Lesson 5–2: The Arena—The Souls of Men

p. 237Job 1:1–3 Job 1:6–12

We are in a war. The arena, in which this war is being waged, is in the souls of men. The enemy wants to torture us and has a strategy for putting us on the rack. But we are protected by God, who sets a wall of fire around every believer (Zech. 2:5). Without divine permission, Satan cannot penetrate that wall, and we have God’s word that any time He allows the enemy in, we can overcome. But we can only overcome through faith.

The book of Job is a treatise on Romans 8:28—the fact that God is in control of all circumstances, that Jesus Christ controls history, and that God causes everything to work together for good in the lives of those who love Him and are submissive to His purpose. This oldest book of the Bible tells the story of an Arab prince living near the time of Abraham. He was not a Jew, but he was a believer who, for a time, became the target of Satan himself and the central figure in the spiritual war.

“There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job, and that man was blameless, upright, fearing God, and turning away from evil. Seven sons and three daughters were born to him. His possessions also were 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, 500 female donkeys, and very many servants; and that man was the greatest of all the men of the east.” (Job 1:1–3)

The word “blameless” is from the Hebrew tam, which simply means “mature” or “complete.” Job was complete in his spiritual growth; he was a mature believer. “Upright” is yashar, which p. 238means “to walk straight.” The word is related to ashere, which means “blessing” or “blessed.” There is a principle in these two words: The one who walks straight (yashar) will end up blessed (ashere). Job was a man who had walked straight and had been greatly blessed, and his maturity was reflected in his personal integrity and character.

Job’s “fear” of God was yare—reverence, respect, and honor for the Lord. The fact that Job turned away from evil indicates that he knew consistent victory in his spiritual life.

“Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them. The LORD said to Satan, ‘From where do you come?’ Then Satan answered the LORD and said, ‘From roaming about on the earth and walking around on it.’ The LORD said to Satan, ‘Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, fearing God and turning away from evil.’” (Job 1:6–8) The phrase bene ha elohim, “sons of God,” is used four times in the Old Testament, and each time it refers to angels (Genesis 6; Job 1:6; 2:1; 38:7). Though he has fallen, Satan still has access to Heaven. He apparently spends a good deal of time before the throne of God accusing believers, and he will continue to have this access until the middle of the Tribulation (Rev. 12:10).

Since Satan is the accuser of the brethren and since he “prowls [about] ... seeking someone to devour” (1 Pet. 5:8), he needs information. And he gets it through the greatest intelligence system in the universe.

God, of course, does not need an intelligence system because He is omniscient. He knows the end from the beginning. He knew billions of years ago where every particle of sand on this Earth would be resting at this moment. He knew every thought that would ever cross our minds throughout the duration of our lives. Nothing escapes God. But outside of the omniscience of God, Satan has the greatest intelligence system. He constantly gathers information, and he gathers it for no good purpose—for malice, for evil, for destruction. So, Satan struts into Heaven and God, who obviously knows exactly where everyone is all the time, asks the adversary something like this: “Where have you been, big shot?” And Satan says he has been walking around, walking back and p. 239forth on the Earth looking for someone to zero in on, for the believer who is giving him the most trouble.

Satan himself never bothers with any but the most advanced believers. He is not omnipresent; he can only be in one place at a time. He does, however, control his entire organization from his headquarters. Satan sends peon demons down to trouble people, but he does not have time to deal with most of us personally.

Now the Lord asks Satan whether he has noticed Job, and of course God knows that he has. He can see that Satan has a bone stuck in his throat and that bone is named “Job.” When God says that there is no one like Job on Earth, He is pointing out the fact that this man is the most advanced believer alive. God knows that Satan is angry because Job is messing up his plans. In the Hebrew language, God’s question is this: “Have you set your heart on My servant Job?”

“Then Satan answered the LORD, ‘Does Job fear God for nothing? Have You not made a hedge about him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. But put forth Your hand now and touch all that he has; he will surely curse You to Your face.’” (Job 1:9–11)

Satan answers God’s question with a charge against His servant. He still does this; he still insinuates that believers only believe because of what they can get out of God. “Your people’s faith is mercenary,” he loves to tell God. “They don’t love you; they only believe because you are the big sugar daddy in the sky.”

At this point, the devil lets out one of the most amazing theological secrets in the Bible: Satan himself is powerless in the face of divine protection of the believer. When he says, “Have You not made a hedge about him?” Satan is admitting that he cannot touch Job without permission from God. Specifically, he is complaining that God has put three hedges around His servant. The first is around his person, the second around his family, and the third around his possessions.

Satan reveals something else here too. He who began his evil career by accusing God of being unjust continues throughout history to make that accusation. Only now, he seeks to get believers to do his dirty work for him. He wants God’s own family to do the accusing.

“p. 240He will surely curse You to Your face.” Satan makes it clear what he wants to happen, what he wants to hear. What he desires— what would thrill him more than anything else—is to hear us say “God isn’t fair” or “How could God let this happen to me?” That is all he wants—a little blasphemy. It reinforces his theory that God’s people only serve Him for the gifts, never because they love the Giver. Imagine how he swaggers into Heaven when he succeeds in getting us to complain and to rail against God.

Then the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your power, only do not put forth your hand on him.” So Satan departed from the presence of the Lord. (Job 1:12)

God still calls the shots. He gives Satan permission to sift Job, but He sets the limits. He says to the devil, “Job’s family and his possessions are in your hand. But, do not touch this man. Yet.”

In a New Testament counterpart to this verse, Paul tells us that God is faithful and will not let us be tested beyond our ability to endure (1 Cor. 10:13). We are safe in His hands. We need to know that, because if we want to have an effect in our world for Jesus Christ, then we will become targets in this ancient spiritual struggle (2 Tim. 3:12).

The advancing believer who dedicates his life to the study and the application of the Word of God is a threat to the enemy. Not p. 241because Satan is afraid of any of us; there is nothing that we could ever say or do that would cause him any concern at all. But he is afraid of the most powerful thing in the universe—the Word of God wielded in the power of the Holy Spirit.