Picture of a Righteous Man

MEMORY VERSE: “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.” —Proverbs 4:23

JOB 31:5-8, 16-23

THE Apostle Paul wrote, “There is none righteous, no, not one.” (Rom. 3:10) Again, “All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” (Rom. 3:23) John wrote, “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” (I John 1:8) Yet Job is referred to as “perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil.” (Job 1:1) In view of the clear testimony of the Scriptures this could not mean that Job was without sin. The obvious meaning is that he endeavored wholeheartedly to serve God and to observe his laws of righteousness as he understood them. He did not willingly go contrary to that which he knew to be right.

The entire Ancient Worthy class, from the time of righteous Abel to the first advent of Jesus, possessed this same nobility of character, and through their faith, which they demonstrated by their works, received the testimony that they pleased God. (Heb. 11:5,39) The Scriptures declare that the faith of these worthy ones was counted unto them for righteousness. (Rom. 4:3; Gen. 15:6; Gal. 3:7; James 2:23) These texts refer particularly to Abraham, but the same principle applies to all those Ancient Worthies who received a “good report through faith.”

James wrote, “Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience. Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.” (James 5:10,11) Job and all the other Ancient Worthies maintained their integrity before God under difficult circumstances.

Our memory verse indicates the proper viewpoint with respect to all the servants of God irrespective of the age in the divine plan in which they live—“Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.” Job’s heart intentions were right, so he is referred to as being “perfect” and “upright.”

Chapter 31 of the Book of Job is referred to in the caption of our lesson as the “Picture of a Righteous Man.” This chapter is the end of Job’s controversy with his comforters, and in the first verse of the next chapter we are informed that the three men “ceased to answer Job, because he was righteous in his own eyes.” This, apparently, was merely their viewpoint. They disagreed with Job all along the line, and it is not expected that they would take a different attitude in listening to his final effort to convince them that he had not been guilty of committing gross sin and then keeping it a secret.

There seems to be no doubt that Job was meticulous in his effort to observe the humanitarian and just regulations of the society in which he lived. He did this in the belief that God was able to see and to know what he was doing and thinking at all times. He calls for a just appraisal of his righteousness, saying, “Let me be weighed in an even balance, that God may know mine integrity.”—vs. 6

Without hesitancy Job hurls the challenge, “If my step hath turned out of the way, and mine heart walked after mine eyes, and if any blot hath cleaved to mine hands; then let me sow, and let another eat; yea, let my offspring be rooted out.” (vss. 7,8) We are not to think of this as an irreverent outburst of confidence by Job concerning his own righteousness. He knew that his comforters were falsely accusing him, and he was perhaps a little overanxious to convince them that they were wrong; but he was sincere. He was not boasting about his own righteousness.

Job refers to his treatment of the poor, and asserts that he had not knowingly let them suffer, nor had he in any way lifted up his hand against the fatherless. If he had, he concludes, “Then let mine arm fall from my shoulder blade, and mine arm be broken from the bone.” (vs. 22) He speaks of not hiding iniquity in his bosom as Adam did.

However, sincere and right though Job was, when the Lord revealed himself more fully to him, Job said, “I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.”—Job 42:6

QUESTIONS

Are there any children of Adam who are perfect?

Why was God pleased with his servant Job?

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