Divine Limitation

But stretch out your hand and strike his flesh and bones, and he will surely curse you to your face. The LORD said to Satan, Very well, then, he is in your hands; but you must spare his life.

Job 2:5-6

Once again there is a divine limitation to Satan's power, but this time God moves the boundaries closer. He says, You can touch him. In fact, when Satan uses the phrase, strike his flesh and bones, he asks for access to the total humanity of Job. We still use that phrase today to speak of the totality of our humanity—not only our physical body but also our emotional life, our conscious and subconscious thinking and reacting, and our soul and spirit. Satan is asking for access to Job to touch him in body, soul, and spirit—and he proceeds in that order. He thinks that if he can get at Job in every part of his being, he can shake Job's faith and cause him to turn from his trust and confidence in God and curse Him to His face.

Once when I finished preaching a message on the first chapter of Job, two young men came up and challenged me. They would not accept the story of Job as an historical event, and they could not believe there ever was a man named Job who endured so many trials. I asked them why not. Their reply was, If that story is true, then God is unconcerned about human life. It pictures God as ruthless. Job's whole family was taken from him. We can't accept this as historical record. In talking with them, I realized that they were struggling with the same feelings that many people struggle with today. They see God as nothing more than a being who thinks and acts and has no more rights than a man. They thought that if a man dealt with another person as God dealt with Job, he would be justifiably charged with murder and cruelty. It did not occur to them that God could not be charged with these things, because in His hand is all of life. He determines the length of life for everyone.

That is why we have the book of Job, to show us that there are reasons for and purposes in these trials and sufferings that we do not see. Job could not see what was going on behind the scenes, and neither can we. And yet God knows. He has a purpose, and it is a proper and right purpose that will end up manifesting more fully the love and compassion of His heart. The test of every trial is always to this end.

Father, I see something of the pain and tears with which life can confront me, yet I will still be in Your will and Your hand, guarded and guided by Your love.