Hosea, Part III

Picture Hosea, standing and watching his children play. They laugh and kick up the dust as they run and shout at each other. They haven't a care in the world.

Then Hosea looks at them, and in a voice ladened with sadness, says,

God Scatters! Not Loved! Not My People! It's dinner time!

They stop their laughter. They stand still and lower their heads. When Hosea turns and walks back into the house, one of them says,

Why does Abba call us that? He gathers us together and hugs us. He loves us. We are his. We are nobody else's. But everytime he calls us, he puts his face in his hands, and cries. Every time. He wipes his eyes and then gives us a hug. He goes on walks. By himself. Ema is here sometimes, but more often she is away. So, we only have Abba. He seems distant. But we know he loves us, because he'll kiss us goodnight. We wish he'd change our names. They don't match his love for us.

Hosea, like many of God's prophets, not just speaks the word of the Lord, but he demonstrates it. He is an actor in a play called, "God's Call to His Errant People."  Hosea will play the part of God.  Hosea cries when he calls his children's names.

God cries when He calls Israel's name.

Hosea calls his children by names he didn't want to give them--who would want to bestow such names on their loved ones?

But names describe character.

The names Hosea calls out describe the results of Israel's sin: they will be scattered after their enemies descend on them.  They are not loved, not because of who they are but because of what they are doing. They are not acting like His chosen people, but are behaving like pagans. 

But Hosea still loves his children. Deeply.

So does God. Deeply. 

When God calls His children through Hosea, He is shattered by what is to befall them, but He is also angry that they have commited spiritual adultery and have chosen to walk away. They decided, for themselves, what is right. They are devouring the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil--they decide what is good and pursue what is evil.

God did not want to bestow such names on His people--but He must. His children have new names because they pursue a new way of living. 

Perhaps, in a way, they have named themselves.

They are pursuing a pagan way of life--thus, when the true pagans show up, they will be scattered away from God and will dwell among the gods they so lust after.

They are not loved--the gods they are so enamored of do not love them, and care not a wit for their welfare. The people are worshipping figments of a perverted imagination.

They are not God's people--they would rather align themselves with darkness than pursue the light of His love and truth.

God speaks through Hosea a deeper and even more painful message.  But first, He says: 

In that day you will call your brothers Ammi—‘My people.’ And you will call your sisters Ruhamah—‘The ones I love.’

God, before He denounces Israel, reminds his people that He is willing to accept them back when they repent. He will rename them, for despite His denunciation, He still loves them. But with God's mercy, comes His justice. And it rolls down like a mighty stream:

But now bring charges against Israel—your mother—
for she is no longer my wife,
and I am no longer her husband.
Tell her to remove the prostitute’s makeup from her face
and the clothing that exposes her breasts.
Otherwise, I will strip her as naked
as she was on the day she was born.
I will leave her to die of thirst,
as in a dry and barren wilderness.

Israel has clothed herself in garments made of sin.  God wants her to discard such filthy garments, or He will. Once she is stranded in the desert, will she see the sinfulness of her ways? Will her thirst and hunger make her long for the provision and security only Yahweh can provide? Will she seek Him with a repentant heart? 

And I will not love her children,

for they were conceived in prostitution.
Their mother is a shameless prostitute
and became pregnant in a shameful way.
She said, ‘I’ll run after other lovers
and sell myself to them for food and water,
for clothing of wool and linen,
and for olive oil and drinks.’

God is accusing Israel of loving other gods who bless her with the finer things of life.  But Israel, while she may have gained the whole world (in her eyes), she is losing the Lover her soul. But Yahweh will not abandoned her.  He has covenanted Himself to her, as a husband to a bride. He may, for a time, forsake her, but He will never leave her.  

God, although His judgement will fall one day, will protect Israel from herself: 

For this reason I will fence her in with thornbushes.
I will block her path with a wall
to make her lose her way.
When she runs after her lovers,
she won’t be able to catch them.
She will search for them
but not find them.
Then she will think,
‘I might as well return to my husband,
for I was better off with him than I am now.’
She doesn’t realize it was I who gave her everything she has—
the grain, the new wine, the olive oil;
I even gave her silver and gold.
But she gave all my gifts to Baal. (2:1-8) 

The last line is terribly painful:  Israel is so steeped in her spiritual adultery that she ascribes her wealth and abundance to a god that doesn't even exist. She takes the gifts from Yahweh and hands them over to a fake, a deceiver, a demon. 

