1 Corinthians 10:13
No temptation has overtaken you except what
is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted,he will also provide a way out so that you can
endure it.
James 1:13
When tempted, no one should say, “God is
tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone.
1 Cor. 10:13 says that we will not be tempted beyond what we can bear. James 1:13 says the temptation does not come from God.
When reading the book of Job, some questions arise when taking into account the two verses mentioned above.
Job 1:12 The Lord said to Satan, “Very
well, then, everything he has is in your power, but on the man himself do
not lay a finger.”
This verse is in correspondence with 1 Cor.10:13 and James 1:13. Job will not be tempted beyond what he can bear, and it will not be God tempting him.
Then in verse 16, this is being said:
16 Another messenger came and said, “The fire of God fell from the heavens and burned up the sheep and the servants, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!”
If this fire truly came from God, it would violate what is being said in James 1:13. Is the messenger here mistaken?
Also, the servants are being killed here, but were they predestined to die due to Satan’s plan with Job? Does it then count as temptation? Nobody can bear death, does this violate 1 Cor. 10:13?
17 While he was still speaking, another messenger came and said, “The Chaldeans formed three raiding parties and swept down on your camels and made off with them. They put the servants to the sword, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!”
18 While he was still speaking, yet another messenger came and said, “Your sons and daughters were feasting and drinking wine at the oldest brother’s house, 19 when suddenly a mighty wind swept in from the desert and struck the four corners of the house. It collapsed on them and they are dead, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!”
What is the source behind this mighty wind? Ephesians 2:2 tells us that Satan is the ruler of the power of the air, but does this mean this wind comes from Satan? If so, then they are also being killed because of the plan Satan has for Job.
Job does not suffer beyond what he can bear, from his perspective it is okay. But from the perspective of his servants, his sons and daughters, they died for the plans Satan had with Job. What they encountered, were they tested/was it temptation? If so, were they being tested beyond what they could bear?
20 At this, Job got up and tore
his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship 21 and said: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and
naked I will depart.
The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.”
Was Job here mistaken?
22 In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing.
Verse 21 says that God has taken away, and verse 22 says God was not charged with wrongdoing. From Jobs perspective, if God was behind this, what he seems to suggest in verse 21, then was this not a violation of James 1:13?