Bible Study

JUST FOR YOUR THOUGHTS!


The Book of Job — Bible Study 29
Job’s Formula for a Holy Life
Enoch walked with God and was taken away.
Noah lived as a righteous man.
The Bible refers to Abel as a righteous man. Hebrews 11:4.
Abraham is believed to have lived after the time of Job.
Whatever good things Job may have said about himself, there is one particular statement concerning his personal moral life that is especially noteworthy and should be considered important and necessary even for us today.
In chapter 31 of this book, there are two statements made by Job that continue to challenge us even today.
“I have made a covenant with my eyes not to look lustfully at a young woman.” — Job 31:1
“If my heart has been enticed by a woman, or if I have lurked at my neighbor’s door...” — Job 31:9
We should compare this thought with what our Lord Jesus Christ said, approximately 3,000 years later:
“Anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” — Matthew 5:28
During that period when God’s Word had not yet been given in written form, and when teachings concerning holiness and personal morality had not been emphasized extensively, Job’s understanding of how we should look at women is truly astonishing.
Today, we hear thousands of messages in our churches. There are many messages spoken for the benefit of our physical well-being. But messages concerning personal, inward holiness are very, very few.
Especially in this modern world, where we struggle to place our eyes under restraint, how necessary are these messages that emphasize guarding our eyes and making a covenant with our eyes!
Everything that can entertain or feast our eyes is freely available through Facebook, Instagram, Reels, and thousands of social media platforms.
Things that people were afraid to look at secretly thirty years ago are now freely available in the palms of our hands.
These free sources of pornography reach everyone, from an eight-year-old boy to an eighty-year-old man.
We are living at the peak of moral degradation in society. We cannot easily escape from this.
Only through personal devotion, spiritual determination, deliberate effort, a God-fearing mind, experiences of seeking God, and a mind that meditates on God’s Word can we overcome this tsunami.
How many believers and ministers who appear outwardly to be accomplishing great things for the Lord are caught up in this—only the Lord knows.
More than at any other time, this is the time when we must make a covenant with our eyes.
I can never confidently say that ministers and believers are morally superior to the people of the world in this matter.
Job lived a holy life even during a time of great comfort and prosperity. Even in severe suffering and physical affliction, he firmly held on to this conviction.
Lust is the first step toward sin.

Sin is the first step toward death.
Lust is the first step toward sin.

Sin is the first step toward death. — Wiersbe.
On the day of judgment, God will hold us accountable for both our actions and the sins that arise in our thoughts. Hebrews 4:12–13.
The sin of adultery begins first in the mind. Job’s advice concerning controlling our thoughts is therefore extremely important.
Today, there may be many things for which we do not need a bridle, but our eyes certainly need a bridle.
If we fail to put a bridle on our tongue, the consequences can be serious. But dealing with, overcoming, and making restitution for the consequences caused by failing to put a bridle on our eyes can be much more difficult.
When our moral character becomes questionable, it is very difficult to recover from it. The only remedy in the present age is to put a bridle on our eyes and make a covenant with them.
Job’s formula is extremely necessary for our generation.
Following the warning that served as a model for Joseph and Daniel in living a holy life is an essential need in our present generation.