God, Job, and the Adversary

In both Egyptian and Mesopotamian thinking, the gods were not considered responsible for evil in the world; therefore, the presence or experience of evil did not have to be resolved in reference to the justice of the gods (this in contrast to Israel, where nothing existed totally outside the jurisdiction of God’s sovereignty; i.e., the rest of the gods were contingent, but he was not)…Even in areas where the gods could be held responsible, they, like human judges, may be doing the best to administer justice, but do so imperfectly.

We have suggested above that the gods in the ancient Near East were somewhat relieved of responsibility because their role in the origin of evil was limited, and because they were often only indirectly considered the cause of suffering…In Israel the absence of any source of divine authority other than Yahweh limited the philosophical possibilities regarding the origin of evil and the source of suffering (1 Sam 2:6; Isa 45:7 Job 2:10; Eccl 7:14). There existed no supernatural power alongside Yahweh or outside of Yahweh’s sphere of power. At the same time Yahweh was considered powerful, good, and just.

The scene in heaven shows that, despite the role of the Challenger, God both initiated the discussion and approved the course of action. This again avoids the easy solution that insulates God by inserting an independently wicked intermediary power.

Numerous verses clearly indicate that God is the cause of Job’s suffering:

1:11; 2:5–The Challenger says that God must stretch out his hand to strike Job.

2:3–God indicates that he is the one who has brought Job’s ruin without cause.

16:9–God assails him.

19:21–The hand of God has struck him.

42:11–Job is consoled over all the trouble that Yahweh brought upon him.

No one in the book ever suggests any other agent as the cause of Job’s suffering. When God places Job in the Challenger’s hands (power, 1:12; 2:6), he is not absolving himself of responsibility but delegating authority to the Challenger…he is a subordinate functionary, not an independent power for evil or the ruin of humanity. Anything approaching dualism would let God off the hook too easily; the book does not provide this option. It is trying to give a deeper understanding of God, not to somehow absolve him of responsibility.

J. Walton, The NIV Application Commentary: Job (Zondervan 2012), 39-41, 73, 109.