“I do not understand how Satan could move God to destroy Job without a cause.” - J. D. BENCH, Greenville, Texas.
The above-mentioned Scripture reads, “And the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and upright man, one that feareth God and escheweth evil? and still he holdest fast his integrity, although thou movedst against me to destroy him without cause.”
This does not conflict with the immutability and omniscience of God; neither does it support Fatalism nor Arminianism. It does not teach that Satan so worked upon the Lord in this matter that it caused Him to change His mind and purpose toward Job or influenced Him to turn against him, because the Bible plainly teaches that God is unchangeable-that He is of one mind and none can turn Him-the same yesterday, today and forever; but the idea is, Satan proposed this matter to the Lord, requested it and was anxious to have it done-that is, have Job destroyed and also to take his life, and, in a measure, the Lord allowed him to succeed; but God did not change in any sense. It worked out just like God knew it would work out.
The Lord was not disappointed in it at all. But what is meant by the words “movedst against me to destroy him without cause” is that Satan was urging the matter without cause; he could give no intelligent reason for his arguments. It was not the destruction of Job that was without cause; it was not what God did that was without cause, but it was Satan’s motion and propositions that were without cause. In other words, there was no occasion for what Satan said to the Lord about Job. However, in a limited sense, the Lord granted Satan’s request and turned Job over to him. Not that the Lord ceased to care for him, love him, and own him as His child, for nothing can separate one from the love of God {Ro 8:38-39} nor destroy the life implanted in the soul in the work of regeneration. See Col 3:3- 4; Joh 10:28. Job’s life was still in the hand of God, and Satan could not touch it, not only his spiritual life but his natural life. He was destroyed, in the sense that everything else was taken away from him, but he lived on for years after this and still held on to his integrity; and while he afterwards mourned and even abhorred the day of his birth, because of the weakness of the flesh, yet after all of his afflictions and trials and, finally, when she, who had been his bosom companion and sharer in the joys and sorrows of life, told him to “curse God and die,” yet he trusted in God, saying, “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him.” God did not allow Job to be so severely tried and sorely afflicted just to please Satan, but it was according to His own will and purpose and for the good of Job; yet it refuted all the arguments of Satan and redounded to the glory of God.
("Little Things" is a book of collected questions by others and answers by editor, Elder T.L. Webb Sr.)
