Opening Prayer: Our Lord, and our God, may the words of my mouth reflect a heart that is fixed on You and You alone. May the works of my hands be always satisfactory in Your sight. May the thoughts of my mind honor and glorify You. I seek to be a person of integrity. One who speaks truthfully, not the partial truth of a world that defies You with empty words. I desire to do my work in a way that honors You this day. My life is Yours to use as You please. Amen.
Today’s Bible Verse: Psalm 25:21-22
May integrity and uprightness protect me, because my hope is in you. Redeem Your children, O God…
Associated Scriptures:
The integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity (Proverbs 11:3).
Righteousness guards the man of integrity, but wickedness overthrows the sinner (Proverbs 13:6).
In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness, and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us (Titus 2:7-8).
Correlative Quotes:
To pretend to wait on God without holiness of life is religious hypocrisy, and to trust our integrity without calling upon God is presumptuous atheism. Perhaps the integrity and uprightness referred to are those righteous attributes of God, which faith rests upon as a guarantee that the Lord will not forfeit (relinquish) his word.[1] – Charles Spurgeon
"Instruction in righteousness" refers not to the imputed righteousness of Christ, for that is included in "doctrine," but relates to the integrity of character and conduct—it is inherent and practical righteousness, which is the fruit of the imputed. We need "instructing" out of the Word because neither reason nor conscience is adequate for such a task.[2] – A. W. Pink
You lose your strength, Christian, the moment you depart from your integrity.[3] – Charles Spurgeon
Author’s Notes:
INTRODUCTION
It was my older brother’s tenth birthday. My mom decided to give him a birthday party. I was six at the time. She baked a chocolate cake and set it on the kitchen table. When she saw me looking at it, she said: “Now Bruce, don’t touch the cake or you won’t get any of it.”
She went off to the store for some final preparations. I looked at the chocolate icing and I couldn’t resist. When she frosted the cake, she left just a little icing on the plate around the edge. I went to the drawer, got a knife, and was able to remove the icing around the edge of the plate without touching the cake. It was outstanding. But as I continued to look at the cake, I saw at the edge, where it met the plate, there was a small amount of frosting cupped onto the plate. I then artfully took that icing too, without ever touching the cake.
After the party, it was time for dessert. I couldn’t wait. She passed it out and skipped me! I said, “Mom, where’s mine!” She responded: “You had yours.” I said, “I didn’t touch the cake.” Her response was a classic, “The frosting is part of the cake.” I must have had guilt written all over my face and a small amount of chocolate too.
Is this an important story? Well, I still remember it and it happened 68 years ago. My mom taught us: “If you never tell a lie, you can never be caught in a lie.” When you make it a practice, to tell the truth, you don’t have to remember what you have said to anyone.
While spiritual honesty is a measure of absolute truth, spiritual integrity relates more directly to absolute moral soundness. Truth is an action, while integrity is a state of being. God’s standard is perfection.
When I told my mom I didn’t touch the cake, I was being deceitful. When I took the frosting from the cake, knowing I was wrong, I was expressing a lack of integrity.
These minor indiscretions may not seem like important issues; however, Jesus says in Luke 16:10-11: Unless you are faithful in the small matters of life, you won't be faithful in the large ones. If you cheat even a little, you won't be honest with greater responsibilities. If you are untrustworthy about worldly wealth, who will trust you with the true riches of heaven?
JOB IS TESTED
The Book of Job relates a challenge between Satan and God which includes a wealthy, spiritual human named Job. As the account reads, one day the angels came to present themselves to God (Job 1:5-5). Satan was one of those who attended. God asks Satan, “Where he has been?” In verse 7a, Satan tells God he has been on earth (vs. 7b). God makes a remarkable statement in verse 8 when He says, Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil. Three times before and during Job’s encounter with Satan, he is described as being a person of unmatched honesty and integrity.
During their initial confrontation, Satan approaches God to challenge Him when he asks: Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? God agrees to allow Satan to test Job but not to take his life (Job 2:6).
As Satan squeezes him (Job 1:12), Job eventually loses all his wealth, property, herds, and children (Job 1:13-19). His determination to please God deepens. Then he fell to the ground in worship. Job 1:20-21 attests this response: At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. and said: "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised." Even his friends turn against him. He questions why this is happening, but Job does not lose faith in His Master.
JOB’S INTEGRITY: JOY IN RIGHTEOUSNESS
It was Job’s faith that reconciled him to God; he was not sinless. The man Job was not a perfect man, he was forgiven. In his humility, Job 9:20, he claimed: Though I were righteous, my mouth would condemn me; Though I were blameless, it would prove me perverse. Job did not claim he was blameless in the sense he had not sinned. He knew to do so would prove he was a liar.
All have sinned and missed the mark (Romans 3:23). According to Psalm 116:11: “all men are liars.” Even worse, If we claim that we have never sinned, we make God a liar. Saying we have not sinned means Truth is not in us.
According to Psalm 11:7, being principled depends on righteousness. Being upright means to be straight and refers to a level or even path. In other words, Job was right in all his dealings with others. He was a just man.
