Sunday, April 10, 2011
SATAN IN THE SPOTLIGHT
Job 2:1-10
Dear brothers and sisters, beloved friends, this might be the only sermon you will ever hear me preach in which Satan is the main subject. However, I believe our text for this morning demands it. Even so, we will not be able to restrict ourselves to thinking about Satan, but we will also be considering Job, the Lord’s servant. And beyond Satan and Job, we can never forget the Lord God Himself, who is Creator of the heavens and the earth and everything in them. When we consider Satan, we can never do so without focusing upon God, who created Satan, limits Satan, and even uses Satan to accomplish His purposes.
Consider this little poem…
Satan is alive and well;
No, he’s not yet in hell.
There are those who picture Satan with a pitchfork walking about in the flames of hell. No, that is not accurate. The devil will one day be cast into the lake of fire, but he isn’t there now. Nor does the Bible ever describe him as an ugly creature with a pitchfork and a tail. Rather, we are told that he masquerades as an angel of light (II Cor. 11:14). Two weeks ago when we read about the conversation between God and Satan, we were reminded of 1 Pet. 5:8, "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:" That verse could be our theme verse for this morning. The devourer was out to get Job, and you can rest assured that he is out to devour you as well.
Let’s read the second chapter of Job, but we will start with what we read last Sunday. Read Job 1:20-2:13…
Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped, 21. And said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD. 22. In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly. 1. Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the LORD. 2. And the LORD said unto Satan, From whence comest thou? And Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it. 3. 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? and still he holdeth fast his integrity, although thou movedst me against him, to destroy him without cause. 4. And Satan answered the LORD, and said, Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life. 5. But put forth thine hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse thee to thy face. 6. And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, he is in thine hand; but save his life. 7. So went Satan forth from the presence of the LORD, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown. 8. And he took him a potsherd to scrape himself withal; and he sat down among the ashes. 9. Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die. 10. But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips. 11. Now when Job's three friends heard of all this evil that was come upon him, they came every one from his own place; Eliphaz the Temanite, and Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite: for they had made an appointment together to come to mourn with him and to comfort him. 12. And when they lifted up their eyes afar off, and knew him not, they lifted up their voice, and wept; and they rent every one his mantle, and sprinkled dust upon their heads toward heaven. 13. So they sat down with him upon the ground seven days and seven nights, and none spake a word unto him: for they saw that his grief was very great.
I. Satan’s Failure
We began the book of Job by looking at the heavenly conversation between God and Satan in 1:6-12. Now we are privileged to listen in on this second conversation in 2:1-6. If you feel like you are reading a repeat from chapter 1, it is because you are. 2:1-3a is just like 1:6-8, with the exception that in 2:1 there is the addition of the words “to present himself before the Lord” (understood in 1:6). So once again, Satan joins the angels in appearing before the Lord. We asked the question before, “How is it that the most evil being in the universe can stand in the presence of the most holy God?” I still don’t know the answer to that question. Ultimately, it is because the Lord allows him to do so. Apparently Satan has a great deal of access into God’s presence, because now he appears a second time.
As before, the Lord asks Satan where he comes from. “From going to and fro in the earth, and walking up and down in it.” Remember that Satan is an expert in mixing truth and lies. Was he truthful on this occasion? Yes, and no. He could have been walking to and fro in the earth, but that certainly doesn’t tell the whole story. During the interval between these two conversations, his main activity had been afflicting Job, but he says nothing about that. Playing along with the great deceiver, the Lord responds, “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?” Just as Satan pretends that Job’s name had never come up, the Lord does the same. This is almost humorous. It seems that the Lord is being a bit sarcastic. “So you’ve been going forth in the earth. No doubt, you are trying to trip up my creatures, as you always do. Well, let me ask you a question, ‘Have you considered my servant Job…?’” Now the Lord knows full well what Satan has just done to Job. Now he is rubbing salt in the wounds of Satan’s defeat. Satan must have felt the sting of that name “Job.” He was becoming a thorn in Satan’s side.