She walked away from love and light into sin and darkness.   

But still, even still, He watches over her and wants her back.

How can we say we've gone beyond God's reach when we sin? How can we listen to such a lie? How can we think that of other people and their sin? 

Isaiah reminds us: "Listen! The LORD’s arm is not too weak to save you, nor is his ear too deaf to hear you call." (59:1)

Amen.   

Hosea, Part II

We are looking at the start of Hosea's prophetic career.  God's call is never easy.  God is more concerned about the message than the messenger.  That is not a cruel statement: By the time God has called His prophets, time is of the essence.  The event foretold may not come quickly, but it will come suddenly.  His people need to know enough in advance to repent, so that the event does not come upon them without warning.

We humans tend to wait until things are unavoidable and have descended into catastrophe before we act.  By then, the unfolding event has a power and life of its own, and cannot be stopped easily.  God loves Hosea, but He also wants His children to know that their status of being His chosen carries with it grave responsibilities and a call to holiness, both of which they are egregiously failing to do. 

Yes, it grieves God to place such a burden on Hosea, but what is going to befall the people in the northern kingdom of Israel is even more serious.  

Let us review God's call: 

When the Lord first began speaking to Israel through Hosea, he said to him, “Go and marry a prostitute, so that some of her children will be conceived in prostitution. This will illustrate how Israel has acted like a prostitute by turning against the Lord and worshiping other gods.” (1:2)

Hosea is demonstrating the message. Everywhere he speaks, his message will be reinforced by his own family--a family that is broken, chaotic and a violation of God's design.

Children are a sacred gift.  Marriage is a sacred gift.  Our relationship to God is a sacred gift. 

Hosea's family shows how prostitution and its violation of the marriage covenant results in children who don't know who their father is and thus, they live a life without roots and stability.  How will these children see God as their father when they don't even know their own?  They feel abandoned by whoever he is,  and they take that image and superimpose it over God's face.  

He becomes the father who doesn't honor the family. His abandons His children. 

God is the absolute opposite of this.  He is faithful to His people--He never violates His covenant with them.  He calls His people, "children," and makes Himself known to them through mighty acts, His Word and His presence.  He gives them roots.  Stability. Safety. His love for them never fails. He will never abandon them--even if everything around them says otherwise. 

God's love is fierce enough to step in and protect His people from the errors of their ways.  He does it by having prophets speak in His name: to guide, chastise and call them back. 

So, Hosea's message is not just about the people's apostasy; it is about God's character, and how utterly contrary it is to Hosea's family.  It is also contrary to the gods the people are serving.  These gods, with their demands and illusions of power, will abandon God's children in their time of need.

This will be sadly evident when the Assyrians march in. Where will all those gods be then?  Yes, you guessed it:  They will have abandoned their worshippers.

When we deceive ourselves, we always end up abandoned and alone. 

Enter the next part of the message: 

So Hosea married Gomer, the daughter of Diblaim, and she became pregnant and gave Hosea a son.  And the Lord said, “Name the child Jezreel, for I am about to punish King Jehu’s dynasty to avenge the murders he committed at Jezreel. In fact, I will bring an end to Israel’s independence. I will break its military power in the Jezreel Valley.” (1:3-5)

As we noted in the last blog, everytime Hosea calls his son's name, he will be reminded of what is to come: the utter destruction of Israel's military capability and the scattering of His people. Everytime the people hear Hosea call his son's name, or see them both walking in the market square, they will be reminded of what is to come.  They think that their chosen people status and their military is protecting them from enemies. Wrong. God honors the covenant He made with His people, and it is Him alone who protects Israel. Not the army.  Not the so-called gods.  

Jezreel's name is a reminder that God wants His people to repent before the scattering begins.  

Next: 

Soon Gomer became pregnant again and gave birth to a daughter. And the Lord said to Hosea, “Name your daughter Lo-ruhamah—‘Not loved’—for I will no longer show love to the people of Israel or forgive them. But I will show love to the people of Judah. I will free them from their enemies—not with weapons and armies or horses and charioteers, but by my power as the Lord their God.” (1:6-7)

Hosea is not identified as the father. Gomer, despite the opportunity to be a wife, secure in her husband's love and concern for her welfare, again seeks the arms of another man. Why? She has Hosea now. Why is she out sleeping with other men?  

