Spiritual Integrity

The book of Job was the first book of the bible ever written. Although not placed first in the bible, and rightfully so, Job was the first book written. We know that the first revelation written with the finger of God was given to Moses, so it is safe to assume that he wrote the book of Job. Whenever God uses a word or a phrase in the bible for the first time, that first usage always embodies important information. Checking first usage of something illuminates truth we may never otherwise see. Job being the first written scriptural revelation from God to man, it holds truth of supreme importance.

This is easy to understand. For example, the first time parents teach their young children to cross the road they pay particular attention to the instruction they are giving. They teach their children that a green light at a pedestrian crossing means it is safe to cross, while a red light means it is not. They teach them to look both ways to check for oncoming traffic before stepping out into the road. These basic precepts are impressed on them with special emphasis because it is their introduction to road traffic safety and their lives depend on it. Job, if you please, is our introduction to spiritual road traffic safety.

So, what particular emphasis do we find in the book of Job? What is it that is so important about it? What are the first lessons God wanted man to know? Well, to begin with, Job is the only book that contrasts the goodness of God with the evil of the devil. It is the only book in the bible that does this. The book of Job also shows us how to live in fellowship with God for a lifetime, and clearly reveals the primary weapons the devil uses against us to prevent that.

To revisit our example of teaching children to cross roads for a moment, consider that the lesson on green and red traffic lights never changes after that, regardless of how much further teaching we may receive. When we learn to drive as adults, those foundational truths regarding green and red traffic lights has not changed. Our perspective as responsible drivers as opposed to children being taught road traffic safety for the very first time may have changed, but the foundational truths regarding red and green lights has not.

Despite the importance of traffic lights and their colours, when I sat my driving test I don't recall my driving instructor asking me if I knew what red and green traffic lights meant. It was not one of the questions required to pass my driving test. In fact, I don't think I would have appreciated my test instructor asking me if I knew the difference between red and green traffic lights. Have you ever seen parents take their adult children by the hand to the roadside to check if they still know what red and green traffic lights mean? How insulting and patronising would that be?

Similarly with the truths set in the first book of the bible ever written, the book of Job. The foundational truths regarding spiritual red and green traffic lights are set here, and God does not patronise us by repeating them all through his word. He expects us to remember these truths when we read the rest of the bible.

Here is a question for you - do you want to have the strength and commitment to stand for the true God for the rest of your life, regardless of anything the world may throw at you? If so, then pay attention, because the book of Job shows us how to do just that.

Job 1:1
There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil.

This guy Job (pronounced Joab) was perfect and upright, someone who feared God - meaning he had tremendous awe, reverence, and respect for God - and he eschewed evil, it was distasteful to him. The word fear in 1611, when the King James bible was first translated, had more than one meaning, just as our modern word bank has more than one meaning. The context in which the word bank is used determines its meaning. In 1611, the word fear meant awe, reverence, and respect, as well as its more commonly understood meaning today, and the context within which it is employed determines its meaning.

Job was a faithful believer, a disciple. That is God's testimony of Job. This is important to remember as it is crucial to our understanding of what follows.

Job 1:2
And there were born unto him seven sons and three daughters.

Job had a big family, so he obviously got on well with his wife. How do I know? Well, women do not generally enjoy such productive sex lives with their husbands unless they are deeply in love with them. Job was a good husband. He was also a good father. He was a wonderful family man.

Job 1:3
His substance also was seven thousand sheep, and three thousand camels, and five hundred yoke of oxen, and five hundred she asses, and a very great household; so that this man was the greatest of all the men of the east.

Not only was he a successful family man, Job was an amazingly successful businessman. It makes you wonder where folks get the idea from that God wants his people to be poor. For the record, God invented commerce, not the devil, and true prosperity comes by applying biblical principles which are a little different to the world's standards. It is okay with God to have money. There is nothing wrong with wealth. Job was the richest man in the world in his day, and God was quite happy with that. It is our attitude to money that is the key, but more on that later.

God's testimony of Job is that he was perfect and upright, someone who found evil distasteful, unpalatable.