At this point the Lord abandons this little game and comes straight to the point, adding, “And still he holdeth fast his integrity, although thou movedst me against him, to destroy him without cause.” The Lord bluntly reminds Satan that despite the fact he has taken everything Job had, the man still remains true in his devotion to God. Go back to the end of chapter 1, where we are told that Job worshipped the Lord and said, “The LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.” The conclusion of the matter is in 1:22, “In all this Job did not sin nor charge God foolishly.” Satan unleashed his fury against Job, and Job passed the test.
Notice especially the Lord’s words, “Although you moved me against him, to destroy him without cause.” Several translations use the word “incite.” The NASB reads, “although you incited me against him to destroy him without reason.” The word translated “destroy” carries the idea of devouring or swallowing up. The Lord acknowledges that Satan had incited Him to swallow up Job with troubles, and for no good reason. Job’s sins has not brought about his catastrophes; it was Satan who was behind it.
But wait a minute. Is this saying that Satan was able to move God, to stir Him up against Job, to instigate such disaster? Can Satan have influence with the Almighty? Did Satan talk God into removing the hedge of protection He had built around Job? If Satan can move God, then maybe we ought to be worried. Last week I emphasized the fact that Satan can do nothing to us without God’s permission, but is Satan able to talk God into giving His permission? Is the Lord at the mercy of Satan’s cunning designs?
Be of good comfort, saints of God. The devil is not able to sway the Lord, to trick Him into anything. God is unchangeable in His nature and purposes. The idea is something like this: Satan made a motion, a proposition to God. It was a request, presented with great passion and skill. Satan believed that if he could just get permission to attack Job, the Lord’s loyal servant would curse God to His face. Looking at it on the surface, it appears that Satan did indeed move God, for the Lord granted His request. The best way I know to understand this is to run to the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Did Satan desire that Jesus be crucified? Indeed, He did, for Satan entered into Judas (Luke 22:3), who would betray Jesus to His enemies. Did the fact that Jesus was crucified mean that Satan had the victory over God? Never. The crucial insight we need is found in the sermon of Peter on the Day of Pentecost. Acts 2:22-24…
Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know: 23. Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain: 24. Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it.
We find the same truth contained the prayer of the saints in Acts 4:27-28, "For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together, 28. For to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done."
Satan wanted Jesus dead, and we could say that he killed Jesus, but only according to the eternal purpose of God. So it was with Job. Satan “moved God,” but only because God wanted to be moved. When we say that Satan incited the Lord against Job, the emphasis is upon Satan’s intent rather than his ability to conform God to his own will. As we will see at the end of the book, Satan only fit into God’s overall purpose and plan.
In spite of all Satan had done, Job held fast his integrity. The word translated “integrity” is from a Hebrew word which speaks of wholeness and completeness. In short, Job remained faithful to his Lord. We see this clearly at the end of chapter 1, where it is stated that Job did not sin or charge God foolishly. Though he may have been tempted to blame God, he didn’t. He acknowledged that the Lord gave him everything he had and it was the Lord’s prerogative to take it away.
II. Satan’s Plan
Surely the truth of what the Lord said to Satan should put him to silence. The devil had done his dirty work, but he had failed. He said Job would curse God to his face, but he was dead wrong. However, though he had failed, Satan had a plan. Satan always has a plan, and he would continue to formulate such plans until the day he is cast into the lake of fire. Notice what Satan says in 2:4-5, "And Satan answered the LORD, and said, Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life. 5. But put forth thine hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse thee to thy face." Let me try to put his words into our language: “A man will do anything to save his own skin. This man Job isn’t concerned about anything but himself. He would give up all that he had, even his children, just as long as he himself is healthy and content. But if you will touch his body with affliction, then he will curse you to your face.
