A Worthy Personal Covenant
I made a covenant with my eyes not to look lustfully at a young woman.
For what is our lot from God above, our heritage from the Almighty on high?
Is it not ruin for the wicked, disaster for those who do wrong?
Does He not see my ways and count my every step?
If I have walked with falsehood or my foot has hurried after deceit -- let God weigh me in honest scales and He will know that I am blameless…
If my heart has been enticed by a woman, or if I have lurked at my neighbor's door, then may my wife grind another man's grain, and may other men sleep with her;
For that would have been wicked, a sin to be judged.
It is a fire that burns to Destruction, it would have uprooted my harvest. (Job 31:1-12)
For what is our lot from God above, our heritage from the Almighty on high?
Is it not ruin for the wicked, disaster for those who do wrong?
Does He not see my ways and count my every step?
If I have walked with falsehood or my foot has hurried after deceit -- let God weigh me in honest scales and He will know that I am blameless…
If my heart has been enticed by a woman, or if I have lurked at my neighbor's door, then may my wife grind another man's grain, and may other men sleep with her;
For that would have been wicked, a sin to be judged.
It is a fire that burns to Destruction, it would have uprooted my harvest. (Job 31:1-12)
The Bible describes Job as a man who was blameless and upright; a man who feared God and shunned evil. In this portion of Scripture, we get a glimpse into how Job walked in righteousness and maintained sexual purity. One of the ways in which Job did this was to make a covenant with his eyes concerning sexual purity: "I made a covenant with my eyes not to look lustfully at a young woman." Job then went on to remind himself that God sees his ways and counts every step he takes.
A covenant as used here simply refers to a solemn pledge or agreement that Job had made to himself that he would not look with lust at a young woman. Job used this as a guardrail to keep himself from falling into sexual sin. Job was so sure of his adherence to the tenets of his covenant that he boldly declares: "If my heart has been enticed by a woman, or if I have lurked at my neighbor's door, then may my wife grind another man's grain. For that would have been wicked, a sin to be judged."
It is interesting that Jesus talked about sexual lust in Matthew 5. Jesus stated that "...anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart."
So, the path to purity starts with the initial boundaries we set for ourselves. If we don't control what we feast our eyes on, chances are that we would be drawn into a downward spiral.
So, make a personal covenant of purity so that you would not be drawn into a downward spiral of sexual impurity. A powerful example is the fact that because David had made no personal covenant with his eyes not to look lustfully after a woman, he was captivated by the beauty of Bathsheba to the point of going after her and ordering her husband to be killed in the process. A personal covenant of purity can go a long way to keep our desires in check.
A covenant as used here simply refers to a solemn pledge or agreement that Job had made to himself that he would not look with lust at a young woman. Job used this as a guardrail to keep himself from falling into sexual sin. Job was so sure of his adherence to the tenets of his covenant that he boldly declares: "If my heart has been enticed by a woman, or if I have lurked at my neighbor's door, then may my wife grind another man's grain. For that would have been wicked, a sin to be judged."
It is interesting that Jesus talked about sexual lust in Matthew 5. Jesus stated that "...anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart."
So, the path to purity starts with the initial boundaries we set for ourselves. If we don't control what we feast our eyes on, chances are that we would be drawn into a downward spiral.
So, make a personal covenant of purity so that you would not be drawn into a downward spiral of sexual impurity. A powerful example is the fact that because David had made no personal covenant with his eyes not to look lustfully after a woman, he was captivated by the beauty of Bathsheba to the point of going after her and ordering her husband to be killed in the process. A personal covenant of purity can go a long way to keep our desires in check.
Prayer: Father, like Job, please help me to make and keep a personal covenant of purity because my body is your holy temple. Amen.