Our text was read to us by Elder Robley this morning, and it comes to us, as you are able to note, out of the 31st chapter of Job. And Job is, this is the end of the words of Job, as it says at the very end of that chapter. And Job is again making his final plea to his own life and to his own case. And as he does so, he deals with what I think is perhaps somewhat sensitive material. And yet it is material that I believe it is important for us to deal with. And I am dealing this morning with especially the first 10 verses of this chapter. And there is material in this chapter that you may think is a little bit R-rated, I guess, if I could describe it that way. But nevertheless, it is important for us to deal with it. Sometimes we think, well, do we want our young people to hear this kind of stuff that's in the Bible? The Bible is a very plain book. You know that. And the Bible is not afraid to deal with some very indelicate, if I might say, subjects. But yet it is also important, as much as we might say, well, do our young people, can they hear this? I would say, in a sense, our young people need to hear this. And I'm saying this not only for young people, because Job is not writing as a young man here. He is a man who has already been married for several years, and a man who has fathered children who have grown to a good age. So Job is not a young man by any stretch of the imagination. And yet he deals with a sin that is very well known, not only among the older men, but the younger men. And so this morning I'm going to deal in particular with this sin that Job makes mention of in verse 1 of this chapter, and then returns to in verses 9 through 11 of this chapter. And so I do want to warn you about the material, and yet I also want to not apologize, because it is part of God's Word, and it is an important subject for us to look at. Job began then in verse 1 with the whole issue of lust and sexual sin. I've told you before, I think it's very interesting for us to note the timing of the book of Job. Job was written before the law was given. It was written, as I said, most likely during the time of the patriarchs of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And yet, Job was full well aware of what the commandments were. These were not brand new things when God gave them to Israel and Sinai. Man knew what was right and what was wrong. And Job knew it would be wrong for him to have relations with someone else, with a younger woman, with another woman of any kind besides his own wife. And so he makes mention of it right away in verse 1. He knew what the seventh commandment. He might not have known it as the seventh commandment, but he knew what the seventh commandment said. And he knew that it was wrong. He says in verse 1, I have made a covenant with my eyes. Actually, literally in Hebrew, I have cut a covenant with my eyes. Job is saying, I have made a resolve with my eyes. We see similar language in Psalm 39 verse 1. It says, only with the mouth, I said, I will guard my ways that I may not sin with my tongue. I will guard my mouth with a muzzle so long as the wicked are in my presence. So the psalmist says, I'm going to watch my tongue. I'm going to be resolved to do that. Job said, I'm going to watch my eyes. I'm going to make a covenant. Sometimes we have to make these kind of resolutions as believers and say, I'm going to covenant with my eye, or with my hand, or with my feet, or I'm going to make a covenant with my mouth. I'm going to say, mouth, be quiet. Don't say anything. Sometimes we need to do that. Now why does Job have to make a covenant with his eyes? The reason is Job knows how prone his nature is to sin. He understands that there is a great propensity in the human being to sin. You wouldn't have to make this covenant if it wasn't a nature, a natural thing for us to sin. But Job knows it's an issue. Job knows it's a problem. Job knows it's a temptation to him. Paul says in Romans 7.21-23, so I find it to be a law when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. I delight in the law of God and my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Job knew Reformed doctrines. Job knew it all begins, and Paul knew it as well, of course, it all begins with the depravity of man. The man is totally depraved. He knew, Job knew, the effect that sin had upon his nature. Joseph Carl and his commentary on Job to which I always read what Carl has to say and find so much good in it that I use a lot of his material in these messages because he has so much good to say. I could never use all of it because there's much too much. We'd be here for hours and hours. But one of the things he said, he said, there is no sin so filthy and unnatural, but the seed of it remains in a gracious man. Now hear what he's saying. There's no sin so filthy and unnatural, but the seed of it remains in the nature of a gracious man. Now I want you to think about that for a reason. Sometimes we who are of the Reformed belief say, well, we believe in total depravity. We accept the doctrine of total depravity. Even though our brothers and sisters in the other churches might not accept it, we believe man is totally depraved. But then sometimes I think we say that, but we don't act like we believe in it. Let me give you an illustration of what I mean by that. Oftentimes we will hear in the news or we'll read about somebody, perhaps somebody well known in the church, perhaps a minister who has become quite famous. And we have had cases of