Again, we see Satan sprinkling a certain amount of truth in with his lies and diabolical plans. It is true that there are some who will serve the Lord as long as they themselves are healthy and happy. They are noble enough that they will maintain their loyalty to the Lord, even when they suffer financial and family disaster. Satan contends that Job is one of those. But as soon as he is under the burden of severe sickness, he will curse God and die.
Do you notice that Satan has no mercy? Doesn’t he have a little pity on Job, after all he has done to him? Doesn’t he realize what it must mean to lose all ten children? No pity; no compassion; no mercy. Search the scriptures, and you will never find any mercy in Satan. Our “Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy” (Ps. 103:8). As David puts it in Ps. 86:5, "For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee." Satan is the exact opposite -- no mercy, no graciousness, no pity.
Don’t ever forget that Satan always has a plan, and that plan is designed to devour you and me. In the experience of Job, we see just one of Satan’s tactics. At this point, he pursues a frontal attack that is designed to break Job and cause him to turn upon his Creator. But don’t ever think that Satan limits himself to that tactic; he has plenty of others. He is just as capable and comfortable blessing a person with great wealth, robust health, and everything any creature could want. He will do anything he thinks will cause us to forsake God, forget Him, neglect Him. Satan will stop at nothing in his desire to bring us down, for in bringing us down he thinks he is able to smear the reputation of the One who created us and sent His Son to redeem us.
So the Lord has heard the plan of Satan. How does He respond? Like before, He could have argued with Satan, assuring him that Job would not curse Him to His face. Instead, the Lord simply says, “Okay, he’s yours. But spare his life.” God gave Satan the okay to go ahead with his plan.
III. Satan’s Execution
Satan not only deceitfully and skillfully crafts a master plan of destruction for his enemies, but he then executes that plan with power and precision. The devil is not only wise and crafty, but he is also extremely powerful. We see his power in what he does to Job. The description in verse 7 is brief, but it adequately reveals the power of Satan in afflicting a man’s body. "So went Satan forth from the presence of the LORD, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown."
So now the poor and childless Job must experience sore boils, “painful sores” (NKJV, NIV, etc.), “a very grievous ulcer” (Douay-Rheims), “an evil inflammation” (Clarke’s Commentary), “a burning sore” (Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary). These are the same boils with which God afflicted the Egyptians in the plagues. However, the word here is singular, speaking of one boil that covered the whole body. Perhaps the idea is that the boils, sores were so close together that they could not be distinguished from one another. Literally, it was an “evil sore.” This boil (or these boils) covered Job from head to toe.
So what was the nature of this terrible disease? Down through the ages Bible students have speculated about what it was. Most conclude that it was Elephantiasis, commonly referred to as “black leprosy.” This disease was so severe that the joints of the limbs became swollen and frozen, so that they appeared like the legs of an elephant. The skin was covered with incrustations like those of an elephant. Still others have suggested that it was smallpox, which was extremely distressful to those who were not killed by it. There is no way we can be sure that it was either of these. Perhaps it was a disease Satan had designed especially for Job.
More important than trying to name the disease is seeing the effect that it had upon Job. First of all, look at what we are told in verse 8, “And he took a piece of broken pottery with which to scrape himself, while he sat in the ashes.” This scraping was likely for the purpose or removing the damaged skin, along with providing some relief from itching. Notice that he sat among the ashes. Throughout the Old Testament (as well as once by Jesus) ashes are associated with sorrow and grief. We are familiar with the phrases “sackcloth and ashes” and “dust and ashes” (used twice by Job himself -- 30:19; 42:6). When Jonah pronounced his message of judgment in Nineveh, the king “laid his robe from him, and covered him with sackcloth, and sat in ashes” (Jonah 3:6). And where did Job find these ashes? It has been suggested that these ashes were outside the city. We might think of it as the city dump (see Steve Lawson’s commentary on Job, p. 26). What a picture!
