"Hold Fast Your Integrity"

 ^“Then his wife said to him, “Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die.”            (Job 2:9 ESV)

I reach out to Job when I want to connect with the human experience of God. Job is you and me amidst our trials and troubles of the world. Job was offered up to Satan by God because God knew Job had faith.

Satan attacked Job with everything he had at his disposal. Job lost all of his children, 10 in one day. He lost his livestock, and his servants, and his health was attacked. Not only that, but he was also struck by his wife and his friends, who questioned his righteousness. The common belief from the time of Job to the time of Christ was that sinners incurred God's wrath. Christ changed that perception. Sometimes, bad things that happen will be used for God’s glory.

We see this in John 9, where the apostles asked Jesus about the man born blind at birth, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.” (vv. 2-3)

Imagine losing everything dear to you, your health, your children, all your belongings, and your reputation. It is easy to see how Job could have cursed God as his wife suggested, but he did not. How did Job do it, and how can we also remain faithful in the face of severe despair?

Job was able to remain righteous before God because He knew and trusted God. Job was righteous; he read scripture apparently religiously and understood God, who he was, and his relationship with God. Within the Book of Job, scripture tells that Job offered frequent burnt offerings to God. He provided them for his children even when they had done nothing wrong, but “just in case” they had an evil thought.

If you do not know God’s Word, you cannot know God. There are no shortcuts to learning scripture, no unabridged copy, no condensed version, and just because you can recite scripture does not mean you understand it. A parrot can be taught to repeat words with no understanding of the content.

When we read the Word of God, the Holy Spirit reveals the meaning to us when we are ready to process it and understand it. It takes time. We often read verses over and over until one day we grasp a hidden meaning and ask ourselves, “How did I miss that?”

Our understanding of the Word of God is our sword against the evil one. In Ephesians 6:17, Paul wrote, “and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God”. During the 40 days of temptation, Christ used scripture to battle the temptations of Satan. The frightening part is that Satan knows scripture and will twist it into a lie that sounds like the truth. Unless you know the truth of scripture, you could be lulled into temptation by his lies.

All the scriptures, despite being written a long time ago, remain applicable to us today. Even though we have been freed from the law. We are still obligated to God's commandments. Paul also wrote, “For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.”(Romans 15:4)

The Word of God is alive. It leads us, edifies us, and draws us closer to God. Without the knowledge of God's Word, we cannot discern what God expects of us and are adrift in a sea of lies, interpretations, and misrepresentations, all of which lead us away from God. Hold the Word of God and treasure it. Hold it close to you. “Keep my commandments and live; keep my teaching as the apple of your eye; bind them on your fingers; write them on the tablet of your heart.” (Proverbs 7:2-3) The transformative power of scripture empowers us and enlightens our path, guiding us towards God's will.

Do you know Christ Jesus as your Savior? Do you know the Word of God and treasure it like fine gold? Seek the one true living God. The importance of knowing Christ is not just a choice, but a necessity in our spiritual journey, guiding us towards salvation and eternal life.

Grace and Peace.