God Tests Job (Job 1:8–12)
Job was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned
evil. One day, Satan appeared before God among the angels. The reason God has
not yet removed evil is that He desires to save those who have fallen into sin.
However, God will surely judge evil. Satan’s days are not eternal; they are
numbered.
In Job 1:8–12, Satan suggested deceitfully that if Job were
struck, he would curse God. Then God permitted Satan to test Job but commanded,
“Only do not lay a finger on his body.” Through today’s passage, we want to
learn the motive and purpose for which God allowed Satan to strike Job.
God Knows Everything Each One Does
“Then the Lord said to Satan, ‘Have you considered my
servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a
man who fears God and shuns evil.’” (Job 1:8)
The Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant
Job?” God knew well what Satan was doing. The reason Satan observes those who
fear and obey God is to look for an opportunity to deceive with lies or
threaten them with violence to make them fall.
However, although Satan watches for a chance to strike, he
cannot touch God’s children without God’s permission. Just as parents protect
their children, God guards His people as the apple of His eye. Nothing can harm
or stop the protective hand of God.
God declared that there was no one on earth like Job,
blameless and upright, who feared God and shunned evil. God acknowledged Job as
a righteous man. Job regularly offered burnt offerings for each of his
children, thinking that perhaps they had sinned and cursed God in their hearts
(Job 1:5).
In the same way that God knew Job, He knows all people and
everything they do. God knows what is in the hearts of men. Therefore, Jesus
did not need anyone’s testimony about mankind.
“But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew
all people. He did not need any testimony about mankind, for he knew what was
in each person.” (John 2:24–25)
Satan Lies
“Does Job fear God for nothing?” Satan replied. “Have you
not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have
blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread
throughout the land. But now stretch out your hand and strike everything he
has, and he will surely curse you to your face.” (Job 1:9–11)
Satan answered the Lord, “Does Job fear God for nothing?” He
claimed that Job’s devotion was only because of the blessings he received, and
that if those blessings were taken away, Job would no longer fear God. Job had
many children, possessions, and wealth—all given by God. Up to this point,
Satan’s statement contained some truth: everything, from life itself to home,
clothing, and food, comes from God.
Humans can choose many things in life, such as a spouse or a
career, but there are two things we cannot choose—birth and death. The
beginning and end of life are not in our hands. This proves that everything
comes from God.
God had placed a hedge around Job, his household, and all
that he owned. This symbolizes God’s protection. When God allowed Satan to
strike Job’s possessions, it was as though the hedge was removed. Without God’s
protection, nothing can stand.
The fact that we have daily food, clothing, and shelter is
not by accident, nor by our own strength or power. Many people in the world
have no home. The difference between those who do and those who don’t is not as
great as it seems. Without sunlight and rain, crops cannot grow. Without God’s
grace and love, life cannot be sustained.
However, Satan boldly claimed that if God withdrew His
blessings, Job would surely curse Him. That was a lie. Even when Jesus was
forsaken by the Father, He entrusted Himself to Him. Many believers throughout
history have not denied the Lord even in the face of martyrdom.
The things of this world may offer temporary convenience,
but none can give eternal life. What belongs to this world perishes, fades, and
decays; but the kingdom of God endures forever.
“…an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This
inheritance is kept in heaven for you.” (1 Peter 1:4)
We have received eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ,
the Son of God, who was sent into the world to save us from what is perishable.
What is seen is temporary, but what is unseen—the kingdom of heaven—is eternal.
“Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are
wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and
momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs
them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since
what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” (2 Corinthians
4:16–18)
Satan rebelled against God by stepping beyond his appointed
place. He desired to exalt himself above God and was therefore cursed. Now,
through lies and violence, he seeks to draw people away from faith in God.
Having been condemned for rebelling against his Creator, Satan is desperate to
make God’s children fall as well.
The Lord Grants Satan What He Desires
Then the Lord said to Satan, “Very well, then, everything he
has is in your power, but on the man himself do not lay a finger.” Then Satan
went out from the presence of the Lord. (Job 1:12)
The Lord God permitted Satan to have what he wanted. He
allowed him to strike everything that Job possessed. However, God placed a
hedge of protection so that Satan could not touch Job’s body. Then Satan
immediately went out from the presence of the Lord. His steps moved quickly
toward Job to strike him.
Why did God allow Satan to do this?
First, because God knew that Satan’s words would be proven false. Satan can
never overcome God, nor can he ever separate God’s children from His love.
“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither
angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither
height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate
us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38–39)
Satan, being cursed, will always be defeated, bearing
disgrace and shame. Therefore, on those who plan and do evil, God’s wrath comes
down from heaven, and trouble and distress never cease (Romans 2:6).
So the Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done
this, cursed are you above all livestock and all wild animals! You will crawl
on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life.” (Genesis 3:14)
Second, God had a lesson to teach Job. That lesson is
revealed in the latter part of the Book of Job. It concerns the mystery of the
kingdom of God—that God, who created heaven and earth, continues to govern them
according to His plan and purpose. In this, God revealed the hidden mystery of
evil that lies within humanity.
Job suffered greatly and sighed in anguish, not
understanding why he had to endure unbearable pain. He did not know what was
happening in heaven. He cried out to God and pleaded for answers, but his three
friends could not give him any.
Finally, God spoke to Job out of the storm. Before the voice
of God that thundered like lightning, Job could not answer a single word. (Job
40:4–5) Though he had insisted on his innocence and pleaded for a reply from
God, now he could only remain silent.
Through the words of the Creator, Job saw and understood
what he had never seen or thought before. He once believed that suffering came
only upon those who did not fear God. But that was not true. Our Lord Jesus
Christ, though He was without sin, suffered pain and affliction on our behalf.
Believers who are born again in Christ now come before the
throne of grace, rejoicing in the glory of God. Yet, they also share in
Christ’s suffering and tribulation.
“Through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace
in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only
so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering
produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.” (Romans
5:2–4)
Job also did not realize that God restrains evil (2
Thessalonians 2:6). Because God holds back evil, the world still remains in
order and peace. Yet a day is coming when He will remove that restraint—this
will be the Great Tribulation (2 Thessalonians 2:8). That day will be a time of
unparalleled disaster, unlike anything before or after (Matthew 24:21). But it
is also the day when the risen and ascended Lord Jesus Christ will return as
King of kings and Lord of lords (Matthew 24:29-31).
We continue to grow in the knowledge of God (Colossians
1:10). Through the pain and hardship of life, God reveals His holiness. This is
the holy discipline of His love. God knows us better than we know ourselves. He
molds us to be the pure bride of Christ.
Yet God does not leave us as orphans. The mystery that was
hidden for ages has now been revealed to the saints: Christ in us, the hope of
glory (Colossians 1:27). As we carry pain and suffering in this world, Jesus
Himself helps us from within. He intercedes for us with groans that words
cannot express (Romans 8:26).
Above all, God sets boundaries so that we are not tested
beyond what we can bear. Satan may attack ruthlessly, but he cannot cross the
line that God has established. God never gives us more than we can bear and handle.
“No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to
mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you
can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you
can endure it.” (1 Corinthians 10:13)
Amen!
November 2, 2025
Buffalo Livingstone Church ©2025, David Lee Ministries ©2025
– All Rights Reserved.
Scripture quotes are from the NIV.
