Joshua,

Job is a wonderful book, full of insight into the mighty control of our God, even over the terrible events that happen in the lives of His saints. You asked if the end result of Job’s conversation with God is with the Lord essentially telling Job, “How dare you question me?” Yes, this is what I believe is happening. God is the Creator of all things, including events that occur in time and space. He ordains everything for the betterment of His people; the good and the evil.

You said, “If it is, then I really don't understand Job accepting God's Authority.”

God has ultimate authority. He is the ruler over everything that exists, so Job accepting this fact was wise on his part =).

You continued, “I mean, God allowed Satan to take everything from him, and offers no direct reasons why.”

Being the sovereign over all creation, God does not have to answer to us … for anything. In fact, we only know what God allows us to know about His purposes. Otherwise, it is kept hidden from us (Deut 29:29).

The lesson from the book of Job is that the Lord gives, and the Lord takes away. But whether He gives or takes away, we are to bless His name. Job 1:20-22, “20 Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head, and he fell to the ground and worshiped. 21 He said, "Naked I came from my mother's womb, And naked I shall return there. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away. Blessed be the name of the LORD." 22 Through all this Job did not sin nor did he blame God.” (NASB).

All good things come from God’s hand, and all these things we do not deserve. Therefore, how can we complain when the Lord takes back what was from Him? If we received what we deserve we would face God’s judgment and then sent to Hell for all eternity to be punished for our sins. But thank the Maker of all that He has chosen to demonstrate His mercy on a great multitude of guilty sinners. This is why Job did not blame God when God used Satan to take away His family, possessions and health. Job did not originally deserve the blessings from God’s hand, so what right did He have to complain, much less to question the wisdom of God in purposing what He purposed to happen?

While we do not always know the reasons behind why God is doing something, we must remember the promise of God that He does everything for the good of those that love him (Romans 8:28).

I hope this was of help to you. Please let me know if you have any further questions on this subject, or if there is anything I can help you with.

Because of the sovereign rulership of our God,
Casey “Rusty” Ryan
AOMin