Have you ever struggled to better understand traditions you have been taught about God when they don’t appear to line up with who God really is? I know I have many times, especially when the traditional things seem to conflict with His goodness in a way that make me want to run away from Him rather than towards Him.

I believe all of our misconceptions about God would be solved if we were able to fully grasp His true character. These days when we have the world at our fingertips, so much is available to us if we’re willing to do the basic research! The sad story is, we often don’t. Whether it is due to busyness, a lack of desire or a lack of discipleship, or perhaps just plain laziness, many times we continue to go down the path of tradition and rarely seek the face of God Himself to guide us into a greater understanding.

Take the story of Job, for instance. I read an intriguing book about three years ago that helped me to grasp the story of Job for the first time.  Following are excerpts & paraphrases from that book, titled “Good God”, by Lucas Miles.

In Job 1:7-12 we see Satan presenting himself before God.  God asks Satan where he has come from and Satan replies, “From roaming throughout the earth, going back and forth on it” (vs 7).

God follows up with a perplexing question: “Have you considered my servant Job?” (vs 8).

Satan retorts, “Stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face” (vs. 11).  So God concludes with, “Very well then, everything he has is in your power, but on the man himself do not lay a finger” (vs. 12).

Have you ever wondered why God would seemingly deliberately go against His own character that is affirmed throughout scripture in order to team up with Satan to bring deliberate harm to Job, one of His children? Should we be surprised when our friends and loved ones want nothing to do with this type of God? 

As long as we think God is the source of our problems we’ll never be able to trust His intentions.
– Lucas Miles

Imagine a neighborhood bully ringing your doorbell looking for someone to beat up.  Would you recommend your child to him?  We wouldn’t! Why then would we attribute to God a flawed character trait such as this one?  It doesn’t add up. 

• Lamentations 3:33 tells us that God does not willingly bring grief or affliction to the sons of men.
• 1 Peter 5:7 tells us to cast our cares on Him for He cares for us
• 2 Timothy 4:18 assures us He will rescue us from every evil attack

Yet we insist on throwing out what scripture affirms in order to invent a God who fits our traditions, ignoring the question that begs to be answered is, what is God really saying to Satan in this passage?

Look at the Hebrew word for “considered” in this passage (which is “sum” or “sim”).  The word in Hebrew means “to set your heart upon” or “direct your attention towards”.  Therefore we may consider a more proper interpretation to be “Have you set your heart upon my servant Job?” 

God isn’t throwing Job under the bus!  He’s calling out Satan for eyeing up His favored child!

Consider that the conversation might have gone more like this instead:

“What have you been doing?  Have you set your evil intentions upon Job? Are you considering harming him?  There is no one on earth like him.  Do not lay a finger on him!”

Interpreted this way, this passage actually glorifies God’s goodness rather than slamming His character.

If we continue the examination in verses 11 & 12… “Very well, then, everything he has is in your hands”.  Translated this way infers that Satan is somehow a formidable foe to God.  It infers that God removes His hand of protection and teams up with Satan to inflict hardship on Job.  How can this be when James tells us that “God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone” (James 1:13)

The word “very well then” (Job 1:12) is also translated “behold”.  It is the Hebrew word hinneh, which is better interpreted as “presto” or “check it out!”.  This would indicate God is not bestowing authority on the devil or calling upon him to do His bidding, but rather He is acknowledging the present condition of the situation – the truth of the matter.  It’s as if God was saying “Look, you’re the one with the gun.  You usurped mankind’s authority long ago. For now, you have the legal right to act upon the earth.”

Looking at this passage in this light brings me comfort in knowing that God truly is good and that I don’t have to be conflicted or ever concerned that He takes pleasure in inflicting harm on me for whatever reason.

In case you may be wondering also about a statement made by one of Job’s friends: “He gives and takes away”, let me take a moment here as well.  I get so frustrated each time I hear the popular song that regurgitates this blithering!  God Himself addresses this misconception beginning in chapter 38.  See verses 38:2; 42:7; and 40:8 to read what He says.  Job 40:8 is my favorite – “would you condemn Me in order to justify yourself?”

That’s the question He is asking all of us still today.  Would we, holding on to our traditional concepts of who God is, choose to condemn Him in order to justify our beliefs – or are we willing to press in and discover who He truly is?