God is asking the same question.  Why, if you know that your army and gods aren't going to protect you, why are you, people of Israel, still sleeping around with those gods and your illusions of grandeur? 

Then the girl child receives the sad name of "Not Loved."  Has God really withdrawn His love for His people?  To show His people He is not walking away altogether, He declares His love and protection for Judah, the kingdom in the south. 

Is God trying to make Israel jealous?  

Why not?  God will woo, chastise, warn or do whatever it takes to secure Israel's repentance, because He is the Father of His people.  

But there more to come.

After Gomer had weaned Lo-ruhamah, she again became pregnant and gave birth to a second son. And the Lord said, “Name him Lo-ammi—‘Not my people’—for Israel is not my people, and I am not their God." (1:8-9)

God is pulling out all the stops.  These children, conceived out the marriage covenant, reveal the future:  God will step away from His people, for they keep sleeping around, bearing the children of sin, arrogance, unbelief and disdain for His holiness and their calling to be a kingdom of priests. 

They choose to be spiritual prostitutes. 

They are also choosing their future and the catastrophe that come. This is not just about being spiritually unfaithful, thought that is huge.  It's about being so narcissistic that you don't; notice or even care about the world outside your door.  All of Hosea's children are reminders that the world out there is important. One day, His people will find out that because they preferred sin over serving God, their world exploded.  

But God, whose heart is breaking, lovingly sends this coda to Hosea's message of God's anger: 

Yet the time will come when Israel’s people will be like the sands of the seashore—too many to count! Then, at the place where they were told, ‘You are not my people,’ it will be said, ‘You are children of the living God.’ Then the people of Judah and Israel will unite together. They will choose one leader for themselves, and they will return from exile together. What a day that will be—the day of Jezreel—when God will again plant his people in his land. (1:10-11)

Wow!  Even with those children walking around--"God Scatters," "Not Loved," and "Not My People,"  God takes that firstborn son and recrafts the root of his name to "God Plants."

Boom. The future has hope within it, despite what is to come.

No, the children of the northern kingdom of Israel will not repent.

No, they will not remain in the land but be scattered to the far winds. 

But yes!  They will be His people once again, too numerous to count.

But yes!  They will once more be a united kingdom, serving Him as His priests.  

But yes!  They will have a godly leader (instead of their current crop of evil kings).

But yes!  They will not only return to the land but will be established in it.  

New. 

Redeemed.  

Planted. 

Loved. 

Our God is always about the yes.

Even when we are not. 

Majoring in the Minors: Hosea (Part I)

We are going to start a new series, called "Majoring in the Minors"--the minor prophets, that is.  I am going to begin with Hosea, for he is called to live out the message, not merely proclaim it.  His message of God's persistent calling back of His wayward children is one that we need to hear. God is still in the business of reuniting with us, no matter where we've been or what we've done. 

Sometimes we tell our testimony; other times, we are the testimony.  Hosea is going to live out for all to see what God's love truly means, and he suffers right along with God.  He is not just a prophet--he is a  wounded husband and grieving father.

Like Yahweh. 

Does Hosea choose to live in such a heart-wrenching scenario?  Who would marry, in their right mind, a prostitute? But he chooses to obey God's ways.  God's ways are never easy, because in His pursuit of a fallen race, He must make two things very clear:  (1) We are fallen and we must accept the truth of our sin and break away from the self-delusion of our goodness (2) God loves us and will use whatever means at His disposal to call us back to Him. 

God was so persistent in His love for us that He sent His only Son to die for us, when we we still sinners and utterly alienated from Him. 

Let us see how God loves us so much that when we stray, He calls us back.  By any means necessary. 

Enter Hosea, telling the northern kingdom of Israel that Assyria is coming to bring God's judgment upon them.  The message could end right there:  God could say, "Because I despise how you are behaving, I divorce you.  Dusted and done."

But that's not calling the people to repentance--that's just an angry response to their behavior.  God is always about repentance, reconciliation and restoration.  Yes, He is angry at sin, but He never just leaves it there.  He calls out, warning the people that His judgement is coming if they do not repent.  But He equally calls out that His mercy is coming if they do.

Here we go.

