God allowed Satan to test Job in order to demonstrate the genuineness of Job’s faith and to reveal that true righteousness does not depend on earthly blessings but on a relationship with God Himself. It was also to silence Satan’s accusation and to provide a powerful testimony of faith under trial.
The book of Job opens with a heavenly scene where Satan appears before God:
“Then the Lord said to Satan, ‘Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man…’”
(Job 1:8)
Satan accused Job of serving God only because he was prosperous:
“Does Job fear God for nothing? … But now, stretch out Your hand and touch all that he has, and he will surely curse You to Your face!”
(Job 1:9–11)
God permitted the test, placing boundaries around what Satan could do. First, Satan was allowed to take Job’s possessions and children (Job 1:12–19). Job responded with worship, not blasphemy:
“The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.”
(Job 1:21)
Satan then challenged Job’s integrity again, claiming he would curse God if afflicted physically:
“Skin for skin! Yes, all that a man has he will give for his life.”
(Job 2:4)
God allowed the next phase of testing, again with limits:
“Behold, he is in your hand, but spare his life.”
(Job 2:6)
Job was struck with painful boils, yet he still did not sin:
“In all this Job did not sin with his lips.”
(Job 2:10)
God’s purpose was not to crush Job but to refine and vindicate him. In the end, Job’s faith was strengthened, his understanding deepened, and God’s justice and majesty were displayed.
Job’s testing also serves as a broader lesson for believers. Trials are not always a sign of God’s displeasure. Sometimes they are the furnace in which true faith is proven.
