The Old Testament Book of Job is
not easy to understand. First, because of the long orations expressed in poetry
it is sometimes difficult to understand what is going on among the various
persons in the book. Second, even after one grasps what each person is saying,
there are mysteries about God’s dealings with His people, the role of Satan in
those dealings, why good people suffer, and so on. Several Bible scholars,
wiser and more spiritually gifted than the present writer, have written
commentaries on the Book of Job and have grappled with the issues mentioned
above.

Many say that Job was a
self-righteous man, and that this was the reason for God allowing him to be
tried so severely. This may very well be true, but because of this assessment
of Job, we often overlook the very practical information given in the Book of
Job as to what constitutes a righteous man. Therefore, the focus of this
article is on lessons we can learn from the description of Job’s life before
all the calamities befell him.

The fact that our knowledge of
Job’s life comes primarily from his own description of it should not deter us.
While Job may have been guilty of self-righteousness, God Himself described Job
as "a blameless and upright man, fearing God, and turning away from
evil" (Job 1:8 NASB). Therefore, even if Job thought too much of his own
righteousness, we can assume that his own account of his deeds is accurate.

In chapter 29 Job describes his
actions as an elder sitting in the gates of the city. From other Old Testament
passages we know that these elders served as the law courts for their towns and
cities. Job’s judiciary decisions were righteous. He served as protector to
widows and orphans. He says, "I investigated the case which I did not
know" (verse 16 NASB). In our society the legal system is organized
differently, but in the assembly there is opportunity for encouraging and
helping in various ways widows and orphans, as well as other saints who are
hurting. And sometimes, sadly, there is wrong-doing to be dealt with. Let Job
be a model for the leaders of the assembly—for thoroughly investigating the
cases that come before them rather than relying on hearsay, and for dealing
with wrong-doers according to righteousness rather than according to personal
feelings or prejudice.

Chapter 29 describes Job’s public
life and chapter 31 his private life. We see that he was as upright in private
as in public. He did not demand more righteousness from others than he did from
himself. He not only did not commit adultery (31:9), he did not even look at
other women (verse 1). He did not ignore the complaints or grievances of his
servants (employees) (verse 13). He shared his material blessings with the poor
(verses 16-20). He did not mistreat anyone because that person was a social
outcast, because it would have made him popular with others, or because he
thought he could get away with it (verse 22).

Although Job was wealthy, he did
not gloat over his wealth or put his trust in it. He acknowledged that all his
blessings came from God.

Job did not rejoice or gloat when
evil befell one of his enemies, nor did he ask for any evil to come upon an
enemy of his (verses 29,30). He was hospitable and was known far and wide for
his generosity (verses 31,32). His life was an open book—he had nothing to hide
from anyone (verses 33,34).

We are told to hunger and thirst
after righteousness (Matt. 5:6). Job was a righteous man who happened to be
wealthy. His wealth was used for the benefit of others, not to gratify his own
lusts or pleasures. His lifestyle provides many lessons for us who would be
righteous as we live in a materialistic society.

There is one quality shown by Job
in these chapters that we must not emulate. That is his speaking a great deal
of himself. "Let another man praise you, and not your own mouth; a
stranger, and not your own lips" (Prov. 27:2). This is evidence of the
self-righteousness that the Lord was trying to get him to judge.

Let us hunger and thirst after
righteousness and ponder Job’s example of a righteous life. But at the same
time, let us not get carried away with looking inward and proclaiming our own
righteousness; rather let us focus upon the Lord Jesus Christ, our Saviour, our
Redeemer, and our perfect Example.