Here I will deal with Job and begin another post on the heavens.
So where did the adversary come from?
Job 1:7 The Lord said to Satan, “From where do you come?” Satan answered the Lord,
“From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking back and forth on it.”
What’s interesting about this passage is it appears to be the language used normally of angels. Of course you could come back and say Sata’s little helpers have free reign is some heavenly abode??...but still must consider the language below:
Zech 1:10—The man who stood among the myrtle trees answered, “These are the ones whom the Lord
has sent to walk to and fro throughout the earth.”
2 Chr 16:9—For the
eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him.
The other issue to the idea of Satan speaking with God. When we consider how far He has distanced Himself from his earth due to sin, it is difficult to see God and some abhorrent evil manifestation in "peaceable" discussion about the life of Job. Arch enemies discussing the life of one man, and none other? What’s so special about Job?..That Satan should take such interest?
Satan answered the Lord,
“Does Job fear God for nothing? stretch out Your hand and touch all that he has, and he will surely curse you to your face!”-Job 1:9
Job 1:9—Satan answered the Lord, “Does Job fear God for nothing?
Have You not made a hedge around him, around his household, and all that he has on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, his possessions have increased in the land. But stretch out Your hand and touch all that he has, and he will surely curse You to Your face!”
First of all consider the emphasis Satan places on Job’s life:
You have protected him and his household
You have place a hedge around and protected all he has
He has great possessions
Everything listed has nothing to do with his relationship with God! and everything to do with his
material prosperity. Why would Satan care about what Job’s possessions?
Isn’t that what we do?
Is Satan implying that Job’s great righteousness is self-serving? Maybe that his real motive for loving and fearing God was for self-benefit? So Satan in many ways is scoffing at Job’s faith, but also at what he perceived to be God’s method of making sons by rewarding faithful service with bountiful prosperity in this life.
Satan no doubt is “one” full of envy not in terms of his relationship with God BUT what he has his possessions.
So why did God permit this great evil to come upon the righteous Job?
Job 1:12—So the Lord said to Satan,
“Behold, all that he has is in your power; only do not lay a hand on his person.” So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.
All sorts of issues arise here.
If Satan is a demonic being "full of hate" and every evil thing, and ho has been given authority by God to afflict his son:
Why would Satan need Gods authority? Does this mean every person your Satan wants to hurt needs Gods approval?
Why should Satan do as God has instructed?
Satan appears to have morality and can be trusted? Is this consistent with your teaching of Satan?
Many scriptures show people being delivered into the hands of wicked people, even Jesus himself.
Job 16:11 God has delivered me (Job) to the ungodly, and turned me over to
wicked hands.
No mention of Satan??? So even Job himself acknowledge God handed him over to ungodly (always real people) wicked hands (again real people)
Acts 2:23 Him (Jesus), being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by
lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death.
The righteous, the wise and their works are in the
hand of God (Eccl 9:1).
However this Satan whoever it was had
been proved wrong about Job.
Job 2:1—Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came among them to present himself before the Lord. The Lord said to Satan, “From where do you come?” Satan answered, “From going to and fro on the earth, from walking back and forth on it.” Then the Lord said,
“Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless, upright man…
Still he holds fast to his integrity, although you incited Me against him, to destroy him without cause”
[for no reason, undeservedly; which will be misconstrued by nearly all]. “yet we ourselves esteemed Him (Jesus) stricken,
smitten of God, afflicted” (Isa 53:4).
Read Isaiah 53 – Everything Jesus suffered was done by God!
But Satan felt God had not gone far enough to test his servant:
Job 2:4—Satan answered the Lord and said,
“Skin for skin! Yes, all that a man has he will give for his life. But stretch out Your hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will surely curse You to Your face!”
Continually it appears your Satan is powerless having absolutely no authority to act with Gods guidance!!! This Satan "adversary now states Job is
being utterly selfish willing to suffer the loss of his family and possessions if he could save his own skin!
In other words this Satan again is focusing his thoughts on Job material possessions? He cares about himself too much, he won’t allow this to go on much further!
God test Job to the uttermost!
Job 2:6—The Lord said to Satan, “Behold, he is in your hand, but spare his life.” So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord,
and struck Job with painful boils from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. And he took for himself a potsherd with which to scrape himself while he sat in the midst of the ashes.
Satan doesn’t know much does he! All these assumptions where wrong about Job, almost like he thought he knew Job from his external, but couldn’t look upon the heart of Job. This Satan was
convinced Job’s devotion to God would vanish if He extended the trial to his person. Job would then find no further benefit in knowing God and would renounce Him.
Faced with intense suffering and certain death after prolonged pain, would he hold fast his confidence firm unto the end?
Who bought the Evil upon Job!
All knew that God had brought the evil upon Job.
Adversary: Job
1:11 Stretch out Your hand and touch¼ (2:5)
Job: Job 1:21 The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away. (2:10)
Job 6:4 The arrows of the Almighty are within me.
Job 9:17 He (God) crushes me¼multiplies my wounds without cause.
Job 10:8 Your hands made me¼yet You would destroy me.
Job 19:6 Know then that God has wronged me.
Job 27:2 As God lives, who has taken away my justice.
Friends: Job 5:17 Do not despise the chastening of the Almighty.
Job 8:4 He has cast your sons away for their transgression.
Job 11:6 God exacts from you less than your iniquity deserves.
God: Job 2:3 You incited Me against him, to destroy him without cause.
Job 42:11 All the adversity that the Lord had brought upon him.
All of Job’s afflictions were controlled by God with great precision: the Sabeans, lightning, Chaldeans, tornado, leprosy.
Even his wife could not help when he needed her the most.
Job 2:9—Then his wife said to him, “Do you still hold to your integrity?
Curse God and die!” [Keep on serving God and die!] But he said to her, “You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?” In all this Job did not sin with his lips.
James 3:2,8—We all stumble in many things. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body. But no man can tame the tongue.
Conclusion:
Satan disappears after chapter 2 no mention of the adversary thereafter. Job is never warned of Satan, nor is there any discussion with friends concerning his adversary. God sees the Satan as a means of teaching Job more about Himself and bringing Job and Him closer together???
Job humbled himself and cast off any sense of self importance.
God put Jobs mind at rest.
God rewarded Job with double even restoring his children.
No sense of victory over the Satan. This is due to Jobs life teaching all his friends and the “adversary” God Righteousness and assessment of His children is always right.
If after all this evidence you feel Satan is a supernatural being…then I must expound with more conviction to convince you all Satan is not a supernatural being.
Alethos