“Where have you come from…” Job 2:2

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Sound familiar? It should… these same five words appear in 1:7, when God addressed satan during another heavenly tribunal. It is during those celestial times when the angels present themselves before God – a time of giving an account for their actions. God did not deviate from His pattern established in the first chapter: He is in control; the angels are presenting themselves to Him (The Ruler); and God has the right to give an inquisition… not because He doesn’t already know the answer. God is not surprised or ever caught unknowing about anything. He is omniscient, and He knows about our tomorrows before we ever get there.

There are hermeneutical (the study of interpretation) principles at work here that should be noted:

  • The rule of precedent: God established the pattern at an earlier time and does not deviate from that pattern (though, as God, He has every right and authority to do so);

  • The rule of unity: when seen in reference to the first chapter, there is a unity of presentation and pattern;

  • The rule of inference: the fact that God is in control is reasonably implied by the angels presenting themselves to God and not the other way around.

From these few verses, we learn that history repeats itself in both eternal and linear time. In other words, God’s pattern of heavenly appointments was both predictable and unavoidable. In linear time we see cyclic ‘appointments’ in the seasons, the tides, the moon, and even in our personal lives. God is not only interested in the details of our lives; He is intimately familiar with them.

For that reason alone, one should strive to appear before God (meet with Him) in a daily quiet time – devoted completely to studying His Word and speaking with Him (praying to Him and listening for His voice to guide us). The discipline of meeting with God starts with an appointment – one must schedule the time and keep it. By not doing so, an implicit message is being sent to God which denies Him access to your heart and mind, the essential parts God uses to bring transformation into one’s life.

WHERE HAVE YOU COME FROM?