Does god need to make a bet with satan in order to prove a point to satan. You have this omnipotent, omniscient god who is being challenged by a mere angel, a being he created. William safire oped column says devastating tsunami has prompted millions of religious believers to question why good and allpowerful deity. Rns im totally grateful for the support some friends are giving me. Job 1 niv bible in the land of uz there lived a man. Hi all, i was reading the book of job, and it kinda troubled me, here we have a guy who loves god, he is gods homeboy so to speak, one of gods favourites, an upright man, god fearing and loving, a perfect example of what the god of the bible requires from his followers.
Satan challenges the lord again one day when the sons of god came to stand in front of the lord, satan the accuser came along with them. In the book of job, how was it possible for god and satan to. Satan is in no way on par or coequal or anything of the sort with god. In job, god allowed satan to completely ruin job all the way down an extreme, job still found the ability to praise god. Moreover, god literally made this deal with the devil. Apr 30, 2012 the only bet i can think of off the top of my head is in the book of job. In this bible story from the book of job, there is a wealthy man named job residing in an area called uz with his extended family and vast flocks. Over time, our eyes are opened to find this lovely creature is the personification of hatred, evil, and death. A classic old testament skit, pungent as a piece of absurdist theater or a story by kafka. He gave satan permission to test job any way he likedas long as job stayed alive. Satan hates the worship of god the giving of honour and glory to god and not to him he is consumed with the desire to stop us from worshipping god. So, god shows job this reflection, this mirror, this vision of creation in the midst of the suffering.
In the book of job, satan first establishes his role as the accuser. T he mainstream jewish view of satan emanates from the book of job. It is clearly stated that satan has no power to do anything to job until god agrees that satan can kill job s family. How does the book of job help disciples of jesus christ remain faithful to god as they sufferor walk alongside others who sufferin ways that are extreme and. The book of job god did not give satan power biblebro. Was it unfair for god to allow job to suffer over what was. Ill bet, said satan, that if jobs life turns bad, then job will turn against you, god. William henry green, in his great book, the argument of the book of job unfolded, says of satan.
Please practice handwashing and social distancing, and check out our resources for adapting to these times. You must understand who god is and who satan is, what they know, and what their motivation is. No red skin, no horns, no pointy teeth and tail, and no devilish grin. Now, there was a righteous hebrew in the land of uz named job. It reveals that satan as a rival god appeared before the true god jehovah in heaven, challenging jehovah in the assembly of all the angels before god. This being the case, satan is a pawn andor, god is basically dealing with satan as he deals with job as he deals with hitler. The reason i tend to think of satan as a former worship leader is the powerful connection between music and pride. Aug 02, 2010 t he mainstream jewish view of satan emanates from the book of job. The lord answers job out of the whirlwind, by william blake. The most obvious place to turn on such questions is the book of job, which gives me more questions than answers.
Now there was a day when the sons of god came to present themselves before the lord, and satan came also among them. As a result, satan kills his family, his animals, his crops, and gives him boils all over his body. What happened to all that stuff about how righteous are thy judgements. The lord asked satan, have you thought about my servant job. In the episode named after the book of job, god accepted a bet with satan concerning his servant, job, without any second thoughts. Feb 14, 2016 the book of job is one of the longest books in the bible, at 42 chapters. Nov 10, 2009 the story of job basically amounts to a bet made by satan that gods most faithful and favored follower would turn against him if his favor was taken away. In the book of job, it is stated many times that satan questioned in his presence the righteousness of gods servant job and challenged him to put job to the test. Does god need to make a bet with satan in order to prove a. What are, to our best knowledge, the origins of the book.
Satan, the thief, has come to kill, steal, and destroy john 10. Five truths for sufferers from the book of job the gospel coalition. But although the job of the story was from the land of uz, and its main character was a kind of jordanian abraham, we cannot help but think of him as the hebrew everyman, grappling with the question of gods fairness. The meaning of the book of job is found in gods and satans conversation in heaven. The story of job gods bet with the devil religious forums.
