21: Challenging God

Yes, the story of Job begins. This first scene is epic. Someone needs to write a play about this if there isn't already one.

⁶ One day the angels came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came with them. ⁷ The LORD said to Satan, "Where have you come from?"
Satan answered the LORD, "From roaming through the earth and going back and forth in it."

⁸ Then the LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil."

⁹ "Does Job fear God for nothing?" Satan replied. ¹⁰ "Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land. ¹¹ But stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face."

¹² The LORD said to Satan, "Very well, then, everything he has is in your hands, but on the man himself do not lay a finger."
Then Satan went out from the presence of the LORD.

The plot is set. Satan believes that Job only fears God because He has blessed him. Fair argument. I've stated the exact same thing about others. "If he/she didn't have (fill in the blank), they would surely not be a Christian. I know that because I wouldn't." Of course, this is why the story of Job is NOT about Job, but about Satan. God, through Job, is showing Satan His power and the love that His children have for Him. So if I sometimes act like Satan, in this story at least, then I know I have a lot to learn. I don't think that's a bad thing to relate to Satan. We do it all the time. That's what makes Paradise Lost such a great story. Anyway, I digress.

I hate to admit it, but I would love to be in Satan's situation...in this story. He gets to upfront challenge God. I'm somewhat cynical. I know. I'm trying to shed the bitterness. But until then, I would be panting like a dog to get a chance like this. Satan, the master of darkness, gets to mess around with God's best soldier. Are you kidding me? It's like getting free shots at dodgeball or sham-battle. Satan must have been pretty happy that, for a moment in history, he could be God for a day. He got to control everything about Job, except his mortality.

If I had this chance, where would I begin? I would immediately take away his wife and children and wipe out any extended family. That would be pretty much it. I think I'd have Job cursing God in no time, or anyone else. To me, if you take away a man's wife and kids, he's pretty much done. We see how valuable wives were to those great men of God. Even today, behind every great man is an even greater woman. Adam had everything he could want, but he still needed Eve. So, if I get the wife, I get the man. Marriage is tricky in that sense. Satan only need to get one of you and he has both of you. It's a 2-for-1 special with couples. Enough of the wishing-I-were-Satan thinking. It's bad. I know. But you can't help but wonder what you would have done.

I suppose that praising God through tough times is one of the biggest things I don't yet understand. How do you praise God in the storms? There are tons of songs about it. "I Still Believe" by Jeremy Camp and "Praise You in This Storm" by Casting Crowns are a couple of examples. When God is good, He is really good. But when God is "bad" things just suck. I commend people who manage to praise God in those storms or valleys. That is the type of relationship I am currently seeking with God. The type of relationship that has no reward/punishment system. That true relationship with God eludes me and it is frustrating as hell. It seems like everyone else understands the math problem except me.

Another interesting thing about this story is that Satan comes to God's house. Now, I thought that God, being light and all, could not be in the presence of darkness, i.e., Satan. Yet, how do they manage to talk to each other? It is also important to note that Satan is not omnipresent; he must travel the world, meaning he can't be everywhere at once. That's reassuring, but he's got an army of demons to do his work.

We next get to Job. Poor guy. He was just minding his own business and living the sweet life. I can't wait to see what happens.