The Arch-Enemy of Good
The evil of Satan is very real but so is the hope of Jesus Christ
"Satan (Detail) - 'Virgin Mary with Child, Angels, Saint Anthony from Padua and Saint Michael Archangel killing Satan' (about 1528) by Severo Ierace (notices 1530-1540) - 'The hidden art treasures: 150 Italian masterpieces' - Exhibition up to May 28, 2017" by Carlo Raso is marked with Public Domain Mark 1.0.
Today is going to be one of those days where I disagree on a fundamental level with one part of the sermon delivered on Sunday. Shocker, I know, but I cannot help myself. This is not a refutation of that message. This is me disagreeing with one or more statements made. There are a couple of points to understand about that disagreement, though.
First, we cannot definitively prove one opinion right or wrong. Second, my disagreement in no way lessens the message delivered, and it was a powerful message, complete with visual elements that had an impact. Third, I am not formally educated in theology. I’m just a layperson with internet access and time on my hands verse an ordained senior pastor at a church in the United Methodist denomination. Let the listener decide what they will decide.
Sunday’s sermon was titled Seeing Through the Darkness in the Tableau of Faith series. Pastor Kristen Lee gave the message. As things opened up, Pastor Joe Palmer read verse five of the following scripture.
1What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life—
2and the life was manifested, and we have seen and testify and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us—
3what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ.
4These things we write, so that our joy may be made complete.
5This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.
1 John 1:1–5 (NASB95)
I posted all of it here because I wanted it in context as well as the first four verses. That’s not to say Pastor Palmer took that verse out of context or misconstrued the meaning. Not at all. Pastor Palmer’s point was that God is good, and there is no darkness in Him. My addition of the other is just adding John’s opening to first John to point out that they were eye-witnesses of the things they wrote about. This is not a case of telephone or hearsay. However, people will decide what they wish about the historical validity of scripture. It was this verse five scripture that led into our fellowship moment.
When the message began, Pastor Lee pointed out several items on the altar from previous sermons. Among them was a medium-sized terracotta pot. This pot, she said, was the image to be added to our tableau of faith for this sermon. That didn’t make sense to me at that point. It became a dramatically obvious point later. Her point was that this pot represented “seasons of darkness and loss.”
Pastor Lee then confessed this was her first time preaching on Job. She stated, “We tend to shy away from the hard parts,” meaning the book of Job and its message of loss. I will also confess there are points in this book that confuse me as well, which I covered in my Lenten commentary on Job last year. You can search through the Substack and find those if you’re interested, but the first one can be found HERE. Additionally, and this is where I take issue, Pastor Lee stated she believed Job to be a parable or allegory, not a historical recount of an actual person. I disagree with that assessment and will offer why.
First of all, Job is mentioned three times in scripture. Twice in Ezekiel 14 and once in James 5. Here’s the Ezekiel passage.
13“Son of man, if a country sins against Me by committing unfaithfulness, and I stretch out My hand against it, destroy its supply of bread, send famine against it and cut off from it both man and beast,
14even though these three men, Noah, Daniel and Job were in its midst, by their own righteousness they could only deliver themselves,” declares the Lord God.
Ezekiel 14:13–14 (NASB95)
And verse 20.
19“Or if I should send a plague against that country and pour out My wrath in blood on it to cut off man and beast from it,
20even though Noah, Daniel and Job were in its midst, as I live,” declares the Lord God, “they could not deliver either their son or their daughter. They would deliver only themselves by their righteousness.”
Ezekiel 14:19–20 (NASB95)
If we believe Noah and Daniel were real, and nearly all scholars do, there is no reason why Ezekiel would add an imaginary figure. Ezekiel was himself a prophet and a priest. He knew scripture very well. If Job were considered a parable by him he would likely not have included an imaginary figure and two very powerful, real, historical Jewish figures to make his point. He would have left Job out or clarified why he included the imaginary with the real. Now, let’s look at James.
10As an example, brethren, of suffering and patience, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.
11We count those blessed who endured. You have heard of the endurance of Job and have seen the outcome of the Lord’s dealings, that the Lord is full of compassion and is merciful.
James 5:10–11 (NASB95)
Again, James is well-versed in scripture and history. If Job were considered a make-believe person, he would not have called him a prophet. The title of prophet was only given to those real men and women who spoke for God. A parable is never called a prophet. A parable is always called wisdom. That parable might be personified as a person, but it is not called a prophet.
Finally, let’s look at God talking in the Book of Job itself.
15“Behold now, Behemoth, which I made as well as you; He eats grass like an ox.
Job 40:15 (NASB95)
God just said that He made both Behemoth and Job. Behemoth is likely the hippopotamus, but it could also be any really large animal. The point is they both are called real by God.
In my opinion, the Book of Job is an historical account of a real person and the events that occurred to that real person. Also, in my opinion, calling it a parable is done by some people because they are unwilling to allow for the extraordinary, supernatural events in the book. I have a problem with that.
If we claim to be Christians, and on Easter, we say and respond, “He is risen! He is risen indeed!” meaning Jesus Christ died and then rose from the dead, why is any other supernatural event in scripture a bridge too far? If we’re willing to say openly we worship as God a man who died and was brought back to life, anything else is simple and easy by comparison. No other “supernatural event” in scripture should give us pause, nor should Job's events.
This is also prevalent in the idea that Satan isn’t a real person or force, either. Pastor Lee moved into that statement as well based on the scripture. Oh, yes, I didn’t give you the scripture for the sermon. Here it is now.
1There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job; and that man was blameless, upright, fearing God and turning away from evil.
Job 1:1 (NASB95)
1Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them to present himself before the Lord.
