Judaism and Calvinism both make the same basic theological mistake -- they both believe Satan ONLY does what God expressly commands him to do. Calvinism says Satan is a rabid dog on the Lords taut chain, BUT that he ONLY does what the Lord specifically yanks his chain to do when He sics Satan on those He wrathfully wishes to destroy. Judaism differs only slightly in saying that while Satan is not be a rabid dog, he is certainly an obedient servant angel who ONLY does what the Lord expressly orders him to do. Either way, Satan is seen as the executor of Gods destructive judgments. As THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF JEWISH CONCEPTS by Philip Birnbaum says,Satan...is...identified with the angel of death. He leads astray, then he brings accusations against man, whom he slays eventually. His chief functions are those of temptation, accusation and punishment. Under the control of God, he acts solely with the divine permission to carry out his plots. (Sanhedrin Press, page 594). Rabbi Benjamin Blech similarly writes, Judaism sees Satan as a servant of God whose function is to set up choices between good and evil so that we can exercise our free will.... [His] apparent harshness is merely camouflage for divine concern and love. IF GOD IS SO GOOD, WHY IS THE WORLD SO BAD? Simcha Press, pages 7-9. The point is that Old Testament saints believed Satan was the left hand of God, His angry voice, His official minister of wrath. SO THAT when THEY described the angel of the Lord as committing destructive acts, they were referring to Satan. If we dont allow for their misunderstanding on that point, we will believe in all sorts of horrible things about God. Jesus revealed a God who only gives and protects life and a Devil who only takes and destroys life. John 10:10; Hebrews 2:14. Jesus perfectly knew the difference between Gods works and Satans works. The Old Testament saints often didnt.
Posted on: Mon, 28 Apr 2014 16:12:32 +0000
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