A young man named Don came to see me for pastoral counseling. As he shared his story, I could sense that he was deeply distressed. As his tale unfolded, I could understand why. Why is God punishing me? Many of us have felt just like Don at one time or another. If we look to Scripture, Lamentations offers one answer.
There are times when God does cause his people grief because of their wrong acts. As Hebrews affirms, God disciplines us so we can become more like him Heb. But the Bible also reveals that sometimes our suffering is not a result of our sin. Consider the example of Job. He suffered greatly, losing his substantial wealth and his family. His friends urged him to admit that it was divine punishment because of his sin, but Job resisted, insisting that he had not deserved his sorrow.
Truly, suffering in general is a result of the brokenness of the world, that which finds its root cause in human sin see Genesis 3. Often, our pain comes from the mere fact that we live in a world that is not what God had intended. Moreover, sometimes it seems true that our difficulties are the result of our own bad choices. In many cases, we will not know the precise reason for our suffering.
On each occasion, Satan is still firmly part of what Kelly calls "God's administration," and his activities are done at the behest of "the Big Guy. Perhaps most surprising is not the figure Satan cuts, but his notable absences in the Old Testament. In the Bible's first reference to Lucifer, for instance, Satan doesn't appear — even by implication, Kelly points out. Originally written in ancient Hebrew, the passage, on face value, refers to the tyrannical Babylonian king who boasts of his conquests but who is "about to be cast to the ground.
Ironically, the only mentions of Lucifer in the New Testament — and there are three of them — refer to Jesus, Kelly said. Another prominent omission in the Old Testament, Kelly said, can be found in Genesis. Kelly traces the correlation of Satan and the serpent to not long after the New Testament was completed. By causing Adam and Eve to fall, Satan caused his own fall. Meanwhile, in passages in Luke, Matthew, Corinthians and elsewhere in the New Testament, Satan continues to act as a tester, enforcer and prosecutor but not as God's enemy, Kelly points out.
Throughout, Satan is someone who works for God. A scene in the New Testament's Book of Revelation is often cited today as evidence that Satan was the deceiver of Adam and Eve, but the interpretation stems from a fundamental misunderstanding, Kelly argues. In addition to linking Satan with the Garden of Eden, the passage from Revelation also has been used to prove that Satan fell early on in the Bible, but Kelly insists that is not accurate.
Similarly, a passage in the Gospel of Luke, when Jesus reports having seen "Satan fall like lightning," has been misinterpreted, according to Kelly.
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More information Privacy policy. This site uses cookies to assist with navigation, analyse your use of our services, collect data for ads personalisation and provide content from third parties. They may practice Satanic rituals or even make Satanic pacts. Devil Worship in the Middle Ages. Loyola University New Orleans. Jewish Concepts: Demons and Demonology. Jewish Virtual Library. Puritans Beliefs on Satan and Witchcraft. Gettysburg College. Access to Insight. The Independent.
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