Job 2:1-6
Again, 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. And the Lord said to Satan, “From where have you come?” Satan answered the Lord and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.” And the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil? He still holds fast his integrity, although you incited me against him to destroy him without reason.” Then Satan answered the Lord and said, “Skin for skin! All that a man has he will give for his life. But stretch out your hand and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse you to your face.” And the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, he is in your hand; only spare his life.”
Lucifer, O Day Star son of Dawn, Prince of Darkness, Beelzebub, Mephistopheles, Lord of the Flies, the Antichrist, Father of Lies, Moloch, angel of light, or simply Satan. Any way you look at this father of lies, you will see the devil, you must understand that he has to ask for permission to mess with a person who has by grace and faith entered into the family of God. Isaiah 14:12-14, we get a picture of his fall and the reason for it. We have this word from Jesus as he talks with the seventy-two He sent out ahead of Him to every town and place He was about to go. Pay close attention to what they said to Jesus and His reply in Luke 10:17-20. “The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!” And he said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” What value is being sent out with authority if you do not understand first, that you have it, and second that your action shows that you are under that authority?
This question came up in our Bible study, how can Satan come into God’s presence in that God does not look on sin. I’ve come to understand that when it comes to God the Creator of all things, there are absolutes that are unchangeable, such as His character; He is pure, God is a personal Spirit, God is all-powerful, God is ever-present, God knows everything, God is sovereign, God is holy, God is absolute truth, God is righteous, God is just, God is faithful, God is love, God is merciful, God never changes.
My pastor said something like this in a sermon, when we say God cannot do such and such outside of the things listed above, such as look on sin, you have crossed over into some dangerous territory because you have elevated yourself to a place of being like God. I always recall that God’s ways are higher than mine and His thoughts are higher than mine, the thing I’m sure of is that He loves me because His actions have demonstrated that to be true.
From the Back Porch,
Bob Rice
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