And there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before Jehovah; and Satan came also among them.
So far the book has stayed on earth, with Job and his household. This verse lifts the veil on a scene Job never saw: a gathering in heaven where his name comes up, and where his accuser is standing in the room.
Without this scene the disasters that follow make no sense. Heaven is watching what happens on earth.
To teach such a lesson, the veil is lifted for us on a higher scene. Earth is the stage where the godly man is tested. And the sight of a saint watched by angels is not only a later thing, true of apostles and others; it was already true then.
Some treat this heavenly scene as poetic decoration. Commentators answer that poetry and truth are not opposites here.
The book is a magnificent piece of poetry, told in a vividly dramatic form. That does not in the least mean it is any less true. In God's word poetry must be truth, and nothing is grander than these great dramas. The setting is heaven and earth, and those taking part are God, the angels, Satan and man. There is no room for invention here, because the truth is grander than anything men can imagine.
Scripture also calls believers sons of God, so the question matters here. The answer starts with heaven itself.
Heaven as a place is not fiction. There is an uncreated heaven where God's throne and dwelling place have always been. From this passage we may gather that there are certain times when all who live in heaven, good and evil, have to gather before the Lord. The expression "sons of God" does not mean believers on earth (a believer's sonship is a New Testament truth), but supernatural beings, the angels. According to this book, these sons of God shouted for joy at the hour of creation (38:7).
The title says more about them than that they are spirits. The name set beside theirs points up the difference.
The expression "sons of God" seems to suggest not just a spirit nature, but moral likeness to God as well. The mention of "Satan" in contrast makes this even clearer.
Many read "there was a day" as any random morning. One commentator argues the wording points to a set day, and that our English versions miss it.
We have a most remarkable scene, where "the sons of God" came together, we may say, to pay their homage to God Himself in heaven. You know that "the sons of God" serve as messengers. Here we get a very vivid view of one particular day when they came — the day, not merely a day. Neither the Revised Version nor the Authorised Version has it, but that is the word intended.
Most people picture the devil locked away below in fire. This verse shows him somewhere else, and Scripture sets a limit on how long that lasts.
This scripture corrects our ordinary views of Satan. Though he is morally fallen, he still has access into God's presence, and can still present himself along with the "sons of God." He is far from being shut up in hell, or even confined to earth. We see this shameless rebel taking his place there as though it were still his right. The time is coming, and soon, when he will be cast out of heaven down to earth (Rev. 12:7-12). He will stay there only a short time, and then be bound a thousand years in the bottomless pit (Rev. 20:1-3).
Does standing among the sons of God make Satan one of them?
The sons of God here in Job 1:6 appear to be unfallen angels, for fallen angels are not sons of God. Satan came among them, though not one of them.
Why does God let the accuser stand there at all? The answer given is not that God is careless, but that He is patient and has a longer purpose.
How great is the patience of God! He has put up with Satan's spite and scheming through all the sad centuries of fallen man's history. He even let him tempt our first parents while they were still innocent. He lets him make his accusations and hints that there is no good, right before His very face. But God allows it all to bring out lessons for eternity. Satan is certainly heaping up more wrath for himself, and meanwhile his very malice can only serve God's righteous purposes of blessing.
- Lifted. The veil lifts on a higher scene: earth is the stage, and a tested believer is a spectacle to angels.
- Summoned. This is no random morning. The sons of God come on the appointed day to present themselves before the Lord.
- Angelic. These sons of God are not believers on earth but the angels who shouted for joy when the world was founded.
- Admitted. Satan is not shut up in hell; he still has access to God's presence, until the day God casts him out of heaven.
- Permitted. God's patience lets the accuser speak to His face. That very malice ends up serving His purposes of blessing.
And Jehovah said to Satan, Whence comest thou? And Satan answered Jehovah and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.
The scene shifts from Job's home to God's presence, where Satan appears among the angels. His opening question draws out where this enemy is, what he does, and who is in charge.
God is not asking for information. He is bringing the matter into the open, as He did in Eden:
"The LORD said to Satan, 'From where have you come?'" He would bring it out. Of course, God did know. But here, as in Genesis, we are in those early days when God dealt with people as with children. He brought things out plainly for those who needed the plainest truth. So we see Him elsewhere coming down to look after man. He knew perfectly well without calling after him in the garden of Eden; but it is for us that He reveals it in this way.
His own answer settles a question people still get wrong — he is not locked away somewhere:
Popular theology seems vague about where Satan is at present. Some speak of him as if he were already in Hell; others seem to limit his work to the earth. His own words in Job 1:7 are enough to prove that he has not yet been cast into Hell... One thing is certain. Once Satan or any other transgressor goes into Hell, he will never come out again to walk to and fro on the earth. Hell's miserable prisoners will not be allowed to roam about at will.
But moving from place to place is also a confession of limits:
This shows that Satan is not everywhere at once, as God is. Satan can only be in one place at a time, however quickly he may travel. Yet he has many agents, evil spirits, who carry on his wicked work throughout the world... Some have also questioned whether Satan knows our thoughts. Absolutely not! Only God knows the hearts and thoughts of mankind. He alone is omniscient.
What God draws out of him is a life with no rest in it. The contrast could not be sharper:
God speaks with grace in front of everyone. He brings out the restless hatred of the evil one. That hatred stands in contrast with Him who would come down in love to seek the lost. "Come to me," He said in the hour of His rejection, "and I will give you rest." He said it not only untroubled, but in overflowing love. Satan knows nothing of that rest, and neither do the wicked... But here is the enemy of God and man, who knows no rest and shows his unrest in malicious activity.
The verse shows him in God's presence and describes him on earth. He is not a different being in each place:
In this conversation the Lord challenges and Satan accuses. The answer to the first question shows where Satan is carrying on his work. Like the restless raven flying over the endless waters after the flood, he walks about "like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour." In heaven he is the accuser. On earth he is the destroyer. Wherever he is, he is always and only Satan — the enemy of God and of good.
That roaming is not history. It is the world believers live in now, and it shows where he aims:
Though the cross broke the devil's power, he has not yet been thrown into the lake of fire. As a restless and roaring lion he is still "going to and fro on the earth… walking up and down on it" (Job 1:7; Job 2:2). His aim, as always, is to destroy. With God's people his efforts take the form of trying to destroy their faith in God.
Satan speaks here as one summoned and answerable:
Notice the description of Satan: he goes "to and fro in the world," "prowling around, seeking someone to devour." In such times we need great caution. But let God's people feel that this power is only permitted. God limits it, restrains it, and subdues it at His will.
- Question — God asks where Satan comes from. He does not need telling. He brings hidden things into the open for our sake.
- Answer — his reply proves he is not yet in hell, but loose on the earth. A creature who must travel is not everywhere at once, and he cannot read your thoughts.
- Restlessness — the to-and-fro is his character. He knows no rest, unlike the Christ who gives rest to all who come.
- Reach — in heaven he accuses, on earth he destroys, and with God's people his aim is their faith.
- Restraint — the verse that shows him roaming also shows him answering to God. His power is permitted, hemmed in, and held down at God's will.