Friday 30 September 2016

He did not sin with his lips

Then his wife said to him, “Do you still hold fast to your integrity? Curse God and die!” But he said to her, “You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?” In all this Job did not sin with his lips. – Job 2.9-10

Job’s wife was amazed that he stuck with God and that his integrity was not swayed. Job lost everything but his God and his wife, and here his wife turns on him.

‘Are you still holding on to your silly integrity Job? Curse God and die!’

That must have been a hammer blow to Job. ‘I’ve lost everything and now my wife has turned on me.’

At this stage I think I may have just given up. There are many times when Mary has been the one person who has picked me up when I am down. She has been faithful and when my faith weakens or I start to doubt or fear or get anxious or down or depressed she is there to pick me up and set me back on track.

And yet, even with this setback, Job would not give up. We are going to be privileged to hear Job’s despair and innermost thoughts as he talks to his friends. He is going to ask God and his friends plenty of questions, but he doesn’t blame God for what happens.

In all this Job did not sin with his lips. That’s quite a statement when we read what James says about how the tongue is the one part of the body that no man can tame.

How do you and I do when adversity comes? Is our integrity shaken? Could it be said of us that we ‘did not sin with our lips’ even when things get desperate?

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