7 And the Lord said to1 Satan, “From where do you come?” So Satan answered the Lord and said, “From agoing to and fro on the earth, and from walking back and forth on it.”
8 Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you1 considered My servant Job, that thereis none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and2 shuns evil?”
9 So Satan answered the Lord and said, “Does Job fear God for nothing?
10aHave You not made a hedge around him, around his household, and around all that he has on every side? bYou have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land.
11aBut now, stretch out Your hand and touch all that he has, and he will surely bcurse You to Your face!”
12 And the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your1 power; only do not lay a hand on his person.” So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.
Job Loses His Property and Children
13 Now there was a day awhen his sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house;
14 and a messenger came to Job and said, “The oxen were plowing and the donkeys feeding beside them,
This clearly illustrates that, despite having far greater natural powers than a man, Satan can do nothing against any of God's children that God does not permit. God is overseeing our preparation for His Kingdom, and the Devil is, in reality, a dupe in God's hands to that end. Verse 10 shows that God puts, as it were, a protective wall around us, commanding Satan, "This far and no farther."
Notice that God Himself takes the initiative in setting this up, choosing the antagonist (Satan) and defining the parameters of what could be done. Can we say in the face of accounts like this that God only permits difficult trials to occur? Can we say He is not actively testing His children to see what is in them? Can we say He is not actively directing Satan to carry out the calamities He designs?
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