Satan — A Keen Observer Of The Human Condition

Sometimes we give Satan more credit than he deserves for knowing exactly how to tempt us — when, and with what devices. No passage of Scripture suggests to us that Satan can read our minds or know what is in our hearts. Only God has such insight (cf. Psalm 44:21; Psalm 51:6; Psalm 90:8; Psalm 139:1-4; Ecclesiastes 12:14; Hebrews 4:13).

For example, (1) Satan misjudged the faith of Job, thinking that righteous man would curse God if robbed of his substance and health (Job 1:9-11; Job 2:4-5) — yet Job remained faithful (Job 2:10; Job 13:15); (2) He believed Jesus could be tempted to sin by the desires of His human form and by carnal pride, but Jesus successfully overcame all the temptations Satan presented Him by correctly making application of the inspired Scriptures (Matthew 4:1-11).