So went Satan forth from the presence of the Lord, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown.
—Job 2:7
The veil that hides the unseen world is lifted for a moment in the mysterious history of Job. We see in it the temptations peculiar to sickness, and how Satan makes use of them to dispute with God, and to seek the perdition of the soul of man. God, on the other hand, seeks to sanctify it by the very same trial. In the case of Job, we see, in God’s light, where sickness comes from, what result it should have, and how it is possible to be delivered from it.
Where does sickness come from? Opinions on this point differ vastly. Some hold that it is sent from God; others see it as the work of the Wicked One. Both are in error, as long as they hold their view to the exclusion of that held by the other party, while both are in the right if they admit that there are two sides to this question. Let us say, then, that sickness comes from Satan, but that it cannot exist without the permission of God. On the other hand, the power of Satan is that of an oppressor, who has no right to attack man, but whose claims on man are legitimate in that God decrees that he who yields himself to Satan places himself under his domination.
The history of Job illustrates this. His friends accused him, unjustly, of having committed sins of exceptional gravity, which caused his terrible suffering. This was, however, not the case, since God Himself had borne him witness that he was “perfect and upright, one that feared God and eschewed evil” (Job 2:3).
But in defending himself, Job went too far. Instead of humbling himself before the Lord, and recognizing his hidden sins, he attempted in all self-righteousness to justify himself. It was not until the Lord appeared to him that he came to say, “I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes” (Job 42:6).
If only the sick in our day understood that God has a distinct purpose in permitting their chastisement, and that as soon as it is attained—as soon as the Holy Spirit leads them to confess and forsake their sins and to consecrate themselves to the service of the Lord—the chastisement will no longer be needed. The Lord can and will deliver them! God makes use of Satan as a wise government makes use of a jailer. He leaves His children in his power for the given time only. After that, His will is to associate us with Christ, who has conquered Satan, withdrawing us from his domination by bearing our sins and sicknesses for us.