Satan was also not the devil, to the jews, he was simply an angel of god, not the personification of evil that the christians portrayed to satan to be. In it, satan is a member of gods divine court who walks the earth looking for sin and reports back to god. Sep 16, 2010 the story of job gods bet with the devil. The book of job, in the old testament, opens with words both majestic and onceuponatimeish.
God takes the bet and allows satan to basically destroy the life job had made for himself, including killing his family. Satan makes the wager that if job were to suffer, he would not be so loyal, pious and faithful. Job is the last of the three books that explore these themes. The nkjv says, the workmanship of your timbrels and pipes was prepared for you on the day you were created, although the exact meaning of this difficult hebrew text is uncertain.
In the book of job, as best as i can see, god ruined job s life over a bet job 1. The story of job basically amounts to a bet made by satan that gods most faithful and favored follower would turn against him if his favor was taken away. Was it unfair for god to allow job to suffer over what was basically an argument between god and satan. Perhaps, in hope, of reminding job that god existed before things went south. Accepting the unacceptable christian peacemaker teams. A history, the beginning and end of the book were written in prose, but the remainder of the book was written as poetry. In the beginning of the book of job, a bet is wagered and job was treated like a pawn.
The book of job is one of the longest books in the bible, at 42 chapters. Perhaps, in hope, of finding some balance between the two. Where does the communication between god and satan take place. Take that away, says satan, and job will turn quickly and curse god. Satan bets that job is only fastidious in his worship because god has graced him with abundance. Cook, 2010, the story of job is entitled gods wager. There was a man in the land of uz, whose name was job. Job 2 gods word translation gw satan challenges the lord again. Nov 02, 2017 there were at least two authors of the book of job. The bet the bibles book of job is one of the most difficult for religious apologists to explain. God and satan make a bet that job will turn his back on god if satan is allowed to test job. Apr 22, 2015 satan as worship leader does it matter. In the book of job, how was it possible for god and satan.
Satan cannot make a move without the permission of god almighty. The entire saga of job and his family and friends was planned beforehand by god, and he just used satan as an active participant and the chief antagonist. How could satan access heaven in the books of job and the. Whether or not satan was in charge of music before he fell from glory is probably of little consequence. There were at least two authors of the book of job. All of this is to say that the satan in the book of job cannot be entirely identified with the devil or satan in the new testament. In a childrens bible story book called the action bible david c. When jeffery forced him to give back everything that job had lost during his turmoil, god still refused to resurrect job s deceased children. In essence, god and the devil have a discussion about job, a most pious man. I was at first startled, then disturbed, by that twoword title.
Job would, if he knew the plot hatched in heaven against him, consider satan the worst sort of enemy. Job 2 gw satan challenges the lord again bible gateway. When jeffery forced him to give back everything that job had lost during his turmoil, god still refused to resurrect jobs deceased children. What are, to our best knowledge, the origins of the book of job. Of course, job remains faithful and god rewards him with a new family and prosperous life in the end. Some theologians claim god gives no answers within this book. What was the bet about between god and satan answers. It is clearly stated that satan has no power to do anything to job until god agrees that satan can kill jobs family. Job is going to be immiserated, sealed into sorrowfor a.
For the rest of the lesson, the role of satan in the book of job is covered. God dont like ugly is a basic tenet of every religion. Why are we so preoccupied with the book of job in a book about satan. And god reins him in or gives him slack according to gods own sovereign purposes.
Oct 24, 2008 satan blatantly charges that not only does job worship god for what he can get out of it, but god, in fact, bribes job for this worship. A surface reading of the book of job usually evokes a reaction such as why is god making a bet with the devil. Some bible commentators have professed great difficulty in understanding and explaining how satan could have access to heaven in job chapters 1 and 2, as well as in revelation chapter 12. In job, an exceptionally ancient book, satan is part of the heavenly court. There is no indication at all that job s children and servants were good followers of god. I really dont think africanamericans really understand how the bible, and those that worship it, and preach from it. In the book of job, as best as i can see, god ruined jobs life over a bet job 1.
