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Job 27: I Will Hold My Integrity

Job swears a solemn oath that he will never abandon his integrity, while affirming the certain doom that awaits the truly wicked.

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Job 27 (WEB)

1 Job again took up his parable, and said,

2 “As God lives, who has taken away my right, the Almighty, who has made my soul bitter.

3 (For the length of my life is still in me, and the spirit of God is in my nostrils);

4 surely my lips shall not speak unrighteousness, neither shall my tongue utter deceit.

5 Far be it from me that I should justify you. Until I die I will not put away my integrity from me.

6 I hold fast to my righteousness, and will not let it go. My heart shall not reproach me so long as I live.

7 “Let my enemy be as the wicked. Let him who rises up against me be as the unrighteous.

8 For what is the hope of the godless, when he is cut off, when God takes away his life?

9 Will God hear his cry when trouble comes on him?

10 Will he delight himself in the Almighty, and call on God at all times?

11 I will teach you about the hand of God. That which is with the Almighty will I not conceal.

12 Behold, all of you have seen it yourselves; why then have you become altogether vain?

13 “This is the portion of a wicked man with God, the heritage of oppressors, which they receive from the Almighty.

14 If his children are multiplied, it is for the sword. His offspring shall not be satisfied with bread.

15 Those who remain of him shall be buried in death. His widows shall make no lamentation.

16 Though he heap up silver as the dust, and prepare clothing as the clay;

17 he may prepare it, but the just shall put it on, and the innocent shall divide the silver.

18 He builds his house as the moth, as a booth which the watchman makes.

19 He lies down rich, but he shall not do so again. He opens his eyes, and he is not.

20 Terrors overtake him like waters. A storm steals him away in the night.

21 The east wind carries him away, and he departs. It sweeps him out of his place.

22 For it hurls at him, and does not spare, as he flees away from his hand.

23 Men shall clap their hands at him, and shall hiss him out of his place.

Summary

Job takes up his discourse again with a solemn oath, swearing by the living God, who he feels has denied him justice, that as long as breath remains in him his lips will speak no unrighteousness and his tongue no deceit. Far be it from him to admit his friends are right; until he dies he will not put away his integrity, and he holds fast to his righteousness with a clear conscience. He calls his accusers, in effect, to be treated as the wicked if their charges are true, for the godless have no real hope when God takes away their life, no delight in the Almighty, no answered prayer in trouble. Job then offers his own description of the portion of the wicked, sounding much like his friends: though the wicked man multiply children, they fall to sword and famine; though he heap up silver and fine clothing, the just will wear them and the innocent divide his silver. He lies down rich but wakes to nothing; terrors overtake him like a flood, and the east wind sweeps him away. Job is not contradicting himself but clarifying: he has never denied that the wicked face judgment; he has denied only that his own suffering proves him wicked. His refusal to confess false guilt is itself an act of profound faith and honesty before God.

Voices

  • Job — The sufferer who swears never to surrender his integrity or speak falsely, while affirming that the truly wicked face a sure and dreadful end.
  • The friends — The accusers whom Job challenges, refusing to concede their false charges against him.
  • God (the Almighty) — The living God by whom Job swears, who Job believes has withheld justice yet remains the One before whom he keeps his integrity.

Key Verse

Job 27:5 (WEB)

Far be it from me that I should justify you. Until I die I will not put away my integrity from me.

Lessons Learned

  • Refusing to confess sins we have not committed can be an act of faithfulness, not pride.
  • A clear conscience before God is worth holding onto even at great cost.
  • Affirming that the wicked face judgment is not the same as believing every sufferer is wicked.
  • Integrity means our words and conscience align with the truth before the living God.
  • Guard your speech with integrity. Job vows that “my lips shall not speak unrighteousness, neither shall my tongue utter deceit” (Job 27:4, WEB). Truthful speech flows from a heart of integrity.
  • Hold fast to a clear conscience. “Until I die I will not put away my integrity from me” (Job 27:5, WEB). Job refuses to buy peace by confessing false guilt.
  • Righteousness is worth keeping. “I hold fast to my righteousness, and will not let it go” (Job 27:6, WEB). A conscience that does not reproach us is a treasure to defend.
  • The wicked have no lasting hope. Job asks, “what is the hope of the godless, when he is cut off?” (Job 27:8, WEB). Apart from God there is no hope when life ends.
  1. Why does Job swear such a solemn oath about his integrity (27:2-6)?
  2. Is Job's refusal to confess guilt a sign of pride or of faithfulness? Why?
  3. Job describes the doom of the wicked much like his friends do. How is his point different from theirs?
  4. What does it mean to hold fast to a clear conscience before God?
  5. Where are you tempted to admit a false guilt or abandon what you know is true to gain peace with others?
  1. Job binds himself by oath before the living God never to speak falsely or surrender his integrity (27:2-6). The solemnity shows how seriously he takes the truth; he will not lie about himself even to satisfy his friends or escape his agony.
  2. It is faithfulness, not pride. Job will not bear false witness against himself by confessing sins he never committed. Confessing fictional guilt would dishonor the God of truth. His stubbornness here is integrity, holding to what is real.
  3. Job has never denied that the wicked are judged; he describes their ruin vividly (27:13-23). His point differs from the friends' because he refuses their conclusion that his own suffering proves him wicked. He affirms judgment on evil without accepting their false diagnosis.
  4. A clear conscience means our inner life and our words agree with the truth before God. Job's heart does not reproach him because he has not done the evils charged against him. Encourage the group to value such honesty before God above others' approval.
  5. This is a personal-application question. Invite members to consider where pressure tempts them to deny the truth or take on false guilt for the sake of peace. As leader, encourage gentle, honest integrity rooted in the God of truth.

Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible (WEB), the King James Version (KJV), and the American Standard Version (ASV), all of which are in the public domain.