This book reintroduces us to Satan. This is the first time
since the garden of Eden
that we come face to face with our adversary! Satan comes among the
sons of God
looking for any opportunity to accuse them. Even when God points out
Job, Satan
accuses God of paying Job to be righteous with material wealth. Satan
told God if He
would take away all of Job's wealth then He would see just how righteous
Job really was.
When this is done and Job still remains righteous, Satan accuses him
of giving all that
he has to maintain his health. Again Job meets the challenge of Satan
and although
he wonders why these things are happening to him, he never forsakes
God.
Could we stand the test of Satan? If all our wealth family
and health were taken away
from us would we worship God and praise His name? Or would we curse
God to His
face? Satan's question to God "Does any man serve God for naught? Should
cause us
to stop and consider our ways. Are we just serving God for what we
can get out of it, or
are we serving GOd because it is the right thing to do? Remember our
adversary, Satan,
is going to and fro in the earth and walking up and down in it. He
is doing this for just
one reason, Peter pointed out that Satan is like a roaring lion looking
for someone to
devour, don't let that someone be you.
The Problem of Love, Kindness and Mercy!,
For years we have looked at the book of Job for the answer
to the question that
atheists and skeptics alike have throw up in the face of God-believing
people, the
question of how do we deal with the problem of pain and suffering.
Many atheists and
skeptics have felt secure with their doubts and outright denial of
a supreme being
because of what they look at as the proof that there is no God. Sometimes
they word
their question, "How can you believe in a loving God when there is
so much suffering
going on in the world?" To the atheist and skeptic, pain and suffering
are bad and can
never be of any value. They will point out some small child that has
suffered or is
suffering and say, "If there is really is a God of love, how can He
allow this to happen
to this innocent child?" For years we have stepped away from such discussions
not
knowing quite what to say or how to answer their questions. We may
have even had
some of the same types of questions ourselves if we were truly honest
about it.
It is time for all of us who believe in God to step up
to the challenge. God has
given us a whole book dealing with this question and how to answer
it, the book of Job!
The question needs to be restated and burden of proof put on the shoulders
of atheists
and skeptics something like this, "If what you say is true and there
is no God, how do
you deal with the problem of love, kindness and mercy?" "If there is
no God, how
come you believe that some things are right and some things are wrong?"
"If there is
no God, how come you have a sense of justice?" With every answer, try
as they may,
without God there can be no logical explanation for love, kindness
and mercy in our
world. Satan is the answer to the problem of pain and suffering, because
it was he who
brought such into this world. Plus, not all pain is bad and suffering
can have its positive
effects on some things. On the other hand, the only logical explanation
that man can
come up with for the problem of love, kindness and mercy is that these
things have been
instilled within our makeup by a higher power, a power which is controlled
by such
things, such things as love, kindness and mercy! These are things that
even the atheist
and skeptic desire! Job informs us that these things come from God!
Look back over
the book of Job and this time instead of looking for answers to the
question of pain and
suffering, look for the answers to the question of love, kindness and
mercy. The
answers are there if only we will look. Will the atheist or skeptic
answer you if you
confront them with the problem they have of love, kindness and mercy?
Remember you
can answer their question logically, but they cannot answer yours and
still deny God.
© Copyright 2001. Paul D. Fisher. All rights reserved.