this in this last several years. I don't need to mention the names of people, but you know what I'm talking about. And all of a sudden the news gets hold of a story and the story breaks of some terrible sexual sin that this person was involved with. Now I ask you at that moment, what is your first instinct to say? Is your first instinct, how could a minister of the gospel ever do such a thing? Or is your instinct to say, there but for the grace of God, go I. I think that's a good tell as to how reformed we really are in our actions. Do we understand that that seed of sin dwells in every single one of us? And but for God's grace, it would be us? If we really believed in that total depravity, we would say, if it wasn't for God's grace, I would be involved in the vitalist of sins. I could be worse than anyone. We look at people, we say, how horrible. How terrible! And I'm not trying to lighten sin and say it's not. It is terrible. But if we think that somehow we are above it all because of our upbringing, or we're better people than that, then you do not understand sin. Sin dwells in each and every one of us. And sexual sin is a sin the most holy person among us can be tempted in and caught in. You think you're above such things? You think such things cannot affect you? That you do not have to be bothered by? That you'll never be tempted in this area? If you do, you're a fool. You haven't read what the Scriptures say about some of the most holy men of God that ever lived. Do you think David was above sexual sin? David, the man after God's own heart? David, the man who went out and faced Goliath with nothing but a sling and five stones? David, the man who constantly affirmed his help was in the Lord, his trust was in the Lord, who wrote about it in psalm after psalm after psalm? Do you think David was above that kind of a temptation? No. Do you think David was above falling to such a temptation? No. What about Solomon, the man that God was so pleased with, who said, ask of me anything. And Solomon said, I ask wisdom. And God said, because you've asked wisdom, I'm going to give you more than that. I'm going to bless you abundantly. I'm going to cause you to be a man of peace. I'm going to cause you to build a temple. I'm going to cause you to rule God's people rightly. This great ruler of one of the greatest ages in Israel history. Is Solomon about sexual sin? I think you know the answer to that. Paul writes to the Corinthians, 1 Corinthians 6, 18 through 20, flee sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. Or do you not know your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own. You are bought with a price. So glorify God in your body. So I speak to the young men and the women among us this morning, teenagers, even younger. Don't deceive yourself in thinking you're not going to be tempted in this area, because you are. It is a temptation very common to human nature. And that's why Job uses such strong language. I have made a covenant. Psalm 119.106, I have sworn an oath and confirmed it to keep your righteous rules. Tough situations call for tough measures. And Job knew he needed to do this. We have to do the same kind of things because we're not above it. Job speaks about cutting a covenant. Jesus even speaks about cutting out an eye. In Matthew 5.29, he talks about, if you're right, I cause you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better you lose one of your members and your whole body be thrown into hell. No halfway measures work. There must be total commitment, a total covenant, not literally cutting out your eyes. I'm not counseling you to do that. I'm not asking that all of you go home and grab a knife and immediately take out your eyes. But what Jesus is speaking to is the seriousness and the level of commitment that we must have. Job says, it is my eyes. Why? Because the eye is what primarily is used in this particular kind of sin. It is the eye which opens us up to this kind of sin. In the temptation in the garden, it says that Eve saw that the fruit was good for food. In 1 John 2.16, John says, all that is in the world, the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes, and the pride and possessions, is not from the Father, but is from the world. Proverbs 23, 29-31. Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has strife? Who has complaining? Who has wounds without cause? Who has redness of eyes? Those who tarry long over wine, those who go to try mixed wine, don't look at the wine when it's red, when it sparkles in the cup and goes down smoothly. Is he saying, don't drink any wine? Is that the import of that passage? No, but it's saying the eye sees the wine. And the eye says, I want to be filled with it. I want to be drunk with this wine. And the eye looks at it in that way. And the writer says, no, don't go down the path of drunkenness. Don't allow the eye to bring you into that. It was the eye that caused Achan to sin in covetousness and led to Israel's defeated Ai and Joshua 7.21. He said, when I saw... among the spoil a beautiful cloak from Shinar and 200 shekels of silver and a bar of gold weighing 50 shekels. Then I coveted them and took them. And see, they're hidden in the earth inside my tent with the silver." His eye caused him to see these beautiful things and he took them and he stole them. The glitter of the gold, the promise of riches, it was too much for him. He said, I have to take it. Even though he had been sternly warned of the penalty. that would come from