Integrity
There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job; and that man was blameless, upright, fearing God and turning away from evil. Job 1:1 NASB
Blameless – We started our investigation of the story of Job with a commentary on the three critical terms used to describe Job’s spiritual state. Do you remember?
As we begin our investigation of Job, we must understand the scope of these three character words: tām, yāšār, and yārēʾ (blameless, upright, fearing). We might reasonably translate tām as complete, that is, a man of utmost integrity. Many English Bibles use the word “perfect,” but not in the sense of never making an error. Rather, tāmis about being without moral defect, a man who is exemplary in all aspects of his life. To this we add yāšār, that is, someone who stays on the path no matter what. “Literally. ‘To go straight or direct in the way’ (I Sam 6:12), but more frequently in the intensive (Piel) ‘to make (a way) straight,’ i.e. direct and level and free from obstacles, as when preparing to receive a royal visitor. This is the work of God for man . . .”[1] Job is a man of direct action, someone who keeps his word, who is totally trustworthy. He does not deviate from God’s path for him. Finally, Job is yārēʾ, that is, righteous in behavior and attitude, a man who maintains the most meticulous practice of religious ritual and whose choices are always determined by his adherence to God’s oversight. It would be hard to find three more exhaustive words concerning the impeccable spiritual condition of a person. And that, of course, is the point. This is a man who embodies everything we imagine as spiritual excellence. There is absolutely no justification to the claim that any evil which befalls him is deserved.[2]
Behind these three terms lies the idea of integrity. Oswald Chambers makes some significant remarks about this essential characteristic in his discussion of conscience:
Conscience is that faculty in me which attaches itself to the highest that I know, and tells me what the highest I know demands that I do. It is the eye of the soul which looks out either towards God or towards what it regards as the highest . . . I should be living in such perfect sympathy with God’s Son, that in every circumstance the spirit of my mind is renewed, and I “make out” at once “what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” . . There is no debate possible when conscience speaks.[3]
No matter how disagreeable a thing may be, say—“Lord, I am delighted to obey Thee in this matter,” . . There must be no debate. The moment you obey the light, the Son of God presses through you in that particular; . . . It is one thing to choose the disagreeable, and another thing to go into the disagreeable by God’s engineering. If God puts you there, He is amply sufficient.”[4]
Integrity is the perfect harmony of conscience and spiritual connection. It rests on the willingness to obey without hesitation. It is an inner attitude expressed in outward action. It does not remove questioning. It simply removes questioning as an excuse for delay.
Job’s blamelessness is the absolute alignment between his conscience and God’s instructions. Job acts on what he knows about the divine Master. He does what is demanded of him—regardless of the outcome or the circumstances. That does not mean he acquiesces. It means he does what his conscience reveals despite cognitive dissonance. Understanding, if it comes, comes later.
Would that I had such harmony! Far too often the exercise of investigation offers an avenue of delayed obedience. Far too often the fear of the consequences of obedience detour intentional acts. Delay is the sister of sin.
Returning to the beginning of Job’s story reminds us that we are not dealing with a man whose distress delays his obedience. Job is not like me. He goes forward, unflinchingly—and waits for God to reply. I have a lot of catching up to do.
Topical Index: blameless, integrity, conscience, Oswald Chambers, Job 1:1
[1] Wiseman, D. J. (1999). 930 יָשַׁר. In R. L. Harris, G. L. Archer Jr., & B. K. Waltke (Eds.), Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament(electronic ed., p. 417). Moody Press.
[2] https://skipmoen.com/2025/03/perfection/
[3] Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest, (Welch Publishing Company Inc., 1963), May 13, p. 134.
[4] Ibid., May 14, p. 135.
“Integrity is the perfect harmony of conscience and spiritual connection. It rests on the willingness to obey without hesitation. It is an inner attitude expressed in outward action. It does not remove questioning. It simply removes questioning as an excuse for delay.”
“Job’s blamelessness is the absolute alignment between his conscience and God’s instructions. Job acts on what he knows about the divine Master. He does what is demanded of him—regardless of the outcome or the circumstances. That does not mean he acquiesces. It means he does what his conscience reveals despite cognitive dissonance. Understanding, if it comes, comes later.”
“Would that I had such harmony! Far too often the exercise of investigation offers an avenue of delayed obedience. Far too often the fear of the consequences of obedience detour intentional acts. Delay is the sister of sin.”
Amen… Emet.