Part
2 of 2
(Ephesians
6:12) “For we do not wrestle
against flesh and blood…”
Moving on, the
closer we nestle to the bosom of God the more vigorous the attacks become. And
yet the more we consent to sin in our lives the easier we buckle when tried by
the enemy. Now before our minds want to lure us into the “blame game” let us be
sure according to scripture that all influences in our lives, even if they seem
detrimental to our walk with the Lord, serves a purpose and only ever takes
place by permission. However most of our suffering is because we are unwilling
to let go of so many things in life. Even with these unyielding strongholds of
our minds, God will continue to be gracious with His children, if this were not
true then how could we ever appropriate such a verse into our lives; “And we know that for
those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called
according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28) – Let us not however confuse the
suffering we face throughout life when we have personally wronged God as
opposed when He allows suffering to take place when we take one for the team.
But I will repeat myself for the sake of clarity, both types of suffering will
work out for the eventual good of the Christian and God will ultimately receive
the glory.
Let us look at how this unseen war takes
place in the lives of believers…
Do you remember
the story of Job? He was a man who feared God and shunned evil.
“Now there was a day when the sons of God came to
present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them.” (Job 1:6) - Here we see Satan among the sons of
God as an enemy to God, to men,
to all good: he forces himself into an assembly of the sons of God that came to present
themselves before the Lord. And then “the LORD said to Satan, "From
where have you come?" Satan answered the LORD and said, "From going
to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it." (Job 1:7) – “His examination, how
he came thither (Job_1:7): The Lord
said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? He knew very well whence he came, and
with what design he came thither, that as the good angels came to do good he
came for a permission to do hurt; but he would, by calling him to an
account, show him that he was under check and control. Whence comest
thou? He asks this, 1. As wondering what brought him thither. Is Saul
among the prophets? Satan among the sons of God? Yes, for he transforms
himself into an angel of light (2Co_11:13,
2Co_11:14), and would seem one of them.
Note, It is possible that a man may be a child of the devil and yet be found in
the assemblies of the sons of God in this world, and there may pass
undiscovered by men, and yet be challenged by the all-seeing God. Friend,
how camest thou in hither? Or, 2. As enquiring what he had been doing
before he came thither. The same question was perhaps put to the rest of those
that presented themselves before the Lord, “Whence came you?” We are
accountable to God for all our haunts and all the ways we traverse.” (Matthew Henry)
“And the LORD
said to Satan, "Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none
like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns
away from evil?" Then Satan answered the LORD and said, "Does Job
fear God for no reason? Have you not put a hedge around him and his house and all
that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his
possessions have increased in the land. But stretch out your hand and touch all
that he has, and he will curse you to your face." And the LORD said to
Satan, "Behold, all that he has is in your hand. Only against him do not
stretch out your hand." So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD.” (Job 1:8-12)
“The
question God puts to him concerning Job (Job_1:8):
Hast thou considered my servant Job? As when we meet with one that has been in
a distant place, where we have a friend we dearly love, we are ready to ask,
“You have been in such a place; pray did you see my friend there?” Observe, 1.
How honourably God speaks of Job: He is my servant. “Yonder is my servant Job;
there is none like him, none I value like him, of all the princes and
potentates of the earth; one such saint as he is worth them all: none like him
for uprightness and serious piety; many do well, but he excelleth them all;
there is not to be found such great faith, no, not in Israel.” Thus Christ,
long after, commended the centurion and the woman of Canaan, who were both of
them, like Job, strangers to that commonwealth. The saints glory in God - Who
is like thee among the gods? and he is pleased to glory in them. How closely he
gives to Satan this good character of Job: Hast thou set thy heart to my
servant Job? Designing hereby, (1.) To aggravate the apostasy and misery of
that wicked spirit: “How unlike him are thou!” Note, The holiness and happiness
of the saints are the shame and torment of the devil and the devil's children.
(2.) To answer the devil's seeming boast of the interest he had in this earth.
“I have been walking to and fro in it,” says he, “and it is all my own; all
flesh have corrupted their way; they all sit still, and are at rest in
their sins,” Zec_1:10, Zec_1:11.
“Nay, hold,” saith God, “Job is my faithful servant.” Satan may boast, but he
shall not triumph. (3.) To anticipate his accusations, as if he had said,
“Satan, I know thy errand; thou hast come to inform against Job; but hast thou
considered him? Does not his unquestionable character give thee the lie?” Note,
God knows all the malice of the devil and his instruments against his servants;
and we have an advocate ready to appear for us, even before we are accused.
V.
The devil's base insinuation against Job, in answer to God's encomium of him.
He could not deny but that Job feared God, but suggested that he was a
mercenary in his religion, and therefore a hypocrite (Job_1:9):
Doth Job fear God for nought? Observe, 1. How impatient the devil was of
hearing Job praised, though it was God himself that praised him. Those are like
the devil who cannot endure that anybody should be praised but themselves, but
grudge the just share of reputation others have, as Saul (1Sa_18:5, etc.) and the Pharisees, Mat_21:15. 2. How much at a loss he was for
something to object against him; he could not accuse him of any thing that was
bad, and therefore charged him with by-ends in doing good. Had the one half of
that been true which his angry friends, in the heat of dispute, charged him
with (Job_15:4, Job_22:5), Satan would no
doubt have brought against him now; but no such thing could be alleged, and
therefore, 3. See how slyly he censured him as a hypocrite, not asserting that
he was so, but only asking, “Is he not so?” This is the common way of
slanderers, whisperers, backbiters, to suggest that by way of query which yet
they have no reason to think is true. Note, It is not strange if those that are
approved and accepted of God be unjustly censured by the devil and his
instruments; if they are otherwise unexceptionable, it is easy to charge them
with hypocrisy, as Satan charged Job, and they have no way to clear themselves,
but patiently to wait for the judgment of God. As there is nothing we should
dread more than being hypocrites, so there is nothing we need dread less that
being called and counted so without cause. 4. How unjustly he accused him as
mercenary, to prove him a hypocrite. It was a great truth that Job did not fear
God for nought; he got much by it, for godliness is great gain: but it was a
falsehood that he would not have feared God if he had not got this by it, as
the event proved. Job's friends charged him with hypocrisy because he was
greatly afflicted, Satan because he greatly prospered. It is no hard matter for
those to calumniate that seek an occasion. It is not mercenary to look at the
eternal recompence in our obedience; but to aim at temporal advantages in our
religion, and to make it subservient to them, is spiritual idolatry,
worshipping the creature more than the Creator, and is likely to end in a fatal
apostasy. Men cannot long serve God and mammon.” (Matthew
Hendry)
There is much
more that could be said on this topic, but I trust some imperative truths have
been highlighted, enough for us to understand that this war, although unseen,
is very real and should be handled as such.
My conclusion
would then be; the more we accommodate sin in our lives the more we play into
the hands of the devil. May God help me in the way I process the little foxes
in my life (some not so little) which in turn soil the vine! I pray that I
learn to hate sin as it was sin that crucified our Saviour.
Signing off
Tyrone
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