Job 1:6-12: Satan in Heaven?

Several points arrest our attention as we read this well-known story about the trials of Job. Who are these angels ("sons of God") who come to present themselves before God in Job 1:6? And who is "Satan"? Can he be the same being the New Testament calls by that name? If he is, what is he doing appearing before God? Finally, why does God permit Job to be tested, since the New Testament book of James makes it clear that God tempts no one?

This passage gives us a glimpse of a most extraordinary scene in the invisible world. Its most surprising feature is the presence of Satan, whom we otherwise know as the Prince of Darkness. This seems such an astonishing and unusual event that we are led to think that the Satan of the book of Job cannot be the Satan of later Scriptures. How could he have anything to do with light and the presence of God?

A moment's reflection, however, will show that there is no dichotomy between the Satan of the Old Testament and the Satan of the New Testament. There is profound meaning in representing Satan as appearing before God, for he is thereby designated as subordinate and in subjection to divine control. He cannot act on his own discretion or without any boundaries. He must receive permission from the Sovereign Lord.

It used to be fashionable in scholarship to regard Satan in the book of Job as a creation of the author's fancy, due to the paucity of references to Satan in the Old Testament. Others attributed the origin of a concept of a personage of evil to Persia, perhaps the character Ahriman. But there are no striking similarities between Satan and Ahriman, nor bases for conjecturing a link between them.

Satan is not the phantom of some author's imagination or an import from an ancient Near Eastern culture. Neither is he an impartial executor of judgment and overseer of morality, for he denies everything that God affirms. He has no love toward God and is bent on destroying whatever love he observes, except self-love. He is more than a cosmic spy. He is the accuser of God's people, the destroyer of all that is good, just, moral and right. And he is similarly described in the New Testament.

Who, then, are the "sons of God," referred to as "angels" in the NIV and other translations? This same phrase is used in Genesis 6:2 (though with a different meaning), Psalm 29:1, Psalm 89:6 and Daniel 3:25.

They are called "sons"--thus they are beings that came forth from God and are in the likeness of God. They appear to serve as God's attendants or servants to do his will. One of these creatures withdrew himself from God's love and became the enemy of God and of everything that is holy, righteous and good. This one is now called Satan, because he "opposes," "resists" or "acts as an adversary" to the will of God.

This agrees with 1 Kings 22:19-22, Zechariah 3:1-2 and Revelation 12:7-8, where Satan is pictured as appearing among the good angels. Thus the whole course of redemption as described in the Bible covers the same time in which Satan manifests his enmity to God and during which his damnation is completed. The other "sons of God" are God's angels who do his bidding and thus stand for everything opposite to Satan and his practices.

As for the testings of Job, of course it can be said that God tempts no one. But the tempter, Satan, must receive permission from God to carry out even his work of harassment.

The book of Job is as much about God being on trial as it is about Job being tested. It was God who called Job to Satan's attention. But Satan scoffed, suggesting that Job had his reasons for serving God so faithfully. Job was a special focus of God's love and attention--that's why he served God, charged the accuser.

Though the Lord gave Satan opportunity to do his worst, Job refused to curse God as Satan had anticipated. On that score, Satan lost badly and God was vindicated.

Job did fear and worship God "for nothing." He had not been bribed or promised a certain amount of health, wealth and prosperity if he would serve God completely, as Satan had charged. It is possible for men and women to love and fear God apart from any special benefits, or even when their circumstances are not conducive to faith. Job demonstrated that point marvelously well.