"The end of Job 2 brings us to a fascinating threshold in the story. Satan seems to have disappeared! Like an arrogant but cowardly cur that tangled with a dog too big for him, he has slunk away tail-tucked, half-growling to save face and half-whining over his injuries. Bullies are cowards at heart, and Satan is the consummate cosmic bully. As far as Satan's own terms are concerned, it would appear the test is over. Twice he promised that, given the opportunity, he could induce Job to curse God. Twice he was dead wrong. The narrative pays him no more attention.
Job 2:7 is the last glimpse we catch of Satan in the entire book. How active he may have remained behind the scenes no one knows. As far as the narrative is concerned, he is irrelevant. He never surfaces in any of the discussions between Job and his friends. Neither God nor narrator stoop to a victory speech. Satan receives the ultimate insult--he is ignored. God is at the beginning and end and center of everything, after all."
--Layton Talbert, Beyond Suffering, page 74
Saturday, October 31, 2009
The Prince of Darkness Grim, We Tremble Not For Him
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2 comments:
Wow, very true. I never even thought about the fact that we don't hear form Satan again. Christ is victorious in the life of Job! Thank you for posting this!
I know what you mean. Even if I had noticed the fact of Satan's very short appearance in the book of Job, its significance was lost on me. I tend to either completely ignore what Satan does or give him too much credit...
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