Week of Monday, January 29 – February 4
Till I Die – Man as Defender
"And Job again took up his discourse, and said: “As God lives, who has taken away my right, and the Almighty, who has made my soul bitter, as long as my breath is in me, and the spirit of God is in my nostrils, my lips will not speak falsehood, and my tongue will not utter deceit. Far be it from me to say that you are right; till I die I will not put away my integrity from me. I hold fast my righteousness and will not let it go; my heart does not reproach me for any of my days.” -- Job 27:1-6 ESV
By this point in the book, Job had endured not only great suffering and loss but also chapter after chapter of false accusations of wrongdoing. Job’s so-called friends Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar had piled on repeatedly. Finally, Job had his fill, reached the boiling point, and defended himself and his integrity.
Sometimes we find ourselves in that same spot of having to defend ourselves. I know I have. As I relate in the final chapters of Never Surrender, in the fall of 2003, I was unjustly accused of abusing my privileges as an Army officer, speaking about my faith in uniform at churches and other patriotic events. A seemingly endless parade of pundits wrote hit pieces, and talking heads in the media spewed accusation after accusation based on half-truths and whole lies. Even the guys from the Inspector General’s office charged with investigating whether I had committed any wrongdoing (ironically, an investigation I had called for) questioned my integrity. Encouraged by my wife, Ashley, and my pastor, I defended myself. More importantly, God defended me, and nearly a year later, I was ultimately and completely exonerated. Yet it was quite an ordeal.
Obviously, Job’s ordeal was a lot worse. Job had suffered so much loss. He lost his children. He lost his wealth. He lost his health. He lost his standing in the community. Yet the one thing he did not lose was his integrity. He refused to speak falsehood or utter deceit. He held fast to righteousness, and his conscience was clear. In fact, Job said he would defend his integrity to the death. Job was the kind of man we should all aspire to be—but hopefully without all the tragedy and maybe with a little more humility.
Christian leader Ted Engstrom wrote:
THE WORLD NEEDS MEN... who cannot be bought; whose word is their bond; who put character above wealth; who possess opinions and a will; who are larger than their vocations; who do not hesitate to take chances; who will not lose their individuality in a crowd; who will be as honest in small things as in great things; who will make no compromise with wrong; whose ambitions are not confined to their own selfish desires; who will not say they do it “because everybody else does it”; who are true to their friends through good report and evil report, in adversity as well as in prosperity; who do not believe that shrewdness, cunning, and hardheadedness are the best qualities for winning success; who are not ashamed or afraid to stand for the truth when it is unpopular; who can say “no” with emphasis, although all the rest of the world says “yes!”[1]
What Engstrom is describing, among other things, is the necessity for men to possess integrity. There is an enormous need for godly men like that at home, on the job, in the church, in the military, on the judicial bench, in our government, etc. Sometimes, our integrity is called into question with justification. When that happens, all we can do is repent, apologize, and ask for the Lord’s help to rebuild what our words or actions tore down. We are all sinners and blow it occasionally. Yet when our integrity is unjustly attacked, sometimes we must stand up and defend ourselves, with God being our ultimate Defender. We need men who will say with Job: “[T]ill I die I will not put away my integrity from me” (v. 5).
[1] Ted W. Engstrom, The Making of a Christian Leader (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1976), 120.
Till I Die – Man as Defender
"And Job again took up his discourse, and said: “As God lives, who has taken away my right, and the Almighty, who has made my soul bitter, as long as my breath is in me, and the spirit of God is in my nostrils, my lips will not speak falsehood, and my tongue will not utter deceit. Far be it from me to say that you are right; till I die I will not put away my integrity from me. I hold fast my righteousness and will not let it go; my heart does not reproach me for any of my days.” -- Job 27:1-6 ESV
By this point in the book, Job had endured not only great suffering and loss but also chapter after chapter of false accusations of wrongdoing. Job’s so-called friends Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar had piled on repeatedly. Finally, Job had his fill, reached the boiling point, and defended himself and his integrity.
Sometimes we find ourselves in that same spot of having to defend ourselves. I know I have. As I relate in the final chapters of Never Surrender, in the fall of 2003, I was unjustly accused of abusing my privileges as an Army officer, speaking about my faith in uniform at churches and other patriotic events. A seemingly endless parade of pundits wrote hit pieces, and talking heads in the media spewed accusation after accusation based on half-truths and whole lies. Even the guys from the Inspector General’s office charged with investigating whether I had committed any wrongdoing (ironically, an investigation I had called for) questioned my integrity. Encouraged by my wife, Ashley, and my pastor, I defended myself. More importantly, God defended me, and nearly a year later, I was ultimately and completely exonerated. Yet it was quite an ordeal.
Obviously, Job’s ordeal was a lot worse. Job had suffered so much loss. He lost his children. He lost his wealth. He lost his health. He lost his standing in the community. Yet the one thing he did not lose was his integrity. He refused to speak falsehood or utter deceit. He held fast to righteousness, and his conscience was clear. In fact, Job said he would defend his integrity to the death. Job was the kind of man we should all aspire to be—but hopefully without all the tragedy and maybe with a little more humility.
Christian leader Ted Engstrom wrote:
THE WORLD NEEDS MEN... who cannot be bought; whose word is their bond; who put character above wealth; who possess opinions and a will; who are larger than their vocations; who do not hesitate to take chances; who will not lose their individuality in a crowd; who will be as honest in small things as in great things; who will make no compromise with wrong; whose ambitions are not confined to their own selfish desires; who will not say they do it “because everybody else does it”; who are true to their friends through good report and evil report, in adversity as well as in prosperity; who do not believe that shrewdness, cunning, and hardheadedness are the best qualities for winning success; who are not ashamed or afraid to stand for the truth when it is unpopular; who can say “no” with emphasis, although all the rest of the world says “yes!”[1]
What Engstrom is describing, among other things, is the necessity for men to possess integrity. There is an enormous need for godly men like that at home, on the job, in the church, in the military, on the judicial bench, in our government, etc. Sometimes, our integrity is called into question with justification. When that happens, all we can do is repent, apologize, and ask for the Lord’s help to rebuild what our words or actions tore down. We are all sinners and blow it occasionally. Yet when our integrity is unjustly attacked, sometimes we must stand up and defend ourselves, with God being our ultimate Defender. We need men who will say with Job: “[T]ill I die I will not put away my integrity from me” (v. 5).
- Has your integrity been questioned? Can you think of a time when there was justification? How did you respond? Can you think of a time when you were unjustly accused and your integrity attacked? How did you handle it?
- In what ways are you passing along to your children and grandchildren the value of being a person of integrity and defending it with your life?
- When your integrity is questioned, ask God to search your heart to see if it is justified. If it is not, ask Him to be your Defender even as you answer in defense.
[1] Ted W. Engstrom, The Making of a Christian Leader (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1976), 120.