Be Like Job

September 28, 2018 | By Chuck

So much of the news lately has revolved around sexual assault allegations. I don't know who did what or what's true and what's not. What I do know is that it's a sad commentary on where we are as a society. To me, each case and scenario is very telling as to what is important in the world today. One well known actor was sentenced to prison just days ago for sexually assaulting a woman and several other women made allegations of the same nature against him too. I can think of four very influential men in the television industry who lost their high paying jobs because of sexual indiscretions against women. This is slowly becoming an epidemic as more allegations seem to surface almost daily. So, where do we go from here? How do we put a stop to this type of behavior? I certainly don't have all the answers, but I do believe that we must get to the root of the problem. I believe in these cases of sexual indiscretions that the root of the problem is lust. It's clear to me that these men go from looking and lusting to making unwanted advances toward women. A man who is not trying to control lust is a high risk for acting out in some predatory way. We all, men and women, must understand that it matters how we look at others and the thoughts we allow to linger in our mind. I think we can all learn a lot about how to handle lust from Job. "I have made a covenant with my eyes; how then could I gaze at a virgin"(Job 31:1)? A "gaze" is a lingering lengthy look that leads to lust. Job literally made an agreement with his eyes that he wouldn't look lustfully at a woman. You may think that sounds silly, but, Job's plan was straightforward, easy and effective. Every Christian every day should make a covenant with his or her eyes not to look inappropriately at others. Make that agreement and ask God for help and strength. Sexual assault allegations about Job never surfaced, because he took this matter seriously and made proper preparations. It's time we be like Job and do the same.