“There was a man in the land of Uz named Job. He was a man of perfect integrity who feared God and turned away from evil.” Job 1:1.
What is meant by “perfect integrity”? Integrity means “wholeness,” so perfect integrity means being whole—there are no empty places inside you, no bricks missing in your wall. “Perfect integrity” means Job was honest and held himself to the highest standard.
But after Job loses everything (sheep, donkeys, oxen, camels, servants, children, and health), his wife questions him: “Do you still maintain your integrity? Why not curse God and die?” Job 2:9. Job tells her she’s foolish. Nevertheless, Job had lost everything; he could not have been more hurt. He wanted to curse something. But first, he praised God:
“Naked I came into this world, and naked shall I leave it. The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away. Blessed be the Name of the Lord” Job 1:21.
Then Job is silent for days. When he finally complains about his incomprehensible losses, does he curse God? No. Does he curse his enemies? No. Does he curse his wife or his friends (whom he calls “miserable comforters”)? No. Job curses the day of his birth. He spends all of chapter 3 elaborating on how awful the day of his birth was and saying he wishes he’d never been born.
–And that may sound cynical and negative, but remember: 1) he had lost EVERYTHING, including ten children, and 2) he NEVER questioned the goodness of God. He maintained his “perfect integrity” and stayed pure in thoughts and words.
Application? BE CREATIVE. When you are upset, you can “vent” without sinning against God. Curse the day you were born, if you must. Don’t curse God. If you have anger to release, do it the right way. Be careful what you say and whom you attack. It is possible to express overwhelming pain WITHOUT turning your back on God. Find ways to vent your feelings without doing harm to others or being unfaithful to God.
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