In a worldly sense, uprightness means having a knowledge of what is just or right and being able to conform to its understanding. All people can pervert truth and rationalize it. But, God knows the hearts or motives of mankind. Proverbs 21:2 indicates: Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, But the LORD weighs the hearts. He sees through the verbal façade of partial truth and deceit.
Honesty is still the best policy. God rewards it. Psalm 2:6-8 reveals: For the LORD gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. He holds success in store for the upright, he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless, for he guards the course of the just and protects the way of his faithful ones.
Upright people are immovable and unyielding in their honesty and integrity.
The fear of God mentioned here and in Proverbs 9:10 refers to the awe or reverence of God. We do not need to be afraid of God. The fear of God kept Job from evil. One might ask, as I did: “How does the fear of God lead to wisdom and the knowledge of God cause understanding?” First, the awe of God gives Him enormous credibility. Therefore, we believe what He has written in His Book. Secondly, because of who He is trust His words. Thirdly, when we begin to study His Word, the Holy Spirit takes over the teaching. We suddenly see and understand things that have been a mystery to us in the past.
All within him was holy, all around him was righteousness; and his whole life was spent avoiding evil and drawing near to God. To avoid unrighteous words and actions, believers must understand what sin is and how we may escape it.
According to Psalm 32, there is joy in forgiveness. Four terms set the background for forgiveness (Psalm 32:1-4). The first term used in these two verses is transgression (Psalm 32:1a). It is a legal term meaning you have sinned against the law of God. The second word is Sin (Psalm 32:1b). This is a broader term meaning to miss the mark. It is characterized by unrighteous acts against one’s self, others, or God.
Thirdly, we see Imputed iniquity (Psalm 32:2a). Imputed depravity is a sin not counted against us. 1 john 2:1 clarifies: My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father--Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. God does not want us to sin; sinlessness is the goal of every Christian (John 8:11). The grace given to us in salvation does not afford us the right to sin (Romans 6:15). However, if we do sin, Jesus steps in as our advocate and argues our case before God (1 John 2:1). We not only have our attorney, but He is a Jewish lawyer.
The fourth word is deceit (Psalm 32:2b). Deceit is stating a partial truth, but in actuality, fully a lie. My wife asks: “Did you eat the last brownie?” I respond, “No I didn’t!” My ardent denial of guilt seems like a simple truth. However, I didn’t eat the last brownie, I hid the tasty dessert until I became hungry again. My denial is only a partial truth and is an example of deceit. With mankind, we can tell partial truth and sometimes even defend them when we get caught. God knows our motive and partial truths are ineffective with Him. All four of these categories of disobedience, either singly or in concert with the others, require forgiveness.
There is also joy in confession. The psalm continues to point out in Psalm 32:5a-b: Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD." Sin leads to oppression. Psalm 32:3: day and night your hand was heavy on me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. Confession relieves oppression.
The joy ascribed to the absolution accompanying confession cannot be measured. And you forgave the guilt of my sin (Psalm 32:5c). It was Job’s confession and repentance that brought about his blessing from God (Job 42:6).
Also, His children see in Psalm 32:8-9 transformation contributing to the believer’s joy. I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go. Our teacher is the Holy Spirit. He is the paraclete mentioned by Jesus in John 16:7: Nevertheless, I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.
Finally, we find joy in our expression (Psalm 32:10-11): Love surrounds the one who trusts in him. The loving touch of God’s grace and mercy brings seekers a joy worth celebrating. As we celebrate alone or in a group, His visible essence draws others to question our source of love and peace. In this way, our outward expression becomes the witness drawing others to Jesus.
REWARD FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS
As much as Job was puzzled about his new and desperate circumstances, God eventually revealed to him the answer. It was not Job’s place to ask. He had not earned the right to know the mystery of God’s works. However, because Job was faithful, God blessed him with twice as much as he had before. Job lived a hundred and forty years; he saw his children and their children to the fourth generation (Job 42:10, 16, NKJV).
Spiritual Application:
We all suffer from the result of original sin. However, we all have a choice. Joshua had led Israel to the edge of the promised land. God’s chosen people were about to enter the land. However, Joshua knew the entrance would be futile if they were not all on the same page.
Israel needed God as its leader. Joshua makes this profound statement in chapter 24:12-13: Now fear the LORD and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.
The people had a choice to make. They, fortunately, were committed to believing in and serving God. If His children today want to be people of integrity and they intend to influence others’ lives for God, they must also make this same commitment. Believers must make Jesus the Lord of their lives. God must be number one in all decisions (Proverbs 3:5-6).
Lessons within the Lesson:
Define integrity.
How is integrity different from honesty?
Give an example of a partial truth you are someone close to you have used.
What does “shunning evil” mean?
[1] Charles Spurgeon, Psalm 25: 21-22, Treasury of David, Ibid, P. 397
[2] A. W. Pink, The Means of Spiritual Growth, #III, Public Domain. monergism.com/thethreshold/sdg/spiritualgrowth. Html.
[3] Charles Spurgeon, The Broad Wall, Public Domain, spurgeongems.org/sermon/chs3281.pdf, P. 4.