bear with the anguish of his predicament. Satan has moved the LORD against Job, to destroy him without cause. The knowledge of God and the life of God in Job’s heart will manifest itself. The times when we spend time with God cultivating our inner life with God will manifest itself in our trials. We will be able to see by our response if truly we have an anchor of our soul or when the testing time, we give up the faith.
Our Lord Jesus gave the parable of the sower to illustrate the impact of the seed of God’s Word sown in the different type of hearts.
3And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow; 4And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up: 5Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth: 6And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away. 7And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them: 8But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold. 9Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.(Matt. 13:3-9 KJV)
Stony ground – This one will listen to God’s Word with pleasure but the impression produced is only short-lived and temporary. This kind of soil is thin, with a thick layer of limestone, typical of the terrain in Palestine. The roots of a germinating seed cannot go very far. As the shoots spring up quickly but without a root system to sustain the plant. No roots mean no nourishment of water. When the sun comes up, the shoot is scorched and dies. The response to God’s Word can be an emotional one, not really rooted in the heart, with a purely emotional response, plenty of warm feelings and good resolutions but no deeply rooted system for the soul and the first cold blast of opposition and temptation may cause the religion, to wither away. The seeds grew into young plants but having no depth of root and not being able to withstand the scorching sun, they died. These hearers may have a semblance of spiritual life but when affliction or persecution arises, they choose to reject the Word, having no true faith. The Bible says, “they are offended” (Mark 4:17).
Thorny ground –Yet other seeds fell on a thorny ground where weeds so deprived the young plants (that grow subsequently) of their nutrients, causing them to die. The verb “choke” means “to crowd out”. The potency of the world to “suffocate” a man’s heart is very real. The present tense of this verb in the original suggests continual bondage that these thorns impose on the hearers to render them inept to receive the truth. And these thorns, Jesus told us, are the (1) cares of the world (2) deceitfulness of riches and (3) lust of other things. The repeated use (4 times) of the conjunction “and” in Mark 4:19 emphasizes the constant bombardment of these ungodly pursuits that prevent the hearer from receiving the Word of God and bearing fruit.
Good Ground –The fruitful heart is good ground, good soil. The heart is basically sinful. The heart that is sanctified by God’s grace, produces fruit. The Honest and Good Heart – In the origin, both has the meaning of good but there is a shade of difference. Honest – Healthy Sound and Fit. Good – The moral character of persons good, upright, worthy. It takes time to bring the harvest. Much watering, fertilizing, the rain, the sun, and when harvest comes we see the increase. The evidence of hearing the Word rightly is spiritual fruit. The fruit here is spoken to refer to the fruit of the Spirit. Repentance toward God and faith towards the Lord Jesus Christ, the holiness of life and character, prayerfulness, humility, charity, spiritual-mindedness, these are the only satisfactory proofs that the seed of God’s Word is doing its proper work in our souls. Without such fruit, our religion is vain. If the Christian neglects the cultivation of his heart, the soil will start to deteriorate. The good soil will become crowded soil. The weeds will sap the strength from the soil and it will become useless. The secret of a fruitful heart is a listening ear. Jesus says He that hath an ear, let him hear. Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing the Word of God.
Job is one whose heart is described as good ground bringing forth good fruit. Why did we say that because he kept his faith in the midst of trials! He was spiritually prepared. God Himself vouch for His servant, Job will prove it true by holding fast to his integrity.
Why do you think God allows us to go through trials? It is so that we may be a witness for the Lord – 3Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; 4Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. (2 Cor. 1:3-4 KJV)
(1) In Adverse Circumstances (v7-8)
(2) With Difficult Loved Ones (v9)
(3) Godly Response to Provocation (v10)
(1) In Adverse Circumstances
7So went Satan forth from the presence of the LORD, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown. 8And he took him a potsherd to scrape himself withal; and he sat down among the ashes.
It is during the time of your trials that you manifest the power of God in your life through faith as the Apostle Paul wrote during his imprisonment to the Ephesian church, “8Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ; 9And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ: 10To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God, 11According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord: 12In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him.” (Eph. 3:8-12 KJV)
It is during this time that we have to say to our hearts, “Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.” (Psalm 27:14). Indeed, Job may say “It is of the LORD’S mercies that we are no consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning.” (Lamentations 3:22).
How did Job suffer?
Inflamed, ulcerous sores Job 2:7
Persistent itching Job 2:8
Degenerative changes in facial skin, disfiguration Job 2:12
Loss of appetite Job 3:14
Fears and depression Job 3:24
Purulent sores that burst open, scab over, crack,
and ooze with pus Job 7:5
Worms that form in the sores themselves Job 7:5
Difficulty in breathing Job 9:18
A darkening of the eyelid Job 16:16
Foul breath Job 19:17
Loss of weight Job 19:20; 33:21
Excruciating, continual pain Job 30:27
High fever with chills and discolouring of the skin
as well as anxiety and diarrhoea Job 30:30
In addition, Job endured delirium, sleeplessness, and the rejection of friends (Job 7:3; 29:2). [Swindoll]
(2) With Difficult Loved Ones (v9-10)
9Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die. 10But 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.
