The Unseen Enemy
Job 1:1–12
1 There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil.
2 And there were born unto him seven sons and three daughters.
3 His substance also was seven thousand sheep, and three thousand camels, and five hundred yoke of oxen, and five hundred she asses, and a very great household; so that this man was the greatest of all the men of the east.
4 And his sons went and feasted in their houses, every one his day; and sent and called for their three sisters to eat and to drink with them.
5 And it was so, when the days of their feasting were gone about, that Job sent and sanctified them, and rose up early in the morning, and offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all: for Job said, It may be that my sons have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts. Thus did Job continually.
6 Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came also among them.
7 And the Lord said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the Lord, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.
8 And the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?
9 Then Satan answered the Lord, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought?
10 Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land.
11 But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face.
12 And the Lord said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the Lord.
Job does not deserve even the suggestion of mistreatment. He has walked faithfully with God, certainly in his adult years. He is now the best of the best, “greatest of all the men of the east.” On top of all that, he is a humble servant of God. But none of that impresses Satan. Evil suspicions prompt his insidious plot: “You want to know what he’s really made of, remove all that indulged treatment and pervasive protection. Strip away the veneer of the man’s comfort, and You’ll see right away, he’ll turn on You. ‘He will surely curse You to Your face’ ” (Job 1:11). His point is clear: Job is worshiping God because of what he gets out of it, not because the Lord is truly first in his life.
There is an enemy who we encounter that we cannot see, but he is real. We have a supernatural enemy, and we encounter him or one of his emissaries regularly. And never doubt it—all of that is real. He hopes that his deceptive strategy will play tricks on your mind and will weaken you and ultimately bring you down. The Accuser’s desire is to ruin your testimony as he destroys your life. In the process, if it means ruining your family relationships, he’ll go there. If it takes tempting you to secretly cut a few corners in your business, which you would not have done in earlier days, he’ll go there. Whatever it takes to bring you down, he will try. Because we have an enemy we cannot see does not mean he is not real.
There are trials we endure that we don’t deserve, but they are permitted. You read that correctly. Life includes trials that we do not deserve, but they must, nevertheless, be endured. In the mystery of God’s unfathomable will, there are elements we can never explain or fully understand. Don’t try to grasp each thread of His profound plan. If you resist my counsel here, you’ll become increasingly more confused, ultimately resentful, and finally bitter. At that point, Satan will have won the day. Accept it. Endure the trial that has been permitted by God. Nothing touches your life that has not first passed through the hands of God. He is in full control, and because He is, He has the sovereign right to permit trials that we don’t deserve.
We do have an unseen enemy, but we have an even more powerful, unseen Defender.
— Charles R. Swindoll
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