Job 1:4,5
And his sons went and feasted in their houses, every one his day; and sent and called for their three sisters to eat and to drink with them.

And it was so, when the days of their feasting were gone about, that Job sent and sanctified them, and rose up early in the morning, and offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all: for Job said, It may be that my sons have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts. Thus did Job continually.

Here is our first clue that all is not well. Job was concerned that his children had broken fellowship with God, and perhaps had even cursed him in their hearts. So he did burnt offerings for them, just in case. If he had these worries, why did he not deal with them? Why did he not sort this out with his family? Had his sons done or said things that may have caused him to worry about this? The word does not tell us, so we do not know. Whatever the reasons, Job had concerns that carried over into his actions by way of the offerings he made for his children. This is an important clue to understanding what happened next.

Job 1:6,7
Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them.

And the LORD said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.

There are some intriguing truths here. For example, the devil can only be in one place at one time. God is everywhere present, omni-present, but the devil is not. The all-seeing eye is not as all-seeing as he would have us believe.

Job 1:8
And 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?

God repeats that Job is perfect and upright. The point is, Job has done nothing wrong. Remember this, because some who read this book either ignore this fact or forget it very quickly.

Job 1:9,10
Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought?

Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land.

Here is proof that it is God's will for his people to have abundance. Even the devil himself informs us that it was God who blessed Job with everything.

Job 1:11
But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face.

Remember the phrase curse God to his face because we will be dealing with it shortly. Suffice to mention that if the devil was trying to get Job to curse God to his face, whatever it is, it isn't something we want to be doing.

Job 1:12
And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the LORD.

It is interesting to note that the devil now had access into Job's life, but only because God had to allow it. This is fundamental. The devil can only get to us if we walk outside of God's protection - if we make a hole in the hedge for him to get in, so to speak.

God's protection can be likened to an umbrella in the rain - if we stay under the protective canopy we remain dry, but if we wander outside we become wet. If we stay within God's boundaries, within his hedge of protection, we remain safe. It is when we walk away from God's protection that the devil gains access.

Job 1:13-19
And there was a day when his sons and his daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother's house:

And there came a messenger unto Job, and said, The oxen were plowing, and the asses feeding beside them:

And the Sabeans fell upon them, and took them away; yea, they have slain the servants with the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.

While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, The fire of God is fallen from heaven, and hath burned up the sheep, and the servants, and consumed them; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.

While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, The Chaldeans made out three bands, and fell upon the camels, and have carried them away, yea, and slain the servants with the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.

While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, Thy sons and thy daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother's house:

And, behold, there came a great wind from the wilderness, and smote the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young men, and they are dead; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.

In the space of just a few hours, Job's business empire lay in ruins and his children were dead. No longer the wealthiest man in the world, he was now one of its poorest. Job lost his entire business empire and his family through 'natural' catastrophes and invasion from enemies. And wasn't it nice of the devil to leave one man alive in each case to make sure Job heard the news as quickly as possible. There is nothing the devil enjoys more than ensuring folks hear the details of what he has been up to quickly so they will talk about him. He likes to brag about what he's been doing while events are still current and fresh. We will be handling newspapers and the media later.

Now it's time to stop and think. Who did all this to Job? Was it God or was it the devil? Well, it is clear, it was the devil. Being the first book of the bible ever written, these fundamental truths contrasting the goodness of God with the badness of the devil are set and established. Green lights mean go and red lights mean stop. God is good, and the devil is evil. This truth is set here, and it never changes again throughout the entire word of God.

Job 1:20-22
Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped,

And said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.

In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly.

We know from verse 12 that it was the devil who did this to Job. That is very clear. There can be no mistaking who did this to Job. Yet look at what Job said: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.

