When We Are Tested

 "Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them.  And the LORD said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, from going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it. And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?" (Job 1:6-8)

When the story of Job is presented in sermons or Bible Studies the emphasis is usually placed on Job's faith.  Leading up to the climax, there is a reference to how his wife and friends failed to  comfort him in his time of trouble.  The emotional climax is often centered around Job's proclamation, "If a man dies, shall he live again?  All the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come. (Job 14:14)   It seems to many that this confirmation of faith is what the story of Job is about, but is this what it is really about?  

The question that many find un-entertainable and un-answerable is, "why did God point out Job to the Devil?"  It is not acceptable to conclude that God tested Job's faith yet this is exactly what happen.  In the Garden of Eden, Adam was tested and he failed.  Abraham also had his faith tested and so did many other Biblical figures.  Somewhere in the dark crevice of our mind, the questions should emerge, "Why was it necessary for God to test Job's  faith?"  "Do God use or allow the Devil to test our faith?  There is only one biblical answer.  We can accept it or we can explain it away.

The first chapter of Job paints revealing pictures of how God and the Devil work, once you examine them thoroughly.  This is not the picture painted in Sunday services and Bible Study.  For this reason, it is getting harder and harder to reconcile the God of the Bible especially the God of the Old Testament with the God of today.  God placed the children of Israel in bondage so they could grow as a nation.  God punished Jonah because of his disobedience.  God harden Pharoah's heart causing him to follow the children of Israel, leading him and his Army to their ultimate death. What is most revealing in the Old Testament and the story of Job is not about what God can or cannot do, the story seems to amplify a time of testing and how God work. 

The first picture painted is that of a person walking up and down unobstructed on a small plot of land, visual that small plot as a garden plot. The understanding here is that this person has such complete control because the thing under his control is very small and insignificant compared to his overall power and ability. We think of Earth as being very large, but to a supernatural God and Satan, Earth is nothing more, nor less, than a small, insignificant garden plot, over which the Devil exercises complete control. Christian are not comfortable acknowledging that the Devil has control of the earth, therefore for cosmetic purposes, I will add the disclaimer, 'unless a greater power intervenes'.  

The opening statement in the first verse of Job establishes the type of access and relationship the Devil and God maintains.  When the sons of God came to present themselves before God,  the Devil was in the group.  The verse does not depict a scrounging or rebuking session, rather God and the Devil engaged in an amicable conversation.  The Devil states his purpose for walking to and fro, and God suggests that he try his antics on Job.  There are numerous thoughts and suppositions that are added to make the picture fit our frame, but the reality is, God suggested that the Devil test Job.   We can justify this act by saying; God knew in advance that Job would pass the test.  If we follow that line of reasoning the whole conversation, become irrelevant, the same as saying God is controlling the mess that man has made out of his creation. I would rather believe Job could have failed the test. 

In addition, immediately in Job, we see that God exercises his power of control by telling Satan he may test Job, but with certain restrictions, specifically not taking Job's life. Yet, God allowed Satan to take the life of Job's family members! We should thoroughly understand the power of Satan.  Everything that happens here on earth is not the will of God,  Satan has circumvented the will of God.  He has the power to kill humans,  and when that drunk crashes into that mother's car and kill her child we should not place the blame on God.   When speaking of the lost sheep or souls, Jesus stated that "...it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish." (Matthew 18:14)  "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven." (Matthew 7:21)  

There are times when we should ask God to forgive us for the things that we blame him for falsely.  The evil that is in the world was not brought about thru an act of God but it is used by God to test the resolve of souls that will enter into his Kingdom.  Those who succumb to the temptation of the Devil will not enter and those who enter will not come before the throne acting like the Devil.  God has a timetable of testing leading to the destruction of the devil and those whom he has corrupted.  God allows much of what goes on in the world today because of the sinful nature of man. 

Let's take a closer look at the Devil, that insidious figure that we much rather pretend it didn't exist.  The Apostle Paul calls Satan the "Prince of the Power of the Air".(Ephesians 2:6-7) The reference to "air" refers to the air surrounding this Earth. It is just another way of saying "Earth". Paul's picture here is that of Satan being the Absolute Dictator (Prince) of this Earth. The Apostle John also speaks of Satan with this title, in John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11)

In The Book of Revelation Jesus states that Satan had his throne, in the city of Pergamum.  That city was steeped in idolatrous worship. " ...where Satan dwells. Satan had his throne set in the city where he felt most comfortable, the people, even church people, were practicing his witchcraft and all forms of idolatry.  Pergamum is certainly not Satan's throne today; I wonder in what city Satan's throne exist today? In what nation or city is Satanism in all its forms most practiced? I do not know, but I do know that such a throne exists in some city in this world.

The fact is clear -- Satan is the Prince of the Earth and he rules this Earth as completely as you or I would rule our little garden plot. And, he sits on a throne somewhere on Earth!!  There are those who proclaim the works of Satan to be the works of God.  Thus the old adage emerges, the greatest trick the Devil ever performed was to convince the world he didn't exist.