Though He Slay Me I Will Hope In Him

Satan, the mighty adversary of both God and mankind is permitted to do his fiendish work. He is even allowed to confront the Almighty. Listen.

The LORD said to Satan, "From where have you come?" 

Satan answered the LORD and said, "From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it." 

And 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, who fears God and turns away from evil?" 

Then Satan answered the LORD and said, "Does Job fear God for no reason? Have you not put a hedge around him (Ps. 34:7) and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. But stretch out your hand and touch all that he has, and he will curse you to your face."   

And the LORD said to Satan, "Behold, all that he has is in your hand. Only against him do not stretch out your hand." 

So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD.—Job 1:7-12 ESV 

The apostle said this about Satan:

Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. —1Pe 5:8 ESV

Sculptured lion at Arban, ancient Babylonia

Ancient Lion. PALESTINE in ancient times contained many lions, but at present they are not found in that country, but exist in the desert on the road to Egypt. They abound on the banks of the Euphrates, between Bussorah and Bagdad, and in the marshes and jungles near the rivers of Babylonia. The lion of Israel was in all probability the Asiatic variety, described by Aristotle and Pliny as distinguished by its short, curly mane, and by being shorter and rounder in shape, like the sculptured lion found at Arban. It was less daring than the longer-maned species ; but when driven by hunger, it not only ventured to attack the flocks in the desert in the presence of the shepherd, but laid waste towns and villages, and devoured men. The engraving represents a lion slain by the shepherds in his attack upon their flocks. - Animals, Birds, Insects, And Reptiles Of The Bible

Satan is compared to this fearful animal. He and his minions roam about seeking to destroy our faith and thus to devour us. Why does God permit such things to happen?

Oswald Chambers put the wrestling before God this way:

Always make a distinction between God’s perfect will and His permissive will, which He uses to accomplish His divine purpose for our lives. God’s perfect will is unchangeable. It is with His permissive will, or the various things that He allows into our lives, that we must wrestle before Him. It is our reaction to these things allowed by His permissive will that enables us to come to the point of seeing His perfect will for us. “We know that all things work together for good to those who love God…” (Romans 8:28)— to those who remain true to God’s perfect will— His calling in Christ Jesus. God’s permissive will is the testing He uses to reveal His true sons and daughters. We should not be spineless and automatically say, “Yes, it is the Lord’s will.” We don’t have to fight or wrestle with God, but we must wrestle before God with things. Beware of lazily giving up. Instead, put up a glorious fight and you will find yourself empowered with His strength.

So we now follow Job as he wrestles with what the LORD permitted in his life. He wrestles with his illness, the death of his children, the loss of his wealth, his wife,  his so-called friends and ultimately with the LORD God Himself. 

We have much to learn from this great man of faith who said, 

"Though he slay me, I will hope in him; yet I will argue my ways to his face." -Job 13:15 ESV