2The Lord said to Satan, “Where have you come from?” Then Satan answered the Lord and said, “From roaming about on the earth and walking around on it.”
3The Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man fearing God and turning away from evil. And he still holds fast his integrity, although you incited Me against him to ruin him without cause.”
4Satan answered the Lord and said, “Skin for skin! Yes, all that a man has he will give for his life.
5“However, put forth Your hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh; he will curse You to Your face.”
6So the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, he is in your power, only spare his life.”
7Then Satan went out from the presence of the Lord and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head.
8And he took a potsherd to scrape himself while he was sitting among the ashes.
9Then his wife said to him, “Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die!”
10But he said to her, “You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we indeed accept good from God and not accept adversity?” In all this Job did not sin with his lips.
Job 2:1–10 (NASB95)
Those two passages were the scripture for the message: an introduction to Job and then the beginning situation.
Let’s talk about Satan for a moment. Look at verse one, where Satan is named in chapter two. Here is the Strong’s entry for the Hebrew word used there.
Hebrew Strong’s Number: 7854
Hebrew Word: שָׂטָן
Transliteration: śāṭān
Phonetic Pronunciation: saw-tawn’
Root: from <H7853>, Greek <G4566>
Cross Reference: TWOT - 2252a
Part of Speech: n m
Vine’s Words: Satan
Usage Notes:
English Words used in KJV:
Satan 19
adversary 7
withstand 1
[Total Count: 27]
from <H7853> (satan); an opponent; especially (with the article prefixed) Satan, the arch-enemy of good:- adversary, Satan, withstand.
James Strong, “שָׂטָן,” Strong’s Talking Greek and Hebrew Dictionary (WORDsearch, 2020).
The first part of that entry does say this could be an impersonal “opponent,” except not with the article prefixed. When it has the article prefixed, it is Satan, the “arch-enemy of good.” The Devil is real. He exists and is uninterested in you, me, or anyone else learning about or following God.
That’s important in the story of Job because Job’s story is one of inspiration. It is a story of a man going through the worst stuff in life, some of which I struggle to accept God allowing to happen to His children and still standing fast on his faith in God. When I think about Job being a real person, a human being just like me, going through the things listed in the book with his name on it, that is inspirational to me. Reducing that account of personal tragedy and triumph to a parable removes the inspirational and hopeful nature of the scripture. I’m not willing to do that. It doesn’t seem to fit the facts either, but that’s my opinion.
The three friends appear at the end of chapter two. They really show up to help make the imagery and comparison of a faith-based theology (Job) verse a works-based theology (the friends) come into focus. Job doesn’t understand why it’s happening. Job knows he’s done nothing wrong, as his friends claim, and Job knows everything happening to him is unjustified based on his life, but he remains obedient and faithful to God. Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar are all about what Job has done or has not done to anger God. This becomes faith juxtaposed with works throughout the book of Job, but the one central question everyone keeps returning to is this: why?
Job’s wife and God focus on Job’s integrity while the three friends begin picking apart Job’s life and his actions. Pastor Lee did not have an answer to the question why? I respect her for being willing, as a senior pastor of a church, to step before that church and tell them she doesn’t have all the answers. That takes courage. We, as congregants, expect perhaps too much from our clergy sometimes. We forget they are human too. In this instance, Pastor Lee stepped up and put her humanity on full display. I commend her for that.
I would submit that the reason the why? escapes her is precisely because she is willing to consider both Job and Satan allegorical rather than historical. If we say that “Satan” is just a personification for unexplained bad things, then life's uncertainty and whimsical nature confound us. Human beings want someone to blame. We want reasons for things. Life is ordered. Science and the natural process have structure, so we balk at that when things don’t have solid reasons.
However, if we accept that God is real, that Job was real, and that Satan is a real adversary out there opposing everything that is of God as the arch-enemy of good, now we have a very simple explanation for why? that doesn’t take much work to accept. Why do bad things happen to good people? Because evil exists. Because Satan is real and he opposes God. If Satan is real and opposes God, he opposes the children of God too. That then provides us with a concrete, scripturally based reason for why bad things happen to good people because evil exists and opposes good people.
At this point, Pastor Lee moved to the altar, wrapped the terracotta pot in a towel, and smashed it with a hammer three or four times. She talked about all the bad things that happened to Job, whose life was “shattered” and “broken apart.” She picked up a piece of the pot and began scraping at her arm, as scripture tells us Job did with the boils that Satan gave him. It was a powerful image of the broken nature of life we sometimes experience but cannot connect to reasons.
She began her summary and closing by discussing having faith and the reasons for it. We should always be able to tell anyone who asks us the reason for the hope that is in our hearts. We, all of us, should be able to articulate that in three minutes or less. It should be practiced and rehearsed. A time will come when it will be needed.
14But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed. And do not fear their intimidation, and do not be troubled,
15but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence;
16and keep a good conscience so that in the thing in which you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ will be put to shame.
1 Peter 3:14–16 (NASB95)
Isaiah 8:12-13
The closing question was, for her, “why faith?” Why have faith? Why did Job have faith? Why should we have faith? The answer is Jesus Christ. The answer is that that is what keeps the hope in our hearts alive. The answer is because Job was real and held on to his faith, and Satan is real and despises us when we have faith. The adversary cannot harm us when we put our faith in the risen Lord Jesus. Let our doubt be driven out, and let us fall on our knees like Thomas when he met the risen Lord.
27Then He said to Thomas, “Reach here with your finger, and see My hands; and reach here your hand and put it into My side; and do not be unbelieving, but believing.”
28Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!”
29Jesus said to him, “Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed.”
John 20:27–29 (NASB95)