Analyze Your Actions - Job 29-32

As indicated above, the author of the lesson in Life Way included three chapters in the lesson for today then suggested that chapter thirty one be emphasized. Before we move on, you should take time to read chapter twenty nine—it tells us much about the man Job before his trials started. It gives good reason for God to be happy with Job and complementary about his obedient life. Job accomplishes this by reflecting on the blessings he enjoyed before his great suffering began. He records his memories of the intimacy he enjoyed as he labored as God’s servant and daily walked in close fellowship with God. Job was especially proud of the days when great men respected him above others and sought his wise counsel.

Job may not realize it like I do but he should have been especially happy that he had not lost his memory. This is indicated by his recall of the many incidents that happened throughout the days before his problems. He recalls earlier days when he felt confident and lived expecting a bright and prosperous future. He recalls that men would stand to recognize him and to show their respect. Job contends that he was a blessed man and had really enjoyed his life up to the day when his trials began. In this idea of being blessed I think we find his greatest mistake.

It appears to me that Job had begun to think of all his blessings as coming from God as a gift in exchange for his works. And then after his loss of everything, he interpreted the loss of blessings as an indication that God was displeased with him. We know that this was a wrong assumption; it was because God trusted Job and knew him to be steadfast in his beliefs that he felt safe in recommending him to the Devil as one he could not cause to turn away from his God. Matthew in 5:45 said that Christ reminded his disciples that “He [God] causes his sun to rise on the evil and good and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.”
Now, if you want to see a man do a complete turn around psychologically, read chapter thirty. Job was in need of a bottle of Zoloft to pull him out of a deep depression. In the chapter before he was describing the happy days of the past and now he is in the process of cataloguing the pains he is suffering before God. He continues to bewail his present misery that contrasts starkly with his past happiness. Once great men bowed to him and now the scum of society criticizes him and puts him at the bottom of the barrel. Job blames God and says that God has unstrung his bow leaving him helpless and without defense. The physical condition of his body is his pain for the day; and at night he is devastated that God has deserted him.

We will now try to tie these three chapters together and come up with the topic for emphasis today—ANALYZE YOUR ACTIONS. In 29 he reminisced the good old days; in 30 he dropped into depression thinking especially of the things he had done and those he had been accused of doing. Now in 31 we will study him as he attempts to ANALYZE HIS ACTIONS.

I have no idea how many of you have had a job or just an experience that has thrown you into a stressful situation that forced you to act or react unexpectedly. You can be assured that there are times when a stress situation will bring out the unexpected in you—sometimes it brings out the worst in you especially if you are not prepared. There is no way Job could have been ready to face the hardships that came upon him in a very short time frame. He was not prepared by education or former experience.

I completed four years as Superintendent of schools at Russellville Arkansas in 1971. The teachers were members of the Arkansas Teachers Association but the NEA had not taken over all negotiations for them at that time and this was still handled on the local level with a minimum of stress and confrontation. I spent the next four years as Superintendent in Missouri where the local faculty was a members of the NEA who handled all negotiations. The NEA is a hard core labor union whose lawyers that are trained in the negotiating process will not hesitate to do or say anything they feel necessary to reach their goals. It was by far the most difficult job in education, when the school board and the administrators had to sit at the table and listen to the NEA representatives [trained lawyers] accuse them of misuse of funds, squandering of funds, and always neglecting the teachers. It became necessary for me to analyze all of my actions, what I said and even the tone of voice or inflections of voice. It was difficult for me to hold my temper at times…but it was absolutely necessary. I had to evaluate my actions constantly, always looking for a better way to arrive at a decision that would keep the needs of school children first and most important.

Just try to imagine the difficulty that Job must have experienced. He had in a days time lost his family, fortune and was covered with a painful skin condition. Right away his so called friends started accusing him of being a sinner, misuse of his money, not caring for the poor even his own servants. They would not relent and continued to insist that he and his sins were at fault for all that had gone wrong in his life.

In 31 he declares himself innocent and starts analyzing his actions. He started naming sins that he had been accused of and denying that he had committed the sin. “I made a covenant with my eyes not to look lustfully at a woman—I have not walked in falsehood—nor have I hurried after deceit—I have not mistreated the poor—and I have not put my trust in gold or any of my great wealth.” Job affirms his sexual purity two different times and declares his righteousness in his business dealings, his faithfulness to his wife his fairness to his workers, and his hospitality to others, and in all of this he is longing for God to give him a hearing.

Job pledges that his heart and eyes are pure toward other women and that his feet have followed the path of just business dealings with his fellow man. Job refutes the charges made by Eliphaz about possible injustices against the wicked and admits that even if he had committed the charges he deserves God’s judgment. One of his most important confessions was that he had remained faithful in his allegiance to his God. You are again to remember that this event occurred before the writing of the Word of God and Job does not have the bible to go by. Even so, probably by instinct Job longs for God to hear and answer his prayers. If God has a problem with him then he wants God to declare what charges are against him.

There is one basic idea in chapter 31 that can be summed up in one sentence and wrapped in one tortilla shell; and it is: Job affirmed his sexual purity, declared his righteousness, defended his business dealings, was faithful to his wife, fair to his workers, hospitable to others, and still believes and trusts God to charge him if he has faults.

Are you thinking that this is just a bazaar story that actually has no real life application? Let us take a look. Let us start meddling. Allow me to get you to take a good look at your life as Job had to do. Will you analyze your actions? Every believer needs to conduct a personal inventory often.

1. What about your thought life? You are the only person who can look at your secret thoughts. Are they pure? Do you resist lustful desires?
2. Ethics? Have you ever padded an expense account? Turned in more hours than you worked? Have you failed to report ALL of your income to the IRS? Is your word your bond?
3. Home life? Do you have a single devotion to one spouse?
4. Work life? Are you fair to all concerned? Do you discriminate? Take advantage cheap labor? Do you work the same with or without supervision?
5. Community life? Do you reach out to widows, the poor, and needy? How many hours do you volunteer to do community work each year?
6. Attitude toward money? Do you have money or does it have you? Do you tithe? If not, you are a thief—not I—the bible says so. Worse still, it says you are stealing from God. Do you love money?
7. Spiritual life? What are your idols? Do you read the bible on a regular basis? How much & how often? Do you attend on a regular basis: Morning services? Evening services? Prayer time? Revivals? Do you help by serving wherever needed? Do you spend as much time thinking about the creator as you do the creation?
8. Mission life? How are you involved? Could you do more?
9. Your faith? How big is it? Has it ever moved a mountain?
10. Your destination? Hell or Heaven? Are you sure?