What we Learn About God and Satan (Lessons from Job, #1)

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.

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.

Hebrews 13:16 And do not forget to do good and to share with others . . .