Satan Considers Job

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Chapter 1 begins the history of Job. He was a man of authority who lived in the land of Uz (Eastern Arabia near the Euphrates River). He was a "godly" man, sincere in his religion, upright in his dealings and feared God. He was prosperous, had a large family, owned a great deal of real estate and was a good father who cared for his children and met their physical and religious needs. Like Abraham, he had a family altar. Because of all of this, Satan disliked Job and his piety very much.

In chapter 1, the author describes Job 12 ways:

  1. He was a man of authority. Tradition says that he has a Judge or Magistrate of some kind where he was forced to make judgments.
  2. He lived in the land of Uz. Uz was in the area of Ur, the home of Abraham. It was a collection of many races, leading many to believe that Job is symbolic of mankind and his problems characteristic of mankind.
  3. He was a "good" man. He exercised fair judgment, good manners, and in so far as he was able, keep the statues of God.
  4. He was sincere in his religion. He was no hypocrite, as his friends might have you to believe.
  5. He was "up-right" in his dealings with everyone.
  6. He feared God. He understood God to rule in the lives of men. He acknowledged God as being the "giver" of blessings as well as tribulation.
  7. He was prosperous. The question we might ask is, was he prosperous because he was righteous, or was he righteous because he was prosperous?
  8. He had a large family, 7 sons and 3 daughters.
  9. He had a large estate, 500 oxen, 500 she-asses, 7000 sheep, 3000 camels and many servants.
  10. He was quite rich.
  11. He was a good father who cared for his children and met their needs, physically and spiritually.
  12. Like Abraham, he had a family alter.

We might think that Job was a mountain of wisdom and piety that could not be moved, but Job had never been tested. God had built around Job a "wall" of protection. This bothered Satan. He believed that anyone would be righteous if they were sheltered from the trials of life.

Much is implicated in the name of "Job". If he was Arabian, as many think, his name meant, "one hated and counted as a enemy". Additional support of this lies in his "nickname" which was "Ish" which meant, "he was a worthy man, a magistrate and a man of authority". Often these two go together. If he was a Chaldaean, for indeed he lived in the area of the Chaldaeans, his name meant, "loved and desired". Matthew Henry, in his commentary, says that he was a delight to his parents yet later he would curse the day he born". You can see the complexity of this man, he was loved and he was hated. Isa. 33:15 says, "Though he was not of the Commonwealth of Israel, he was, indeed, an Israelite without guile". John in the Book of Revelation says, God always had His "remnant" in all places, "sealed ones" out of every nation as well as the tribes of Israel."

Notice the kind of family relationship Job had:

  1. He was blessed with good kids, 7 sons and 3 daughters.
  2. They all lived close by.
  3. They loved one another and feasted together, rotating house to house.
  4. While Job surly would have been welcomed, he did not attend. He decided that the young people would be freer to enjoy themselves if he was not there.
  5. But, he was concerned for them and he considered their "frame", and when the feast was over, he would call them all to his house "It may be that my sons have sinned in their days of feasting", so being the good father, he prepared ordinances of purification and offered sacrifices for them and ask God to forgive any sins that they might have committed either knowingly or unknowingly. All this tells a great deal about the man Job.

Now lets look a little further into Verse 13. There was a meeting in Heaven. there were 3 groups present, the good, the evil and the heavenly. It was a meeting of the Saints on earth, the Angels in Heaven and Satan. The Saints are called "The Sons of God". By definition, the Sons of God are defined as "professors of religion in the Patriarchal Age", the "called of God" of every age. We see this term used in Gen. 6:2, which records the downfall of the Sons of God who saw the "daughters of men, and took to wife such of them as they choose."

Notice the purpose of this meeting. It was a time of "reporting". For the Saints, a time of accountability, for the Angels, a time of reporting on their earthly endeavors and to receive new instructions. For Satan, it was a time to stir up trouble in Paradise. Having heard the Saints and instructed the Angels, He turns to Satan and asks the question, "What have you been doing, Satan?" "I have been going to and fro on earth in search of an opportunity to do "Have you considered my servant Job?" "Certainly I have, but you have him hedged in and protected, turn your head against him, and he will curse you to your face."

This sets up the story of Job. Job, encased in the protection of God since his conception, is about to experience the crises of life. God was testing Job and it was His prerogative to do this. God uses many trials of life to test us, here he uses Satan. God gave Satan power to take away that "hedge" that had been built around Job. He was allowed to take from Job his family, his possessions, everything he own accept his health, his wife and one servant.

How did Job respond to the test? He tore his cloths, he shaved his head, he bravely remained poised and in control of his emotions. He did, what a mature man would have done, he "rationalized" it. He reasoned that he had nothing when he came into this world and he certainly was not going to take anything with him when he left. He acknowledged God's Sovereignty in the disposition of his possessions. The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away. When all this was done, he fell down and worshipped God.


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