Articles
God Is Your Friend
God Is Your Friend
In the story of Job we get to see what happened 'behind the scene'. It is interesting to speculate on the nature of Satan coming and speaking with God. Speaking in anthropomorphic terms: what was their body language? What was their tone of voice? How did they look at each other? We can only speculate and guess. It is even more instructive to listen to what they say.
God talks about His servant Job. "…the Lord said to Satan, "Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?" (Job 1:8). God knows what Job does and approves of it. God takes joy in the righteousness of Job. God was Job's friend and desired the best for him.
Satan on the other hand slandered Job's motives. "Then Satan answered the Lord and said, “Does Job fear God for no reason? Have you not put a hedge around him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land" (Job 1:9-10).
"Satan" comes from a word that means 'adversary'. Truly he IS the adversary of ALL who would be a friend to God. He goes about as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour (1Pet. 5:8). He is said to be our 'Accuser' for we read of him: "… the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God" (Rev. 12:10). BOTH of these concepts are apparent in the story of Job. He was Job's adversary and accuser.
Thus began the testing of Job's character, motives, and faith. While God allows such tests, He desires that they would strengthen us. Our character and faith are somewhat like muscles in that they have to be exercised in order to be strengthened. Job got plenty of exercise! The promise of 1 Cor. 10:13 that God would not allow him to be tested above what he could endure and that there was a way of dealing with such tests was fulfilled. God set limits on what Satan could do.
Satan is not omniscient yet speaks as if 'he knows the heart'. Satan is not omnipotent for God set limits upon him. Satan is not God but himself must bow to the mind and commands of God. Satan does not test for our good, but rather tempts for our destruction.
In the first encounter between Satan and humanity, the whole operation begins. "God doesn't love you. God doesn't have your best interests at heart. God is with-holding all the really good things from you. You can't trust God." Satan was a liar from the beginning, even lying about God. He promises 'life' and can only bring death. He promises happiness but can only produce misery, fear, and suffering. Sure, there is the 'for the moment' aspect of sin, but there is also the 'forever' aspect of sin!
God cares for you (1Pet 5:7). God so loved that He gave Jesus as the sacrifice that made it possible for Him to forgive your sins and iniquities. God has no desire for you to sin and die, but desires that you would repent and live (2Peter 3:9). God is your friend - you need to be a friend to God.
Hugh DeLong
