'Give the Devil His Due': The Satanic Agenda and Social Justice in the Book of Job

In this article the status of the Joban satan is revised in connection to the Divine Wager. The broadened scope of the wager sees a test of Job's and the Friends' fear of God in the sense of self-conceit about God's will for genuine social justice. Is it obscured by presumption of grace and the 'Just World' delusion? The disillusionment of this self-conceit in the God speeches paves the way for repentance and restoration in the Epilogue. Thus the Joban satan is seen as adopting a more central role which is more consistent with that of a primary character. Fear of God, in connection to God's will for social justice, is seen as a major unifying theme in the overall composition.