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  • From: Harold Holmyard <hholmyard AT ont.com>
  • To: b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] Answer to Harold part 1: b-hebrew Digest-angels
  • Date: Tue, 05 Sep 2006 17:10:30 -0500

Dear Shoshanna,


I don't understand why you use the word 'inspire'.




HH: Thanks for answering my first question. It's good that you don't think God promotes moral evil. Satan is an evil being who contradicts God when God points out Job's righteous character. He wants to inflict evil on Job simply in hopes that Job will curse God. The Lord put Job in Satan's power to prove Satan wrong. God did not exactly give permission to Satan to inspire crimes. Why do I use the word "inspire"? It is because the narrative makes it clear that the actions on earth that follow Satan's leaving God's presence are steps Satan takes indirectly to try to cause Job to curse God. So he was behind the Sabeans attacking Job's servants and flocks. He was behind the fire falling from heaven and burning up the sheep and servants. He was behind the Chaldeans attacking the camels and killing the servants. He was behind the wind from the wilderness that destroyed Job's children.
HH: It should be plain that this is what is happening, for God has just given Job into Satan's power, and what Satan wanted to do was cause God to hurt Job:

Job 1:11 But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face.
HH: God gives Job into his power, and Satan starts touching all Job has by his angelic power. This is his idea, not God's, and God allows it to prove in the end that Satan is wrong: Job really is righteous, does not curse God, and has a genuine loyalty to God even with all his goods and family destroyed (except his wife, who acts disloyally).

HH: But God does not tell Satan to bring about murder. That is Satan's idea. It is evil, and God hates murder, so we know it does not come from God. Satan has a free will that he uses in contradiction to God's good will, even if he acts with a certain divine permission.

HH: You may not have noticed my second question below:

HH: Also, what is your interpretation of the "sons of God" in Genesis
6:2? Who do you think they are?

Yours,
Harold Holmyard







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