“I made a covenant with my eyes not to look lustfully at a girl.” – Job 31:1
There are over 40 covenants mentioned in the Bible, but what is a covenant?
[A covenant is] a pact, treaty, alliance, or agreement between two parties of equal or of unequal authority. The covenant or testament is a central, unifying theme in Scripture, God's covenants with individuals and the nation Israel finding final fulfillment in the new covenant in Christ Jesus. God's covenants can be understood by humans because they are modeled on human covenants or treaties. (Holman Bible Dictionary)
Biblical covenants are usually:
1. Between God and man, or groups of men (God's covenant with Abraham in Gen 15 &17)
2. Between men (Jonathan and David’s covenant of friendship in 1 Sam 18:3 & 23:18)
3. Between man and woman (marriage is called "the covenant of God" in Proverbs 2:17)
But Job’s covenant is unique because his solemn promise is with a part of his body – his eyes. He makes this covenant with himself, with God as a witness. Job had insight into his own fleshly shortcomings, so he wisely makes this promise to himself and God in order that he might maintain his sexual integrity. Despite all he was going through, Job still had the presence of mind to be watchful over his thought life. Even with a wife who was telling him to “curse God and die”, he knew that marital infidelity was not an option. Job knew that to even look at a woman with lust in his heart was sin.
It’s interesting to note the similarities between Job’s covenant in the Old Testament and the words of Jesus in the new: "You have heard that it was said, 'Do not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell” (Matt 5:27-29).
Who knows, maybe God was giving Job a little advanced knowledge of Matthew 5 and he didn’t want to have to gouge his eyes out!
So what’s a covenant? It’s a holy promise. A solemn oath. A sacred vow between you and God, you and your wife, you and your body. So if you decide to make a covenant, take it seriously.
