Covenant eyes

"I have made a covenant with my eyes; Why then should I look upon a young woman? -Job 31v1

One thing we have to admit about Job is that he was thorough in his self-examination. He may not have got it all right, but he did look at areas of his life.

Job 31v1 is a verse that any man can identify with. It involves what one writer has called ‘Every Man’s Battle.’ It is an issue that Jesus addressed when He expanded the definition of adultery by saying ‘if a man looks on a woman with lust in his heart he was already committed adultery.

Every man I have known and talked to about this topic has the same problem. As sexual beings we have sexual desires. God’s plan is that those desires be focused in one direction, in the spouse He gives us for life. It is never God’s will that man’s eyes wander. Some would say that a wife’s behaviour gives man’s eyes a cause to wander. But look at Job, his wife told him to curse God and die. Yet he still tells us ‘I have made a covenant with my eyes. Why then should I look on a young woman?’

There is an internet accountability called ‘Covenant Eyes.’ The name of course is based in this passage. Covenants are basically promises and commitments. Job did not have internet or television or whatever, but he still was aware of the dangers and reality of his wandering eyes.

So Job made a commitment concerning his eyes. He would not look on a woman in a lustful manner.

Men, we all know that is a tough commitment. Our eyes are drawn to women. The right response is to hold our own eyes to the covenant that Job made. He can’t afford that lingering look. It always leads to more if left unchecked.

Do we have the same commitment that Job had? Are we willing to make that commitment?