What is righteousness all about? How can you tell whether you’re righteous or not? If anybody in the bible got the attention of God for his righteousness, it was Job, so let’s take a look at his life.
Job 1:1-5 ESV
1 There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job, and that man was blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil.
1:1 There was a man in the land of Us,
Note: That is, of the country of Idumea, or as found in Lamentations 4:21 Rejoice and be glad, O daughter of Edom, you who dwell in the land of Uz; but to you also the cup shall pass; you shall become drunk and strip yourself bare.
or bordering on it: for the land was called by the name of Uz, the son of Dishan, the son of Seir
Note: Genesis 36:28 These are the sons of Dishan: Uz and Aran.
whose name [was] Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and
Note: Since he was a Gentile and not a Jew and yet is pronounced upright and without hypocrisy, it declares that among the heathen God revealed himself.
one that feared God, and eschewed evil.
Note: By this, it is declared what is meant by an upright and just man.
The Geneva Study Bible notes say:
The Argument – In this history, the example of patience is set before our eyes. This holy man Job was not only extremely afflicted in outward things and his body but also his mind and conscience, by the sharp temptation of his wife and friends: who by their vehement words and subtle disputations brought him almost to despair. They set forth God as a sincere judge, and mortal enemy to him who had cast him off, therefore in vain he should seek him for help. These friends came to him under the pretense of consolation, and yet they tormented him more than all his afflictions did. Even so, he constantly resisted them and eventually succeeded. In this story, we must note that Job maintains a good cause, but handles it badly. His adversaries have an evil matter, but they defend it craftily. Job held that God did not always punish men according to their sins, but that he had secret judgments, of which man knew not the cause, and therefore man could not reason against God in it, but he should be convicted. Moreover,
he was assured that God had not rejected him, yet through his great torments and afflictions he speaks many inconveniences and shows himself as a desperate man in many things, and as one that would resist God, and this is his good cause which he handles well. Again, the adversaries maintain with many good arguments that God punishes continually according to the trespass, grounding on God’s providence, his justice, and man’s sins, yet their intention is evil; for they labor to bring Job into despair, and so they maintain an evil cause.
Ezekiel commends Job as a just man,
Ezekiel 14:14 even if these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they would deliver but their own lives by their righteousness declare the Lord GOD.
and James sets out his patience for an example,
James 5:11 Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.
2 There were born to him seven sons and three daughters.
3 He possessed 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yokes of oxen, and 500 female donkeys, and very many servants so that this man was the greatest of all the people of the east.
4 His sons used to go and hold a feast in the house of each one on his day, and they would send and invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them.
5 And when the days of the feast had run their course, Job would send and consecrate them, and he would rise early in the morning and offer burnt offerings according to the number of them all. For Job said, “It may be that my children have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts.” Thus Job did continually.
More from the Geneva Study Bible:
1:3 His substance
Note: and his virtue in his prosperity and his patience and constancy when God took them from him.
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.
Note: Meaning, the Arabians, Chaldeans, Idumeans, etc.
What does all that confusion mean? Job had a lot of children, a lot of animals, and a lot of property. Those are a list of his blessings, but anybody can have stuff. He also turned from evil, he prayed and sacrificed religiously for the eternal safety of his family. He seemed to be a man who had it all.
Still… that turns out to be no guarantee that hard times won’t come. All we can know for sure is that Job was righteous because he lived a life of repentance.
Coming up next for Job:
The Challenge. Righteousness by itself is boring. It’s unremarkable. How do we know how good it works, until it’s put to use? Stay tuned to find out where real authority lies, protection, limits, and a snapshot behind the scenes of spiritual warfare.
Scripture quotations are from The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.”
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