Job VIII

Job 1:6-12, “Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them. And the Lord said to Satan, “From where do you come?” So Satan answered the Lord and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking back and forth on it.” Then 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, one who fears God and shuns evil?” So Satan answered the Lord and said, “Does Job fear God for nothing? Have You not made a hedge around him, around his household, and around all that he has on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. But now, stretch out your hand and touch all that he has, and he will surely curse You to Your face!” And the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your power; only do not lay a hand on his person.” So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.”

I’m a voracious reader. I have been ever since I learned English well enough to be able to sit down with a book and understand what the words meant. In every story, regardless of genre, there is an instigating incident that unleashes the conflict, whatever the conflict in question might entail. There is always something that precipitates the confrontation, and this encounter between Satan and God was the flashpoint of the instigating incident in the life of Job.

There are a handful of books in the Bible that are not only humbling but undergird the notion that there are specific events in your life that you can only come out of by going through them. You can’t circumvent them, bow out, or choose not to participate, and oftentimes, they are not of the overflowing with joy and blessing variety.

Aside from the book of Job, the books of Ruth and Esther also confirm a truth we’ve long suspected: Human existence is a journey of ups and downs, joys and sorrows. But as long as God remains our priority, our desire, and our purpose, we will continue to press onward, even when the path gets rocky. Without pressure, there is no growth. Without testing, there is no maturing. Without overcoming and enduring, there is no victory. The life we live is transformative, meaning you are not the same person, have the same thoughts, do the same things, and have the same goals at sixty as you are at fifteen. Life changes you, and nothing changes you more thoroughly than the unexpected, the unforeseen, and the turbulent. This is doubly true when one is born again, receiving the new mind and new heart the Bible speaks of. You cannot be what you once were because you have been transformed.

Specific events in one’s life test one’s character, some their faithfulness, and others still their steadfastness. Then, once in a while, you run across someone like Job, Ruth, or Esther, who have all three tested at once, and you can’t process what they went through or hardly believe that they made it through whole. Not unscathed, not unscarred, not unchanged, but whole, complete, and all the stronger for it.  

It’s human nature to try and avoid hardship. It’s hardwired into us to try and keep from experiencing pain, loss, or hardship. Sometimes, however, no matter how much we try, avoiding these things is impossible. The will of God is sovereign. As such, even Jesus prayed that if it were the Father’s will, and if it were possible, the cup would pass from Him. Jesus concluded His prayer with, “Nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.”

You don’t get to command God. You don’t get to tell Him what to do, what you will accept, and what you will reject as your lot and portion in life because His will will be done whether you submit to it or bristle against it. These are modern-day inventions brought about by men’s overriding desire to be something more than creation and ascend to the position of little gods. The singular desire of their heart is not to obey God but to determine their own fate and see themselves as masters of their destiny. It’s an illusion. At the risk of beating a dead horse, you are not a little god!

True to his nature, Satan’s first instinct when God brought up the topic of Job was to cast doubt on the purity of his worship and infer that there was some vested interest that Job feared God and shunned evil.

No, I didn’t gloss over the sons of God coming to present themselves before the Lord and Satan being among them, but other than the text itself, there isn’t anything else to add without crossing over into the land of supposition and speculation.

What we can infer from the text is that God is not alone in heaven, sitting on His throne, knitting sweaters, and learning to play pinochle. Heaven is a busy place, an animated place, and God is surrounded by His creation.

Who were these ‘sons of God’ the Book of Job mentions? Personally, I believe they were angels or the hosts of heaven. Before anyone suggests that Satan was among the ‘sons of God,’ the Bible makes it clear that although he came among them, Satan was not one of them. The Bible singles him out as being out of place, not belonging, and otherwise different from the ‘sons of God’ who had come to present themselves before the Lord. The term ‘sons of God’ is often used in the Bible to refer to heavenly beings, and in this context, it likely refers to angels or other divine beings. As for Satan, he is a fallen angel, a rebellious creature who was once among the heavenly hosts but was cast out due to his pride and desire to be like God.

The portrait the Book of Job paints of God's habitation is fascinating to ponder. It dispels the idea that there’s nothing going on there except for God waiting patiently to be asked for a favor, likely related to something material. Instead, it presents a dynamic and vibrant scene, with God surrounded by His creation, engaged in the affairs of His heavenly court.

In reading the scene before the instigating incident took place, one gets the feeling that Satan was somewhere he didn’t belong. The sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them. How many sons of God were present is unknown, but what is known from the text is that Satan stood out like a sore thumb. God noticed him among His sons and singled him out. This was not a common occurrence, and we can infer that it was not because he was singled out.  Satan’s presence among the sons of God is not something that happened frequently.

With love in Christ, 

Michael Boldea, Jr.