Cover to Cover Q&A from the book of Job

       At our church we have begun a 42 week series where we will be doing an over-view of all of Scripture from Genesis to Revelation!  Throughout these 42 weeks we are encouraging the people at Bethel to follow the Bible reading plan which will bring us all through the whole Bible chronologically over the next 42 weeks!  Each week at Bethel the texts that we read during the week is what the sermon will be based on.  As a part of this series we are giving people opportunities to ask questions about what they are reading that they would like answered.  So every Thursday on this blog myself, alongside the elders, will seek to answer those questions the best we can!  So here we go for the questions we received on the book of Job.

Questions #1:  Does Satan still appear before God as he did in Job 1:6 and 2:1?  

      As I begin to answer this question want to say that much of what I am going to be writing was as a result of a Christopher Ash's commentary on the book of Job which is fantastic and I highly recommend.  Here is what we do know.  Outside of Job we have at least two other occasions in the OT that are similar to what we see here in Job.  Zechariah 3:1-3 states "Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of  the Lord, and Satan, standing at his right hand to accuse him.  And the Lord said to Satan, 'The Lord Rebuke you, O Satan!  The Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebukes you!  Is not this a brand plucked from the fire?'  Now Joshua was standing before the anger, clothed with filthy garments."  The other place in the OT is in 2 Chronicles 18:18-21, "And Micaiah said, Therefore, hear the word of the Lord:  I saw the Lord sitting on his throne and all the host of heaven standing on his right hand and on his left.  And the Lord said, who will entice Ahab the king of Israel, that he may go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?   And one said one thing and another said another. Then a spirit came forward and stood before the Lord saying, 'I will entice him.'  And the Lord said to him, 'By what means?'  And he said I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouth of the prophets.'  And he said, 'You are to entice him, and you shall succeed; go out and do so.'"
        What we see from these passages is that satan's primary role in this heavenly gatherings when he appears seems to be acting as the accuser.  To accuse the righteous before God.  This might also be going on in Luke 22:31, "Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, the he might sift you like wheat."  However, the question is does satan still appear before God in order to accuse the ones who by faith have trusted in Jesus Christ?  My best guess is, no.  He does not any longer come before God to accuse the Christian.  Why?  Because of the work that Jesus Christ accomplished on the cross to defeat Satan.  Revelation 12:7-12 seems to give this indication that satan's role is no longer accusing the believer before God but instead relegated to roaming the earth seeking whom he can destroy.  You see with Christ in perfect righteousness having defeated satan, sin, and death is now seated at the right hand of God.  We are told that when we trust in Christ alone for our salvation the righteousness of Christ is given to us and therefore there is no longer any accusation that satan can give against us because the perfect righteousness of Christ that has already defeated satan is ours!  That is good news for those who have trusted in Christ.

         Question #2:  Who are the sons of God that come before God in 1:6 and 2:1.  

       These sons of God would seem to be beings who are more powerful than man, but less powerful than God.  Likely to be what we often refer to as angels whom God sends to do His work.  

 As we move through this series please keep the questions coming!  You can ask questions on the connect card attached to your bulletin on Sunday's, by emailing me at joshrobetson52@gmail.com

We certainly don't have all the answers and at times will not be sure how to answer but seek the one who grants wisdom to help us understand what we can.  At the end of the day it is not about having greater knowledge, or to simply know more stuff, it is to know more by which we can continue together to strive to Exalt God's Name, Equip God's People, and Evangelize God's World in our homes, communities, and world.