Mark Tabata’s Weekday Devotionals
Friday August 14 2026
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Job 1:6-12-Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them. 7 And the LORD said to Satan, “From where do you come?” So Satan answered the LORD and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking back and forth on it.” 8 Then the LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil?” 9 So Satan answered the LORD and said, “Does Job fear God for nothing? 10 Have You not made a hedge around him, around his household, and around all that he has on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. 11 But now, stretch out Your hand and touch all that he has, and he will surely curse You to Your face!” 12 And the LORD said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your power; only do not lay a hand on his person.” So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD.
Recently, I have been contemplating one of my favorite Books of the Bible: the remarkable Book of Job.
There is much about this remarkable champion of God and his encounters with the Almighty that have puzzled and, at times, troubled me. It is no secret that Job went through a great deal of adversity that the Lord allowed upon him and his life, at the behest of Satan.
Why would Satan’s accusations against God in the Book of Job make such a difference?
Was it really serious enough for God to allow Job to go through the suffering that he did?
At the root of Satan’s attacks here is the slander that God is not really good.
The satan’s response further suggests a broader point of contention between them. He alleges that Job does not “fear God for nothing” but does so only because God has blessed him and “made a hedge about him” and his belongings and would bitterly curse God if met with calamity (Job 1: 9–11; cf. 2: 5). 77 This not only attacks the sincerity of Job’s loyalty but also amounts to an accusation against God, who previously declared that Job is “blameless” and “upright,” both “fearing God and turning away from evil” (Job 1: 8). The satan thus directly contradicts God’s judgment of Job. Lindsay Wilson notes that this “is a questioning not just of Job’s motives but also of God’s rule. The accuser is saying to God that Job does not deserve all his blessings, and thus God is not ruling the world with justice.” 78 Likewise, Frances Andersen comments, “God’s character and Job’s are both slighted.” 79 Hamilton adds that this response is “patently slanderous.” 80. (John C. Peckham, Theodicy of Love: Cosmic Conflict and the Problem of Evil, 74 (Kindle Edition): Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic)
The devil’s accusations against God’s goodness mirror what he had said in the Garden of Eden.
If the serpent is believed, God is a liar who does not really want what is best for Eve. On the contrary, the serpent asserts, God is withholding something good from Eve (i.e., knowledge) in order to oppress her.6 She should “be like God,” but God is keeping her from becoming so. As Hamilton puts it, this is “a direct frontal attack” against God’s character. There is a “mixture here of misquotation, denial, and slander fed to the woman by the snake.”7…Given this identification, we find the devil slandering God’s character at the outset of Scripture, slyly alleging that God is not an all-benevolent ruler. This attack prompts humans to distrust God’s character, leading to broken relationships with God and one another (Gen. 3:7–12) as humans are cut off from Eden and it is guarded by “cherubim and the flaming sword” (v. 24). (John C. Peckham, Theodicy of Love: Cosmic Conflict and the Problem of Evil, 89-90 (Kindle Edition): Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic)
Some years back, I was studying with a sister that I had baptized into Christ. She had gone through a great deal of adversity in her short life, and we were making our way through Job. She possessed a keen insight into the Scriptures, and one day she pointed out something fascinating to me that I had never considered before.
Sally (not her real name): Brother Mark, could the place of Satan’s accusations against God in the Book of Job have something to do with why Job suffered so much?
Mark: I’m not sure I understand what you mean. (More likely, I said, “HUH?”).
Sally: The Bible says that Satan made his charges against God in front of the other angels. Could that be importnat?
I had never really thought of that before, but our sister made an excellent observation. It is indeed very likely that one of the reasons that God allowed Job’s suffering and ordeals was to demonstrate His goodness-not only to humanity, but also to the angels.
In Job 1 the satan appears before the heavenly council as part of an apparently ongoing dispute with God. Whereas God declares Job is “blameless” and “upright” (v. 8), the satan claims Job is not sincere (vv. 9–11), which amounts to an accusation not only against Job but also against God’s judgment (cf. Rev. 12:10). God responds to the satan’s charges before the heavenly council by agreeing to allow the satan to test his theory, within limits. However, despite numerous horrible afflictions by the satan, Job remains faithful (vv. 20–22; 2:9–10), falsifying the satan’s charges. This scene shows that bad things happen to good people,31 which falsifies the theology of retribution set forth by Job’s friends.32 The satan, not God, is the antagonist who instigates and wreaks havoc on Job (e.g., Job 1:12; 2:7). Readers are often troubled by God allowing the satan to harm Job and his family.33 However, if we understand that the satan is bringing an implicit charge against God’s judgment and protection of Job (Job 1:10) and that the heavenly council is more than merely decorative and has some real juridical function (cf. Dan. 4:17), it follows that God is not making these decisions unilaterally but is responding to the satan’s charges and requests before the heavenly council.34 In doing so, God takes into account the other minds involved, toward the larger purpose of demonstration within the cosmic conflict (cf. 1 Cor. 4:9), for the flourishing of love and thus the best good of everyone in the universe. Frances Andersen believes “the Lord did have a good reason” for this—“namely to disprove the Satan’s slander” of God’s character.35 John Hartley notes that “the main function of this assembly here is to provide an open forum in which Yahweh permits the testing of Job. That is, the plan to test Job was not hatched in a secret meeting between Yahweh and the satan. Rather it was decided openly before the heavenly assembly. In this setting Yahweh’s motivation, based on his complete confidence in Job, was fully known and thus it was above question.”36. (John C. Peckham, Theodicy of Love: Cosmic Conflict and the Problem of Evil, 94-95 (Kindle Edition): Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic)
Could it be that there are cosmic implications to our suffering that we do not fully understand?
Is it possible that angels themselves are watching us and learning through our difficult times about the goodness of God?
The Book of Job certainly suggests that this is the case.
Father, no matter the reasons behind our suffering, we know that You are good and that You do good. Encourage us and guide us in this world that has been so corrupted by sin. We look forward to the good that You will bring, and we thank You! Amen.