Commentary - Job 31:1-12

Bird's-eye view

Here in the final summation of his defense, Job presents what amounts to an oath of innocence. This is not the blustering of a self-righteous man, but rather the desperate plea of a righteous man who cannot fathom why God has afflicted him so. He is calling witnesses, as it were, and the court he is appealing to is the very court of heaven. This chapter is a magnificent display of Old Testament ethics, grounded in the fear of the Lord. Job systematically goes through a list of potential sins, sins of the heart and sins of the hand, and declares his innocence of them. He is not claiming sinless perfection, which no man apart from Christ can claim, but he is asserting a consistent pattern of righteous living. He understands that God is a God of justice who sees all and judges rightly. The chapter is a powerful testimony to a conscience held captive to the Word of God, even before that Word was fully written down.

The section before us, verses 1-12, deals specifically with the integrity of the heart, particularly in the area of sexual purity and general uprightness. Job begins with the lust of the eyes, moves to general integrity in his dealings, and then returns to the specific sin of adultery. He understands that sin begins in the heart and with the eyes, and he knows the devastating consequences that such sin brings, not just from God above, but in the fabric of social life here below. This is a man who took his covenant obligations seriously, and he is laying his life bare before God and man.

Outline

Context In Job

Job 31 is the climax of Job's speeches. After enduring the wearisome and wrong-headed counsel of his three friends, Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar, and after his own long wrestling with God's silence and his own suffering, Job makes his final, comprehensive statement. He has maintained his innocence throughout the book, not in the sense of being sinless, but in the sense that his suffering is not a direct punishment for some heinous, hidden sin as his friends have alleged. This chapter is his final appeal, a solemn oath before God. He is essentially saying, "Here is my life. If I have done these things, then let the corresponding curses fall upon me. But I have not." This sets the stage for the appearance of Elihu and, ultimately, for the Lord Himself to speak out of the whirlwind.

Key Issues

Verse by Verse Commentary

1 “I have cut a covenant with my eyes; How then could I gaze at a virgin?

Job begins with the gateway to lust. He understands what our Lord would later teach in the Sermon on the Mount: that adultery begins not in the bed, but in the heart, and the eyes are the primary avenue to the heart in this matter. Job uses the strongest possible language here: "I have cut a covenant." This is berith, the same word used for God's solemn, binding agreements with His people. Job has made a formal, binding treaty with his own eyes. This is not a casual resolution, a flimsy New Year's promise. This is a self-imposed, solemn oath. The object of the covenant was to govern his looking. He had bound his eyes under oath not to gaze upon a virgin. The word for "gaze" here means to look intently, to consider, to fix one's attention upon. This is not about accidental glances; it is about purposeful looking with lustful intent. Job knew that to allow the eyes to roam freely was to invite the heart to follow, and to invite the heart to follow was to break faith with God. This is practical, rugged, masculine piety. It is taking responsibility for one's own sanctification, starting with the senses.

2 And what is the portion of God from above Or the inheritance of the Almighty from on high?

Job immediately provides the theological foundation for his personal discipline. Why go to such lengths? Why make a covenant with his eyes? Because he fears God. He asks a rhetorical question. What does a man who indulges his lustful eyes have to expect from God? What is his "portion," his "inheritance"? The answer is implied, and it is not pleasant. Job is not motivated by a stoic self-control for its own sake. He is motivated by the reality of God Almighty, who sits enthroned "on high" and from whom all destinies are assigned. He knows that our lives are lived before an audience of One, and that this One is a holy God who will not be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. If he sows to the flesh, his portion from God will be corruption. If he sows to the Spirit, his portion will be life. Job's ethics are thoroughly theocentric.

3 Is it not disaster to the unjust And misfortune to those who work iniquity?

He answers his own question. The portion for the unjust is "disaster." The inheritance for the worker of iniquity is "misfortune." Job is stating a foundational principle of God's moral universe. Sin has consequences. God is a just judge, and He brings calamity upon the wicked. Now, the irony here is thick, is it not? Job is the one experiencing disaster and misfortune, and his friends have been arguing that it must be because he is an unjust worker of iniquity. Job turns their logic on its head. He says, "I agree with the principle. God does judge sin. And it is precisely because I know this to be true that I have been so careful to walk in righteousness. My suffering makes no sense under this rubric, because I have not lived this way." He affirms the justice of God as the very basis of his plea of innocence.

4 Does He not see my ways And number all my steps?

Here is the heart of the matter. God is omniscient. Nothing is hidden from His sight. He doesn't just see the big picture; He numbers "all my steps." Every single one. There is no action, no thought, no glance that escapes His notice. This is a terrifying thought for the wicked, but it is a comfort to the righteous. Job is appealing to this perfect, exhaustive knowledge of God. He is saying, in effect, "Go ahead, Lord. Review the tape. Count my steps. You will find that my life has been one of integrity." He is not afraid of God's scrutiny because he has lived his life in the awareness of that scrutiny. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and that wisdom includes the knowledge that you can't hide anything from Him.

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

Job now moves from the specific sin of lust to the general category of falsehood and deceit. To "walk with worthlessness" (shav) is to live a life of vanity, emptiness, and falsehood. It is to be a phony. His foot has not "hastened after deceit." This means he was not eager to engage in fraudulent or dishonest schemes. He is describing a life of substance, of truthfulness. His walk and his feet, his conduct and his pursuits, have been marked by integrity. This is the first of a series of "if... then..." statements. He is invoking a conditional curse upon himself. "If I have done this..."

