The story of Job is well known to center around Job’s suffering at the hands of an unseen enemy. But the opening dialogue between God and Satan begins in a surprising manner. It starts with God asking Satan: “Have you considered my servant Job?”
Satan’s response? “It’s not fair. You have tied my hands behind my back. Job only serves you because of the good things he gets in return. Job is merely a shrewd spiritual consumer.” At Satan’s behest, God removes the “hedge of protection” and Satan proceeds to heap upon Job horrific circumstances. Death, loss and even rejection by friends become Job’s new normal.
Throughout the entire book it is clear that God’s fatherly approval never wanes. At the story’s end God makes clear how thoroughly He has and continues to approve of His faithful servant. Job perseveres, and never says anything bad or wrong about God – in contrast to his friends (who did not suffer in the story).
Why did God authorize Satan to decimate Job’s circumstances? Are we mere mice caught between two cosmic kitties?
Look again at this devotion’s verse. What goes in the blank? In Paul’s preaching of the “unsearchable riches of Christ”, to whom is the church showing God’s “manifold” or many-faceted “wisdom”? Unbelievers? The world? Believers? Nope. None of those. The blank is properly filled with “Principalities and powers in the heavenly places.”
We are the opposite of insignificant mice – we are the teachers of God’s wisdom to the angels and demons who occupy the heavenly places! How in the world can we teach God’s wisdom to beings who can see God, interact with God, hear God, and are taught by God? At least one reason seems to be this: we can walk by faith and they cannot. Like us, Job did not see or know about the goings on in the heavenly places.
Here is the mind-blowing perspective the Bible offers: Within the difficulties of life lie “unsearchable riches of Christ” for those with the eyes of faith to see them. When we live with the faith of Job, we gain the reward of Job, to come to know God in ways we could not otherwise have conceived. In this reality lies infinite treasure. It is through faithful perseverance that we gain both “unsearchable riches” as well as teach God’s manifold wisdom to the gawking angels.