Read Job 1:1–5
In the land of Uz there lived a man whose name was Job. This
man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned
evil.
Job 1:1
Lord Byron was on target when he wrote: “Truth is always strange;
stranger than fiction.” The book of Job is not religious fiction. Job
was a real person; both Ezekiel (14:14, 20) and James (5:11) attest
to that fact. Because he was a real man who had real experiences, he
can tell us what we need to know about life and its problems in this
real world.
Job was “blameless and upright.” He was not sinless, for nobody
can claim that distinction except Jesus, but he was complete and
mature in character and “straight” in conduct. The Hebrew word
translated “blameless” is related to “integrity,” another important
word used throughout the book of Job. In the face of his friends’
accusations and God’s silence, Job maintained his integrity; and the
Lord ultimately vindicated him.
The foundation for Job’s character was the fact that he “feared
God and shunned evil.” To fear the Lord means to respect who He is,
what He says, and what He does. “The remarkable thing about fearing
God,” said Oswald Chambers, “is that when you fear God you fear
nothing else, whereas if you do not fear God you fear everything else.”
Something to Ponder
How can you live more fully as a person of integrity?