IS THERE A CONNECTION BETWEEN SATAN AND DISEASE?
By George I. Butler
The above question may excite curiosity, if no higher interest. To those who hold the view so commonly prevalent that Satan is a myth, a creature of the imagination, a mere figure of speech, a personification of evil, of course it would seem absurd to suppose there could be any such connection. But to the student of Scripture who accepts the Bible statements of the personality of Satan as fully reliable, the question is very pertinent. Such will not only recognize the fact that the devil is cunning and malign, but that he is mighty in power, the “prince of this world,” the “god of this world,” whose influence controls kingdoms and empires as the most potent of “principalities and powers, the rulers of the darkness of this world, and wicked spirits in heavenly places,” the great organizer of all the forces of evil which engage in the great controversy against good men and good angels, God and Christ. Such will readily perceive that Satan holds in his hands mighty power, and influences which affect the well being of man in many directions; for he that had the power to take Christ up to the pinnacle of the temple, to show him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, and to hold them before him in such an attractive light as to serve as a temptation to the Son of God, may have the power, within given limits, to affect our bodily strength and bring disease upon us. Let us notice the case of Job. He was an upright man, walking in the counsel of God perfectly, and sharing in his blessing largely; hence his case was presented to Satan as in striking contrast with his own causeless rebellion and terrible moral downfall. To avoid the force of this reproof, Satan claimed that Job’s service was merely for selfish considerations. “Dost Job fear God for naught? Hast thou not made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath?” “But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath,141and he will curse thee to thy face.” God for wise purposes permits Satan to afflict Job, and in the most cunning manner he destroys all that he has in a moment, hoping to crush him under the greatness of the stroke, and make him murmur against God. But Job meekly replies, “The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away: blessed be the name of the Lord.” Satan was foiled. God again presents Job’s case to Satan, and the rebuke is now doubly severe; for Job retains his integrity in the midst of great afflictions, while Satan fell without the slightest cause to justify him. Satan, in his desperation, to avoid the force of this merited rebuke, still claims that Job will curse God to his face if made to endure disease and physical suffering. God permits one more trial of his servant, and Satan smites him from the crown of his head to the soles of his feet with terrible boils. His blood becomes a mass of corruption; the very fountain of life seems putrid, and the servant of God becomes loathsome to his friends and disgusting to himself. From whence came this great physical change in Job? The record distinctly states that it proceeded from Satan. He could go no further than God permitted; but with that permission he had power of himself, in his present state, without God’s giving it to him for the occasion, to corrupt the very fountain of Job’s life. The record does not imply this was anything more than Satan was capable of doing at any other time when permitted of God. It plainly shows that Satan cannot overstep certain limitations that God holds in his own hand, but when these are removed Satan has the power to inflict disease. We next notice Luke 13:11–16. Here was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bowed down, and could in no wise lift up herself. On the Sabbath day, Jesus laid his hands upon her, and she was made completely whole. The ruler of the synagogue complained of Jesus for healing on the Sabbath. Jesus, in vindication of this good act, refers to the common custom of leading their beasts away to water on the Sabbath day, and closes by saying, “And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day?” And the people greatly rejoiced at this good work. Here our Saviour distinctly states that Satan had fastened upon this woman this infirmity, and held her under its power for eighteen long years. We next notice Paul’s case. 2 Cor. 12:1–9. Here he tells us of the remarkable revelations God gave to him, how he was caught away in the spirit to paradise, and heard things which it was impossible to utter, and that these heavenly views were so remarkable that he was in danger of feeling spiritually exalted because of them. To keep him from this, God permitted him to be afflicted. “And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. For this thing I besought the Lord thrice that it might depart from me. And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee; for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” What this special infirmity was with which Paul was afflicted has exercised the ingenuity of many, and probably it is now impossible to tell. Some have thought it was a severe headache; others, near-sightedness; but this is little better than guess-work. That it was some bodily infirmity, some disease, the language plainly implies. He says in Galatians, “Ye know how through infirmity of the flesh I preached the gospel to you at the first. And my temptation which was in my flesh ye despised not nor rejected.” It was something very troublesome to Paul. He besought the Lord to remove it, but he thought it not best to do so. Even the great apostle was in danger of exaltation. It was necessary he should realize his human weakness. It made him feel his dependence on God more. It was absolutely necessary for him to have help from God in order to do the work he was commissioned to do. Hence he sought for it most earnestly. It became a source of glorying with Paul that he received this extra grace from Christ on this account. It was a mark of God’s love for him that he bestowed so much of his blessing upon him, so that even the affliction is turned into a blessing. And yet the affliction itself Paul terms a “messenger of Satan,” sent to “buffet” him. This bodily affliction of Paul’s, as in the other cases noticed previously, comes as a consequence of Satan’s power. I know not how to understand the Scripture language otherwise. It becomes, in view of this, a question of deep interest to man how much of the vast amount of sickness in the world is to be attributed to Satan. Were these exceptional cases? What reason have we to think so? They do not seem to be mentioned as such, but rather as though they were of usual occurrence. Is Satan the author of disease? In one sense he is. All the sickness which ever comes upon the human family is traceable to him; for sickness and death is the result of sin, and sin originated with him. Satan is the cause of disease in another sense. He instigates man to break the laws of nature and of health. He is a rebel against law. And the result of these transgressions of nature’s laws is sickness, pain, wretchedness, death, as well as a terrible deterioration morally. The greater portion of all the sickness ever experienced in the world has resulted from transgressions of physical law directly traceable to Satan’s instigations. The just infliction of the penalty might properly be called a “messenger of Satan,” or being “bound by Satan,” as a consequence of being found on his ground outside of the protection guaranteed of God. These scriptures show that Satan can only go as far as God permits him. When we go beyond his protection, as we do when we transgress the laws of his ordaining, we place ourselves where we are exposed to Satan’s power, and being characterized by great malevolence, he desires to injure and destroy those he cannot fully control. The nature of Satan’s influence is not health-giving, but injurious. Those anciently “possessed” were usually insane. Who can go into an institution for the insane and hear the wild ravings without being forced almost to feel that many are experiencing the effects of Satan’s power, either directly or indirectly? James, when speaking of the prayer of faith saving the sick, connects with it the idea of the forgiveness of sin. True religion is always conducive to health. Heaven is a place of perfect health—not a pain experienced, not a penalty of violated law. The influence of genuine religion tends to restore the mind to cheerful, hopeful health, to avoid brooding over the future because of trust in God, leads us to closely scrutinize the laws of life and live in obedience thereto, and greatly helps to restore to perfect soundness of our whole being, and breaks the power of Satan. Satan holds his grasp upon poor sinful man because he ignorantly or knowingly places himself on forbidden ground. True religion leads to repentance of all known sin, and to that faith which draws the blessing down, and Satan’s grasp is broken. Hence the connection between religion and temperance, the latter being one of the fruits of the Spirit of God. It is to the glory of God that we enjoy perfect soundness of mind and body; then we may fully glorify God in our bodies and spirits which are his.