The rest of the book of Job gives us insight into the intensity of this body-consuming disease. We see in 2:12 that Job’s body (mainly his face, as that is the surest way to recognize someone) was so disfigured that his friends didn’t even recognize him. 3:24, "For my sighing cometh before I eat, and my roarings are poured out like the waters." This indicates some effect upon his appetite. Listen to the note about worms and broken skin in 7:5, "My flesh is clothed with worms and clods of dust; my skin is broken, and become loathsome." 9:18 suggests trouble breathing. Add to that the notes about darkened eyelids (16:16), bad breath (19:17), loss of weight until he is skin and bones (19:20), continual pain (30:17), blackened skin and high fever (30:30). No wonder he was restless, as spoken of in 30:27 (ESV), “My inward parts are in turmoil and never still; days of affliction come to meet me.” What a picture of a man who was physically broken.
Satan certainly did his work. When the Lord told him he could do anything short of killing Job, Satan took all the liberty the Lord gave him. With absolutely no mercy, he mounted an all-out attack upon God’s servant Job.
IV. Satan’s Repeated Failure
So how did Satan’s plan work? Would Job curse God? The devil unleashed an all-out attack upon Job himself. He brought immense physical pain and suffering directly upon Job. Was it enough to cause the Lord’s servant to turn upon Him? We know that Job immediately felt the misery, because we read in verse 8 that he scraped himself with a piece of pottery and sat down among the ashes. He was hurting. But we are waiting for his response toward God. Satan was waiting too.
Before we get to Job’s response to God, another factor enters the picture. We might call this factor Satan’s wildcard. Let’s read it in verse 9, “Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? Curse God and die.” There is that word “integrity” again, the same word that we found in verse 3. Job’s wife couldn’t believe it. “Job, are you still clinging to your loyalty to God? Are you still maintaining that He is faithful? In light of what has happened, why don’t you just curse God and die? That would be far better than what you are experiencing now. Just be done with it.”
Now how did Job’s wife get involved? She’s his wife. All this cannot take place without her knowledge. She has to look at her own husband going through immense pain. Bear in mind that she too has lost everything, including her ten children. On top of that, she now must watch the health of her husband evaporate before her eyes. Perhaps she believed that if Job would curse God, then God would let him die, would put him out of his misery. Or she may have assumed that cursing God would move God to kill Job for such a response. Either way, Job wouldn’t have to continue in his present pain and suffering. We can’t know for sure what her motives were.
Do you think Satan had any hand in her response? Is it just a coincidence that she tells Job to do the very think that Satan is trying to get him to do? I’m thinking of another wife whom Satan tempted in order to get at her husband. Do you remember her? It was Eve, whom Satan tempted in the garden. His seductive work was effective, and both she and Adam ate the forbidden fruit. They actually disobeyed the God who had provided everything they could need or want. Now He is doing the same with Job’s wife, tempting her to despise God and tell her husband to do the same.
Do we understand that Satan has endless resources in his arsenal? He is an expert at recruiting human beings for his purposes. Surely Job loved and respected his wife. This is the woman with whom he has raised ten children, the woman who has shared his recent losses. When she speaks, he must listen. Beware of whom Satan might use to trip you up. It is possible that he could use someone very dear to you. Even a Christian? Yes, even a Christian. Believers do sin and go astray, and that brother or sister who is dear to you might listen to the enemy and give you bad counsel. That doesn’t mean that you should distrust everyone around you, but it does mean that you must weigh advice before the Lord and test it by His Word.
Listen to Job’s response to his wife in Job 2:10, "But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? Shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?" As one commentator puts it, Job’s answer was strong but not harsh (Keil & Delitsch). He didn’t call her a fool, but said she was speaking like a foolish woman would speak. The fact that he specifies foolish women may be a reference to the women of Idumea, who when their gods did not give them what they asked, would denounce them and throw them into the fire.