Will you continue to be steadfast in your faith trusting the Lord? Is the Lord’s hand waxed short? Indeed, we must never tempt the LORD. The Israelites did that in the wilderness and kindled the wrath of the Lord. We must not be faithfless and doubt. Can God help? Is anything too hard for the Lord? Surely, He has the power, He is the Almighty God. Why then are we cast down? Let us now doubt His Word but depend simply on His faithfulness. We are not to look to the hand of man but simply to the hand of God; for man will disappoint us.
The closest relationship on earth is the husband and wife relationship. It is likened to the relationship between Christ and His church. This relationship can be sorely tested during the time of adversity especially when husband and wife are in different stages of spiritual state. Job’s wife was very discouraged when she saw the sorry state of her husband. We must remember that Job’s wife is as must a part of Job’s afflictions up to now as Job. She shared the family wealth and have been enjoying the “high life” as the wife of the the greatest of all the men of the east. Likewise, she has lost her ten children. More than Job, she was the one who bore each one of them for ten months for ten years of her life. She felt it more acutely the loss than Job. Is it fitting for her as a believer to speak such ungodly words as to ask her husband to curse God and die? She is asking her husband to end his life, end it all now, “no use prolonging your suffering”.
“I just want to die. …” This aching admission has been spoken too many times—and with tragic results. These five words reveal a soul mired in the depths of despair. All hope is gone … and all too soon, so is life itself. Have you begun to believe the lie that self-inflicted death would be better than God-given life?[1]
It is during such times of dire affliction that the believer needs to exercise faith as the psalmist showed us – Psalm 62:5-6 My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him. He only is my rock and my salvation: he is my defence; I shall not be moved.
Job’s wife, due to the distress of the moment, may be speaking inappropriately as a believer especially during the time when her husband was going through hard times. But we can understand the great pressure upon her as a result of her circumstances. May Christian wives be prepared to give a godly response to affliction especially toward her husband during the time of his affliction. It may be a loss of job, a prolonged sickness where there is an acute need for care-giving that is physically, emotionally, mentally challenging.
In all our affliction, we must not have the slightest thought to give up our faith, to compromise our integrity, our profession of faith in the Lord. This is the crucible of tribulation that God allows believers to go through. If we will trust Him, the Apostle Peter tells us that God will grant joy in the heart in the midst of affliction.
(3) Godly Response to Provocation (v10)
10But 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 has a depth of life in him that enabled him at his weakest moment to give a word of rebuke to his wife to keep the faith. He had to arrest all the faithless thoughts that may have plagued her as a result of all their circumstances. He reasoned with his wife – “shall we receive good at the hand of God and shall we not receive evil?” This is the crux of the prosperity gospel message. Believe in God and all will be well. The believer believes it but will be shocked with the reality of affliction that came his/her way and do not how to respond, often discouraged and forsake the faith. They have not been biblically taught that suffering is God’s way of purifying and sanctifying His people that we may learn the deeper lessons of faith during such times. Saints of old, in the Bible, in church history, suffered. We are no exception.
Indeed, setbacks and trials in life are not God’s way of disapproving his servants. In fact, as we have known in God’s conversation with Satan, it is the opposite, it is God’s approval for His servant that He allowed Satan to tempt him sorely to prove his integrity. Job was careful not to doubt God’s love and charge God because of his sufferings. What a great lesson for us.
The hymn by William Cowper “God Moves in a Mysterious Way” is one such to encourage believers’ during their times of affliction to continue to trust Him and take courage to keep on believing.
God Moves in a Mysterious Way
God moves in a mysterious way
His wonders to perform;
He plants His footsteps in the sea,
And rides upon the storm.
Deep in unfathomable mines
Of never failing skill
He treasures up His bright designs
And works His sovereign will.
Judge not the Lord by feeble sense,
But trust Him for His grace;
Behind a frowning providence
He hides a smiling face.
His purposes will ripen fast,
Unfolding every hour;
The bud may have a bitter taste,
But sweet will be the flower.
Blind unbelief is sure to err
And scan His work in vain;
God is His own interpreter,
And He will make it plain.
“God Moves in a Mysterious Way” was written in 1773 from England. as poem entitled “Light Shining out of Darkness”. The poem, the last hymn text that Cowper wrote, was written following his attempted suicide while living at Olney. John Newton published the poem the next year in his Twenty-six Letters on Religious Subjects; to which are added Hymns (1774).The words were composed by William Cowper (1731–1800). Comprising six verses, they were written in 1773, just before the onset of a depressive illness, during which Cowper attempted suicide by drowning.
This hymn is written to encourage believers to trust God during those moments of deep affliction as Job did in his godly response to his wife.
CONCLUSION
May the Lord strengthen His people with the mind of Job fixed upon the Lord during times of affliction to wait upon Him and keep believing. Amen.
[1] Biblical Counseling Keys – Biblical Counseling Keys – Biblical Counseling Keys: Suicide Prevention: Hope When Life Seems Hopeless.