David Frost, who made his living on television, said, “Television is an invention that permits you to be entertained in your living room by people you wouldn’t have in your home.” Many movies and TV programs aren’t fit for human consumption, let alone for a Christian. (a) I kept my eyes from all wanton looks. It shows the dedication of Job to be pure. Deuteronomy 4:29, God says, "But if from thence thou shalt seek the Lord thy God, thou shalt find Him, if thou seek Him with all thy heart and with all thy soul." Why is this one sin at the head of this chapter? Thus, the first step in sin would be to focus our eyes upon something immoral. Tools. If such temptations existed in biblical times, how much more should Christians today heed these warnings and emulate Job (The New American Commentary - Job), Robert Hawker - Job 31 deserves our attention the more, because, though Job takes no pride in what he here saith, in the justification of himself, yet in those secret sins, which are known only to the Lord, on numberless occasions of evil, the Patriarch pleads not guilty; and which therefore serves to confirm the divine testimony which the Lord gave concerning his servant, in the opening of the book itself, that there was none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feared God, and eschewed evil. Is it not destruction for the wicked, And disaster for the workers of iniquity? He has to watch his thought life, and he goes on to tell us he realizes that if he does not, "Calamity will befall the unrighteous, and disaster the workers of iniquity." See Php 2:12-note = our responsibility and Php 2:13-note = the Spirit's provision - in Php 2:12 we "work out what God has worked in." Have you treated others as God wants them treated (Job 31:13–23)? The standard warnings against the lust of the eyes are sufficient to explain the verse without resorting to deeper meanings gleaned from supposed pagan precedents. "If I just try harder." In simplest terms, this forbids a second look. The people were, therefore, enjoined to remember God’s commandments and not prostitute themselves by following the lusts of their hearts and eyes (Nu 15:39). Attack the promises of sin with the promises of Christ. No, not to defile myself; for I remembered an old writing that I had seen, which said, ‘Her steps take hold on hell.’ (Prov. Monologue de Job (5 e partie) Job proclame son innocence en justifiant sa conduite passée. Robert Alden - As in all the Old Testament’s references to making “a covenant,” the expression is “cut a covenant,” alluding either to inscribing such solemn words on stone or to the cutting of a sacrificial animal to accompany the ceremony (Gen 15:10, 18). Here, in the middle of the Old Testament, without the pale of the Old Testament νόμος, we meet just that moral strictness and depth with which the Preacher on the mount, Matthew 5:27., opposes the spirit to the letter of the seventh commandment. “CHRISTIAN. An awareness of God’s presence will help you not only flee from sin, but also endure suffering. Here is where many fail. The question, Job 31:2, is proposed in order that it may be answered in Job 31:3 again in the form of a question: in consideration of the just punishment which the injurer of female innocence meets, Job disavows every unchaste look. (t) Musaeus de Heron. Certainly in the life to come (Heb 13:4; 1Co 6:9-10). Let me give you some Scriptures to add to this. Now, let's look at verse 10. Posted on Apr 3, 2005 by Beyond Today Editor Estimated reading time: 5 minutes. We may remark here, that if a man wishes to maintain purity of life, he must make just such a covenant as this with himself - one so sacred, so solemn, so firm, that he will not suffer his mind for a moment to harbor an improper thought. Adulterium reale, and in fact two-sided, is first spoken of in the third strophe, here it is adulterium mentale and one-sided; the object named is not any maiden whatever, but any בּתוּלה, because virginity is ever to be revered, a most sacred thing, the holy purity of which Job acknowledges himself to have guarded against profanation from any lascivious gaze by keeping a strict watch over his eyes. John Newton - Great reason we have to make David’s prayer (Psalm 119:17) and with Job to make a covenant with our eyes [Job 31:1], for they are the inlet of many temptations. Job focuses on his eyes, because they let in the objects of lust into the heart (Mt 5:28, Joshua 7:21), and because the signs of lust in the heart appear especially in the eyes (Ge 39:7 Pr 6:25). This daily newsletter provides a starting point for personal study, and gives valuable insight into the verses that make up the Word of God. Job found his temptation in his own breast; Daniel found his in his particular circumstances. Comment: The word "understand" is sunesis (from suniemi [word study] = to comprehend, reason out in turn derived from sun = with + hiemi = send) literally means a sending together or a bringing together. 2 Now when evening came David arose from his bed and walked around on the roof of the king's house, and from the roof he saw a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful in appearance.3 So David sent and inquired about the woman. Women will know if you do. The Bible assures us that God does (Heb 4:13-note), and that we are accountable to Him. (Comp. Heads of state, government officials, and business people in strategic positions must be exceedingly careful of what they say, especially when entering a strange setting. What we must not meddle with we must not lust after; and what we must not lust after we must not look at; not the forbidden wealth (Pr. ", Job comes from the dawn of civilization, and yet Job in the world of his day knows that in order to keep clean (holy) before God he has to be careful about what he sees (cp 2Cor 7:1). Job 31:1-40. We need to apply this across the board. You cannot think, but that you know something, what a flattering tongue she had; she lay at me hard to turn aside with her, promising me all manner of content. 