Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came also among them. Job 1:6 KJV

Job is the oldest book of the bible. In fact, it is over four hundred years older than Genesis. We do not know who wrote Job. But, in antiquity, authors often referred to themselves in the third person. Therefore, there is a strong possibility that Job wrote the account himself. This is a sensible assumption as Job would remember his words and story better than anyone else. Given the detailed nature of the book, it is likely that Job or at least a first hand witness of his suffering created the record.

The first five verses of the book introduce the reader to Job. We learn of Job’s upstanding nature and his fear of God. Further, the author reveals that Job had seven sons and three daughters. In addition, we learn of Job’s great wealth. After the author describes the family custom of feasting on their birthdays and Job’s custom of making atonement sacrifices to the Lord for his children, the author shifts his focus to an event in heaven where the sons of God present themselves before the Lord. 

From verses six through twelve, the narrative describes an interaction between Satan and God. In the exchange, God praises the virtue of Job. On the other hand, Satan challenges God. He charges that Job would not fear and serve God if the Lord did not protect and prosper him. Interestingly, God gives Satan authority over all things Job possessed but stipulated that Satan not lay a finger on Job himself. 

The Holy and the Fallen Angels

It is generally accepted that the sons of God refers to angels in this passage. However, there is some controversy as to whether these are holy angels or the fallen angels who serve Satan. Although Jesus Christ is the only begotten, meaning born of a woman, Son of God, scripture denotes angels as sons of God ten times in the bible. Here, it appears that the sons of God are the fallen angels who rebelled with Satan against our Creator. 

The reasoning behind this assertion is that the text indicates that the “sons of God” presented themselves to God that day. The loyal, holy angels of God are always in his presence. Therefore, many biblical scholars make the case that, in this instance, “sons of God” is a reference to the fallen angels. Further supporting this notion is the fact that Satan came with them. 

In addition to this, the narrative includes Job’s reasoning for offering burnt sacrifices to the Lord. As we read in Job 1:5, “It may be that my sons have sinned, and renounced God in their hearts. WEB” This is the first prophetic vision of Christ as high priest and the final atonement sacrifice for forgiveness of sin as Job intervenes as high priest for the sins of his sons. This too indicates that the sons of God may well refer to those angels who willfully sinned against God.

Yesterday’s Devotional: Christ Jesus