It is helpful to something about the word that Job used when he said that his wife was a foolish woman. That word does not mean that she simply had a lack of knowledge. In the Hebrew mind and in the Old Testament, we find that righteousness is coupled with wisdom and foolishness is coupled with sin and unrighteousness. The problem was not simply that Job’s wife was ignorant, but her thinking was ungodly. Job uses the feminine form of the word that is translated “fool” in Ps. 14:1, “The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God.” The Hebrew word is actually used as a name of one character in the Old Testament. Do you know who it was? It was Nabal, the wife of Abigail. This fool certainly lived up to his name. In this instance, Job’s wife was speaking as an ungodly fool, one who was devoid of wisdom and righteousness. We could say that her foolishness was the exact opposite of Job’s integrity.
Now listen to Job’s reasoning: “Shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?” We must define “good” and “evil” as being in the eyes of Job. The idea is, “Shall we receive only what we consider to be good, and not receive what we consider to be evil.” We must understand it this way, because God doesn’t give evil things to His children. Matt. 7:11, "If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?" “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose” (Rom. 8:28).
Think about it. If we receive only what we consider to be good, then we become the judge of God. Job claimed the Lord as his God; we who have been reconciled to Him by Jesus Christ even claim Him as our Father. If we refuse to receive what we consider to be evil, then we are standing of judges of God, even of our Father. We are accusing Him of giving us what we do not deserve. We are flatly refusing to believe what He says in His Word. Though Job did not have as much light as we who live on the other side of the cross, He understood that the Lord’s servants can trust Him to send them what is best for them. “Shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?” That is a powerful and insightful statement.
So what do we make of Job’s wife? Though we are not told as much about her as we might like to know, it seems pretty clear that she did not respond to tragedy as Job did. While Job said, “The Lord gave and the Lord taketh away, blessed be the name of the Lord,” his wife apparently did not share the same attitude of praise in adversity. Her words to Job reveal a rather bitter attitude. Job’s response to her seems to confirm that she was angry that God would bring such disaster upon her and her husband. Perhaps we could say that her advice to “curse God and die” exposed her anger at God, rather than at Job.
Listen to the end of verse 10, “In all this Job did not sin with his lips.” That is no small statement. In short, Job passed the test. Satan failed once again, because Job did not curse God, but defended God and His right to bring good or evil into his life. At this point, we might paraphrase Joseph’s words and say, “Satan meant it for evil, but God meant it for good.” Satan had not only taken everything Job had and killed his children, but now he had humbled this man with extreme physical pain and torment. Nevertheless, Job remained strong in his devotion to the Lord.
Look at those words again at the end of verse 10: “And in all this Job did not sin with his lips.” Notice especially the phrase “with his lips.” Why these words “with his lips”? The text does not mean to say that Job sinned in every other way. Some of us will remember the words of James 3:2, "For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body." When it is said that a person doesn’t sin with his lips, that is a great compliment. Remember the context. This declaration is made immediately after Job had verbally responded to his wife. What temptation he faced, when she said, “Are you still remaining loyal to God? Why don’t you just curse God and die?” How easy it would have been to have sided with her, even as Adam did with Eve. Or perhaps even more tempting was to put her in her place by sharply rebuking her, “Woman, mind your own business.” Instead, Job made the Lord Himself his focus. He said she spoke as a foolish woman because of her attitude toward God. He didn’t call her a foolish woman, but simply said she had yielded to the temptation speak like foolish women speak. Job then graciously explained to her that we must receive both good and evil from the hand of a God who is good. In the midst of this emotionally charged exchange, Job did not sin, not even with his lips.
V. Satan’s Persistence
Hallelujah! Here we find a man who was true to God in the midst of a great storm. No wonder the Lord Himself said that Job was blameless and upright, a man who feared God and turned away from evil. The proof is in the pudding.
Now let me make an earth-shattering revelation. I know that none of you would have thought of this; that’s why I have to let you in on this little secret. Job has 42 chapters; we have only come to the end of verse 10 in chapter 2. I can tell by the looks on your faces that this great truth has already occurred to some of you. Maybe we haven’t come to the end of the story yet.
