The Joy of Job by Maribeth Vander Weele

Author:Maribeth Vander Weele [Weele, Maribeth Vander]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-1-73224-083-4
Publisher: Sagerity Press LLC
Published: 2018-01-15T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 6

ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM

“He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”

—JESUS CHRIST

John 8:44

In all his complaints that God was unfair—understandable from a human point of view, but unthinkable203 from a Spirit-filled point of view—never once does Job recognize or rail against the real enemy. Satan, in typical fashion, remains anonymous in Job’s world, delighted to let God take the fall for his evil handiwork. Satan, commander of legions of demons, is the proverbial elephant in the room.

In fact, Job thought about injustice in the world—and then, amazingly, blamed God for it. “When a land falls into the hands of the wicked, [God] blindfolds its judges. If it is not He, then who is it?” Job said.204 The correct answer, of course, is Satan, the deceiver, tempter, murderer, and adversary of God from the beginning.

Who is Satan?

The book of Ezekiel tells us that Satan was a guardian cherub, “the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty” in Eden, the garden of God. He was adorned with every precious stone: carnelian, chrysolite, emerald, topaz, onyx, jasper, lapis lazuli, turquoise, and beryl. The settings and mountings of his jewels were made of gold. God showered and anointed this grand spirit with all the splendor of heaven. From the day he was created, he was blameless. Then the guardian cherub, called “Lucifer,”205 became proud because of his beauty. Given free will by God, he misused his power and denounced the source of his extraordinary gifts. As a result, Satan was thrown to earth.206 Angels who followed him were not spared.207

This great conflict in heaven was a familiar story to Eliphaz. Twice, Eliphaz referenced the Lord charging his angels with error.208 These could not have been “good angels,” because nowhere else does Scripture suggest that they erred. The reference must have been to fallen angels, those for whom eternal fire is prepared.209 Although Eliphaz recognized these demonic forces, Job, in all his many words,210 did not.

In his book, The Christian in Complete Armour, William Gurnall states that the invisibility of the devil and his demons makes them little feared by the ignorant world. The result for Job was that he “had fallen into the snare of the devil,” according to the Rev. John Fry,211 an English Rector who authored the 1827 book, A New Translation and Exposition of the Very Ancient Book of Job.

Job saw the world through the fictitious lens that Satan masterfully created for him. Job was righteous and others were not. Job deserved blessings such as wealth and health, and others did not. Job merited universal adulation while his enemies were less than human, not worthy to place with his sheep dogs. Job’s friends let him down. Job’s relatives let him down. Job’s servants let him down. Most of all, God let him down.

Like all of us in different times or in different aspects of our lives, Job was gripped by a powerful delusion.

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