If Satan were God’s rival, as some imagine, he would not present himself with the other angels. He would not obey God’s commands.  But what do we find in the book of Job? 

When trials come one after the other, or when they are particularly severe, it is natural to ask questions. And if we believe in the sovereignty of God in these things, we should. Scripture does not discourage such questions; instead, it points us to God’s purposes.

So why does God allow trials?

1. Sometimes it is for testing.

We see this in the life of Abraham when God asked him to take his son and sacrifice him (Genesis 22:1–2). We see it again in the early history of Israel, after they had crossed the Jordan and entered the promised land. God said He left enemies among them to test and try them, to see what they would do (Judges 3:1–4).

2. Sometimes it is to draw His people out to prayer.

We see this when Israel fought against Benjamin. They asked God whether they should go up, and He told them to go (Judges 20:18). They went — and were defeated (Judges 20:21). So they prayed and fasted, asked again, and once more God told them to go (Judges 20:26–28). This time they won (Judges 20:35–36).

3. Sometimes it is because of sin.

Think of the sin of Achan (Joshua 7), or Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:1–10), or the Corinthians who became sick because of how they approached the Lord’s Supper (1 Corinthians 11:30). In those cases, prayer wasn’t the answer — repentance was. Later, when Joshua fell on his face to pray, God told him to get up (Joshua 7:10). It wasn’t the time to pray; there was sin in the camp that had to be dealt with.

4. Sometimes it is to exhibit one of the trophies of His grace.

This was the case with Job (Job 1:1–22). God used Job’s trial to demonstrate to Satan and to a fallen world the faithfulness of His servant.

5. Sometimes it is to display the glory of God.

We see this in the case of the man born blind:  “And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth. And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind? Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him” (John 9:1–3).

6. Always it is for good.

 It is always “for the good of those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28).”

Notice that nowhere in Scripture is it simply said, “Satan is to blame.” When disaster comes, it is natural to blame the enemy. We know we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers (Ephesians 6:12). So we quickly assume Satan is behind it – and sometimes he is, at least in part. We see this clearly in Job (Job 1:6–12). But we also see that even when Satan is active, he is completely at God’s disposal.

Consider what the first chapter of Job tells us.  The story begins well.  Job seems to have a good life. More than that – he is a righteous man: perfect, upright, fearing God, and shunning evil (Job 1:1). If you didn’t know the story, you would not expect what comes next. Normally we assume that people reap what they sow. Job worked hard and served God – surely God would honour him. After all God says, “He who honours Me I will honour” is a promise (1 Samuel 2:30).

As the psalmist observes, sometimes the wicked flourish while the righteous suffer (Psalm 73:3–12). Things can feel backward, and in this story, what happens next seems to defy expectation.

In the first chapter we are taken behind the scenes. A day comes when the “sons of God” present themselves before the LORD (Job 1:6). Whether we take this to be allegorical, as Matthew Henry did, or literal, the message is the same: God is on the throne.

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