What emotion is stirred when you hear the word integrity? Do you fall short? Do you compromise in really tough situations, or do you remain steadfast. Integrity is the adherence to moral and ethical principles. Job had integrity! Job’s grief and suffering were so strong he could not even stand up for seven days. His closest friend’s were sure he was being punished by God and tried tirelessly to get him to confess and curse God Job’s despair was understandable. His grief was certainly warranted. His thinking was skewed by what he had suffered, but his actions still affirmed his integrity. Job’s integrity was legendary and known in heaven. It seems that each person will have their own opportunity to face tragedy and each person will have their chance to stand before God in their pain. Some will curse God, others will question Him and a few like Job will still praise him. Our circumstances have nothing to do with whether or not God deserves our worship. We praise God because he is worthy. God is a steadfast companion in the midst of tragedies and will never leave us or forsake us.
To go even deeper into the life of Job, I recommend the book “Job, A Man of Heroic Endurance” by Charles Swindoll. Here’s what the back cover says:
Job, a study in pathetic tragedy…a hapless victim of unfair treatment. His disastrous circumstances overwhelmed him. His boil-covered body tormented him. His so-called friends belittled him. His distraught wife discouraged him. Even God seemed to desert him – letting Satan have his devilish way. And Job sat patiently by, enduring it all. Not a portrait of a hero. Or is it?
Could a man with ordinary internal fortitude stay faithful as Job did? Could a wimp endure the excruciating pain, suffering and loss that this man did? No hero? Think again.
After a year of focused research into the life of Job, Charles Swindoll says, “Job appears boldly in the ancient book of the Bible that bears his name, and yet most of us have not taken the time to examine his life in depth. But a careful study of Job’s life will convince us that this is another of God’s amazing men with heroic character qualities worth emulating.”