Not everything that is blamed on God was his idea. By Kai Mester

Reading time: 6 minutes

What does God do, what does he allow and why? One of the oldest books in the Bible, if not the oldest, deals with this question: the Book of Job.

God's adversary is rarely mentioned

Like few other books in the Hebrew Bible, the book of Job allows us a peek behind the scenes. In the seventh verse of the first of a total of 42 chapters, we are introduced to a personality who is only mentioned again in David's time: Satan, God's accuser and adversary.

In the entire Hebrew Bible there are only three instances where he is clearly spoken of: Job 1, 1 Chronicles 21 and Zechariah 3. Otherwise we only find hints. Sometimes he is spoken of in figures: as king of Babylon (Isaiah 14), as king of Tire (Ezekiel 28). Sometimes he hides behind a medium: the serpent in Genesis 1, the spirit of the dead in 3 Samuel 1.

Did the writers of the Bible know too little about Satan? Or did they deliberately give him little attention in order to honor God alone? Or is there another reason?

Three insights: Is the penny dropping?

Recognizing the explanations in the book of Job as key to understanding Satan's work can change our perspective of the Bible's message and strengthen our relationship with God.

Three things become clear in the book of Job:

First, Satan is the mastermind and mastermind of all evil. He challenged God: "Reach out your hand and touch everything that Job has." (Job 1,11:1,13) "But God cannot be tempted into evil." (James 1,12:2,5) So he gave the ball to Satan back: "Behold, all that he has is in your hand" (Job 6:XNUMX) Satan then brought three disasters to Job: lightning, robbery and hurricane killed Job's animals, servants and children. Again he tempted God: »Stretch out your hand and touch his bones and flesh.« (Job XNUMX:XNUMX) And again God gave the ball back to Satan: »Look, he is in your hand, but spare his life! ' (verse XNUMX). When the apostle James writes that God cannot be tempted to do evil, he makes us aware that as human beings we often misjudge the situation: we suspect God. We doubt his goodness. We miss the look behind the scenes.

Second, Satan brings disasters and disease, disrupting the security and health for which God created His creatures. The author of suffering is not God. He has no pleasure in suffering and death. But in his wisdom and love he gives space to evil and lets it mature. Satan, on the other hand, "is a murderer from the beginning" (John 8,44:1,16.17). How often do we blame God for disasters and sickness? “Make no mistake, my dears. Only good gifts and only perfect gifts come from above, from the Father of light, with whom there is no change from light to darkness.

Third, God takes the blame. After the murder of the innocent, God says to Satan: "You tempted me to destroy Job without reason." (Job 2,3:1,21) How crass is that? Nowhere in the book of Job does God wash his hands of innocence. Rather, he leaves Job to believe that all misfortune came from him. After the terrible blows of fate, Job says: The LORD gave, the LORD took away; the name of the LORD be praised!« (Job 2,10:42,11) Even in his illness he affirms it. "Have we received good things from God, and should we not also accept evil?" (Job XNUMX:XNUMX) And at the end of the book it says: "All... comforted Job because of all the calamity that the LORD had brought upon him." ( Job XNUMX:XNUMX) God is willing to take responsibility with all the bitter consequences. At the very end, however, like in the book of Job, he will break the vicious circle, wipe away tears and shower us with more blessings than we had before we began our ordeal.

Jesus draws back the curtain

When God sent his Messiah into the world to give him to the world, that's when his nature really became clear. Because in Jesus, God let us look into his heart: "The Son of Man came not to destroy the souls of men, but to save them!" (Luke 9,56:XNUMX SLT) So God is like that too, because we are allowed to see him in the Messiah catch sight of. “He took our sicknesses and bore our pains. And we thought, he would be ostracized, beaten and humiliated by God. But because of our transgressions he was pierced, crushed because of our transgressions. He was punished so that we may have peace. By his wounds we were healed... The LORD cast the sins of all of us on him.« (Isaiah 53,4:XNUMX) The heavenly Father also suffers with us, among us and on us, precisely because we him suspect as the one from whom suffering would come.

God is not the destroyer but the savior. Instead of sending sickness and pain, he takes upon himself sickness, pain, sin and guilt. With this knowledge we may read all the biblical accounts in which misfortune, sickness, pain, sin and guilt seem to be due to God, accounts in which the enemy of God is not mentioned at all, but God is responsible for everything. If the curtain were lifted, we would see in every occurrence what role the enemy and his demon host actually played. Of course, we can also learn from God's Word to say only the absolute minimum about the enemy in order to give him as little attention and honor as possible. Likewise, we can find security in God's omnipotence, even if we don't always understand everything.

The master liar

However, it can give our trust in God a great boost; it can let the fire of love flare up brightly and sustainably nourish the embers of passion when Satan is unmasked for who he is: "He is a liar and the father of lies." (John 8,44:XNUMX)

“Satan came into our world and tempted people. With sin came sickness and suffering, for we reap what we sow. Satan caused people to blame God for this suffering that is the sure result of violating the laws of nature. So God is wrongly accused and his character misrepresented. He is blamed for what Satan himself did. God wants his people to expose this enemy lie. He gave them the knowledge that the gospel makes people whole. As its representatives, they are allowed to transmit this light to others. As they alleviate people's suffering, they can enlighten the origin of all suffering and direct the mind to Jesus, the great healer of soul and body. His compassionate heart goes out to all who suffer on earth, and he works with everyone who works to alleviate suffering. When health returns with His blessings, God's character is restored to its rightful place, and the lie smashed back to Satan, its author." (Ellen White, Spalding and Magan Collection, Page 127)