Job Notes
Notes
As opposed to a personal name, Satan as a title means “adversary,” in either a personal or judicial sense. This demon is the ultimate spiritual adversary of all time and has been accusing the righteous throughout the ages (see Rev 12:10). In a courtroom setting, the adversary usually stood to the right of the accused. This location is reported when Satan in heaven accused Joshua the High-Priest (Zec 3:1). That he is still unsuccessful is the thesis of Ro 8:31–39.
Lest there be any question about God’s role in this ordeal, it was He who initiated the dialogue. The adversary was not presiding.
If anything, Satan raised the penetrating question that might well be asked by anyone, perhaps even Job himself: Does Job serve God with pure motives, or is he in it only as long as the blessings flow?
In Satan’s case, as prince of this world (Jn 12:31; 14:30; 16:11) and ruler of demons (Mt 9:34; 12:24), the earth is his domain where he prowls like a “roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1Pe 5:8). God gave him Job to test.
1:9–11 Satan asserted that true believers are only faithful as long as they prosper. Take away their prosperity, he claims, and they will reject God. He wanted to prove that salvation is not permanent, that saving faith can be broken and those who were God’s could become his.
The OT has many promises from God in which He pledges to sustain the faith of His children. Cf. Pss 37:23, 28; 97:10; 121:4–7. For NT texts, cf. Lk 22:31, 32; Jude 24.