When the Lord began to speak through Hosea, the Lord said to him, "Go, marry a promiscuous woman and have children with her, for like an adulterous wife this land is guilty of unfaithfulness to the Lord." So he married Gomer daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son. (1:1-3) 

I am sure Hosea's eyes grew wide at God's calling.  Let's consider Hosea's thoughts:

God, did I hear You correctly?  I have always wanted a wife, children and a life around the hearth.  But You are asking me to find a promiscuous women (Israel is not short of those these days) on purpose!  I must find one who sleeps around, and has no regard for the sanctity of marriage!  Then I must have  children with her?  Please, wait a minute, God.  I am willing to do as you say, for I know You have a divine purpose. But how will I know those children are even mine?  When I  marry her, that's not going to suddenly stop her from sleeping around.  Over time, other men's children will show up. These predacious men get off scot-free and I am burdened with the responsibility of providing and raising their children. Then, may I say with all due respect to You, what kind of mother is she going to be?  When her children are crying for food, wanting to be tucked in bed for the night, or wanting her comfort, will she be gone, having run off  to seek another man's arms?  I can do this, but my union with this kind of woman will punish a generation yet to be born.  Please, God..." 

The answer to Hosea's fearful questions is that he must be obedient to God's call.  

Hosea is going to live out, in his domestic microcosm, the utter chaos of the Jewish people in this time in their history.  Hosea realizes that the nature of sin is ugly:  It punishes us.  It punishes others.  It ultimately destroys what is good in our lives and leaves us empty, sorrowful and unable to right the wrongs ourselves.  Hosea is going to step into the macrocosm of Israel's violated spiritual home.  He will walk from one destroyed house, his nation's, into another...his own home.

It didn't take long for Hosea to find her.  Did she look at him and think,

Oh, here comes another rube. "Oh, I want to marry you!" Yeah. Right.  That's what they all say.  All they want is a roll in the hay and off they go.  Back to their wives.  Back to their homes. I sit here with next to nothing and they get to strut about in the marketplace, all respectable-like. Well, I know better.  At least, I make no pretenses that I am good. I know I am not. But there's one sin I am not guilty of: self-deception.   What you see is what you get, baby.

Hmmm.  Which one are we?  The narrative highlights three actors in their prophetic play:  Hosea, a man of God with moral scruples, who is appalled by the sin around him; Gomer, the woman who has no illusions of her goodness and her customers, the ones who act respectable but are filled with deceit, evil and godlessness.

God is watching all three, for they truly represent His people: 

• Those who love Him, yet feel rather helpless amidst all of this sin
• Those who are drowning in it, and feel there 's no way out
• Those who think no one has figured out their hypocrisy, for they are smarter than everyone else, and pride themselves on being the masters of the bamboozle 

God is extending His mercy to all three. 

OK, Hosea finds Gomer who is Diblaim's daughter.  Who is Diblaim?  We don't know, but she is someone's daughter.  Family member.  Real person.  She's has a context but one that has been destroyed. She is reduced to marrying a man she doesn't love (abuse will blunt that emotion in anyone) and soon, she's going to give birth. It's just another day in Gomer's life.

Then the Lord said to Hosea, “Call him Jezreel, because I will soon punish the house of Jehu for the massacre at Jezreel, and I will put an end to the kingdom of Israel. In that day I will break Israel’s bow in the Valley of Jezreel.” (1:4-5) 

In this culture, the birth of a first born son is cause for celebration.  But God doesn't want this to lessen the potency of His message, so God tells Hosea what to name the son: "Jezreel."  The name means "God scatters" and this child's name foretells what is going to happen when the Assyrians invade Israel.  

Every day Hosea will be reminded of God's impending judgment when he calls his son.  When he tucks his son into bed.  When he stands at the doorway, and watching him play.  

Whenever I call you, small boy, your name cries out to me that God will scatter His people due to their unwillingness to repent. Your name reminds me to pray every single day.  Every time I say your name, God is reminding me to pray.  He doesn't want me, His prophet, to go one day without praying about His sinful nation.  Forgive me, Lord God, for distancing myself from your people.  Their behavior disgusts me and I want nothing to do with them.  Yet, my little boy reminds me of their humanity, their kinship and how we must pray for each other, asking You for mercy.  For all of us. 

You are teaching me to love the unlovable.

To forgive the unforgivable.

