But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face. And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the LORD.
//Ever play that kid’s trick on your little brother, where you say “Bet you five cents I can hit you softer than you can hit me!” So, he brushes your shoulder with a gentle little fist-kiss, and when your turn comes you haul off and whack him silly. “Oops, guess you won, here’s your nickle.”
Take the story of Job, and the friendly little wager between God and Satan. God, with all his foreknowledge, hardly needs to run a contest to find out what Job will do. God knows before he begins who’s gonna win this bet. And Satan’s no dummy either, I don’t think; he surely knows God can see the future. He knows he doesn’t have a ghost of a chance in this bet.
So who’s playing who? It sure seems to me that God gets played. Satan gets to torment Job all he wants, with God’s blessing, and never offers so much as an apology. Not even an “Oops, here’s your nickle.”
The novel, “The Book of Joby,” by Ferrari, Mark J., is based on your premise.