5. It was well you escaped her net; Joseph was hard put to it by her, and he escaped her as you did; but it had like to have cost him his life. Job vowed to make a covenant prayed this, “Lest looking cause liking and lusting.” (Trapp), Trapp adds that "When one seemed to pity a one-eyed man, he told him he had lost one of his enemies, a very thief, that would have stolen away his heart.”. Job 31:1 Commentary. And Paul for this reason kept ‘under his body, and brought it into subjection’ 1Co 9:27-note”, Some cross references to ponder as you meditate on Job 31:1…, Ge 6:1 Now it came about, when men began to multiply on the face of the land, and daughters were born to them,2 that the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves, whomever they chose. We need to take extreme measures if necessary. 4:12–13); and He will judge both. Did you ever stop to think that God sees everything we do and hears everything we say every moment of the day? We must carefully guard our hearts. If Job found it necessary to make this kind of commitment in the day in which he lived, how much more do we need it in today’s society—where sexual lust is exploited even to advertise spark plugs! Job 31:1 Context. We live in an age of extreme sensuality. It has been beautifully done. He asserts his guarding against being allured to sin by his senses. Only as we meditate on God's Word (Psalm 1:2) can we have the right perspective. It is a battle and it won’t happen automatically. 31 « J'ai fait alliance avec mes yeux et comment aurais-je arrêté mes regards sur une vierge ? (Bishop Beveridge. When talking with the opposite sex, one should always maintain eye contact. TV and videos are greatly polluting people through the eye gate. (NLT), I have made a solemn promise never to look with lust at a woman. As the modern song puts it, “It can’t be wrong when it feels so right.” (Sins of the body: ministry in a sexual society). Perhaps we are now gazing upon folly, we need to have our eyes turned away; and if we are beholding heavenly things we shall be wise to beg that our eyes may be kept away from vanity. You can flex it with vehemence. Has lust been fulfilled in overt sin (Job 31:9–12)? 1. Should I think upon, i.e. 12. We stumble over different things. 31° 1/13/2021 Good Evening. These kinds of animals. If we are kept from looking on vanity we shall be preserved from loving iniquity. Then look, look, look at the most magnificent Person in the universe until you see him the way he is. Jesus says, “If your right eye causes you to sin …” Not anyone else’s eye, but your eye. 5:28. (Powerful principles from proverbs: Study guide), Terry Muck - G. K. Chesterton once likened this world to the desert island site of a shipwreck. This passage is the origin of the Jewish tallit (Heb.) I wonder if the police would not forbid it, fearing that the whole country would become mentally deranged if it were used.” Kierkegaard’s words have come true. So I shut mine eyes, because I would not be bewitched with her looks. Many of your decisions need to be made prior to when they are needed. The internet is either a bane or a boon! The word translated “virgin” (v. 1) is used of the goddess of fertility in Canaanite writings. What a profound effect this should have on the way we live! His imprecation against himself, if he spoke not the truth, Job 31:38-40. Others suggest that “virgin” refers to Venus or Anat, the virgin consort of Baal, and by this means Job swore that he would not so much as look at an idol (cf. And I say “unfitting desire” because not all desires for sex, food, and family are bad. Ignorance is defeated by knowledge. This example is unique and unparalleled until the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7). According to Chesterton, fallen humanity is in such a state. How do you respond to the suffering of an enemy (Job 31:29–30) or the needs of a stranger (Job 31:31–34)? You were made to manage and create. Take the kingdom violently (Matthew 11:12). Lust grows fast in the garden of leisure. Live, therefore, Coram Deo (as before the face of God) and await the benediction of God upon your life and words, “Well done, my good and faithful servant. 2 “Oh, that I were as in the months of old,. According to Jewish tradition, there were eight threads and five knots in each tassel, suggesting the number thirteen. It was not merely his intention to lead a chaste life, and to avoid open sin, but it was to maintain a pure heart, and not to suffer the mind to become corrupted by dwelling on impure images, or indulging in unholy desires. Job's blameless record as a neighbor and city official (Job 29:12-17; 31:16-23), including pure inward motivations (Job 31:1-2,24-25,33-34) and attitudes (Job 31:1,7,9,26-27,29-30) toward God and neighbor, are lofty ethical standards to emulate. “The very passage of an impure thought through the mind leaves pollution behind it;” and the out breaking crimes of life are just the result of allowing the imagination to dwell on impure images. Both responded with a commitment to obey God. The song says it all… Slow Fade, which would be a good description of this sin. The verb refers to knowledge which is superior to the mere gathering of data. I put it in the form of an acronym, A N T H E M. A – AVOID as much as is possible and reasonable the sights and situations that arouse unfitting desire. Reflecting on that oath, he said, “Does [God] not see my ways, and count all my steps?” (Job 31:4, cp Pr 15:3-note, 1Pe 1:17-note). We can chose not to watch talk shows that bring up "lusty" subjects so commonly these days. He does not merely say that he had not thought in that manner, but that the thing was morally impossible that he should have done it. Our priority at sunrise until sunset should be to obey the command to "Walk by the Spirit," realizing that even our ability to obey is the result of God's Spirit giving us the desire [the "want to"] and the power [Php 2:13NLT]! 