doing such a thing. He couldn't resist because he saw them. Not only adultery, not only drunkenness, but covetousness comes from the eye. Even in the temptation of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Satan used the eye. Matthew 4, 8, 9, again the devil took him up to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to him, all these I'll give to you if you'll fall down and worship me. The eye. The first mass example of sexual sin is in Genesis 6, 1 and 2, and it happened through the eye. When man began to multiply in the face of the land and daughters were born to them, the sons of God, that is the godly sons of Seth, saw the daughters of man, that is the ungodly line of Cain, and they saw that they were attractive. And they took of them wives of any they chose. God said, don't mix the lines. But they looked and they said, oh, but Cain's got some awfully pretty women in his line. And they began to take and to intermarry, even though God had commanded that they should not do so, because their eye beheld it. The great sin of adultery in David's life, I referred to earlier, happened with his eye. 2 Samuel 11, 2, it happened late one afternoon, when David arose from his couch and was walking on the roof of the king's house, he saw from the roof a woman bathing, and the woman was very beautiful. David saw this woman in the bath, and his eye was drawn to her, and that would lead to adultery and eventually murder. One simple look. David's just walking out. I don't know. Scripture doesn't tell us whether David expected to see such a thing or not. But all he was was walking, and he happens to cast his eye upon a young woman. Jesus makes mention of the fact that it is the eye that leads into sin this way, Matthew 5, 27-29. You've heard it was said, you shall not commit adultery, but I say to you, everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. I read verse 29 earlier. In 2 Peter 2.14, they have eyes full of adultery, insatiable for sin. We read that in our Law passage this morning. Job is saying, I know where the problem is. I know what I've got to be careful of. I know it is my eyes that I must make a covenant with. I can't allow my eyes to lead me into sin. The old saying of Caesar was, I came, I saw, and I conquered. But the problem here is, I came, I saw, and I was conquered. I came and I saw, and it led me into sin. That's what happened to David. That's what happened to others. David prays in Psalm 119.37, turn my eyes from looking at worthless things and give me life in your ways. How powerful are our eyes! And yet the opposite is true as well. When we don't see something, it's difficult for us to comprehend. That's why sometimes it's difficult because we serve an invisible God. John makes mention of that in his first epistle. We serve this invisible God, and we have to make this invisible God visible. And we do so in the service. How do we do it? By reading His Word. By praying. By the sacraments. That's why our services are filled with these things, because these are the means that God has given to the church to make the invisible God visible. Paul says to the Galatians, before whose eyes Jesus Christ has been evidently set forth crucified. What did he mean by that? He meant when you gather together, Galatians, and the Word is read, and prayer is offered, and the sacraments are done, He is brought visibly before you. But our problem is He's not visible. And that makes it hard. But the things that are visible have such an effect upon us. And Job says then, how can I gaze upon a maid or upon a virgin? And the Hebrew word here for gaze or look means to consider or to think about it quite intently. As thoughts come into our mind after we see something, we have to deal with those thoughts right away. We have to cast them down. We have to determine we're not going to dwell upon the thought that comes into our head. We have to cast out imaginations. We have to use the shield of faith to deflect the arrows of the enemy. No matter how we guard our eyes, you will not be able to stop images from coming to you. We need to be careful. Temptation can come to us at some of the most unexpected places. And then we must say the second part here, I will not dwell, I will not consider. Job does something as well here that's good for us to do. He begins to ask reasoned questions about the sin. He says, because I've made this covenant with my eyes, how can I consider this about this woman? And he begins to think about it. Joseph, when he was tempted by Potiphar's wife, asked a question in Genesis 39, verse 9. He says, how can I do this great wickedness and sin against my God? David, in Psalm 42, verse 5, asks the question, why are you cast down, my soul? Why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God. For I will yet praise Him. So when sin tempts us in any way, we need to ask ourselves questions. Can I do this? Is this pleasing to God? Is this what God wants me to do? Is this a direction that will help my life? And another thing I would just caution you in regards to this whole thing, especially in regards to David's sin. Be careful of the sin of idleness. When did David's sin come upon him? The Bible says it was at the time that kings go forth to battle. But David didn't go forth to battle, did he? He stayed idle. The old saying was, idle hands are the devil's workshop, and there's some truth to that. When we have a lot of idle time, it causes us to think about things we shouldn't think about. Sometimes we