KEY SCRIPTURE Job 31:1
I made a covenant with mine eyes; why then should I think upon a maid?
RELEVANCE
Because of its capacity to change the Christian world, I reflected on this verse again a few nights ago with a group of ardent believers. It is the epitome of a marriage scripture, but my point was broader than that.
Firstly, Job understood the power of the eyes and mind concerning lust. Job said he made a covenant with his eyes, obviously to support his marriage covenant. His eyes and mind focused solely on his commitment to his wife and the promises he made to her.
This single scripture, if applied for the duration of a marriage, would remove adultery and adultery-related marriage break-ups from the Church. It would extinguish the seven-year-itch and similar situations, as my ex-mate put it when his wife caught him in the act, "well, you don't please me anymore!" Besides that, internet porn, magazines and other instruments of marital destruction would go out of fashion.
How did his eyes support his marriage covenant? When a moment arose that might break that covenant, he would not take it. He would not look nor let his mind wander off the marriage path. Proverbs 4:25 perfectly illuminates this. "Let your eyes look directly ahead [toward the path of moral courage] And let your gaze be fixed straight in front of you [toward the path of integrity]." (Amplified version)
Job knew what God wanted from his marriage and prepared himself to deliver it. He understood marriage better than most biblical people. Job's awareness that a wrong look was so diabolical to his marriage, he ensured his desires remained pure.
He prepared his mind not to think of anything outside of his marriage. Seeing he had inclined his mind, he'd also aligned his heart, as those two centres shall be one.
Now, I want you to consider every sin or misdemeanour we could commit and apply Job's heavenly principles to each issue. E.g. no looking or imagining. We would get somewhere toward overcoming sinful thoughts, intentions and acts and be genuinely led by the Spirit.
The lusts of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life would be no more in the Church. (1 John 2:16). Think of the arguments and Church splits that would cease. Imagine the extent of love toward the Saviour and our neighbours and how that love would flow out to the world. We would be the beacons of light the Lord calls us to be.
For instance, if you have a strong desire or lust for anything unnecessary (it doesn't need to be sexual), make your decision to stop looking at it or thinking about it. You will be surprised how easy it becomes and the freedom it creates. Also, our spiritual armour would be strong and not with weak spots through it. We use this verse to strengthen putting on our armour. (Ephesians 6:10-18)
God expects us to understand our weaknesses—those weaker areas—and overcome them. Humbly putting this scripture in place would go a long way to achieving that.
PRAYER Dear Lord, praise you for this short scripture so small and yet so significant. Please help me work it into my armour so I may make a great defence against all kinds of evil.
Photo by Marcel Eberle
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