Why?: A Study Through Jobಮಾದರಿ

By Danny Saavedra

“Then the Lord asked Satan, ‘Have you noticed my servant Job? He is the finest man in all the earth. He is blameless—a man of complete integrity. He fears God and stays away from evil.’"—Job 1:8 (NLT)

In Job 1, God calls all the angels, Satan included, to give an account for what they were doing. Now you may be wondering why Satan was in God’s presence along with all the angels. As an angel, Satan was also obligated to give an account for his actions in the world. And his account? He was roaming the earth.

Bible commentator John Gill says Satan’s answer implies he was “swaggering and boasting, as if he was indeed the God of the whole world, the Prince and King of it, and had and exercised a sovereign dominion over it, and as such had been making a tour through it, and taking a survey of it.”

So in today’s verse, we see God, in His sovereignty and wisdom, asking Satan, during all his roaming and supposed ruling, if he had taken notice of the integrity and blamelessness of His servant Job. 

You see, Job was unique among mankind. Unlike others who had given in to the trappings of the devil, Job had turned from evil. He avoided sin and did what was right in the eyes of God and man. Job was, as we discovered in verse 1, a man of integrity in all the areas of his life.

Why did God ask Satan this? Why did God initiate this test of Job and allow Satan to bring about the suffering that followed? Was it all just to prove a point?  

In His great sovereignty and wisdom, the Lord knows things we don’t know. He is omniscient, so He knows how everything will unfold and has understanding that we can’t comprehend. Furthermore, He can accomplish untold things through each circumstance of a person’s life. 

I believe the life of Job is one example where God accomplished more than we could ever quantify. As we go through the story, we’ll discover that Job remained righteous and faithful. Satan tried to get Job to turn against the Lord, but it didn’t work because Job loved God with a true love. 

Job’s character was strengthened by this season, and his friends learned from it. Everyone who has read this story has learned that even though God allows trials and tribulations to come into our lives, He is always on our side, always has a plan for us, and is always working for the good of those who love Him. 

DIG: Why did the Lord ask Satan if he had taken notice of Job?

DISCOVER: Have you experienced a season of testing and trials like Job? How did you react? Did you sense God’s sovereignty over the situation?

DO: Spend time considering the ways of the Lord as He works in your life and the world.