Devotional 10-2-09

Was Job the First Boy Scout?

Job 1:1
There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was blameless and upright, and who feared God and shunned evil.

Psalm 26:1
Vindicate me, O Lord, for I have walked in my integrity. I have also trusted in the Lord; I shall not slip.

When I first read the lectionary for today, I have to admit that the Boy Scouts of America was not the first thing that came to mind. However, the more I thought about the above scriptures, and as I tried to define the phrase, “I have walked in my integrity”, I remembered the Scout Law.
A few weeks ago I heard Luke Finley’s father (Luke is a scout in Johnson Memorial’s Troop 20) compare the virtues of Scouting and the Scout Law to the Ten Commandments at Luke’s Eagle Award Ceremony. The more I thought about the twelve points of the Scout Law, (It is one law with 12 points, and not 12 laws as all young Scouts are sternly reminded) I reflected upon the character of Job.
How would I describe a man who was “blameless and upright”?
As the Scout Law states: A Scout is Trustworthy, Loyal, Helpful, Friendly, Courteous, Kind, Obedient, Cheerful, Thrifty, Brave, Clean and Reverent.
I have omitted any discussion of Job’s cleanliness, since I did not see it specifically addressed in the Book. I have no doubt he was probably a very clean man, in both thought and action, given the circumstances he found himself in.
Neither did I find any discussion of Job’s cheerfulness, although I believe that he was as cheerful as one could be having lost all of your children, as well as your wealth, while afflicted with boils.
Clearly, Job was Thrifty. We are told in Verse 3 that he owned thousands of sheep, camels, oxen, donkeys and had many servants. One commentary that I read indicated that that much livestock was worth several hundred thousand dollars alone. A Scout is taught to work to pay his own way, and to help others. He conserves and protects natural resources.
He was Trustworthy, Loyal, Courteous and Kind. Apparently, he was known as the “greatest of all the people of the East," according to Verse 3. One does not receive that kind of praise without exhibiting traits of courtesy, kindness and trustworthiness.
However, what really sets Job apart is that he is brave, obedient, and most of all reverent. He steadfastly refuses to blame God for the horrible calamities that befell him. When his wife tells him to just “curse God and die," he responds that we should be willing to accept adversity, as well as good from God, and refuses to abandon his faith in the Lord.
So, in conclusion, the simple answer to the initial question posed is no. Job was not the first Boy Scout, but he “walked in his integrity," and in so doing, fulfilled all of the points of the Scout Law long before Baden Powell wrote the law that formed the foundation of his organization.

Lee Oxley