Ephesians 1:11 “In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will.”
In a previous section we have seen the very clear biblical truth that God predestines the lives of His creations based on His foreknowledge of them. So does this mean that God predestines every aspect of our lives? The answer to that question is no, for in the above quoted passage of scripture the apostle Paul teaches us that as it relates to predestination, that God works all things according to the counsel of His will. In other words Paul is teaching us that God makes sure that key decisions we make and key events that occur in our lives always steer us in the direction that He has predestined our lives to take. And so it is in these decisions and events that God gets involved, to make sure that we stay on track. In minor decisions and events however God does not get involved, because those decisions and events do not impact the ultimate outcome that God has predestined for our lives. Let me give you an example of a minor decision that God does not get involved in. In the morning when I get dressed I decide what colour shoes I will wear for that day. God does not become involved in that decision and He leaves it entirely up to me to make, and the reason for that is because the colour shoes I wear on any given day has no impact on the direction I take in life. Don’t misunderstand me, because God knows everything He knew from the foundation of the world what colour shoes I would wear on any given day. But because that decision is unimportant, i.e. it has no impact on my direction in life, God did not get involved and I made that decision completely on my own as an act of my free will.
Job 1:12 “And the Lord said to Satan, "Behold, all that he has is in your power; only do not lay a hand on his person." So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.”
Job 2:6 “And the Lord said to Satan, "Behold, he is in your hand, but spare his life.”
The above quoted passages of scripture give us further insight into how God works all things according to the counsel of His will. The context of these passages is that Satan had approached God and asked for permission to act against Job, because he wanted to prove to God that when faced with certain circumstances that Job would curse God. God obviously knew that Job would not curse Him, for God does not allow us to be tempted beyond that which we are able (1 Corinthians 10:13), and so God allowed Satan to act against His servant Job. In the first passage quoted, Satan had asked permission to act against all that Job had, and God gave him permission to do so. But I want you to notice that God placed a limit on Satan’s actions in that He did not allow Satan to touch Job’s physical body. In the second passage quoted, Satan had asked permission to act against Job’s body through sickness and disease, and God gave him permission to do so. But again I want you to notice that God placed a limit on Satan’s actions in that He did not allow Satan to place a terminal illness on Job. And so if you read these two accounts in scripture you will see that on the first occasion Satan killed Job’s children and his servants and either stole or destroyed all that he owned, and on the second occasion Satan placed painful boils all over Job’s body. In all of Satan’s actions however, he acted on his own initiative. In other words God did not instruct Satan to kill Job’s children, but rather that was Satan’s idea, and God did not instruct Satan to put boils all over Job’s body, but rather that was Satan’s idea. And so we see that Satan acted in accordance with his own will, nevertheless within the boundaries set by God. However because God knows everything He knew exactly what Satan would do, and He let that happen because Satan was operating within the boundaries set by God. The reason God allowed Satan to act as he did, was because nothing that Satan did within the boundaries set by God could affect God’s ultimate purpose for Job. And so that same principle is applicable to every one of God’s creations, i.e. God sets boundaries around our lives which He does not allow anyone to step over. Nevertheless He does allow men to act as they desire within the boundaries He sets, and the reason He does that is because He knows that none of those actions will affect God’s ultimate purpose for each one of our lives. So why did God allow Satan to inflict such cruelty on Job? God deals in eternity, and so the brief pain that we experience in this life cannot be compared with the joy we experience in eternity (2 Corinthians 4:17). And so Job is rejoicing in heaven today and has completely forgotten about the pain he endured over those months that Satan attacked him in this life. On the other hand, Satan can look forward to an eternity of pain in the future because of his actions taken against Job. As an aside, the wicked men used by Satan to attack Job, have already entered into an eternity of torment in hell because of their willing complicity in attacking Job.
Michael E.B. Maher
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