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In The Throne Room

             One day, the angels came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came with them.  The Lord said to Satan, “Where have you come from?”

            Satan answered the Lord, “From roaming throughout the earth, going back and forth on it.” (Job 1:6-7)

            One more day of my rant about loving our enemies because I’m drawing a blank on any other topic. I’ve referred to this passage before, but let’s actually look at it. One day, Satan joins the angels in presenting themselves before the Lord. Think about this. It’s mind-blowing. The archangels don’t prevent him from entering the throne room. None of the angels pitch a fit or utter a battle cry.

            Of course, God doesn’t need to ask Satan where he’s come from, but God seems to keep it cordial. He doesn’t ask, “What have you been up to?” Interestingly, Satan give an evasive answer, but God doesn’t seem to notice. Instead, He goes on to ask about whether Satan has noticed His servant, Job.

            I’ve heard recently that perhaps God was trying to teach Satan something. I don’t recall what, but if so, that might indicate that God would grant even Satan forgiveness if he sought it. But the key at the moment is that even though God has nothing to fear from Satan (Satan is nowhere near His equal), God could not have a worse enemy - a more determined enemy - than Satan. And yet, God is not only hospitable this time, but also the next time.

            I wouldn’t suggest that we sit down to tea with Satan. We’re not in his league. But if God can be hospitable and cordial toward a being who has committed treason against Him and hates Him so thoroughly, we have no excuse when we encounter someone who disagrees with our political or religious philosophy. In fact, if we respond to them with antagonism, with name calling or verbal abuse, we are following Satan’s example, not God’s. This doesn’t mean we should agree with them.  In fact, we should challenge their beliefs and stand in strong defense of our own, but that’s not the same as mistreating them.

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