Why did God test Job through Satan?

“Then Satan answered the LORD, ‘Does Job fear God for nothing?  Have You not made a hedge about him and his house and all that he has, on every side?  You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land.  But put forth Your hand now and touch all that he has; he will surely curse You to Your face.’  Then the LORD said to Satan, ‘Behold, all that he has is in your power, only do not put forth your hand on him.’  So Satan departed from the presence of the LORD.” (Job 1:9-12)

                ‘Why did God test Job through Satan?’  This is a question a brother in Christ asked me. How would you answer this question?

                I answered this question briefly to the brother: ‘God's heart.’  Then the brother asked me another question: ‘Can't you guess the heart of God?’  Then I replied: ‘It is not impossible.  But I refuse to guess.’  The reason I answered the brother in this way was to emphasize the need to acknowledge the sovereignty of God.  In other words, even though I can guess why God tested Job through Satan, I deliberately refused to do so.  The reason is because I believe that when the Sovereign God allowed Satan to strike Job (Job 1:11), there is a sovereign will of God, and that sovereign will is “good and acceptable and perfect” (Rom. 12:2).  Although I don't know exactly what God's sovereign will is (and I can't know exactly enough), I believe that Job is in God's good, pleasing, and perfect sovereign will.  So I have no desire to guess the reason why God tested Job through Satan.  Of course, given the excruciating pain and suffering that Job was going through, I think we may well be tempted to know why God allowed Satan to strike Job.  And I think the reason can be found in Job 1:8 and 2:3 – “Then the LORD said to Satan, ‘Have you considered my servant Job?  There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.’  …  Then the LORD said to Satan, ‘Have you considered my servant Job?  There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.  And he still maintains his integrity, though you incited me against him to ruin him without any reason.’”  In other words, the reason God allowed Satan to attack Job is probably because God wanted to boast to Satan that there is no one like Job in this world who is blameless and upright, who fears God and shuns evil.  And even though Satan actually struck Job, Job still maintained his integrity (v. 3).  As a result, the word of God has been proven to be true (1:8; 2:3).  And Satan's words have been proven to be lies (1:9-11, 2:5).  Satan's lie was that Job feared God because God had put a hedge around Job and his household and everything he had (1:10).  In other words, Satan’s lie was that Job feared God and shunned evil (v. 8) because God had blessed the work of Job’s hands, so that he flocks and herd were spread throughout the land (v. 10).  And it was Satan's lie that if the Lord struck everything Job had, he would surely curse God to His face (v. 11).  Also, Satan's lie was that if God stretch out His hand and strike Job's flesh and bones, then Job would surely curse God in His face (2:5).  Job's wife fell for Satan's lie.  So she saw her husband Job, sitting among the ashes, taking a piece of broken pottery, and scraping himself with it, she said to him: “Are you still holding on to your integrity? Curse God and die!” (v. 9)  Satan's purpose was to make Job curse God.  Although Job did not fall for that temptation, his wife fell into Satan's temptation.  Although Job's wife fell to Satan's temptation, Job not only did not fall into Satan's temptation, but also passed God's test.  He said to his wife: “You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?” (v. 10).  In all this, Job did not sin in what he said (v. 10).  He did not blame God (1:22).  Rather, as he worshiped God (v. 20), he said: “Naked I came from my mother's womb, And naked I shall return there The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away. Blessed be the name of the LORD” (v. 21).

            Although I don't fully understand why the brother asked me, ‘Why did God test Job through Satan?’ I think I understand a little bit why he wanted to ask such a question.  And I think all of us Christians can fully ask the same question.  I think we can ask such question well enough, especially in the midst of unexpected adversity and suffering.  But I personally think that we should ask the question “Who is God?” rather than “Why did God …?”  The reason is because when my first baby Charis died from diseases, no matter how much I tried to ask the question “Why?” I could not get an answer.  It only made me commit a sin of blaming God.  But God made me to ask “Who is my God?”  and thus made me to praise God’s marvelous and wonderful saving love after Charis’ death.  At that time, I also asked the question “How?” (I also asked a medical question about how the baby got such diseases).  Furthermore, I threw the question “What is the will of God?” so many times.  But I couldn't find the answer.  Rather, the more I asked such questions, the more discouraged I became and the more I experienced despair.  At that time, the Lord made me to ask the question “Who is my God?” and thus enabled me to focus on God who was in control instead of focusing on my thoughts, feelings, and hearts and the dying baby Charis or my wife Jane at the crossroads of Charis’ life or death situation.  And God made me to believe that my God is a God of love.  So through the baby's death, God made me to realize the marvelous and wonderful Savior’s love for me a little more deeply.  Rather, God allowed me to experience God's love more deeply through the crisis.  Therefore, from then on, no matter what crises and adversities come I began to ask “Who is God?” rather than “Why did God …?”  At that time, the indwelling Holy Spirit teaches me through the word of God and makes me to believe and rely on Him whom I got to know little more in the midst of crisis.  In particular, the Holy Spirit enables me to trust that God is good and to trust that “all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose” (Rom. 8:28). And the Holy Spirit reminds me the word of Joseph “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive” (Gen. 50:20), so that I can trust and rely on God who is good.  Therefore, God is allowing me to taste and see that the Lord is good (Ps. 34:8).  That is why I have to confess: “God is good All the time!  All the time, God is good!”