Job seems to contradict what we have just learned, and appears to state that God did this to him. However, the word clearly teaches that it was satan, the devil, who did this to him. So what is the answer? Well, it is an idiom. An idiom is a figure of speech that is unique to a particular culture, where words are employed to mean something other than what they literally say. For example, in our culture a hotdog is not a roasted cocker spaniel, it is a sausage in a roll. To us that is so clear it needs no explanation. However, to a foreigner perhaps visiting our culture for the first time they might find it a little strange being offered a hotdog for lunch. Might they not picture a dog roasting on a spit? Job was using an idiom here, that which we refer to as the idiom of permission. Job was not stupid, he knew where the attacks were coming from. Look at what the word says:

Job 1:22
In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly.

Job did not charge God with having done all this to him, he did not blame God. If the police charge you, they charge you with a crime. Job did not charge God with these crimes.

The culture behind this idiom of permission is intriguing. Back in Job's day, folks passionately detested the devil, so much so that they absolutely refused to give him any credence or credit for his works. They simply refused to talk about him, or acknowledge his power and influence. In other words, they did not read newspapers, they switched off their televisions when the news came on, and they certainly didn't spend their day discussing what he was up to. When things went wrong, as they did then just as they do today, instead of giving glory to the devil by discussing all his bad news, they understood things in light of God having granted permission to allow things to happen because they had messed up somewhere.

Another important aspect of this idiom of permission to understand is that God gave a specific commandment in the old testament to not even mention other gods.

Exodus 23:13
And in all things that I have said unto you be circumspect: and make no mention of the name of other gods, neither let it be heard out of thy mouth.

If they were not to make mention of the devil out of their mouths, then Job was doing what the word said in not making mention of the devil when he spoke.

Another way to understand this idiom of permission is to think of it in light of gravity. God designed gravity to bless man and enrich our lives. Can you imagine a world without gravity? Would we even be able to live without it? Now if someone is silly enough to fall off a cliff and badly injure himself, is that God's fault because he designed gravity and built it into the physics of life? Sure, you can blame your injuries on God because he made gravity, but the truth is your injuries are your fault. Somewhere along the way, you messed up, you missed something, you didn't do your job.

Just as God is not responsible for injuries caused by gravity, even though he invented it, he is not responsible for what happened to Job. Satan attacked Job, but we have to understand that God gave him the permission to do it because he had no other choice. This is the first book of the bible ever written and this is the very first chapter of the first book of the bible ever written. God is good and the devil is bad. The devil did all this nasty stuff to Job, not God. God is always good, and that truth carries throughout the entire bible.

1 John 1:5
This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.

There is no darkness in God, none at all. God never did a mean thing to anyone in his life. Therefore, every time you read in the bible that God did something nasty you have to understand it in light of this idiom of permission. The devil only gets through because God is forced to allow it. That is this idiom of permission.

Now, why would this be the subject of the first chapter of the first book of the bible ever written? Simple, because it is probably the most fundamental spiritual lesson you will ever learn regarding spiritual road traffic safety. Green lights mean go, red lights mean stop. God is good, the devil is bad. This fundamental truth is set here and never changes again. Do not forget it. Your spiritual road safety will depend on it.

Job was perfect and upright. How do we know? God said so, twice so far. Job had a wonderful family life, and he was the richest man in the world. That wealth did not just pop in through his letterbox in the form of a lottery cheque either. He worked hard and was extremely successful in business. Then the devil got in, destroyed his business empire and killed his children. However, that is not the end of the story. The devil is not finished with Job quite yet.

Job 2:1-3
Again 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.

And 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.

And 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.

What does God say about Job in verse 3? He says he is perfect and upright. This is the third time God has said this. Do you think he is making a point? All this nasty stuff did not happen to Job because he was evil then, did it? Why? Because he wasn't evil, he was perfect and upright. This is important. Some churches and ministers teach that God makes people sick and does nasty things to them because they are sinners, and they often quote Job as their example. Job was not a sinner, he had committed no crimes, he was perfect and upright. And just for the record, even if people do mess up and are attacked, it is the devil attacking them, not God.

Job 2:4-8
And Satan answered the LORD, and said, Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life.

But put forth thine hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse thee to thy face.

And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, he is in thine hand; but save his life.

So went Satan forth from the presence of the LORD, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown.

