In what ways does Job 31:9 connect with Jesus' teachings on adultery? Setting the Texts Side by Side • Job 31:9: “If my heart has been enticed by my neighbor’s wife, or I have lurked at his doorway,” • Matthew 5:27-28: “You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman to lust after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” Job’s Heart-Level Integrity • Job publicly vows that even his heart must stay free from attraction to another man’s wife. • He refuses both inner fascination (“enticed”) and outward opportunity (“lurked at his doorway”), showing purity begins long before any physical act. • In verses 11-12, Job calls adultery “a heinous crime” and “a fire that burns to destruction,” underscoring its seriousness before God. Jesus Raises (and Clarifies) the Same Bar • Jesus quotes the seventh commandment, then presses past external behavior to the unseen realm of desire. • Lustful looking equals adultery “in his heart”; the sin registers with God the moment desire is welcomed. • Jesus urges drastic measures—spiritual “amputation” of anything that feeds illicit desire (Matthew 5:29-30). Key Connections • Internal Focus – Job: “my heart…enticed” – Jesus: “anyone who looks…to lust” Both insist sin begins inside; physical adultery is merely the fruit of a heart already compromised. • Personal Accountability – Job puts himself on trial before God (Job 31:4, 6). – Jesus reminds hearers of future judgment (Matthew 5:29-30). Each man underscores that God sees motives and will call every person to account. • Covenant Faithfulness – Job stays loyal to his own marriage (implicit from Job 2:9-10). – Jesus upholds marriage as God’s lifelong union (Matthew 19:4-6). Purity protects the covenant bond God established between husband and wife. • Radical Boundaries – Job avoids even standing at the neighbor’s doorway—a deliberate buffer zone. – Jesus calls disciples to remove stumbling blocks, no matter the cost. Both commend pre-emptive guardrails rather than damage control after sin erupts. Supporting Passages That Echo the Theme • Proverbs 6:25-29—warning against lusting after a neighbor’s wife; parallels Job’s language of enticement. • 1 Thessalonians 4:3-5—God’s will is sanctification, “that each of you learn to control his own body in holiness and honor.” • James 1:14-15—desire conceives sin, and sin, when full-grown, brings death; matches the inner-to-outer pattern in Job 31 and Matthew 5. Practical Takeaways for Today • Guard the eyes: filter media, screen time, and casual glances that can spark lingering desire. • Guard the heart: memorize Scripture (Psalm 119:9-11), pray for pure affections, swiftly confess stray thoughts. • Guard the pathway: avoid contexts that invite temptation—late-night texting, private meetings, or emotional over-sharing with someone else’s spouse. • Guard the covenant: proactively nurture one’s own marriage with affection, transparency, and mutual accountability. |
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