all complain about how busy we are. Well, be thankful. The busier we are, the better off we are. Because idleness and laziness can lead to all kinds of other sins, including this one. It was in Solomon's idle lifestyle that led him into much sexual sin. So don't give yourself to idleness. Job returns to this sin in verses 9-12. He says, if my heart has been enticed towards a woman, Job realizes that even after his eyes have looked, that it can then cause enticement towards that woman. And he can begin to desire to further what his eyes have opened the door to. It starts by looking at a maid and then he says, secondly, he's laying in wait at his neighbor's house. Jesus said it begins, as Job says here, if my heart has been enticed. Jesus said in Matthew 15, 19, for out of the heart comes evil thoughts, murder, adultery. Young men, hear the counsel of Solomon in Proverbs 7, 25-27. A man who knew. He said, let not your heart turn aside to her ways. Do not stray into her paths. For many a victim has she laid low, and all are slain are a mighty throng. Her house is the way to hell, going down to the chambers of death. And let me say this as well. Let me be a little prudish this morning. Will you allow me to be a little prudish? People don't always like to hear this. They say, ah, this is old 17-1800 kind of talking about things. Lest you think I'm only preaching at the men this morning. Women. Let me talk to you. Ecclesiastes 7.26 says, And I find something more bitter than death, the woman whose heart is snares and nets, and whose hands are fetters. He who pleases God escapes her, but the sinner is taken by her. I know it's almost become fashionable in our age to lay all guilt of sexual sin at the door of the man, and I'm certainly not disallowing the fact that we are very guilty. But nonetheless, don't walk as if you're above all of this or you have nothing to say in this matter, for you do. The woman must keep herself so that she does not walk in the steps of Potiphar's wife or of Jezebel. She can be the one who deceives or ensnares. She must be aware of the depravity, not only of her own heart, but of the heart of the men around her. And so she must make, as a man makes a covenant with her eyes, she must make a covenant of modesty with her body. that she must recognize, 1 Timothy 2.9, likewise also that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel with modesty and self-control. And then he says, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire. He is not speaking against the practice that women cannot wear pearls or women cannot wear gold. But what he's saying is, do not dress in such a way that you draw men into any kind of sexual imagery or sin. You must be very careful. Proverbs 7.10, And behold, the woman meets him dressed as a prostitute, wily of heart. Hear Peter's counsel, 1 Peter 3, verse 1-5, Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, when they see your respectful and pure conduct. Do not let your adorning be external, the braiding of the hair and the putting on of gold jewelry or the clothing you wear, but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious. For this is how the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves, by submitting to their own husband. Women, you have a job before you. You have a commandment before you to dress modestly, to dress in such a way that no one could ever say that you could be affecting men or affecting their thoughts or their desires. You say, oh, that's prudish, Pastor. We're beyond that now. We're living in the 21st century. You've got to get away from that. Well, unfortunately, folks, it's in the Bible. Proverbs 7.21, with much seductive speech she persuades him, with her smooth talk she compels him. Young women, be careful how you dress. Mothers, fathers, be careful how you young women dress. Because it has an effect. Don't kid yourself. Oh, we're so civilized. We're not depraved. That's why I say we talk about total depravity and then we're surprised when people exhibit signs of it. Oh, wow. Why would anybody have a sexually impure thought towards my daughter? Because they're sick and sinful and depraved. And we must understand that. And that's why the scripture addresses women in the area of modesty. Pastor, are you saying we should all dress in burkas and have our face covered? No, I'm just saying use some common sense. Young ladies, you affect young men. You don't have to dress unattractively. But be careful. Men, make a covenant with your eyes. Women, make a covenant with your clothes. Job says, if I have lain in wait at my neighbor's door, the picture is he's sitting there. He's waiting for the opportunity. When is the husband leaving? When has he gone to work? When is the woman alone? When is the opportunity for me to call? Job says, I could have lain in wait like David. Knowing opportunity will arise, the deception of our hearts says, oh, come on, go ahead, don't worry about it, you won't actually see Him. Just go there and just watch. It's alright. Psalm 36.4, He plots trouble while on His bed. He sets Himself in a way that's not good. He does not reject evil. Job says, if this happens, let my wife grind for another. That's a difficult phrase, especially in our day and age. A couple of ideas. One is that perhaps Job is saying, let my wife be a slave. The Bible speaks about grinding at the mill. It has the mark of a slave. Lamentations 5.13 says, young men are compelled to grind at the mill. But others think Job is literally saying, if