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Satan Is Not OMNIPOTENT (All-Powerful)
The Lord asked Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job; there is none like him in the earth. He is a perfect and upright man, who fears God and avoids evil?”
Satan asked, “Haven't you made a hedge on every side about him and his house and all that he has?” Job 1:8-9
You are probably familiar with the phrase “hedge of protection.” This passage is where that phrase originated.
Satan continued, “You have blessed the work of his hands, and his wealth is increased in the land.” Job 1:10
Satan was saying that God not only blessed everything that Job touched, but also protected him and all that he had from Satan’s power.
Satan Presented a Challenge
“Stretch out Your hand now and touch all that Job has, and he will curse You to Your face.” Job 1:11
You can almost hear the “and I BET” before “he will curse you…”
God Countered the Challenge
The Lord said to Satan, “All that he has is in your power; only don’t touch Job himself.” Job 1:12
God wouldn’t touch Job’s possessions to destroy them, but He ALLOWED Satan to take away anything Job had.
Without permission, Satan couldn’t penetrate the hedge of protection around Job. Now God ALLOWED Satan to go through the hedge.
Satan wasn’t ALLOWED to touch Job, only what Job possessed. SATAN HAD TO ABIDE BY THIS RESTRICTION GOD PUT IN PLACE.
This situation shows us that Satan doesn’t have power equal to God’s power. SATAN CAN ONLY DO WHAT GOD ALLOWS.
Satan Destroyed All That Job Had
In one day, in one hour, Job lost all that he had, all his crops, livestock, servants and even all his children. In each catastrophe, one servant survived to bring the news to Job. And while one was still talking, another came to tell about a worse event.
While he was yet speaking, there came another, who said, _________________ “…and I alone have escaped to tell you.” Job 1:13-19
Again, I’m reminded of Revelation.
Woe, woe, the great city Babylon, the strong city! because in one hour your judgment has come. Revelation 18:18
Notice that Satan used some natural events to destroy Job’s possessions.
a. Oxen, donkeys, Servants
The Sebeans attacked. Servants were plowing the field with oxen. The Sebeans killed the servants (only one escaped to tell Job) plowing the fields with swords and took one thousand oxen. They also took five hundred donkeys that were grazing in the field beside them. Job 1:14-15
b. Sheep, More Servants
“The fire of God has fallen from heaven and has burned up the sheep and the servants…” Job 1:16
Only one servant lived to tell Job. These words, from the servant’s interpretation of the situation, might have given Job the impression that God had turned against him. Since the scene in Heaven is recorded for us, we know it wasn’t “of God.”
Many scholars and Bible translations interpret “fire of God” to mean lightning, another natural phenomenon. However, it would not be natural for lightning to burn up seven thousand sheep and the servants tending them.
When I was young, my aunt and uncle owned a dairy farm in West, Mississippi. After a stormy night, my uncle found twelve jersey cows dead. They were dead, lined up by the barbed-wire fence. Lightening had struck the tree with the barbed-wire nailed to it. The electricity ran down the barbed-wire. The cows didn’t move; they fell where they stood. The local newspaper published the story with a picture. It was so unusual for twelve cows to die by lightning.
Job had seven thousands sheep, all dead. If that was lightning, call the newspaper.
c. Camels, More Servants
The Chaldeans stole three thousand camels and killed the servants with swords (only one escaped to tell Job). Job 1:17
d. Ten Children, More Servants
Job’s children were all in the eldest brother’s house when a great wind came from the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house. The house fell and they and the servants died (only one escaped to tell him). Job 1:18-19
There may have been a time in your life that you thought, “I don’t know how much more I can take! Right when I start recovering from one blow, I take another hit!” I know I have said that. But no one has ever experienced the loss in that Job experienced.
But Job didn’t curse God.
Repeat
The words of Job 1:6-8 are repeated in Job 2:1-3 with two exceptions. When the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord:
a. Satan came “to present himself before the Lord.”
In Job 1:6, Satan merely came among the sons of God.
In Job 2:1, Satan came among the sons of God with purpose. He came to present himself before the Lord.
b. God added to His question
The initial questions and responses are exactly the same:
The Lord acknowledged Satan’s presence by asking him, “From where have you come?”
Satan answered, “From going to and fro in the earth and from walking up and down in it.”
The Lord asked Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job; there is none like him in the earth. He is a perfect and upright man, who fears God and avoids evil?”
But in Job 2:3, God added, “And still he (Job) holds fast to his integrity, even though you moved Me against him to destroy him without cause.
