Deliberate Ignorance
Now there was a day when the [b]sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and [c]Satan also came among them. Job 1:6 NASB
Sons of God – Some authors have made a lot of the idea that there are multiple divine beings in the biblical account. With verses like this one from the book of Job, they propose a supernatural realm populated by celestial persons other than angels, arguing that this “spiritual” realm needs to be acknowledged as a force in our mundane world. They enlist Paul’s description of “principalities and powers in high places,” as if our earthly battles were intermixed with worlds beyond our control. This leads to a popularized assertion that we, as ordinary believers, have been empowered to defeat these celestial, unseen forces “through the mighty blood of Jesus,” or with the enlistment of the Holy Spirit, or some other prayer-naming ritual. You might have heard something like, “I rebuke the Devil in the mighty name of Jesus,” as if we have authorization to command these celestial beings.
By the way, you should notice the two footnotes in the NASB translation of this verse. The first reads, “prob. angels” because the Hebrew phrase is bĕnê ʾĕlōhîm. “The ‘sons of God’ (ʾĕlōhîm) mentioned in Gen 6 are either angelic beings, or rulers, i.e. kings (cf. Ps 82:6), or more likely the godly line of Seth. In contrast to other religions, ‘sons of God’ occurs seldom in the ot–this identical phrase only three other times—and generally signifies heavenly creatures (Ps 29:1 ʾēlîm[with a parallel in 96:7]; Job 1:6 ʾĕlōhîm; 38:7 ʾĕlōhîm) or Israel (e.g. Deut 14:1; 32:19; also 32:8; cf. DSS.”[1] There isn’t much evidence that this phrase should be interpreted as other divine beings.
The second footnote references “Satan.” “Heb ha-satan; i.e., the adversary, and so throughout the ch.” As you may know, ha-śāṭān is the description of the adversary, or the accuser, and not necessarily the divine evil character we find in later religious interpretations. TWOT notes, “The verb śāṭan occurs six times in the ot, often in participial forms for one who bears a grudge or cherishes animosity.”[2] The noun, as we have it here, is used in clearly human terms. “The nominal form śāṭān identifies Solomon’s adversaries (I Kgs 11:14, 23, 25; cf. 5:4; I Sam 29:4). David spoke of his vengeful officer Abishai as a sāṭān (II Sam 19:22 [H 23]).”[3]
However, when it comes to speculation about another celestial realm of beings, the biblical text seems not to care too much about any of this.
“The Bible nowhere denies the existence of the gods; it ignores them. In contrast to the philosophical attack on Greek popular religion, and in contrast to the later Jewish and Christian polemics, biblical religion shows no trace of having undertaken deliberately to suppress and repudiate mythology. There is no evidence that the gods and their myths were ever a central issue in the religion of YHWH. And yet this religion is non-mythological. Fossil-remains of ancient myths cannot obscure the basic difference between Israelite religion and paganism. It is precisely this non-mythological aspect that makes it unique in world history; this was the source of its universal appeal.”[4]
Kaufmann’s point is a good one. What matters in the ancient Hebrew world is not the effects of a cosmic battle between good and evil celestial beings. What matters is how you and I live our lives here and now. The Bible generally ignores all the rest of this speculative picture because, quite frankly, it doesn’t matter! Oh, it matters if you decide to believe the Greco-Roman-Babylonian-Canaanite-Egyptian mythology that occasionally draws a mention in the Hebrew text. Then you’ll end up with the Devil and his minions playing tricks on poor, defenseless humans and wreaking havoc in the world. Then you’ll need spiritual authority to rebuke these evil forces. But you’ll also be sidetracked into viewing the world in comic book style, with truly evil powerful beings pulling the strings until a virtuous, holy personage defeats them. But remember, the Bible isn’t a Marvel Comics creation. It’s probably better to pay attention to what the Bible pays attention to instead of worrying about the role of pagan deities.
Topical Index: Satan, demons, mythology, celestial beings, bĕnê ʾĕlōhîm, Job 1:6
[1] Martens, E. A. (1999). 254 בֵּן. R. L. Harris, G. L. Archer Jr., & B. K. Waltke (Eds.), Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (electronic ed., p. 114). Chicago: Moody Press.
[2] Payne, J. B. (1999). 2252 שָׂטַן. R. L. Harris, G. L. Archer Jr., & B. K. Waltke (Eds.), Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (electronic ed., p. 874). Chicago: Moody Press.
[3] Payne, J. B. (1999). 2252 שָׂטַן. R. L. Harris, G. L. Archer Jr., & B. K. Waltke (Eds.), Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (electronic ed., p. 874). Chicago: Moody Press.
[4] Yehezkel Kaufmann, The Religion of Israel, p. 20.
