Job 31 Man: Introduction

Much attention has been given to the virtuous woman of Proverbs 31. Therefore in fairness, I introduce the study, The Job 31 Man.

In Job 31, Job defends himself to God, in what turns out to be a pretty good measure of how good a man can be.

Today, I will just introduce the subject, and the general outline.

Job 31 Man


1-4 Purity


1 “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?

5-8 Integrity


5 “If I have walked with falsehood,
And my foot has hastened after deceit,

6 Let Him weigh me with accurate scales,
And let God know my integrity.

7 “If my step has turned from the way,
Or my heart followed my eyes,
Or if any spot has stuck to my hands,

8 Let me sow and another eat,
And let my crops be uprooted.

9-12 Fidelity


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 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 Abaddon,
And would uproot all my increase.

13-15 Justice


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?

16-20 Generosity & Gentleness


16 “If I have kept the poor from their desire,
Or have caused the eyes of the widow to fail,

17 Or have eaten my morsel alone,
And the orphan has not shared it

18 (But from my youth he grew up with me as with a father,
And from infancy I guided her),

19 If I have seen anyone perish for lack of clothing,
Or that the needy had no covering,

20 If his loins have not thanked me,
And if he has not been warmed with the fleece of my sheep,

21 If I have lifted up my hand against the orphan,
Because I saw I had support in the gate,

22 Let my shoulder fall from the socket,
And my arm be broken off at the elbow.

23 “For calamity from God is a terror to me,
And because of His majesty I can do nothing.

24-28 Faith & Trust in God


24 “If I have put my confidence in gold,
And called fine gold my trust,

25 If I have gloated because my wealth was great,
And because my hand had secured so much;

26 If I have looked at the sun when it shone
Or the moon going in splendor,

27 And my heart became secretly enticed,
And my hand threw a kiss from my mouth,

28 That too would have been an iniquity calling for judgment,
For I would have denied God above.

29-30 Not Jealous/Vengful


29 “Have I rejoiced at the extinction of my enemy,
Or exulted when evil befell him?

30 “No, I have not allowed my mouth to sin
By asking for his life in a curse.

31-32 Hospitality


31 “Have the men of my tent not said,
‘Who can find one who has not been satisfied with his meat’?

32 “The alien has not lodged outside,
For I have opened my doors to the traveler.

33-34 Openness


33 “Have I covered my transgressions like Adam,
By hiding my iniquity in my bosom,

34 Because I feared the great multitude,
And the contempt of families terrified me,
And kept silent and did not go out of doors?

Scriptures taken from the New American Standard Bible (NASB), http://nasb.scripturetext.com/job/31.htm

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