Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, Satan also came among them... And the LORD sais to Satan, "Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one like him on earth, a blameless and upright man, fearing God and turning away from evil." Then Satan answered the LORD, "Does Job fear God for nothing? Hast thou not made a hedge about him and his house and all that he has, on every side?"

Job 1:6, 8-10, NASB

Thus begins one of the most unusual events in all of the Bible. This scene is like no other that we read, for Satan presents himself to God with those who appear to be angels. There are only two other instances when Satan is so overtly present. First, in the Garden of Eden when he tempts the woman and is held accountable by God. The second, is in the temptation of Christ, where Satan fails in his attempt to subvert the Son of God. And though we read of various instances of the evil one in the Book of Revelation, these three are unique as to the extent of interaction described as having occurred within the physical bounds of this world in which we live. 

In this account, we see God questioning Satan as to whether he was aware of God's righteous servant Job. Our preacher Josh Duncan pointed out just this past Sunday that Satan was indeed aware of Job, and he also raised the question as to whether Satan has considered God's servants today. Josh further opined that Satan probably was aware of all those who are attempting to be righteous.

I had never thought of that before, but it is certainly worthy of consideration. When you consider the multitude of temptations that we come across on a daily basis, you have to admit that the Devil is alive and working to subvert God's servants to this very day. And whether he is able to do this as personally as when he tempted Eve, Job, and Jesus, or whether he has just set the wheels in motion for the things that tempt us today, the effect is still the same: For we all yield to these temptations more than we care to think about.

This would be frightening beyond words, if it were not for this one fact: God looks down upon the righteous and gives them all the protection they need! As we read through the Bible we cannot help but notice the numerous times that the writers proclaims that God watches over the righteous. In fact, this is one of the most comforting themes of the Bible, and we would do well to pay attention. 

Jesus Himself used the protection of God when He told Satan to "get behind" Him. The Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 8:31, "If God is for us, who can be against us?" He also wrote in Philippians 4:13, "I can do everything through Him who gives me strength." The point is that though Satan still has the power to tempt the world, God is still there to provide safety and protection to all who would seek Him. But we do need to be aware of the Devil's schemes to subvert God's servants and, once alerted to this fact, be quick to seek God's protection. 

Too many people cower in fear at the prospect of Satan, but we do not have to because the One who watches over us is more powerful than the one who tempts us with evil. There needs to be a daily awareness of the fact that our enemy the Devil really does prowl around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour (I Peter 5:7), but we also need to know that we can resist him by standing firm in the faith (I Peter 5:8). By standing firm and trusting in God to protect us, we need not worry about the evil one, for God truly will watch over those who place themselves in His protective care. Isn't God good!