Job 1:10 | KingComments | STEP | Satan must answer. He does so entirely according to the incorrigible depravity of his evil nature. He not only hates God, but all who live according to God’s will. He can’t stand it when someone is praised by God, because he himself wants to be praised. We see this in Saul’s attitude toward David. Saul is also jealous of the honor that David gets from the people, while he does not get that much honor ( ). Satan cannot deny Job’s piety. What he, as “the accuser of our brethren” ( ), can do, however, is to suggest that Job’s piety is not real, but feigned. With his question “does Job fear God for nothing?” ( ), he expresses the assumption that Job has good reason to fear God. Job fears God, not for Whom God is, but only because of the benefits it brings ( ). ‘Look’, he says to God, ‘all that you have given Job: protection of his family and all that he has; prosperity in all that he does; his territory is expanding. Quite logically, he fears You.’ Then satan comes up with a proposal ( ) which also shows his wicked nature and his cunning ( ; ). He challenges God to put forth His hand against Job and take away everything He has blessed him with. It is remarkable that satan does not tell God if God will allow him to take everything from Job. Satan also knows that everything is in God’s hand. God must turn His hand against Job to take everything away from him. Job later rightly says: “The LORD has given and the LORD has taken away” ( ). Satan says as it were: ‘Take away all these benefits, then something else will turn out!’ He supposes that Job will curse God right in His face for losing everything. Satan supposes that Job’s dedication is the result of God’s blessing. This shows that he is not omniscient , which God is. Satan questions both the uprightness of Job and the righteousness of God He shows in blessing him. We see this reflected in the main characters of the book: 1. The friends of Job question his uprightness. They are sure that he has sinned in secret, but that he does not want to admit it. 2. Job, because he suffers innocently, cannot understand how God can allow him to suffer so. He therefore doubts God’s righteousness. The big question in the book of Job is whether Job will curse God or not. Satan wants to use all the suffering in our lives to separate us from God, while God wants to use the suffering to get to know Him and ourselves better. Satan wants us to get worse, while God wants us to get better. If Job would curse God, Job would not be the loser, but God. However, God sees in Job what satan does not see: endurance. God allows satan to storm Job ( ). He gives everything that belongs to Job into the hand of satan, showing that satan is not omnipotent , which God is. It is remarkable that in satan speaks about God putting forth His hand against Job and that God now allows satan to put out his hand against Job. This shows that the hand of God is above the hand of satan. We therefore do not take the suffering from ‘the second hand’, that of satan, but from ‘the first hand’, that of God. At the same time God determines the limit of the actions of satan. He also says that he may not put forth his hand against Job himself. Satan will therefore not exceed that limit by a millimeter. Without God the Father, no sparrow will fall to the earth, and even the hairs of our head are all numbered ( ). Satan departs “from the presence of the LORD”, as it also says of Cain ( ), pleased with what he is allowed to do and what he will do quickly (cf. ). We see here that in heaven decisions are made, of which the consequences become visible in events on earth.

‏ Job 1:10

Satan Challenges the LORD

Satan must answer. He does so entirely according to the incorrigible depravity of his evil nature. He not only hates God, but all who live according to God’s will. He can’t stand it when someone is praised by God, because he himself wants to be praised. We see this in Saul’s attitude toward David. Saul is also jealous of the honor that David gets from the people, while he does not get that much honor (1Sam 18:6-9).

Satan cannot deny Job’s piety. What he, as “the accuser of our brethren” (Rev 12:10), can do, however, is to suggest that Job’s piety is not real, but feigned. With his question “does Job fear God for nothing?” (Job 1:9), he expresses the assumption that Job has good reason to fear God. Job fears God, not for Whom God is, but only because of the benefits it brings (Job 1:10). ‘Look’, he says to God, ‘all that you have given Job: protection of his family and all that he has; prosperity in all that he does; his territory is expanding. Quite logically, he fears You.’

Then satan comes up with a proposal (Job 1:11) which also shows his wicked nature and his cunning (2Cor 11:3 ; 14; Eph 6:11). He challenges God to put forth His hand against Job and take away everything He has blessed him with. It is remarkable that satan does not tell God if God will allow him to take everything from Job. Satan also knows that everything is in God’s hand. God must turn His hand against Job to take everything away from him. Job later rightly says: “The LORD has given and the LORD has taken away” (Job 1:21b).

Satan says as it were: ‘Take away all these benefits, then something else will turn out!’ He supposes that Job will curse God right in His face for losing everything. Satan supposes that Job’s dedication is the result of God’s blessing. This shows that he is not omniscient, which God is. Satan questions both the uprightness of Job and the righteousness of God He shows in blessing him.

We see this reflected in the main characters of the book:

1. The friends of Job question his uprightness. They are sure that he has sinned in secret, but that he does not want to admit it.

2. Job, because he suffers innocently, cannot understand how God can allow him to suffer so. He therefore doubts God’s righteousness.

The big question in the book of Job is whether Job will curse God or not. Satan wants to use all the suffering in our lives to separate us from God, while God wants to use the suffering to get to know Him and ourselves better. Satan wants us to get worse, while God wants us to get better. If Job would curse God, Job would not be the loser, but God. However, God sees in Job what satan does not see: endurance.

God allows satan to storm Job (Job 1:12). He gives everything that belongs to Job into the hand of satan, showing that satan is not omnipotent, which God is. It is remarkable that in Job 1:11 satan speaks about God putting forth His hand against Job and that God now allows satan to put out his hand against Job. This shows that the hand of God is above the hand of satan. We therefore do not take the suffering from ‘the second hand’, that of satan, but from ‘the first hand’, that of God.

At the same time God determines the limit of the actions of satan. He also says that he may not put forth his hand against Job himself. Satan will therefore not exceed that limit by a millimeter. Without God the Father, no sparrow will fall to the earth, and even the hairs of our head are all numbered (Mt 10:29-31).

Satan departs “from the presence of the LORD”, as it also says of Cain (Gen 4:16), pleased with what he is allowed to do and what he will do quickly (cf. Lk 22:31-32). We see here that in heaven decisions are made, of which the consequences become visible in events on earth.