4 as I was in my prime, 1. when the b friendship of God was upon my tent,. Television and reality—does the former distort the latter? It's the principle of purification. You must actively fight against it. Job 31 Commentary 1-4 Lust. - Wetzst.). He ascribes desire to the eyes, because the sight of the eyes is the usual and powerful incentive of desires. Patrick D. Miller in his commentary on Deuteronomy suggests that different views of the structure of the book will lead to different views on what it is about. I made a covenant with mine eyes; why then should I think upon a maid? A man cannot stop himself from seeing things and people. Edit/Verify bash profile to include the following line (using your favorite text editor): Be brutal. 3:16) and eyes full of adultery, 2Pe 2:14. You may not be able to avoid the first look, but you can avoid the second. (NIV), I had made an agreement with my eyes not to linger on any virgin. Job 30:1-31 Job is Sick at Heart. On חלק and נחלה used of allotted, adjudged punishment, comp. Job was acknowledged by God Himself as a man who was “blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil” (Job 1:8). Keep yourself strong spirituality or sin will overcome you. indulge myself in filthy and lustful thoughts? Look in verse ten. Develop modest eyes. 23:5), not the forbidden wine (Pr 23:31), not the forbidden woman, Mt. With the confession of having maintained this marriage (although, to infer from the prologue, it was not an over-happy, deeply sympathetic one) sacred, and restrained himself not only from every adulterous act, but also from adulterous desires, his confessions begin. 1. A person's office, hotel room, or telephone can be monitored so that every sound is picked up. And here's the next principle. Abound in work. Deut. New Living Translation Study Bible - Perhaps lust of the eyes was at the head of Job’s list because the eye is the first instrument of sin (Gen 3:6). But Job viewed lust as a serious moral failure (Job 31:11). 7. There is a great beauty in Job’s expression in this verse, of having made a covenant with his eyes, to preserve, under grace, the chastity of the mind and body. Bible Commentary: Job 31:1-32:1. “I will put no unclean thing before my eyes,” the psalmist declares (see Ps 101:3). The first sin began in the eye, Ge 3:6. As the eye is the great source of danger (compare Matthew 5:28; 2 Peter 2:14), there should be a solemn purpose that that should be pure, and that any sacrifice should be made rather than allow indulgence to a wanton gaze: compare Mark 9:47. After Job has described and bewailed the harsh contrast between the former days and the present, he gives us a picture of his moral life and endeavour, in connection with the character of which the explanation of his present affliction as a divinely decreed punishment becomes impossible, and the sudden overthrow of his prosperity into this abyss of suffering becomes to him, for the same reason, the most painful mystery. This is what's happening. For Christ’s sake, fight till you win! - In this age of electronics, we have all become aware of bugging devices. Bad Advertisement? (Poor Man’s Old Testament Commentary, Vol. Job begins by disclaiming private sins of the heart—lust (Job 31:1), vain deceit (Job 31:5), covetousness (Job 31:7). But sometimes accidents happen on purpose, don’t they, like in a motel room, flipping through the channels on television? As long as it takes. Determination. But it will never be enjoined until you go in with all of your heart. What the resolutions were which, in this matter, he kept to (Job 31:1): I made a covenant with my eyes, that is, "I watched against the occasions of the sin; why then should I think upon a maid?'' Such a covenant is so commendable. “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). Job has seen himself and is satisfied, but he has not yet seen God. A godly man (one who is trying to be so) must not take a second look. He concluded that the omnipresent, flickering screen constantly tries to tell us what behavior and attitudes are desirable. Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary 31:1-8 Job did not speak the things here recorded by way of boasting, but in answer to the charge of hypocrisy. UCG.org / Bible Study Tools / Bible Commentary / Bible Commentary: Job 31:1-32:1. 10. Job claimed purity from ethical defilement in two ways. When our thoughts are assailed visually time after time, we are more vulnerable, for ‘immorality is the cumulative product of small mental indulgences and minuscule compromises, the immediate consequences of which were, at the time, indiscernible,’ according to Alcorn. Fix a faucet. The next time you are tempted or in trouble, remember that God is watching and listening. View Chapter So Job is saying don't stare at her because if you do Jesus says you've already committed adultery in your heart! If the eyes do not see, perhaps the heart may not desire: at any rate, one door of temptation is closed when we do not even look at the painted bauble. In such oaths the speaker called down curses upon his own head for proved violations of the moral code (cf., e.g., the Hittite Soldiers’ Oath, ANET, 353, 354). 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