Introduction
The book of Job addresses some of our deepest struggles
and most difficult questions. The book of Job takes on the tough issue of human
suffering. More specifically, Job, his companions, and his readers, all
struggle with why righteous people suffer. Do apparent injustices prove that
God either does not exist or is not just? Should we worship and trust a God who
allows the righteous to suffer? Millions of people around the world are struggling
with these questions every day. Chances are, you’ve thought about these things.
The book of Job is a gift from God to help us with these deep questions and
giant issues.
But, the book of Job is not easy for us to understand. It
does not address our questions through straightforward teaching. Instead, it
uses a story that includes many chapters of difficult dialog between Job and
four men who come to comfort him, but who mostly end up making him more
miserable. Lord willing, we’ll look at this dialog more in future posts. But
for now, let’s start by looking at the introduction to the story where we learn
some important things about God and Satan.
Good News and Bad
News about Satan
I once heard a wise preacher say something like this:
When it comes to Satan, there’s good news and there’s bad news.
When it comes to Satan, there’s good news and there’s bad news.
The good news is
that Satan cannot hurt you, make you sick, cause you to have an accident,
attack your family, or even cause you to stub your toe without God’s permission.
The bad news is: God gives permission.
That’s a catchy way to sum up what we learn about God and
Satan in the first two chapter of Job. Let’s think about it in a way that is
less catchy and less memorable, but a little more precise and detailed. We’ll
look at five lessons from the beginning of Job. In doing so we will follow one
of the most important principles of biblical interpretation, namely we will
draw on all of Scripture to help us understand and apply one particular part of
Scripture.
1. There is an
unseen world which is real, and which impacts our every days lives.
For those of us who believe the Bible is true, there can
be no doubt that angels and demons are real. This truth is taught literally
from Genesis to Revelation. Yet, even in the Bible, it is relatively rare to
get a description of what goes on between God and angelic beings, including
fallen angels like Satan. In the first two chapters of Job, God draws back the
curtain and reveals to us a scene from the heavenly realms where God initiates
a conversation with Satan. This conversation ends up having massive and severe
consequences in Job’s life.
It helps to remember that there is an unseen world which
effects our lives in many ways. The Bible does not encourage us to obsess over
this. Some people have done so in ways which are distracting or even harmful.
But we should be aware that it exists.
2. God has ultimate power and authority in the spiritual
world.
Satan is by no means an evil, equal counterpart to God.
Satan is one of God’s creatures and is vastly inferior to God in knowledge and
power. When Satan and God interact, God guides the conversation and God sets
boundaries which Satan is not able to transgress. Satan is accountable to God.
3. Satan hates us, especially when we are living
righteous lives pleasing to God.
Satan hates it when we trust and obey God. When God
points out to Satan that Job is “a man of perfect integrity, who fears God and
turns away from evil” (Job 1:8, CSB), Satan immediately wants to defeat Job and
requests permission to attack Job. When God gives permission, with boundaries,
Satan does not hold back. Nothing God said required Satan’s attacks on Job to
be as vicious, relentless, and cruel as they were. God gave permission, but the
cruelty came from Satan.
Satan hates you, too. He desires to ruin your life. It’s
important to keep our spiritual armor on and stay close to God:
CSB
Ephesians 6:10 Finally, be strengthened by the Lord and by his vast strength.
11 Put on the full armor of God so that you
can stand against the schemes of the devil.
12 For our struggle is not against flesh and
blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic
powers of this darkness, against evil, spiritual forces in the heavens.
4. God protects us and limits Satan’s attacks
Satan complains to God concerning Job, “Haven’t you
placed a hedge around him, his household, and everything he owns?” (Job 1:10,
CSB).
Don’t you want one of those hedges around you, your
family, and your belongings? The good news is that you have one (if you didn’t,
you wouldn’t be reading this!). We have a part to play in keeping this hedge
strong and active in our life and in the lives of others. We are taught to pray
about this:
“. . . deliver us from the evil one”
(Matthew 6:13, CSB)
Jabez called out to the God of Israel: "If only you
would bless me, extend my border, let your hand be with me, and keep me from
harm, so that I will not experience pain." And God granted his request. (1
Chr. 4:10 CSB17)
Some who are reading this may be blessed and encouraged
if you find 35 minutes to watch a sermonI preached last year on praying for protection from evil.
5. When God allows
Satan to attack you or your family, keep trusting in God.
When Satan unleashed furious attacks against Job, Job
continued to trust God. Job struggled, and he is not perfect. But even in his
despair, and even when he gets angry at God, he continues to call out to God.
When you’re under attack, keep trusting God and keep calling out to Him.
More to the Story
There’s a lot more to the book of Job. We’re just getting
started. God knows what He’s doing when he sometimes gives Satan permission to
attack. We’ll look more at this in coming posts, Lord willing.
