SUMMARY
In a conversation with God, the Satan suggests that Job would turn away from God if he should lose his wealth and good fortune. God agrees to put the matter to a test.
ANALYSIS
This is a key passage for setting the stage for all that follows. The Satan is like a roving ambassador who comes to God to give a report on what he has seen and heard. God boasts about Job, whom God considers to be an outstanding example of what a religious person should be. The Satan raises a question about Job’s sincerity and motivation for serving God: “Does Job fear God for nothing?” (1:9). Since Job has been gifted with such abundance and a wonderful life, it is no wonder that he serves God. But, says the Satan, if you take his good fortune away from him, he will turn against God. The Satan believes that the only reason anyone, including Job, worships God and follows God’s commands is for the rewards. This is a very interesting thought. Is the Satan right? Even in our day, why do people choose to be followers of God? Is it for rewards, such as good health and even eternal life? Is it possible to love God for God’s own sake and not because of “what I can get out of it?” Can one still love God when all outward signs of God’s care and protection have gone away?
Many readers of Job are troubled by how quickly God responds to the Satan’s question and allows the Satan to proceed to cause havoc in Job’s life. It is interesting to note that the Satan cannot go ahead without God’s permission. The ultimate authority belongs to God, even though evil is allowed to occur. An important and difficult question is “Why does God allow the Satan to hurt Job?” There is no easy answer, and, of course, the book does not mean to be a historical account (See “Historicity of Job”). The book allows hard issues to emerge because they do in human experience. Allowing the questions is necessary in order to be able to address them. The Satan has put God in a tough place by his question. If God does not permit the Satan to test his theory about the motivation of pious folks like Job, then the Satan can say, “You are afraid I might be right by refusing to see if Job will stay faithful after a series of disasters.” If God does allow the testing to take place, his faithful servant Job will be hurt and God’s reputation as a caring and protecting presence will be tarnished.
Readers should not deduce from this story that all suffering is the result of God’s testing of a person. Again, the question of why the innocent suffer has no good answer, and the Book of Job is not meant to be a historical account. Nevertheless, the question the Satan raises is an interesting one: Can a human being love God for God’s own sake? In other words, is a genuine relationship between God and humanity possible? The rest of the book will explore this question and many others.
