When you read Job 1 yesterday you gained a perspective that Job himself was not given. Job was in the centre of a great spiritual battle and all the angels of heaven were looking on. At stake was nothing less than the glory of God. Satan claimed free reign over the earth. He gained this free reign because the stewards of the earth, mankind, had yielded to him and given him refuge in the realm that God had given them to rule over (Genesis 1:26). Satan was now ‘the prince of this world’ (John 12:31) due to man’s allegiance and so he boasted about that before God. Man’s authority over the earth was real and therefore so too was the right that Satan gained, by deception, from mankind, to rule the earth. God does not revoke his gifts and calling (Romans 11:29). What man decreed for himself was therefore what he got, and God did not interfere and take back man’s authority. If man chose to give that authority away, so be it. Human beings got the oppressive overlord that they chose, and so it was that Satan could boast before God and not be destroyed. In response, God points to Job as if to say, “You don’t rule over this one”. Even one person not yielded to Satan is a threat to his dominion on earth and so the challenge was serious. How does heaven look upon your life? Can God boast in you? Are you overcoming evil by the grace given to you in Jesus Christ and by the power of his Spirit? You can, but are you?
Reflect on how God sees you and ask him to strengthen you to stand against the devil’s schemes.
Read Job 1 again
