continuation of the above
6. But wait, there is more to it.
a. Is this to say that all of this originated entirely with humans? No, there is more to it. God’s producing of intelligent creatures was not limited to humans. Already he had created countless other intelligent sons in the heavens, spirit creatures. In Genesis 3:1-5 who is speaking through the serpent? It is not God. (Titus 1:2; James 1:12-15) It is an invisible spirit creature that is behind the serpent and who brings up the challenges and issues that now have come to involve all of God’s intelligent creatures, both men and angels. (Revelation 12:9) While angels too were free moral agents, they would also have to submit to God’s good and reasonable laws to remain alive, however, one of these spirit creatures meditated on wrong ideas. And when a person meditates on what is wrong, that can build up to a point where he does the wrong thing he is thinking about, so too with this spirit creature. He built up ambition in himself to such a degree that it moved him to challenge God and to attack his younger siblings. He told Adam’s wife, Eve, a lie that they could disobey God and still, he said, “You surely will not die.” (Genesis 3:4) He questioned their need to depend upon the Creator for continued life and happiness. In fact, he told them that disobedience would actually improve matters for them, causing them to be God-like. Thus he called into question the truthfulness of God. And by calling into question God’s laws, he cast doubt on God’s way of ruling, in fact, on God’s right to rule. For this he was called Satan, which means resister, and Devil, which means slanderer.
b. Again for emphasis and clarification, what was the point of what Satan said? For one thing the Devil challenged God’s honesty. Reflect on the implications of this. If God were not truthful in this matter, could he be trusted in anything else? Would his creatures on earth or in heaven always have to be suspicious about what God said? We know today how suspicious persons are of politicians who govern through the use of lies. (Compare Psalm 5:9) Satan’s claim that God is deceitful and withholds things that are good for his creatures also raised the issue, does God deserve to rule? The question of the rightfulness of God’s way of ruling involved all creation. Additionally, Satan was contending that humans could get along without God, that they can and should rule themselves. The question was put before men and angels: Can humans successfully govern their affairs independent of God?
c. Those serious moral issues demanded complete settlement. The way in which God chose to do that clearly shows his wisdom and his interest in our welfare, both now and in the future. God allowed time to pass, during which all intelligent creatures could see the evidence. What evidence has time revealed on the issues raised in Eden? As God forewarned, human disobedience has resulted in death, preceded by sickness and old age. So God was not dishonest in his warning, and there was no basis in this for challenging the rightfulness of his rulership. There is also proof that man cannot set his own standards, ruling himself independently of God. No form of human government has been able to prevent wars, corruption, oppression, crime and injustice. This confirms what the Bible says: “To earthling man his way does not belong. It does not belong to man who is walking even to direct his steps.” (Jeremiah 10:23) And also, “All this I have seen, and there was an applying of my heart to every work that has been done under the sun, [during] the time that man has dominated man to his injury.” (Ecclesiastes 8:9) Further, time has proved that men cannot end suffering, rather, that they often cause it.
d. Because God is so much stronger, he could easily have wiped out those human and spirit rebels in an instant and right at the start. But that would not have settled matters satisfactorily. Why not? Because it was not God’s strength that was challenged, the issues raised were moral ones. And a vital issue among them was this: Would the way of rebellion prove successful? Could rulership that ignored God bring lasting benefits to the entire human family? Would God’s rulership of man be better for mankind or would man’s independent rulership be better? God, in his wisdom, knew that this, and other key issues raised, would take time to settle. So he allowed a definite period of time that would give humans ample opportunity to arrive at the peak of their political, social, industrial and scientific achievements.
e. It would take many generations for the answer to be demonstrated beyond reasonable doubt. Therefore, that time period could not be just a few days or a few years. Court cases can take weeks, months and sometimes years even where just two people are involved. The great issues at stake relative to God’s rule demand a full answer, not an inconclusive settlement. Also, the allowing of all this time to pass is so that all possible implications and permutations of these issues would become entirely and clearly evident to all intelligent creation and thus leave no question unanswered and undecided and for some future determination. In this way the settling of these issues would never need to be repeated at any future time. A loving God could accept nothing less than a full and definitive settlement. And we can be glad that this is so, since only such a settlement can open the way for unending peace and security for all of God’s universal family, in heaven and on earth.
7. God’s provides an early answer.
a. The Bible book of Job helps us with this as it helps us to identify the root cause of suffering and to see why God allowed it. Especially in chapters 1 and 2 is this aspect along with other important implications of the issues made clear to us. Although the book of Job is now found toward the middle of the Bible, chronologically it was among the very earliest books of the Bible that God authored by means of Moses. So we find God revealing the “How’s” of this situation in Genesis and then in very short order the “Why’s” are revealed in Job. It is primarily in the book of Job that we find an answer to our questions.
b. After a brief prologue introducing Job to us (Job 1:1-5), the curtain of invisibility is drawn back so that we get a brief but enlightening view of heavenly things. Where we find that the defiant, rebellious spirit called Satan was not satisfied with only challenging God’s authority, but additionally carried his challenges even further and called into question the integrity of all God’s human children. (Proverbs 27:11; Revelation 12:10) In verse six we find Satan assembled with other spirits in God’s presence. At the mention of Job’s blameless course, Satan challenged: “Is it for nothing that Job has feared God? . . . For a change, thrust out your hand, please, and touch everything he has and see whether he will not curse you to your very face.” (Job 1:9-12) In other words, Satan was first accusing God of bribing Job and, second, was claiming that if Job were stripped of his wealth (and then later his health also), he would curse God. By extension, Satan was asserting that no human would love and be loyal to God in the face of suffering. That challenge had universal and enduring impact. The issues that Satan raised had to be settled. Thus, God gave Satan freedom to act against Job and, by extension, all men. Could Satan turn all men away from God? Only time would tell. History tells us that Satan has been extremely successful with the vast majority; but also that there have always been a very small minority that have been faithful and who account for the passing on of true worship and faith. But that is another subject for discussion at another time.
c. Let’s consider Satan’s methods used against Job (and by extension against all humans): The first thing he used was criminal and warlike violence to bring about severe economic problems. (Job 1:13-15,17) The next things used were what appeared to be “acts of God,” that is supernatural use of natural forces to complete the economic reversal and to accomplish the killing of Job’s children (a wind “striking the four corners of the house,” possibly a tornado strength ‘dust devil’ or whirlwind, would be a very unusual event on the Arabian peninsula and the lighting was so unusual that it was described to Job as “the fire of God”; even today natural disasters are unknowingly referred to by some as “acts of God” even when they are man-made). (Job 1:16,19) All of these actions were caused and controlled by Satan. And what is more they were made to appear to Job, and onlookers, as if they were coming from God. This explains why Job 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." (Job 1:20-22) But who was actually causing these things?
d. No doubt Satan had expected to be as successful with Job as he already had been with the vast majority of humankind. Even though it did not turn out that way it did not stop Satan from expanding his challenge to include the very person of Job, both body and mind. While still in mourning over the loss of his children, Satan afflicted Job with a horrible disease that caused him to be covered with malignant boils and that caused him excruciating pain. Job became so sick and repugnant that his wife blamed God, in fact, she was moved, no doubt under Satan’s influence, to oppose her husband’s faithful course and to say: “Are you yet holding fast your integrity? Curse God and die!” Job did not know why he was suffering and yet he would not accuse God of causing it. We read: “In all this Job did not sin with his lips.” (Job 2:6-10)
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