Job 2:3 And the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? and still he holdeth fast his integrity, although thou movedst me against him, to destroy him without cause. 4 And Satan answered the Lord, and said, Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life. 5 But put forth thine hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse thee to thy face. 6 And the Lord said unto Satan, Behold, he is in thine hand; but save his life. 7 So went Satan forth from the presence of the Lord, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown.
This particular passage of scripture makes for very difficult reading, and it is one of the points of contention that has not been resolved in the minds of many Christians and secular people alike. Here in these verses we find God taking responsibility for what He allows, since it was only by His permission that satan was able to afflict Job so sorely, as he did. This raises a few very serious questions which need to be answered in our own individual lives and experiences, and some of them have greater import to the bigger question of why was sin permitted in the first place, as it did in heaven.
Everything that is evil or devastating to us can obviously be prevented by God, who is omnipotent in power. Each day there are many fatal accidents, and at times certain terrorist groups such as Al- queda and Boko Haram carry out terrible atrocities against innocent men, women, and children, and in the minds of many the daunting question arises, "Where is God in all of this, and why does He permit all of these various evils, without intervening in marked ways to save lives?
In answering these very serious questions it is very important for us to remember that God does everything from the basic principle of love, and because of this He does not create intelligent beings who are programmed only to obey Him, without any freedom of choice. And because of this, the decision to create us with the freedom to choose naturally carries with it certain risks, one of which is that we may choose not to obey Him.
This fact also carries with it certain results, one of which is that if we choose to sin, God in love and justice must of necessity allow the results of our actions to run their natural course, for if He were to begin the process of stopping or preventing the natural results of every sin, then His actions in this regard will certainly unravel the rule of law, both natural and spiritual, since no government on earth or in heaven can survive without laws. For instance, if every person who was caught speeding by state troopers were to be "Prevented" by the governor from getting a ticket, then the statutes against speeding will become null and void, and would consequently be of no use or benefit to any one, being a dead letter with no relevance whatsoever to the citizenry.
In Job's situation however, it was not on account of anything that he had deliberately done wrong, why such great suffering was permitted to come upon him, even though we must here state that even Job had committed some sins during the course of his life, for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. The question that must be addressed therefore is whether or not God is right in permitting evil to occur, as it did with Job, and the answer takes us back to issue of the prerogative of God to do whatsoever He deems best with His creation. The following point must be studied very, very carefully for us to better understand the question of God's prerogative to permit good or evil.
Chrysler motor company has made some very powerful and durable engines, like the Hemi which became famous in drag racing after taking all the titles in its first debut year. But the same Chrysler company has also made e few cars that were pretty dumb, like the Dodge Aries, which was not built to the same high performance, and engineering standards, as the famous Baracuda Hemi of the sixties and seventies. As a car manufacturer it is Chrysler's prerogative to to do whatsoever they deem best, and we might become very upset with the company for doing so, yet no one dares question Chrysler as to the reasons why they so choose to do.
On a much bigger scale is God's prerogative to do whatsoever He sees best, and whether we agree with Him or not, it remains His sole right as Creator to exercise His discretion in ways that He prefers. It was this issue that God addressed when He came to speak with old brother Job, who was wondering why God had permitted him to be afflicted without apparent cause. We now know from sacred history several of the reasons why, but this presentation is not primarily about the reasons, it is about the fact that God as Creator retains the prerogative to create and manage His creation according to His own wisdom. This sacred truth was brought out as God revealed to Job that He had created the Ostrich, which apparently is devoid of any feelings for her young, and the question God is asking not only to Job but also to you and I, is was He wrong to make such a bird? Let's read:
Job 39:13 Gavest thou the goodly wings unto the peacocks? or wings and feathers unto the ostrich? 14 Which leaveth her eggs in the earth, and warmeth them in dust, 15 And forgetteth that the foot may crush them, or that the wild beast may break them. 16 She is hardened against her young ones, as though they were not her's: her labour is in vain without fear; 17 Because God hath deprived her of wisdom, neither hath he imparted to her understanding.
In our evaluation of certain experiences, and in our interpretation of events that defy reason as far as the interposition of God is concerned, let us be very careful to remember that God retains certain prerogatives, and although He may not always give us the reasons why certain calamities and difficulties are permitted to come our way, yet He has given us the promise and the assurance that all things work together for the good of them that love God. "All things" might not necessarily be good in and of themselves, but cumulatively they work together for the best temporal and eternal interest of His people. We therefore end with a passage of scripture which reiterates this very important point, and like Job, let us always trust the goodness and wisdom of God in every situation. Let's read:
Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. 31 What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. 38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
God bless!