Another Challenge
In Job 2:5-6, Satan said to God, “Stretch out Your hand now and touch Job’s bone and his flesh, and he will curse You to Your face.”
The Lord said to Satan, “Job is in your hand, but save his life.”
God wouldn’t touch Job to hurt him, but He ALLOWED Satan to take away Job’s health.
Satan was not ALLOWED to kill Job. SATAN HAD TO ABIDE BY THIS RESTRICTION GOD PUT IN PLACE.
This situation shows us once again that Satan isn’t the equal opposite to God. Satan isn’t omnipotent. SATAN CAN ONLY DO WHAT GOD ALLOWS.
And let’s also remember (from Part 1) that Satan was defeated by Michael and his angels.
There was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon. The dragon and his angels fought but didn’t prevail, and their place wasn’t found in heaven any more.” Revelation 12:7-8
The next verse identifies that dragon.
The great dragon, that old serpent called the Devil and Satan, was cast out (of Heaven) to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. The one who deceives the whole world was cast out. Revelation 12:9
Notice God didn’t even have to get involved other than sending Michael and his angels to battle. Satan is not Omnipotent. Satan is not God’s equal.
When God battles with Satan, it will be short and it will be final. That message is coming soon in this series.
GOD IS OMNIPOTENT
BUT GOD IS OMNIPOTENT. He IS all-powerful.
…I heard the voice of a great multitude…say, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigns.Revelation 19:6
Great is our Lord and of great power… Psalm 147:5
Is anything too difficult for the Lord? Genesis 18:14
With God, nothing will be impossible. Luke 1:37
Jesus said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Matthew 19:26
“I am the Lord, the God of all flesh; is anything too difficult for Me?” Jeremiah 32:27
The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament shows his handiwork. Psalm 19:1
In six days, the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea and all that is in them. Exodus 20:11
Have you not known? Have you not heard,
that the everlasting God, the LORD,
the Creator of the ends of the earth, doesn’t faint, neither is weary? Isaiah 40:28
Job answered the Lord, “I know that You can do all things, and no purpose of Yours can be thwarted.” Job 42:1-2
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WHY DOES GOD ALLOW SUFFERING?
After learning that Satan isn’t omnipotent; that he can only do what God allows, you might ask,
Why does God allow Satan to continue to roam the earth seeking whom he can devour? Why does God delay judgment of the wicked while we suffer?
a. The Lord waited so that Noah could be saved.
… In the days of Noah, God waited with long-suffering while Noah prepared the ark in which eight souls were saved from the flood. 1 Peter 3:20
Seeing the wickedness of man and knowing that the imagination of his heart was only evil continually, the Lord said, “I will destroy man whom I have created…” Genesis 6:5,7 (paraphrased)
The LORD said, “My spirit will not always strive with man… yet his days shall be a hundred and twenty years…” Genesis 6:3
Most Bible scholars agree that this verse indicates the time God waited to judge the world after He made His decision. God waited 120 years to save eight people.
b. The Lord is now waiting for “all who will” to come to repentance.
…The Lord is long-suffering toward us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come… 2 Peter 3:9-10
Don’t think God isn’t keeping his promises, because:
The Lord is not slack concerning his promise… 2 Peter 3:9
c. The Lord is protecting his children by waiting.
In the parable of the wheat and tares (weeds), “the tares are the children of the wicked one, and the enemy who sowed them is the devil.” Matthew 13:38-39
The servants in the parable asked the landowner (the Son of man), “Do you want us to go and gather them the tares?” But he said, “No; lest while you gather up the tares, you root up the wheat (the children of the kingdom) with them. Let both grow together until the harvest. And in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, ‘First, gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.’” Matthew 13:27-30, 37-38
d. Free Will
Much suffering comes from our own free will.
Adam and Eve - Because of free will, sin entered the world, and we live in a fallen/cursed world. We survive by the sweat of our brow. We age and experience illnesses and death.
Our free will - We have free will, and sometimes we make decisions that lead to our own suffering. What we eat and drink affects our health. Where we go and what we do may put us in dangerous situations that lead to our suffering. Some decisions lead to time in prison.
The free will of others - Choices made by others often affect us. Everyone else has free will also, and sometimes their poor choices affect us and cause our suffering. They may choose to steal our possessions, harm us or kill our someone dear to us.
The free will of organizations - Decisions made by society, governments, companies lead to many deaths and illnesses. For instance, decisions to use certain pesticides, additives and preservatives in the production of our food can lead to cancer and other illnesses. An airplane crash, train wreck or the destruction of a tall building can lead to many deaths in an instant. We chose to build those things. Wars have caused much suffering.
