The coronavirus pandemic is proving something of a conundrum for many Christians. Is it of God, is it of Satan, or is it best to remain uncommitted in this regard? It was after being presented with the view that because of its nature Covid-19 must be a work of Satan, I realised that suggesting that the Devil can do whatever he wishes implies that the Lord is not sovereign.

We can learn a surprising amount from Scripture about the relationship between God and Satan, and recently I have written at length¹ about several of the passages concerned. Here I summarise the key points to encourage Christians to know that whatever difficulties lie ahead, the Lord is in control just as he was over the great destructive cataclysm we know as the Flood (Ps 29).

Keeping Satan in his Proper Place

Much of the confusion arises from how most Christians think about Satan. Thinking simply in terms of ‘natural’ or ‘supernatural’, we place him in the latter category and therefore consider him to be almost equal to God. The Bible, however, distinguishes between Creator and created, which places the Devil and all his angels below God, and much closer to ourselves than commonly thought.

Quoting Psalm 8, the writer of Hebrews reminds readers that our Father created mankind “a little lower than the angels” (Heb 2:5-9; Ps 8). However, we were created in the image of God (Gen 1), a privilege not granted to the angelic spirits.

It is common to hear Christians undergoing difficulty saying that the Devil is ‘having a real go’ at them. My usual response is to refer them to the census taken by King David, and the differing accounts in 2 Samuel 24 and 2 Chronicles 21. In the first, we read “Again the anger of the Lord was aroused against Israel”, whilst in the second we are informed, “Now Satan stood up against Israel”. Though the difference in emphasis can be understood by appreciating the prophetic nature of the earlier account and the priestly purpose behind the latter, that alone does not resolve the apparent contradiction. Is it possible that both assertions might be true?

Divine Permission to Deceive

We are offered further insight by another incident recorded in 1 Kings 22 and 2 Chronicles 18. Jehoshaphat, King of Judah, had entered an alliance with Ahab, King of Israel. Ahab sought to persuade Jehoshaphat to join him in rebelling against the King of Syria. When Jehoshaphat suggested they should seek the Lord, 100 prophets spoke with a united voice predicting success. However, the King of Judah was still unconvinced and asked for ‘a prophet of the Lord’ to be consulted. Ahab said he hated one such – Micaiah – “because he never prophesies good concerning me, but always evil.”

Initially, Micaiah agreed with the other prophets, but even Ahab knew he was being dishonest. When he then spoke the truth, Ahab rejected his warning, which caused Micaiah to detail events in the court of Heaven. The key point from his account is that the Lord had decided it was time to end Ahab’s reign, and asked for a volunteer to bring this about. The successful applicant promised to “be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.” Granting permission to this spirit, God also confirmed that he would succeed.

Satan’s hand is limited; he can do only what he is permitted and no more.

From Fear to Faith

There are similar courtroom scenes in the opening two chapters of Job. This time it is Satan himself who argues with God. When presented with the Lord’s confidence in Job, Satan accusingly contended that Job was only righteous because God had been good to him. On both occasions our Father appears to have succumbed to the taunts, but in fact Satan ended up doing God’s will. It is therefore important to recognise that at each stage Satan’s hand was limited; he could do only what he was permitted and no more.

Importantly, Job responded with faith to Satan’s attacks. It is recorded that in his reaction to the first onslaught, “Job did not sin nor charge God with wrong.” When his health was taken away Job resisted his wife’s advice with, “Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?” Scripture assures us that, despite his tribulations, “Job did not sin with his lips.”

Biblical illustration of Book of Job.In chapter three we discover why the Lord permitted Job to be tested. He confesses, “For the thing I greatly feared has come upon me, and what I dreaded has happened to me.” Have you ever stopped to consider what Job feared? In the first chapter we read that whenever Job’s adult children held a feast, afterwards he would religiously offer sacrifices on their behalf, in case “my sons have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.”

In the final chapters of the book, the Lord speaks to Job directly. When first invited to respond to God’s questions, Job has little option but to humble himself, “Behold, I am vile; what shall I answer You?” God questions him further, before inviting his response once again. It is here that Job finally recognises what he lacked previously. His humble response concludes, “I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees You. Therefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.”

Through his suffering Job moved from a place of only knowing about God to knowing him personally. His fear was ousted by a deeper confidence in his God and Redeemer (Job 42:1-6, 19:23-29). This, it seems, was the Lord’s purpose in granting Satan permission to inflict pain and loss on Job.

Have you ever wondered why the Devil would be so willing to do God’s work for him – why an evil spirit would volunteer to lie, that his will might be done?

Pride Came Before the Fall

There is no direct account of Satan’s initial rebellion in the Bible. However, two passages provide some indirect insight: Ezekiel 28 and Isaiah 14. Both contain prophetic words to earthly rulers, but both also clearly describe an angelic being who swelled up with pride, seeking to exalt himself to “be like the Most High.”

The Lord’s response to the ambition of this “cherub who covers” is found in Ezekiel’s lament. The Creator said to the created, “I brought fire from your midst; it devoured you, and I turned you to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all who saw you.” It does not sound as though the Lord had a great struggle to overcome this proud angel – no fight of near equals here. Instead, what devoured this rebellious spirit was the fire which was already within him; God simply drew it out of his inner being and let it do its work.

It’s also in Ezekiel, where we read that this majestic spirit was “in Eden, the garden of God.” This explains why he was present to deceive Eve through the serpent’s words (Gen 3; 2 Cor 11:1-4; 1 Tim 2:8-15). Have you ever wondered why the Lord permitted him to stay around the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil? Didn’t our God have the authority to eject Satan from Eden? Of course he did. But the Lord had a purpose in allowing Satan to test Adam. Unlike Job, Adam turned away from God and, in so doing, brought sin and death into Creation (Rom 5:6-21; 1 Cor 15:20-26).

Neither the Fall, nor Calvary, nor any coronavirus, could ever happen without the permission of our sovereign Creator.

Calvary Was Always the Godhead’s Intention

Finally, we should consider our Father’s response to Adam’s rebellion. Though the serpent heard the first prophecy concerning the Messiah (Gen 3:14-15), it appears that Satan’s pride prevented him from believing it. No doubt he thought he had outsmarted his Creator when he manipulated Jews and Gentiles to cooperate in killing his Son. Paul assured the Corinthians that if “the rulers of this age” had understood the wisdom of God, “they would not have crucified the Lord of glory” (1 Cor 2).

Unlike the first Adam, Jesus the last Adam prayed thus when faced with the greatest test of his incarnation: “Nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done” (Luke 22). He knew it was his Father’s will that he should die to provide a covering for the rebellion of others. Peter wrote that believers are redeemed, “with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world” (1 Pet 1).

Neither the Fall, nor Calvary, nor any coronavirus, could ever happen without the permission of our sovereign Creator. Many today are sensing the Holy Spirit is warning believers to prepare for more troubles ahead. Whatever these are, we will need to remember that Satan is not a free agent, but remains a minister of our Heavenly Father (Heb 1:5-14).

As one writer has expressed it,² the Lord keeps Satan on a leash!

References

1 Is Our God Not Sovereign? Amen.org.uk.

2 Franks, N. The Supernatural Glory Of God in a Single Gnat. Firebrand Notes.

Scripture quotes from the NKJV.