Gods Sabbath

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E NTERING INTO G OD ’ S S ABBATH R EST

With these words Eliphaz claimed to have received his infor mation by direct inspiration, but it was satanic inspiration, not divine. God denied being the source of his inspiration when, at the end of the drama, He charged Eliphaz with speaking that which was not true regarding Himself (see Job 42:7). If God was not the source, then the only alternative was Satan. Thus we can be sure that Eliphaz acted as Satan’s agent when he said: “Can a mortal be more righteous than God? Can a man be more pure than his Maker? If He puts no trust in His servants, if He charges His angels with error, how much more those who dwell in houses of clay, whose foundation is in the dust, who are crushed before a moth?” Job 4:17–19 (NKJV ) . The key issue in the charges of Satan and his agents is that God puts no trust in His servants. The great deceiver contends that God can expect obedience from His subjects only if He con fines them to a controlled context. Beyond that, He cannot trust them to remain faithful to Him. Satan thereby sought to justify his own separation from God’s government. When God was confronted with Satan’s lying accusations at the meeting where Job’s obedience became an issue, He needed make no concession to Satan. All the Creator’s counsels and judgments are made in absolute righteousness and are therefore immutable. If this were not so, then the everlasting Father would never have allowed Satan the freedom to threaten Job’s position. But God understood the foundation of Job’s faith and obedi ence. He trusted Job to provide the witness needed, even though it entailed paying a fearful price in loss of loved ones, health, and personal possessions. Accordingly, Jehovah confidently sub mitted Job to the devil’s power. Satan then set about proving his bold claim that Job would continue his obedience only while enjoying special protection and prosperity, but once this was swept away, he predicted that the patriarch would curse God to His face. Satan moved quickly to change Job’s position into one of tragic loss and suffering. Could God Trust Job?