I have... It's more plain than I'm going to say it here this morning. But Job is saying, if I have desired my neighbor's wife, then let my wife become a harlot. There's a different word I could put there that other writers put. Some versions say, then let my wife lie with another. Now, you might say, you know, that sounds pretty sick. Job's saying, you know, if I've committed sexual sin, then let my wife be a harlot. Great! What is that all about? You see, what Job is saying is he understands that what you reap is so. He's not wishing a particular sin upon his wife, but he's saying, if I'm going to be that way as someone else's wife, then why would my wife be exempt from it? This is what happened to David, 2 Samuel 9-12. Why have ye despised the word of the Lord, to do what is evil in his sight? Ye have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and have taken his wife to be your wife, and have killed him with the sword of the Ammonites. Now therefore the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised me and taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife. Thus says the Lord, I will raise up evil against you out of your own house. I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of the sun. For you did it secretly, but I will do it before all Israel in the sun." Hosea 4, 12 and 13, where spirit of whoredom has led them astray and they have left God to play the whore. They sacrifice on the tops of the mountains and burn offerings on the hills, under oak, poplar and terebinth, because their shade is good. Therefore, your daughters play the whore and your brides commit adultery. What you reap, you sow. The worst thing God can do to a people is to give them exactly what they want. Paul says in Romans 1, 26 through 28, for this reason, God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For the women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature. Men likewise gave up natural relations with women, were consumed with passion for one another. Men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error. And even as they did not want to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. We see the debased nature of our society and we say, why doesn't God judge this country? We don't realize that the very fact that sin is so abundant in our nation is the sign that God is indeed judging our nation. Job says, if all this immorality in verse 11, it would be a heinous crime. It would be a terrible thing for me to do. Don't think, oh, it's a little one. It's a small sin. Job says, it's a terrible sin. Again, all sin is bad. But there are degrees of sin. And Job says, this would be a great sin. Let me look quickly here. My watch stopped. I've accidentally preached 30 seconds according to my watch, so I'm doing pretty well. But let me look at verses 2 and 3. What would be my portion from God above in my heritage? From the Almighty on high. And then in verse 3, he says, is not calamity for the unrighteous and disaster for the workers of iniquity? What Job is saying is everybody has a portion. Everybody has a lot. Everybody has a share in something. But when we walk in sin, Job says, if I walk in sin, I can't expect great rewards. Paul says in Romans 6, 21 and 22, when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. But what fruit were you getting from the things of which you are now ashamed? The end of those things is death. And in verse 23, we know the wages of sin is death. Is it reasonable for a man to live in sin and then to expect a good portion from God? That's not logical. Psalm 31, 19, how abundant is your goodness which is stored up for those who fear you. And work for those who take refuge in you in the sight of the children of mankind. Colossians 1.12 says we have an inheritance, but it's an inheritance for the saints in light. There was a time that Peter was At Samaria, Simon said, give me this gift that I may lay hands on people and they may receive the Holy Spirit. Peter says to him, may your silver perish with you because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money. You have neither part nor share in this matter, for your heart is not right with God. You don't have a portion in this, Peter says. The wicked have a portion. The godly have a portion. Our portion is Christ. Our portion is Him. When Jesus went to wash the feet of the disciples in John 13.8, Peter said, You shall never wash my feet. Jesus said, If I don't wash you, you have no share with me. No portion. It's our inheritance with Christ. We were strangers to the promises because we were strangers to Christ, Ephesians 2.12 says. But the promises are in Christ Jesus. Job 3, in verse 3, Job says, is calamity for the unrighteous and disaster for the workers of iniquity? In other words, I know if I'm going to go down the path of sin, then disaster and calamity await me. Giving ourselves to the sin of fornication and sexual sin is to give away our birthright. Hebrews 12, 16 and 17, that no one is sexually immoral or unholy like Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal. You know, afterwards, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected. where he found no place to repent. So Paul says, your members are the members of Christ. Would I take the members of Christ and join them to a harlot? Is that the portion? The end portion of the wicked is destruction. If you want, walk down these paths. End up in everlasting destruction. End up in hell. Jesus said in Matthew 25, 46, and