God’s Devil - Part 7: The Serpent is God’s Servant

How much power do we think Satan has? We may think that we cannot give a precise answer to that question but taking a different perspective, we can give a very accurate reply. The devil has as much power as God allows him to have, and no more. We can also begin in our study to understand that his power is overestimated.

The devil is just as much God's servant in rebellion as he was in God's service in his former days of obedience. Even now, he cannot act without God's express permission and he cannot tempt or demonize or make a single plan without the consent and approval of God. 

The devil is God's devil.

He must do the bidding of the Almighty. After his rebellion and his centuries of work trying to make sure the redeemer never arrived, God kept Satan in this world for one reason, which is that he has a God delegated part to play in the Lord's creation, and he will play that part under God's rules, not his own.

God created Lucifer before he became Satan. It was God who cursed the serpent in the garden. It was God who predicted his ultimate defeat and humiliation. It was God who allowed Satan to fight against Christ. It will be God who will supervise the conflict to the end. God has not abandoned His responsibility of being in charge of all creation. We should remember that Hebrews 1:3 clearly teaches us that Christ (God Himself) upholds all things by the word of His power.

We should consider the ways that Satan serves God even now.

Satan is used by God to judge the unconverted. Satan is allowed to cause spiritual blindness throughout the world in the minds of those who will not embrace the good news of the gospel. Paul wrote that our gospel is veiled to those who are perishing in 2nd Cor 4:4:

“In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them”.

Christ taught that the Word of God is like a seed planted in various types of soil.

Mark 4:15:

“... Satan cometh immediately and taketh away the word which has been sown in their hearts.”

This blindness, however, is subject to the will and purpose of God. In the case of those who believe, God overcomes their blindness with the light of the gospel, and there is nothing the devil can do about it. We ourselves can be helpful in this process if we simply will witness to the lost what the Lord has already done for us.

God uses Satan to refine the obedient. Sometimes God chooses the scene of our next battle. We recall that it was God who brought up Job to Satan.  After much discussion God allowed Satan to test Job but did not allow him to touch Job himself. After the first test, Job maintained his faith and integrity. Satan requested permission to harm Job himself and God allowed it but warned Satan that he could not take Job's life. Satan's power was therefore increased but only by God's permission. Here we should be clear in our study that in Job's trial, Satan was the immediate cause but God was the ultimate cause. That is why at the end of the story, Job's friends comforted Job “ for all the evil that the LORD has wrought upon him”. (42:11).

There are cases where Satan chooses the scene of a spiritual battle. When Satan found a weakness in Peter he had to come to Christ to request approval to sift Peter and in Luke 22:31-32, Jesus makes the statement that Satan had demanded to do so. Satan could not approach Peter in this test of Peter's spirit without first gaining permission.

God uses Satan to discipline the disobedient. Sometimes we ourselves choose the scene of the battle. King Saul  had his moments of greatness and humility after God chose him to be the first king of Israel. But when David entered  his life, Saul became eaten up with jealousy. Saul vented his anger at David and even attempted to kill him.

In 1st Samuel 18:10 an evil spirit from God came upon Saul. The demon was sent by God to torment Saul because of his sinful jealousy.

God uses Satan to purify His chosen ones. Paul was given a thorn in his flesh and it is described as a messenger from Satan to buffet him. This thorn was given Paul to keep him from becoming prideful from the blessings God flowed to him. Paul prayed three times to ask that the thorn be removed. God said no, but also told Paul that the grace of God was sufficient for him to deal with it.

God uses Satan with God's own willingness also as part of the temptation battle. God wanted to test Job. Satan wanted to destroy him. God seeks to purify and reconcile us while Satan longs to diminish our fellowship with the Almighty. The devil has to obey God's every command but he is not tasked with obedience to our commands. We have spiritual weapons to stand against Satan (Ephesians 6 / The Whole Armor) but we do not absolutely control the enemy. Paul himself wrote in 1st Thess 2:18 that Satan had hindered his movements. 

We are commanded to undergo spiritual battle in this life but we are not predestined to lose that war.