I also want you to notice that there is no further mention of Satan in the rest of the book of Job. He is not directly mentioned after verse 7 here in chapter 2. Does that mean that Satan licked his wounds, admitted defeat, and went off to tempt someone else? Oh, it’s true that he would tempt many others, but it does not mean that he never again tempted Job. I remind you of the temptations of Jesus, as recorded in Luke 4. After the devil had unsuccessfully assaulted Jesus three times, the account concludes like this: “And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from him for a season” (Luke 4:13). Satan left Jesus, but only for a season. We don’t know how many times He tempted Jesus, but we know he was active at the end, especially when our Lord was in the Garden of Gethsemane.
As we read through the rest of Job, we will have to keep in mind that though Satan was defeated, he was not destroyed. Did he come again to tempt Job? Though we don’t see him directly, is he behind the scenes in the chapters that follow?
Now let’s read again the end of chapter 2. Read Job 2:11-13…
Now when Job's three friends heard of all this evil that was come upon him, they came every one from his own place; Eliphaz the Temanite, and Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite: for they had made an appointment together to come to mourn with him and to comfort him. 12. And when they lifted up their eyes afar off, and knew him not, they lifted up their voice, and wept; and they rent every one his mantle, and sprinkled dust upon their heads toward heaven. 13. So they sat down with him upon the ground seven days and seven nights, and none spake a word unto him: for they saw that his grief was very great.
This is where we will take up the story next time. As some of you know, Job is going to be engaged in conversation with these three friends for almost 30 chapters. Lord willing, we will be reading through these chapters and asking the Lord to give us insights. As we do, let’s not forget the heavenly conversations of chapters 1 and 2. As we continue through the book of Job, is there still a spiritual war going on behind the scenes?
Conclusion
A number of you have heard me use an illustration from time to time. I use it when dealing with our relation to Satan and sin. Before a person comes to Christ, he is dead in his trespasses and sins and is in bondage to the devil. It’s like Satan has the unbeliever on a leash. You know how it is when a dog is on a leash. At times he may think that he is free, fully in control of his destiny. As long as his owner gives him plenty of slack, he can do whatever he wants to do. But when the owner has had enough and tightens the leash, then the dog can do only what the owner decides he will do.
It is the same way with Satan. Before I came to Christ, I was his slave. When he chose to give me plenty of slack, I thought that I was in control. But in reality, he was the one calling the shots. He had power over me.
Now let me turn that illustration upside down. Satan is on God’s leash. Without a doubt, Satan is very cunning and extremely powerful. No one can deny that. Not one of us is a match for him. Altogether we are not able to oppose him. But then there is God. The Lord God Almighty is Master; Satan is slave. When the Lord gives him plenty of slack, he can do many things. He stole all Job’s wealth and killed his kids. He brought pain, grief, and misery into Job’s life through sickness. But when the Lord said, “You could no further,” Satan had reached his limit. God handles the leash according to his own will and purpose. Satan is forced to respond to the Lord’s direction.
Someone will surely say, “Then I sure wish the Lord would quit giving him so much slack. I wish He would yank on the leash and jerk Satan around.” Oh, He will. Make no mistake about it. “But why doesn’t He do it now? Why does He allow Satan to wreak such havoc in this world? Why does God allow him to bring such devastation even upon His own children?” Those are the very questions we are faced with when we come to the book of Job. Those are the issues with which we are wrestling, as we wade through this book. We won’t try to answer them all. But for now, don’t ever forget what we have learned from the first two chapters. God is the one who is in control of all events. Though Satan is delivering the blows against Job, he is able to do so only as he requests permission from Almighty God. If you are truly a child of God, the Lord of the universe is your Master, Lord, and King. Only what He designs can enter your life. Let’s rejoice in Him!
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