Behind Curtain Number 1

“The Lord said to Satan, “From where have you come?” Satan answered the Lord and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.” (Job 1:7 ESV)

The Book of Job is an Old Testament Book with far-reaching value for all Christians. It is a book to read often and meditate on, for Job's story has so many applications for us. The beginning of the Book of Job sets the stage, telling us what is about to occur and why.

This verse from Job shows the restlessness of evil compared to the serenity of God. Look out your window, and you will undoubtedly see this restlessness in the world. It is a constant search for trouble.

This illustration is first found in Genesis 3, where the serpent seeks out Eve and Adam to deceive them, as Eve puts it. This serpent does not die but continues to grow, as we know it is Satan. The serpent is no longer seen until we reach the Book of Revelation, where this serpent in creation has now grown into a full-blown dragon.

Job, unlike Adam and Eve, was a good and godly man. This is quite a contrast to Satan's restlessness. Job obeyed God, offering sacrifices and following the law of God. God blessed Job for his devotion. The contrast between rest and restlessness is a concept that is theologically important to us. When humans fell in the garden, the rest that God gave them, the peace and fulfillment were taken away. Not just from Adam and Eve but creation itself, the rest of the land, the rest of the brothers, the rest of the family. There was no longer the inherent peace God had given creation. It was the beginning of the spiritual war between good and evil, God and Satan. Abraham Kyper wrote:

“If once the curtain were pulled back, and the spiritual world behind it came to view, it would expose to our spiritual vision a struggle so intense, so convulsive, sweeping everything within its range, that the fiercest battle fought on earth would seem, by comparison, a mere game. Not here, but up there – that is where the real conflict is engaged. Our earthly struggle drones in its backlash.”

Hidden behind this spiritual curtain, the war continues. However, it is possible to regain the peace of God. Job, through his continued devotion to God, survived the trial by Satan and once again held the peace of God. For us in the here and now we can regain the peace of God through our salvation gifted to us by Jesus Christ. I am not a bumper sticker guy, but there is one that speaks the truth: “No God, No Peace, Know God, Know Peace.” There have never been truer words. Without God, we are stuck in a restless, evil world. When we find salvation in Christ, we are removed from this world in spirit and are no longer a part of the confusion, the restlessness, and the evil.

Do you know Christ? If not, there is no time like now; there may be no other time. Ask Christ for salvation, repent your sins, and begin to walk with Him. There lies a peace you cannot put into words.

Grace and Peace!