Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them. The LORD said to Satan, "From where have you come?" Satan answered the LORD and said, "From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it." And the LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?" Then Satan answered the LORD and said, "Does Job fear God for no reason? Have you not put a hedge around him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. But stretch out you have and touch all that he has, and he will curse you to your face." And the LORD said to Satan, "Behold, all that he has is in your hand. Only against him do not stretch out your hand." So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD.
This is bizarre. Satan and God have a dialogue like they are very polite political enemies. Then God gives up one of his most faithful followers to the mercy of Satan. And again we see Job being called blameless. Let's consider what that means for a moment.

He definitely isn't totally perfect in the sense that we usually understand it, as even later in the book Job repents after God speaks to him a second time:

"I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted. 'Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?' Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know. 'Hear, and I will speak; I will question you and you make it known to me.' I heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you; therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes."

Clearly in contrast to God, Job still fails miserably, as we all do. Although he was a blameless man relative to other men, he still falls short significantly of the measure that God sets for us all, and he knows he needs a redeemer.

So why does God allow Satan to wreak havoc upon Job? God seems to take Job's immediate health and happiness pretty lightly. I think that is true to some extent. Although God doesn't take it lightly, he does think little of it with regard to what is to be gained by Job's suffering. I have often thought about the consequences of God's allowance (or bringing about) of suffering. I have also heard of the phrase: the ends doesn't justify the means, and how terrible it is to allow a likely end to justify a horrible means. But I think that statement doesn't apply to someone who has a perfect foreknowledge of what is to come, and a perfect understanding of the full consequences of His and others actions. I am getting a little technical here, but it's helpful to consider it for a moment, before going back to the scripture and reading it again.

God fully understands the consequences of our suffering (and even knows what it feels like, see Jesus's life) so he has the full right to put us through that suffering in order to bring about an even greater end, of which he has total certainty (unlike us, planning imperfect). So what was so great about Job's suffering? At least two great things, maybe more. God's glory through Job's faithfulness, Job's ultimate happiness. In addition there is the redemption of his friends, and our benefit from learning of it and reading it. Maybe we'll get to discuss them more later in the book. That's all for now.

All Bible quotations are from the ESV.