In an interesting unfolding of events, Satan appears among the Angels as they present themselves before the Lord. Declaring that he has come from roaming to and from upon the earth, God goes ahead and draws Satan’s attention to Job. Like a proud father, He declares that there is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.

To this, Satan, unimpressed, replies, “Does Job fear God for nothing? 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. But now stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face.” Satan boldly states that it is obvious why Job fears God. With such benefits, who wouldn’t?

The implication is clear: Job loves God because God loves Job. But if Job were to lose the visible evidence of God’s love upon him, he would turn back and turn away from loving God. The relationship is obviously transactional and not born out of genuine, unconditional love and reverence for the Lord. He therefore challenges God to remove the benefits so that He can see for Himself that Job will not only turn to evil, but will also curse God to His face.

The Lord, not the least bit fazed, responds with confidence in His servant and says, “Very well, then, everything he has is in your power, but on the man himself do not lay a finger.”

I often tremble when I think of this response. Would God be this confident to send Satan my way? How often have I almost lost it because God allowed my house to get auctioned after I prayed for His help, my reputation to get mercilessly tainted as I begged Him for divine vindication, my precious daughter to fade away and finally die as I pleaded for His intervention, or my job to be taken from me unfairly as I cried for His favor and protection? Would I still believe God loves me if He repeatedly allowed me to be touched by the destructive hand of Satan? If there was no visible sign that He loves me, would I still believe He does and love Him steadfastly?

Well, Job did, and it was no small feat. After he received the news that his sons, daughters, oxen, camels, sheep, donkeys, and servants had all died in one day, Job got up, tore his robe, and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship and said:

“Naked I came from my mother’s womb,
and naked I will depart.
The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away;
may the name of the Lord be praised.”

In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing.

You would think that was enough, and Job had doubtless proved the genuine nature of his devotion and faith toward God before Satan, God, and all the onlooking angels, right? Even God seemed to think so, for the next time Satan returned, the Lord said to him, “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. And he still maintains his integrity, though you incited me against him to ruin him without any reason.”

But no, it wasn’t enough. “Skin for skin!” Satan replied. “A man will give all he has for his own life. But now stretch out your hand and strike his flesh and bones, and he will surely curse you to your face.” It was an unfair idiom to use on Job. In his day, it was common for men to barter camel skin for other types of skins, and so Satan was still implying that Job’s faithfulness is a type of trade, a type of transaction where, as long as God spared him and his life, he would obviously continue in his love and devotion to God.

Again, the Lord, with unflinching confidence, said to Satan, “Very well, then, he is in your hands; but you must spare his life.” So, Satan went out from the presence of the Lord and afflicted Job with painful sores from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head. Then Job took a piece of broken pottery and scraped himself with it as he sat among the ashes. Can you imagine if, against all odds, you kept the faith while nursing the loss of all your children in a day, and all your property under confusing and mysterious circumstances, only to suddenly feel ill and find out you now have cancer? Surely, this would be the straw that broke the camel’s back; yet it was heavier than a straw for Job. A few painful sores in my mouth, and I can’t eat for days. I simply cannot imagine a man mourning his children and left with no property, breaking out in painful sores from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head.

His wife said to him, “Are you still maintaining your integrity? Curse God and die!” He replied, “You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?”

In all this, Job did not sin in what he said — a testament to the timeless and boundless power of faith and trust in God.

Against all odds and without any visible sign of God’s love, affirmation, favor, and protection, as most of us know it, Job’s love and fear of God did not fail. Dear reader, oftentimes you will find yourself in situations that seem to challenge your firmest beliefs in the nature of God and in His promises. All visible evidence may declare that God does not care and that His faithfulness has failed, that God just doesn’t love you. But as Job’s story has proven, things are not always as they seem. In those dark hours, where Job might have been tempted to think God hates him and has abandoned him, and therefore to turn back from fearing or loving Him, God was boldly declaring his servant’s outstanding steadfastness before the hosts of Heaven. 

Would you still love God and give Him all your devotion if He took from you everything and gave your nothing in return for your love but Himself? Would that kind of trade still work for you? Let us march forward with the assurance of His promise to never leave us, and may our faith never fail.

Matthew 28:20 — And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.