And he took him a potsherd to scrape himself withal; and he sat down among the ashes.

Who smote Job with sickness and disease? Was it God? No, it was not. It is very clear that it was the devil. There can be no misunderstandings or misconceptions about who did this to Job. Just to be sure, read it again.

Job 2:7
So went Satan forth from the presence of the LORD, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown.

It was satan, the devil, who smote Job. Was Job evil? Had Job committed any crimes? No, he was perfect and upright. Some teach that Job suffered these things because he was a sinner, but what they teach is religious horseshit that contradicts the bible. Job was perfect and upright. These things happened to him without cause. That is the testimony of the word and the word is true.

God's will for man is a wonderful family life with abundance, prosperity, and happiness. In contrast, we have seen the devil's will for man - poverty, disease, sickness, and death. The two contrast starkly and this sets the tone and mood for the entire bible. God is good and the devil is evil.

John 10:10
The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

The thief here is a figurative reference to the devil. All he comes to do is to steal, to kill, and to destroy. That is all, nothing else. That is what he lives for. He is good at what he does too, and don't expect anything else from him. Everything he does is in the categories of stealing, killing, and destroying, even to those who worship him.

Job had an amazing life, but he lost everything. He lost his children, his business, and his health. He was so sick, he was at the point of death. His skin was suppurating with poisonous sores. He was disgustingly sick and diseased. Did he deserve it? No, he was perfect and upright. God has told us that three times. Now look back at verse 3.

Job 2:3
And 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.

Do you see that word integrity? We are now going to find out what integrity is, what the bible says integrity is. Job retained his integrity despite the attacks on his life. You see, it was Job's integrity the devil was after. Therefore, whatever integrity is, it must be important, massively important that we hold it fast like Job did. You see, these attacks on Job's life had a purpose other than just to make him miserable. They had design, they had purpose - they were an attempt to break his integrity.

Note also, that both times the devil asked for permission to attack Job, he bragged that he would get Job to curse God to his face.

Job 1:11
But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face.

Job 2:5
But put forth thine hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse thee to thy face.

Is it possible, therefore, that Job's integrity and cursing God to his face could somehow be connected? It is axiomatic, but we will take the time to explore this. Look at the last verse of chapter one.

Job 1:22
In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly.

This is the main point of the chapter. Even though the devil attacked Job so viciously, Job did not turn on God and waggle accusatory fingers at him. He knew where the attacks were coming from, and he did not blame God for the evil, he did not charge him with the crimes. Think about this in the context of Moses teaching this to the bitching and complaining Israelites escaping from Egypt.

Job still had his integrity intact. How do we know? God said so in chapter 2 verse 3. Again, this destruction in his life was without cause, meaning he had not sinned, that he was perfect and upright, that he had not done anything to deserve this stuff. Now look at verse 9 of chapter 2 where we see integrity and cursing God woven tightly together.

Job 2:9
Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die.

My goodness. After all Job had been through, his own wife turned on him. But before you write her off, think of what she's been through as well. All her children are dead. She must have loved them. Her husband's business is in tatters, he is stinking with suppurating sores, dripping with pus, at the point of death. Her sorrow and hurt, coupled with her public humiliation and shame must have been horrendous. How do you think she felt? Sure, she was wrong, but don't be so hard on her. How would you hold up under the same circumstances? Now look at Job's response. It is absolutely staggering. He didn't tell her to fuck off, he gently reproved her with the word.

Job 2:10
But 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.

Lovingly and kindly, he brought her back to the word. Even though he was in such a mess, he still loved his wife enough to teach her the word. No wonder God called Job perfect and upright three times. God was impressed with this dude, and with good cause.

Job 2:9
Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die.

The issue of his wife aside, here we see integrity, the biblical definition of integrity, contrasted with what it is not, which is to curse God. The implication here is that if you curse God, you lose your integrity. To have integrity, therefore, is not to curse God. Look again at verse 5 and verse 3 very closely.

Job 2:5
But put forth thine hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse thee to thy face.

Job 2:3
And 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.

