Across the Bible, there are three points that jump to my mind where the devil (Satan) engages in dialogue in the historical record. This is not about his presence in the future as in the Book of Revelation or in the abstract where he is discussed.
The big one here in the New Testament is this interchange, our Supernatural Duel. Jesus versus the Devil. Temptations galore. Well, it is not exactly theological "Wrestlemania", but it is almost a rite of passage for Jesus. I believe we can gain clarity by looking at the two places in the Old Testament where Satan is a character in the narrative.
The first is in the book of Genesis, chapter 3. Satan appears in the form of a serpent and fools Adam and Eve into eating from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. In Eden, this was the only tree forbidden them to partake from. The serpent appears to Eve, spins his tale and "she took some of its fruit and ate; and she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate."
The second is in the book of Job, chapters 1-2. There is a 'heavenly council' and Satan, in the role of 'the accuser' is granted permission to rip Job's life down to nothing in order to get Job to 'curse God and die'.
The common thread is the presence of Satan to tear down the faithful.
That is not to say that the stories do not draw so many other questions. Like in Job, why would God do that? Does Satan really have permission to be in the 'heavenly council'? What's it all about? My favorite question is "Who got a human into that meeting to let the rest of us know about it?" These questions pull us from what Satan is doing, trying to destroy the faith of Job.
As much as the questions that this "heavenly council" raise in Job, the question that distracts me is from Genesis, What does it even mean that they 'walked with God' in the cool of the Garden?
But unlike Job, the couple fall.
SIDEBAR-A "What Bugs Me Moment": For any male out there who would like to lay off the sin and the blame on 'the wife', on the woman, read the text carefully. Adam was there and did nothing. Later, he would try to save his own skin by blaming Eve-and God for creating Eve. Looking at the history of sin, I believe that more evil, destruction, death, and horror have come from the sin of blaming others than the sin of disobeying God. Disobey God, own the disobedience, and Jesus forgives us. Blame somebody else? Deny ourselves that forgiveness.
These two passages foreshadow what happens to Jesus. Satan shows up in an attempt to bring Him down, as before. This time, it's kind of a combination of the two accounts in the Old Testament. On the one hand, it repeats the pattern of the Fall of Humanity. Satan is present and questioning Jesus, challenging him and tempting him. But this time humanity, in Jesus, stands firm. Would be like Eve or Adam simply looking at the snake, "God said 'not that tree' and that's good enough for me."
From the Job account, the challenge is in the heavenly council. Job is the uninformed victim of it all. But Jesus is absolutely informed as to what Satan is going to do. Jesus knows that what happened to Job is going to happen to him, and worse. For Job's life was spared. The life of Jesus was not. He was faithful unto death, even death on the cross. But then His life was given back to Jesus.
That's what is in it for us. Satan seeks to undermine our faith. But, in Jesus, it will not destroy us. Because of Jesus, in the end, all will be restored to us and we will be made new.
Peace,
Pastor Peter
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