A MALICIOUS CHALLENGE

8. Adam and Eve were expected to obey what command, but what happened?

⁸ To remain in God’s favor, Adam and Eve would have to refrain from eating from “the tree of the knowledge of good and bad.” (Genesis 2:16, 17) If they had obeyed Jehovah’s law, there would have been no suffering to mar human life. By obeying God’s command, they would have demonstrated their love for Jehovah and their loyalty to him. (1 John 5:3) But as we learned in Chapter 6, things did not turn out that way. Urged by Satan, Eve ate fruit from that tree. Later, Adam also partook of the forbidden fruit.

10. What insinuations did Satan make regarding humans?

¹⁰ Satan the Devil also insinuated that people would remain obedient to Jehovah only as long as obeying God was to their advantage. In other words, human integrity was brought into question. Satan charged that no human would voluntarily remain loyal to God. This malicious claim by Satan is clearly revealed in the Bible’s account about Job, a faithful servant of Jehovah who underwent a great test sometime before 1600 B.C.E. When you read the first two chapters of the book of Job, you can gain insight into the reason for human suffering and why God permits it.

11. What kind of man was Job, but what charge did Satan make?

¹¹ Job, “a man blameless and upright,” came under Satan’s attack. First, Satan imputed bad motives to Job by raising the question, “Is it for nothing that Job has feared God?” Then, the Devil cunningly maligned both God and Job by charging that Jehovah had bought Job’s loyalty by protecting and blessing him. “But, for a change,” Satan challenged Jehovah, “thrust out your hand, please, and touch everything he has and see whether he will not curse you to your very face.”—Job 1:8-11.

12. (a) What questions could be answered only if God permitted Satan to test Job? (b) In what did Job’s test result?

¹² Was Job serving Jehovah simply because of all the good that he received from God? Could Job’s integrity stand up under test? In turn, did Jehovah have enough confidence in his servant to allow him to be tested? These questions could be answered if Jehovah would permit Satan to bring upon Job the severest of tests. Job’s faithful course under the test allowed by God, as narrated in the book of Job, proved to be a thorough vindication of Jehovah’s righteousness and man’s integrity.—Job 42:1, 2, 12.

13. How are we involved in what happened in Eden and to Job?

¹³ What happened in the garden of Eden and to the man Job, however, has a deeper implication. The issues Satan raised involve all mankind, including us today. God’s name was maligned, and his sovereignty was challenged. The uprightness of God’s creation, man, was called into question. These issues had to be settled.

HOW TO SETTLE THE ISSUES

14. When confronted with a malicious challenge, what might an accused person do?

¹⁴ For the sake of illustration, let us say that you are a loving parent with several children in a happy family. Suppose one of your neighbors spreads lies, accusing you of being a bad parent. What if the neighbor says that your children do not love you, that they stay with you only because they do not know any better, and that they would leave if someone showed them the way. ‘Preposterous!’ you might say. Yes, but how would you prove it? Some parents might react in rage. Besides creating more problems, such a violent response would lend support to the lies. A satisfying way to deal with such a problem would be to allow opportunity for your accuser to prove his claim and for your children to testify that they sincerely love you.

15. How did Jehovah choose to deal with Satan’s challenge?

¹⁵ Jehovah is like the loving parent. Adam and Eve may be compared to the children, and Satan fits the role of the lying neighbor. God wisely did not destroy Satan, Adam, and Eve immediately but permitted these wrongdoers to continue living for a while. This allowed our first parents time to start the human family, and it has given the Devil a chance to prove whether his claim was true so that the issues could be settled. From the start, however, God knew that some humans would be loyal to him and would thus prove Satan a liar. How thankful we are that Jehovah has continued to bless and help those who love him!—2 Chronicles 16:9; Proverbs 15:3.

WHAT HAS BEEN PROVED?

16. How has the world come to be in Satan’s power?

¹⁶ During nearly all human history, Satan has had a free hand to work out his schemes of domination over mankind. Among other things, he has wielded influence over the political powers and has promoted religions that subtly direct worship to him rather than to Jehovah. Thus the Devil has become “the god of this system of things,” and he is called “the ruler of this world.” (2 Corinthians 4:4; John 12:31) Indeed, “the whole world is lying in the power of the wicked one.” (1 John 5:19) Does this mean that Satan has proved his claim that he could draw all mankind away from Jehovah God? Certainly not! While permitting Satan to remain in existence, Jehovah has proceeded to carry out his own purpose.

19. What proof is there that Satan cannot turn all humans against God?

¹⁹ God’s permission of wickedness and suffering has also proved that Satan has not been able to turn all mankind away from Jehovah. History shows that there have always been individuals who have remained faithful to God no matter what temptations or adversities were brought upon them. Over the centuries, Jehovah’s power has been manifested in behalf of his servants, and his name has been declared in all the earth. (Exodus 9:16; 1 Samuel 12:22) Hebrews chapter 11 tells us about a long line of faithful ones, including Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, and Moses. Hebrews 12:1 calls them ‘a great cloud of witnesses.’ They were examples of unwavering faith in Jehovah. In modern times too, many have given their lives in unbreakable integrity to God. By their faith and love, such individuals prove conclusively that Satan cannot turn all humans against God.

WHAT WILL YOU DO?

22. (a) What questions must you face? (b) Though Satan vents his wrath on those faithful to God, of what can they be certain?

²² Knowing the issues involved, on whose side will you stand? Will you prove by your actions that you are a loyal supporter of Jehovah? Since Satan knows that his time is short, he will do all he can to vent his wrath on those who want to keep integrity to God. (Revelation 12:12) But you can look to God for help because “Jehovah knows how to deliver people of godly devotion out of trial.” (2 Peter 2:9) He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear, and he will make the way out so that you are able to endure temptations.—1 Corinthians 10:13.