Job, an Upright Man

Dearly beloved, the book of Job gives us insight into the source of evil: “So went Satan forth from the presence of the LORD, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown.” (Job 2:7 AV)

Who smote Job with sore boils all over his body? Satan was behind it, not God.

“Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought? Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land. But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face. And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the LORD.” Job 1:9-12

Satan said that God put a hedge about Job, his house, and all he had. God blessed his work and increased his substance. Then Satan tempted God to exert His power to hurt Job. God’s answer to him is quite revealing. “Behold, all that he hath is in thy power...” The things that follow demonstrate this vividly.

There is not room to print all the scriptures out, so if you will, please read the portions I list from your Bible. Job:1:12-19

Each of these events is tied together with the figure of speech, Polysyndeton, or “many ands”. Each event is linked by, “and”. This should cause us to consider each event in detail. Satan was behind all of these attacks.

First, we read of an attack by the Sabeans attack and that they took his animals and murdered his servants.

While the messenger was yet speaking, another messenger came to tell him that a terrible fire had destroyed his animals and servants.

While he was yet speaking, another messenger comes to tell him how the Chaldeans took his camels away and killed his servants.

While he was yet speaking, another messenger arrives to tell him of more death, this time of his children. It was a catastrophe due to violent wind, which caused the house to collapse on them.

Three times it says, “While he was yet speaking”, to emphasize how swift and vicious Satan’s attacks came. The five senses can register the facts and feel the pain, but they cannot see the source behind the scenes that was the cause of it. God is giving us valuable insight as to the cause of these events.

Read: Job 2:1-2. When Satan answered the LORD by saying, “From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it” he is speaking of his dominion over the earth.

Read: Job 2:3-8. Satan is the great accuser of God’s People. Again, he tries to turn God against Job. God again reiterates that Job was in his hand. Satan is the one who smote Job with boils all over his body. Job was now in utter grief. In verse 11, it describes all the things that came upon Job as, “all this evil”. Who is the source of evil? We learned in Genesis that Satan is the source of evil, not God.

So far, Satan has stolen Job’s animals and in turn ruined his business, took away his prosperity, destroyed his possessions, murdered his children and servants and smote him with boils all over his body. Satan used people and the elements to carry out his purposes. If that was not enough, read verse nine.

On top of his debilitating sickness, his severe losses, and acute grief, now he has to deal with this mental anguish inspired by Satan.

“What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips.” (Job 2:10 AV)

Job did not say that God was the source of the evil he received. He said that God was the source of the good he received. From the context, it is clear that his life was in Satan’s hand, meaning under his authority.

If you go on to read the rest of the book you will see he also had friends who were miserable comforters. They tried to convince him that these things happened to him because he had sinned.

God said that, “...there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil.” In all of this, it says that Job did not sin with his lips. Whom are you going to believe?

Read: Job 42:7 God reproved Job’s friends because He said, “Ye have not spoken of me the thing that is right, as my servant Job hath.”

Look at verse 10. “And the LORD turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before.”

God calls what Job endured, “captivity” and it says that, “And the LORD turned the captivity of Job...”

“So the LORD blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning: for he had fourteen thousand sheep, and six thousand camels, and a thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand she asses.” (Job 42:12 AV)

The Lord God blessed the latter end of Job more than he had before. Job was faithful through all the trials the adversary threw at him. God never did anything to hurt Job; the devil was the source. God took Job from being the adversary's victim to being His victor.