During the lesson, the information for you to know is written in regular type, and what we suggest speaking or reading aloud to children is in bold. All resources for this lesson, including the Teacher Guide, Student Page, Family Connection Card, and other resources can be downloaded in a ZIP file by clicking on the following link:
In some lessons you will find "resource articles." These are articles written by experts from around the world to help equip you for your work with children and adolescents. Share them with parents or guardians if you consider it appropriate.
Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil. And he still maintains his integrity, though you incited me against him to ruin him without any reason.”
Job 2:3
In the midst of terrible loss and suffering, Job had somehow managed to hold on to his integrity. He had lost his children, his health, and his wealth—everything he cared about. Even his wife and his close friends encouraged him to give up on God. Job’s story in the Bible is not just a story about suffering—it is a story of God sustaining those who have integrity.
Suffering tests our integrity. It may be easy to praise God when we are blessed, but do we also praise Him during trials? The Bible tells us that God rewards those who endure with integrity. Think of a time when you experienced suffering. How did you demonstrate integrity (or a lack of it)? How did God sustain you? What did this experience teach you about the God who loves you and guides you to follow His ways? How can you share what you have learned with your students? Pray that God will help you to encourage them toward integrity in their times of hardship so He can shape them into the people He intends for them to be.
Some of your students may have some painful personal stories. Be sensitive as you go through this lesson. Pause to let students share their stories. They may talk about how God helped them to have integrity or how they wish they had asked for His help in certain situations.
Encourage the students to ask a family member about a time he or she did something right—even though it was hard. They can then share what they have learned about how God can help us to live with integrity.
Teacher Tip: If possible, email or text the Family Connection Card to the families of your students.
As your students come into class, ask them how they did at trying to encourage each other to live with integrity this past week. Let them know you will continue to learn about integrity today.
Divide your students into 4 groups. Assign 1 of the following questions to each group:
What is your most valuable possession?
Who is the most important person in your life?
What is your favorite thing to do?
What are you most thankful for in your life?
If you have a large number in class, you can divide the class into smaller groups and assign more than 1 group to each question. Tell the groups to discuss answers to their assigned questions. After about 2 minutes, ask a person from each group to share the group’s answers with the class. After the discussion, have everyone come back together.
Optional: If you are using the optional supplies, you may write each question on a separate piece of paper and give 1 to each group. They can write their answers directly on the paper.
End of Option
Allow students to share their thoughts.
Integrity is doing and saying what is right.
Allow students to share their thoughts.
Have a student read the following verse from the Bible.
Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but whoever takes crooked paths will be found out. .
Proverbs 10:9
Have you ever been in a situation where you did not know what to do? This proverb tells us that when we live with integrity, we are following God’s path for our lives. His path is always the best for us. When we do not have integrity, we will eventually get into trouble, because the bad things we do lead to consequences. Today we will learn from the life of a man named Job. Even in the most difficult situation, he lived with integrity—and God blessed him for his faithfulness.
Job was a wealthy man. The Bible describes him as “blameless and upright” and a man who feared God. You might think a man like that would have an easy life, right? But he did not.
Job’s troubles were caused by Satan. Satan was an angel created by God. He had great beauty and wisdom. But his pride caused him to sin. He believed that he could be more powerful than God. Because of this, God cast him out of heaven. Now Satan is a tempter and a deceiver who brings evil and chaos to the world. Though Satan is powerful, God’s power is greater.
One day, Satan asked God if he could test Job. God was so confident that Job would have integrity that He allowed Satan to bring bad things to Job. In 1 horrible day, Job lost everything—his animals, his servants, and his children. In the middle of tragedy, Job kept doing and saying what was right. Then Satan talked to God again.
Have 1 or more of your students read the following verses directly from the Bible.
Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil. And he still maintains his integrity, though you incited me against him to ruin him without any reason.” “Skin for skin!” Satan replied. “A man will give all he has for his own life. But now stretch out your hand and strike his flesh and bones, and he will surely curse you to your face.” The Lord said to Satan, “Very well, then, he is in your hands; but you must spare his life.”
Job 2:3–6
Students may share that it makes them feel nervous the same could happen to them or that it makes them wonder about what God was doing. Assure them that, while we do not always understand why things happen to us, we can trust that God is in control. He always works for His good purpose in our lives, even when we cannot see or understand it.
Allow students to share thoughts.
Satan attacked Job again. He was covered from head to toe in painful sores. His wife said, “Are you still maintaining your integrity? Curse God and die!” Then 3 of Job’s closest friends questioned him. They all thought he must have done something wrong to bring about such hardship. Although Job asked God some difficult questions, Job held on to his integrity. He continued to trust in God in spite of his circumstances.
But Job’s story did not end there. Let’s hear how God changed Job’s suffering to blessings.
The Lord blessed the latter part of Job’s life more than the former part. He had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, a thousand yoke of oxen and a thousand donkeys. And he also had seven sons and three daughters. … After this, Job lived a hundred and forty years; he saw his children and their children to the fourth generation. And so Job died, an old man and full of years.
Job 42:12–13, 16–17
Allow students to offer thoughts. Some may talk about the blessing from God Job received or his long life, and some may comment on Job’s strengthened relationship with God or his better understanding of God’s ways.
God takes care of those who hold on to integrity and trust in Him. Though you may not receive the kinds of blessings Job did in the end, you will know that God is carefully guiding you in the direction that brings good to your life.
But this does not mean that we will not go through hard times or times of suffering. You have probably had situations in your life when you have had to make difficult choices or do things you did not want to do. Sometimes situations are out of our control, and we have to trust God to help us do what is right.
Provide an object, such as a cross, a Bible, or a rock, for the students to hold as they share. Explain that the object represents holding on to integrity and faith in God during difficult times.
Ask the students the following questions. If a student wants to share an answer, allow her to hold the object while she talks as a physical reminder of holding on to integrity. Pass the object around as teens share their stories.
Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but whoever takes crooked paths will be found out.
Proverbs 10:9
The integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity.
Proverbs 11:3
Righteousness guards the person of integrity, but wickedness overthrows the sinner.
Proverbs 13:6
Optional: If you are using the Student Pages, your teens can use these pages to record their thoughts about how God can help them to live with integrity.
When the discussion is over, initiate a time of prayer so the students can pray for each other to have integrity, even in times of suffering.
When you are ready to end class, let students know you are available if they have questions about integrity or want to talk about having a relationship with God. Close your time with a blessing over your students based on Psalm 25:21.
Blessing: May God help you to hold on to integrity during hard times. And may integrity and uprightness protect you as you hope in God your Redeemer.
Life on Life ©2020 David C Cook. Reproducible for home or classroom use only. All other uses require written permission from David C Cook [email protected]. All rights reserved.