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

"...then let this happen." What does Job ask for if he is guilty? Not mercy, but justice. "Let Him weigh me with just scales." He is so confident in his case that he is willing to be placed on the divine scales of justice. He is not pleading for a thumb on the scale in his favor. He is asking for an accurate weighing. And what does he expect the outcome to be? That God would "know my integrity." The word "know" here is not about God discovering something new. It is about God officially recognizing, acknowledging, and vindicating his integrity. Job's plea is for vindication based on the facts of his life, a life lived before the all-seeing God.

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

He elaborates on the potential charges. First, "if my step has turned from the way." The "way" is the path of righteousness, the path of God's commandments. Second, "or my heart followed my eyes." Here he returns to the theme of verse one. He links the eyes and the heart. The eyes see, and the heart desires. Job is saying that he has governed both. He has not allowed his heart to be led astray by what his eyes have seen. This is comprehensive purity, internal and external. Third, "or if any spot has stuck to my hands." This refers to ill-gotten gain, to theft, bribery, or any form of corruption. His hands are clean. He has not profited from injustice. Notice the progression: his feet (his walk), his heart and eyes (his inner desires), and his hands (his actions).

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

This is the curse he invokes upon himself if the conditions in verse 7 are true. It is a curse that strikes at the heart of a man's labor and provision. In an agrarian society, this was a devastating curse. To work the ground, to sow the seed, and then to have another man enjoy the harvest was a profound injustice and a sign of God's judgment (cf. Deut. 28:30, 33). For his crops to be "uprooted" is a picture of total ruin. Job is saying, "If my hands have taken what is not mine, let what is mine be taken from me." The punishment fits the crime. This demonstrates the seriousness with which he takes these oaths.

9 “If my heart has been enticed by a woman, Or I have lied in wait at my neighbor’s doorway,

Job returns with greater specificity to the sin of sexual impurity, this time focusing on adultery. He speaks of the heart being "enticed" by a woman. This is the internal dimension, the secret cherishing of desire for another man's wife. Then he moves to the external action: "I have lied in wait at my neighbor's doorway." This is the picture of a predator, lurking and waiting for an opportunity to commit the act. Job denies both the inward desire and the outward plotting. He has respected the sanctity of his neighbor's marriage bed, both in his heart and with his body.

10 May my wife grind for another, And let others kneel down over her.

The corresponding curse is, again, shockingly appropriate. "May my wife grind for another." Grinding grain was the work of a servant or a slave. He is saying, may my wife become the lowest kind of servant to another man. But it is a double entendre. The language also carries a clear sexual connotation, referring to sexual intercourse. The second line makes this explicit: "And let others kneel down over her." This is a graphic and brutal description of his wife being sexually violated by other men. Job is invoking the principle of lex talionis, an eye for an eye. If I have violated my neighbor's wife, let my own wife be violated. We should not miss the horror of this. Job is not saying he wishes this for his wife; he is saying this is the just consequence for such a heinous sin, and he is declaring his utter innocence by being willing to state the curse in its starkest terms.

11 For that would be lewdness; Moreover, it would be an iniquity punishable by judges.

Why are the consequences so severe? Because the sin is so great. He calls it "lewdness" (zimmah), a word that denotes a heinous, premeditated, and scandalous crime. This is not a minor slip-up. It is a flagrant violation of God's moral order. Furthermore, it is "an iniquity punishable by judges." Adultery was not just a private sin; it was a public crime. It attacked the very fabric of society by destroying families, the basic building blocks of any healthy culture. It was a capital offense under the Mosaic law (Lev. 20:10). Job understands that his personal purity is a matter of public justice.

12 For it would be fire that consumes to Abaddon, And would uproot all my produce.

He concludes this section by describing the destructive nature of this sin. It is a "fire." Lust is a consuming fire. It doesn't just warm; it destroys. And where does it destroy? "To Abaddon." Abaddon means "destruction" and is often used as a name for the realm of the dead, for hell itself. Adultery is a hellish fire. It brings destruction in its wake. And its effects are total: it "would uproot all my produce." Just as he said in verse 8, this sin would lead to the complete destruction of all that he had worked for. It is a fire that burns down the whole farm. This is the wisdom of God. Sexual sin is not a private, harmless indulgence. It is a raging fire that consumes individuals, families, and cultures, leading them down the path to destruction.

Application

Job's oath is a stark reminder for us in an age that treats sexual sin so casually. We are drowning in a sea of filth, and the church is far from immune. Job's first line of defense was a covenant with his eyes. This is where the battle must be fought for every Christian man. We cannot be passive. We must make a deliberate, solemn commitment before God to govern what we look at. This is not legalism; it is spiritual warfare.

Second, our motivation must be theological. Job feared God. He knew that God sees everything and that He is a just judge. Our fight for purity is not ultimately about self-improvement or avoiding awkward consequences. It is about honoring the holy God who bought us with the blood of His Son. The gospel does not lower the standard; it provides the grace and the motivation to meet it.

Finally, we see the connection between private integrity and public justice. Job knew that his personal lusts, if acted upon, were a crime against his neighbor and his community. We have privatized sin to our great peril. Our personal holiness or lack thereof has massive public implications. A man who cannot govern his own eyes will not be fit to govern anything else. Let us then, like Job, appeal to the all-seeing God, and by His grace, walk in a way that is worthy of our calling, with feet that do not hasten after deceit, hearts that do not follow our eyes, and hands that are clean.