these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life. There's a portion to the wicked But their portion is hell. If that's what you want, to live in everlasting punishment, then follow these temptations. Give in to them. Walk down them. The second part of verse 3, Job uses a word that actually means strange. The English Standard calls it a calamity. The King James says a strange punishment. There's a lot of different ideas about what that means. God calls judgment in Isaiah 28, 21 is strange work. But let me say this, it's strange in the sense it's unusual. Throughout history, God has often, when new sins arise or great eruptions of sins arise, God has punished them by strange punishments. He has brought diseases that no one has ever heard of before to the forefront. And men are all of a sudden punished and they say, where did this come from? Where did this disease arise? It's never been known before. How come this is all of a sudden coming upon those who engage in sexual immorality? God has called up His strange punishments. This can also be thought of as estrangement from God. The removal of God's gracious presence from us. Ephesians 4.18, they are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to their hardness of heart. Quickly and finally, verse 4. Job asked the question, doesn't God see me? Doesn't God see my ways? Doesn't God count my steps? This book is filled with God's providence. God is the watchman and the mathematician. He sees us and He numbers our steps. I don't know about you, but whenever I go on a hike, I always count my steps. I'm probably weird. I am. I am weird. But I always walk. When we go up north and we go on, you know, the trail says this is a 2.4 mile trail to get to the moose viewing station or whatever. I will count as I walk. I'll always be counting my steps. And it's kind of neat, because then we're coming back, you know, and you meet somebody going up there, and they go, hey, how much further is it? And I go, oh, it's, you know, 427 steps. And you'll be there. And they kind of look at me kind of strange. But I love doing that. I love counting my steps. I even do it on the treadmill. I'm always counting my steps and doing that. But God knows every single step we have ever taken. He knows the total number of steps. that you have taken since the moment you first took your first step, and mom and dad go, yay, yay. He's counted them, he knows them, and he knows their number right now. He knows the number of hairs on your head. I was at a Gideon banquet this past week, and the speaker spoke about how every time a heart beats, two Gideon Bibles are distributed. Well, let me tell you, folks, God knows every single heartbeat. that your heart is beat. He knows the exact number. Not only if Gideon Bibles have been distributed in the world, He knows exactly how many beats your heart has done. Job is saying in his verses, I realize nothing is hid from God. Everything we do, every good deed, every sin, every evil thought, every word, God is aware of it. Nothing escapes His notice. That's why the Puritans described sin as practical atheism. They said the only way you can sin is you've got to somehow do away with the idea of God, that God isn't watching me, that God isn't here, that God isn't seeing me. So they call it practical atheism. Hebrews 4.13 says, no creature is hidden from His sight. All things are naked and exposed to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account. Zechariah 4.10 says, these seven are the eyes of the Lord which reigns throughout the whole earth. Proverbs 5.21, a man's ways are before the eyes of the Lord and he ponders all his paths. Our response to all of this? Psalm 16.8, I have set the Lord always before me. Because He is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken. That's the same as Job saying, I've made a covenant with my eyes. The songwriter said, be careful, little eyes, what you see. Be careful, little eyes, what you see. For the Father up above is looking down in love. Be careful, little eyes, what you see. Job says, I have made a covenant with my eyes. The psalmist said, I have set the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken. Let's bow in prayer. Father God, we thank You for Your Word. We thank You, God, that You gave us Scripture that does not deny the depravity of human nature, and that does not leave out sin. When we read Your Word, we are aware, God, that all of us are subject to the human condition of depravity. and that all of us can be tempted. And therefore, we all must make covenants with our eyes, with our clothes, with our dress. We all must be careful how we walk in this sinful world because we walk in the midst of sinful people. As Jeremiah cried out, I'm in the midst of a people, of a sinful people laden with iniquity. All of us are in the midst of that same kind of people. And therefore, we must walk carefully and rightfully. Teach us, O God, like holy Job, to make a covenant with our eyes. Keep us from sexual immorality, all of us. For we all, Lord, face temptations in one way or another, and many of us face this as a very strong temptation because of the depravity of our natures. We ask you, God, that we would not be ignorant or ashamed to speak of these things, but that we may rightly speak of them and pray one for another, that we may be strong in the midst of a perverse generation that at every step of our way is seeking to draw us away from our God. We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.