God, Satan, Bets, History and Us

The Book of Job offends some Christians and some Jews. This is because in it, the suffering of Job comes from a bet between God and Satan. Satan bets that the man Job loves God only because of Job’s great riches, and that if these are taken away, Job will hate God. God believes that Job’s love is deep, and that it will survive terrible suffering. God grants Satan authority to afflict Job. And Job suffers. At the end of the book, Job proves God right.

1. The Book of Job as the book of history.

There is wisdom in the Book of Job.

I think that much in the world can be explained as a contest, a bet, between these old adversaries.

Satan bets that strife over slavery will divide America, which will then further divide, until America is only a weak collection of hostile neighbor-states. God bets that the strife over slavery will lead to a war that purges slavery from America and leaves America, eventually, united and strong.

Satan bets that a vigorous young man suddenly crippled with polio will shuck away his life with frivolity and grief. God bets that that man will learn compassion, and that he will become a great American leader in a depression and a world war.

Satan bets that Hitler will rise and destroy the Jews. God bets that Hitler will rise and be stopped, and that the horror of the Holocaust will lead to the Jews’ return to Israel.

Satan bets that centuries of slavery and oppression will make a segment of America bitter, and that they will turn to evil. God bets that this testing will make these same people strong, and that from this testing will rise a wise and round and warm love of God. Sometimes God and Satan both claim victory.

Satan bets that time in a soviet dictatorship will crystalize a young man’s enmity toward America, leading to the assassination of a beloved president. God bets that that time will make the young man realize the beauty of his native land and its freedoms, like the freedom of religion. Sometimes Satan wins.

2. The biggest bet.

We must never forget the biggest bet of all. Satan bet that humankind would reject God’s son; that we would torture and murder him; and that God’s plan for the salvation of humankind would die with the son of God. God bet that his son’s death would permit his son to descend into Hell for three days; then he would rise triumphantly from the dead; that his death and resurrection would be the cornerstone and capstone of salvation; that his death and life would defeat death.

There is regrettable talk of who killed Jesus.

In one sense, you and I did, by our sins.

In another sense, both God and Satan killed Jesus. Satan did it; God permitted it. Both looked to that death for victory. One was right and one was wrong.

3. The Book of Job as the book of our lives.

If we examine our lives, I wonder if we each couldn’t see where the bets have been placed, and if we couldn’t see, as to these bets, who won and who lost.

So: Satan bets that if an ambitious young man’s career were shattered, he would be bitter and he would lose what ethics he formerly had. God bets that the ambitious young man would stop worshiping his career, and he would turn to the One True God, however imperfectly. To give one example known to me.

All bets are not behind us; some lie ahead.

Suffering will come. There is no explanation for suffering that can make that suffering not suffering. That suffering may be as inevitable and as unbearable as death, even as unbearable as the death of a child. It could be the suffering of Job.

In placid times – and perhaps for you now is a placid time – if you pray, you might pray that that time of testing not come; but if it comes, that you respond in a way that you give God victory in the bet that he places on your response to hard times. You might pray that for your loved ones, too.

Victory for God in these bets leads to salvation.

And that’s infinitely better than winning the lottery.