Job Asserts His Integrity
31 “I have made a covenant with my eyes;
How then could I gaze at a virgin?
2 “And what is the portion of God from above
Or the heritage of the Almighty from on high?
3 “Is it not calamity to the unjust
And disaster to those who work iniquity?
4 “Does He not see my ways
And number all my steps?5 “If I have walked with falsehood,
And my foot has hastened after deceit,
6 Let Him weigh me with [a]accurate scales,
And let God know my integrity.
7 “If my step has turned from the way,
Or my heart [b]followed my eyes,
Or if any spot has stuck to my hands,
8 Let me sow and another eat,
And let my [c]crops be uprooted.9 “If my heart has been enticed by a woman,
Or I have lurked at my neighbor’s doorway,
10 May my wife grind for another,
And let others [d]kneel down over her.
11 “For that would be a lustful crime;
Moreover, it would be an iniquity punishable by judges.
12 “For it would be fire that consumes to [e]Abaddon,
And would uproot all my [f]increase.13 “If I have despised the claim of my male or female slaves
When they filed a complaint against me,
14 What then could I do when God arises?
And when He calls me to account, what will I answer Him?
15 “Did not He who made me in the womb make him,
And the same one fashion us in the womb?
There are several things we could learn from Job here, but when I came to the last few verses, it really stood out. Job has been talking about how far he has fallen, and throughout that he mentions how folks used to look up to him and respect him. But in this passage, he makes it clear that our earthly status means nothing in God’s eyes. There is only one God, and He made all of us. There is nothing for us to boast about, except as Paul would later note, to boast in our Lord.
Whatever we might do, even were we to be as righteous as Job, it is not for us to be proud. Rather, it should all be done for the glory of God, because it is only through Him that we have any righteousness at all.
So we must be careful, first to give credit where credit is due, and also not to look down on anyone as if they were any less than us. That is not to say we are of little value, but that God has created each of us with immense value that should not be despised. With that in mind, we should strive to love each other as Christ loved us, especially those we might (in our human view) be tempted to view as less.
Whether our culture embraces colorblindness, or the opposite, there is only one correct view. That is, to see people as God sees them, unique creations who He loves more than anything else in this world, but yet no more than the next person. You are loved and treasured, and so is your neighbor, put that into action so that God might be displayed in your life.