The devil tried to get Job to curse God to his face, yet he failed because Job held fast to his integrity. Do you see the connection? The devil even used Job's wife to try to coerce him into doing this. Whatever it is to curse God to his face, it is serious in terms of spiritual consequences. The devil was doing all this to Job for a reason - to get Job to curse God to his face. What was it that Job refused to do?

Job 1:22
In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly.

Job 2:10
But 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 did not blame God for what happened to him. That was the temptation, but he held onto his integrity. Even his wife said to him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? Curse God, and die. To curse God was what the devil was trying to get him to do. Remember, this is the first lesson ever written in the bible, so this is rather important. Again, consider this in the context of Moses teaching this stuff to the Israelites coming out of Egypt. They obviously didn't listen to Moses or believe the word they were taught because most of them wound up dead in the wilderness for blaming God for all their problems. The book of James adds further light.

James 1:12
Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.

Whatever enduring temptation is in this context, it is definitely something we want to do. It is so important that God even gives out a special reward for those who do it - they receive a crown of life, a special reward given in the future. Now don't go guessing about what the temptation is here, the next verses tell us.

James 1:13,14
Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:

But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.

What did Job's wife say? She said, curse God and die. To curse God, and to accuse God of tempting you with evil is actually the same thing. The devil tried to get Job to blame God for all the evil he had done to him. If Job had done so, that would have broken his integrity. That would have been cursing God to his face.

When the devil attacks us, we are not to blame God for it. We are to recognise that God is good and not hurl accusations in his face. We are not to charge God foolishly. If we are under attack, like Job was, and we accuse God for it, we have just cursed God to his face, we have just driven through a spiritual red light. That was what the devil was trying to get Job to do. The temptation is to say your problems come from God. If you do, you compromise your spiritual integrity, you curse God to his face. Under pressure, we must always recognise that the nasty stuff in life comes from the devil and not from God. We must never blame God, ever, for anything. This is the first spiritual lesson God committed to writing in what we know today as the bible. If we accuse God of evil, we have driven through a spiritual red light, and that's extremely dangerous.

James 1:13
Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:

God is always good. The devil is always bad. Nothing bad ever comes from God, it always comes from the devil. Like Job, the devil attempts to get us to blame God for all the nasty stuff in life. In Insurance, for example, they call earthquakes, tsunamis, and other disasters acts of God. If you believe that God deliberately causes earthquakes so he can murder people and destroy property, your spiritual integrity is under attack. If you think tsunamis come from God, your spiritual integrity is under attack. If you think illness comes from God, that God makes people sick and that he kills them, you have fallen for the devil's lies and your spiritual integrity is under attack. You are cursing God to his face. If your church teaches you that God makes people sick, you need to get out of that shit hole before you start charging God with such crimes.

Ask yourself, if God makes people sick then what right did Jesus Christ have to go around healing them? If God makes people sick, then Jesus Christ contradicted God's will by healing them. If God wanted us sick, and Jesus Christ always did God's will, then why didn't Jesus Christ go around making people sick? The devil makes people sick. Jesus Christ went around healing them because that was God's will.

Acts 10:38
How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.

1 John 3:8b
For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.

Oh today, people blame God for everything. If their businesses fail, they blame God, if their marriages fail, they blame God, if their health fails, they blame God. Don't blame God for your problems. Don't throw your hands up in the air and make excuses by blaming it all on God. Take responsibility for your life, get back to the word, and God will help you sort out your messes. If you think everything evil that happens comes from God, you are deceived. If you think God makes people sick, you are deceived. If you believe God orchestrates failed marriages, you are deceived. If your business failed and you think God made it happen, you are deceived. Quit making excuses for your failures and quit blaming them on God. It's time to quit driving through spiritual red lights.

So what happened to Job then? If he was perfect and upright, how did the devil get in? If Job wasn't evil, if he had done nothing wrong, had committed no crimes, then how did the devil breach that hedge of protection around him? We don't have to guess, because Job tells us himself in his own words, and we will cover that in the next session.

Chapter 4 - The Law of Believing