31:1-4 Job insisted on his righteousness. He had made a covenant with God and had remained faithful to it. He felt that his life had unfolded unjustly and contrary to what he knew to be true about God. From Job's limited perspective, it had. But Job's perspective, like our own, is indeed limited and therefore we cannot always accurately interpret the reason or meaning for certain situations in our lives.
31:5-8 Job was unafraid of discipline; he was willing to take responsibility for his actions. But he felt that he was blameless and therefore resisted and resented the plight of his life.
31:9-12 Job began series of proclamations of innocence: he had been faithful, neighborly, and fair.
31:13-15 He stated that he had been kind not just to the people around him and his family but also to the people who worked under him.
31:16-23 He had been generous and charitable, honest and helpful. He knew right from wrong and good from evil. He agreed with what was good and right; he denied what was wrong and evil. He obeyed God but also lived in full agreement with God's laws and commandments. In other words, he would not have resisted punishment had he broken those commandments.
31:24-28 Job knew that he had not made wealth his god or desire in life. He was not greedy, or self-centered. He loved and obeyed God exclusively; he did not participate in or believe in idol worship.
31:29-34 He was not vicious or vengeful. He did not hate or curse people. He did not lie or withhold truth or anything else from anyone in need around him.
31:35-37 Job wanted desperately to make his case before God... but it was a wasted effort because God knew and saw everything. Job did not have to defend himself, God already knew the truth. Job is a prime example of how we can worry and defend ourselves to the point of exhaustion for truly no purpose at all! God sees and knows and plans accordingly in all of our circumstances. We have to learn to trust Him and to rely on the promises He has made.
31:38-40 Against everyone and everything Job felt he had been fair, even to his land. He was grateful for people and what God had provided him and he felt that he lived with a spirit of gratitude. But because he could not figure out the reason behind the change in his life he assumed God was punishing him. Never assume that God is against you; God is always for your betterment. But you can only get to that better place through faith.
Finished.