Satan answered the lord, from wandering all over the earth. He actually returns to heaven in the book of job, where he works social experiment shenanigans in tandem with god himself like a couple of powerdrunk buddy cops. An amazing test of faith or gods bet with the devil. Analysis this is a key passage for setting the stage for all that follows. Job 1 niv bible in the land of uz there lived a man whose. The only bet i can think of off the top of my head is in the book of job. Job rebuked by his friends, an 1805 illustration of the book of job by william blake. After satan kills jobs family in accordance with the power god granted, satan asks god permission to torture job.
This is one of the only public domain sources of information on the religious beliefs of the yezidi. After satan kills job s family in accordance with the power god granted, satan asks god permission to torture job. Jobs story invites us to consider what it means that god runs the world by wisdom, and how this truth can bring peace in dark times. The book of job is a book in the ketuvim writings section of the hebrew bible tanakh, and the first poetic book in the old testament of the christian bible. In the land of uz there lived a man whose name was job. Whoever they were, they had an appointment to present themselves before god. Does this imply that satan can withstand in the presence of god and can freely talk to him at any time. The bible pulls back the veil to glimpse heavenly affairs. God has more faith in job but allows satan to afflict him in order to see how his righteous servant will respond to a sudden change of fortune.
In this weeks sermon, the historical dating and literary criticism is commented on in the beginning. And if satan is evil, as you think he is, then so is god. He is blameless and upright, constantly mindful to live in a righteous manner. Satan said that job loved god only because god was so good to job. He bets god that the only reason job is faithful to god is that job is successful in life. Im not the only person who loved the wifely tribute in proverbs 31. Im an atheist, so i dont believe in god or the devil, but i think its worth pointing out something with this story. Who really won the bet between god and the devil on jobs. The book of job in the hebrew bible was crafted to address human suffering and why bad things happen to good people. God and satan basically make a bet that job will remain faithful to god regardless of what happens to him.
Feb 09, 2010 does god need to make a bet with satan in order to prove a point to satan. In the book of job, it is quite clear that satan was doing gods bidding, hence a servant of god, not gods opponent. Addressing the problem of theodicy the vindication of the justice of god in the light of humanitys suffering it is a rich theological work setting out a variety of perspectives. Satan first slandered god in the garden of eden, slyly suggesting to eve that god was withholding something. Job 2 gw satan challenges the lord again one bible gateway. Oct 22, 2016 jobs story invites us to consider what it means that god runs the world by wisdom, and how this truth can bring peace in dark times. Job, jehovah accepts a wager with satan as to the fidelity of his worshipper job under trial and torture. The book of job begins with a prologue job 12, which describes a wager between satan and god, in which satan the adversary bets god that joba particularly pious manwill abandon his piety and curse god if all his wealth and wellbeing are taken away. Remember, god doesnt inflict anything nasty on job with his own divine power. A casual reading of the verse seems to indicate that they are spiritual in nature, for satan himself is listed among them. Satan blatantly charges that not only does job worship god for what he can get out of it, but god, in fact, bribes job for this worship. Did satan successfully tempt god in the book of job. Some people consider this to be the bet between satan and god.
In hebrew, satan actually means the accuser or the prosecutor, and he is referred to as the satan, not just satan. In it, god brags to satan about the devotion of job, an upright and virtuous man. The sacred books and traditions of the yezidiz forgotten books isya joseph on. There is no indication at all that jobs children and servants were good followers of god. Satan also wants to hurt job, but at that point god says no. God brags to satan about jobs virtue, but satan contends that job is only righteous because god has favored him generously. I just reread the book for the first time in years. Having satan do the dirty work is a very greekmythology thing to doyou know, let a demigod do the dirty work, then assert your dominance anyway. Its a safe bet satan was still a looker when god gave him the goahead to make jobs life a living hell. In the end, satan loses the bet that job will deny gods goodness and fidelity. Many readers wrote to tell me its one of their favorite bible passages, and.
1282 93 1112 226 870 1311 676 1068 17 835 1360 967 915 821 1306 1069 1183 1216 1279 344 473 413 63 224 650 533 1109 517 471 1347 593 1313 701 1040