Hold Fast to Your Integrity

Job 27:1-23

1 Moreover Job continued his discourse, and said:

2 "As God lives, who has taken away my justice,
And the Almighty, who has made my soul bitter,
3 As long as my breath is in me,
And the breath of God in my nostrils,
4 My lips will not speak wickedness,
Nor my tongue utter deceit.

5 Far be it from me
That I should say you are right;
Till I die I will not put away my integrity from me.

6 My righteousness I hold fast, and will not let it go;
My heart shall not reproach me as long as I live.

7 "May my enemy be like the wicked,
And he who rises up against me like the unrighteous.

8 For what is the hope of the hypocrite,
Though he may gain much,
If God takes away his life?

9 Will God hear his cry
When trouble comes upon him?
10 Will he delight himself in the Almighty?
Will he always call on God?

11 "I will teach you about the hand of God;
What is with the Almighty I will not conceal.
12 Surely all of you have seen it;
Why then do you behave with complete nonsense?

13 "This is the portion of a wicked man with God,
And the heritage of oppressors, received from the Almighty:

14 If his children are multiplied, it is for the sword;
And his offspring shall not be satisfied with bread.

15 Those who survive him shall be buried in death,
And their widows shall not weep,

16 Though he heaps up silver like dust,
And piles up clothing like clay—
17 He may pile it up, but the just will wear it,
And the innocent will divide the silver.

18 He builds his house like a moth,
Like a booth which a watchman makes.

19 The rich man will lie down,
But not be gathered up;
He opens his eyes,
And he is no more.

20 Terrors overtake him like a flood;
A tempest steals him away in the night.

21 The east wind carries him away, and he is gone;
It sweeps him out of his place.

22 It hurls against him and does not spare;
He flees desperately from its power.

23 Men shall clap their hands at him,
And shall hiss him out of his place.

Job gave us the example to hold fast to our integrity in the assaults and slander of others.  Job did not know why God seemed to have taken away justice from him and allowed bitterness to overwhelm him at suffering for doing what is right (1 Peter 2:20), yet he did not speak wickedness or deceit in return.  He held to his God-given integrity and righteousness.  He did not want to answer for his heart’s deceit if he gave up and gave in to such lack of faith in God in the midst of adversity.  Even though his enemies came against him as wicked and unrighteous, Job gave the example for us to hold fast and continue to do what is right in God’s sight.  If he did not, then he would be as the ungodly hypocrites who ran after their best life now with selfishness and temporal gain instead of eternal, without hope and facing only death in the end.  Such could take nothing material with them when they died.  It is complete nonsense to believe otherwise, to live opposed to God and righteousness and then expecting Him to intervene in bad times just because they cry out to Him in trouble.  No, God requires a heart set on following Him.  The ungodly will not get what they want (Psalm 1:4-6), amd all they build up in life will be left behind for others to divide among themselves and leave no good lasting memories; Ll would have been in vain.  May we then learn what matters for eternity in God's kingdom in Christ and seek to be holy because He is holy, following the example of Job to hold fast to our integrity and the righteousness of Christ in Him.