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Job 1:8-11

⁸Then 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." ⁹"Does Job fear God for nothing?" Satan replied. ¹⁰"Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land. ¹¹But stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face."

Job is the earliest of all the literature in the Bible. The book begins by describing Job as the greatest man of the East, and tells us that he was blameless. We know that all have sinned and fallen short of God's glory, so we should consider this to be a statement relative to his culture. However, God commended him as one of the most righteous men upon the earth.

The scene changes to the halls of heaven. Satan (which means the accuser) had been roaming the earth. God brought up the subject of Job and his righteousness. Satan suggested that it was only because of his abundance of wealth and protection from evil that Job acted in a righteous manner. In other words, his heart was not righteous. He was just never sufficiently tempted. Satan suggested that if God took away Job's possessions, he would commit this unpardonable sin of cursing God, "even curse You to your face." The sin that was most feared in that day was cursing God, even if it were not spoken aloud. Heavenly forces are battling over the souls of men.

We can learn many things from this ancient narrative. God does put a hedge about us. Satan was complaining about that because he is the Destroyer. In the spiritual realms you can be sure your adversary is accusing you before God. He must have permission to destroy the possessions of those under God's care. What assurance this should bring us, knowing that the only time the Adversary can get through that hedge is when God permits it. It will either turn us back to God, or it will bring us to a closer walk with Him. It will testify to the heavenly realms that the fallen angels have made the wrong choice.

Remember: You are the subject of a heavenly battle. Stay faithful!