And to never forget to ask You to save those around me...

Gomer.  

Jezreel.  

Her customers. 

My fellow Jews.

My nation of Your chosen people. 

Oh, God, how we all so need You.    

  

Full Circle, Part II

Each of the scriptures Jesus quoted (we read them in Part I) were part of a larger context of the Covenant that God revealed to Moses. The Covenant said that God would protect and direct His children with a fierce love; their part would be to obey His commandments. Jesus would fulfill the salvation plan of God by inaugurating the New Covenant, which meant His utter obedience to God in everything He said and did:

• Jesus gave them this answer: “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Yes, and he will show him even greater works than these, so that you will be amazed. (John 5:19-20 NIV)
• For I did not speak on my own, but the Father who sent me commanded me to say all that I have spoken. (John 12:49 NIV)

He would then hand over His life and die on a cross.  The New Covenant meant His blood must be shed to satisfy God’s requirement for cancelling sin.  Philippians 2:5-8 puts it so well:

In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:
Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God
something to be used to his own advantage;
rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross! (NIV)

Wow. We stand in the New Covenant of His love. He dwells in us and we dwell in Him.

That is how Jesus lived and how we are to live. The desert will always be there, as long as we walk on this planet. Satan will try to convince us that the desert will never end; that we will wander there forever. Wrong. Even the children of Israel had an expiration date on their wandering. Jesus left the desert after a certain period as well. We will leave it at some point as well.

God is not trying to punish us; He is disciplining us with His love. Why? He greatly desires for us to be His disciples. In fact, “discipline” and “disciple” both have the same root. (Merriam-Webster)

God’s love for us is fierce. If that seems odd to put “fierce” and “love” together, watch a mama bear with her cubs. You get the idea. He loves us so much He sent His Son to die for us. That’s fierce love. His love for us has no bounds and He will do whatever He can to draw us to Him.

So, spiritual warfare comes down to perspective. If we trust that we are fiercely loved by God, Satan will test/tempt us to believe any thing but that:

• Satan wants us to lose faith in God’s love and see our desert as punishment.
• Satan wants us to see a lack of bread as abandonment.
• Satan wants us to see devotion to God as one-sided and useless.
• Satan wants us to see the desert as the only home we deserve and we will not be able to leave.
• Satan wants us to work without God, thinking that He is too slow, too uncaring, too busy, too self-absorbed to be concerned about every aspect of our lives.
• Satan wants us to be afraid of what God requires, insinuating that we will have to bear the burden of obedience on our own power and strength.
• Satan wants us to question His Word, for how can a Book written thousands of years ago be sufficient for the challenges we face today?
• Satan wants us to focus on him and his power, forgetting that he is a dog on God’s leash and someday he will be judged and cast away forever.
• Satan wants us to think the desert is all there is; those still waters and green pastures are just illusions and that God delights in the sufferings of humanity.
• Satan wants us buried in doing good works, being so busy for God that we don’t have time with God. Satan uses guilt to motivate us. We do, do, do and then end up resenting God. That’s what Satan wants. He wants us to forget that we should only do what God orders, just like Jesus did when He was here on earth. Works without God’s power and direction are empty. Soon, so are we.
• Finally, Satan wants us to think God is non-existent; He has left the universe; He’s AWOL; He’s powerless and out of touch. Satan wants us to resign ourselves to his ugliness and our defeat as the only reality.

The only answer to all these lies? JESUS.
The only power we need to overcome? JESUS.
The only perspective we need in the desert? JESUS.
The only power we should draw on? JESUS.
The only love that endures and empowers? JESUS.
The only answer to life? JESUS.
The only answer to death? JESUS.
The only way to axe fear, doubt, pride, sin, anger and hurt? JESUS.
The only truth? JESUS.

The spiritual battle is not fought with what you know, but with WHO YOU KNOW.

Amen!

Full Circle, Part I

The temptation of Christ took place in a wilderness, a desert. In facing down the devil, Jesus quoted from Deuteronomy. Why?  

The NIV Study Bible sets the scene:

"Deuteronomy locates Moses and the Israelites in the territory of Moab in the area where the Jordan flows into the Dead Sea (1:5). As his final act at this important time of transferring leadership to Joshua, Moses delivers his farewell addresses to prepare the people for their entrance into Canaan. These addresses were actually a covenant renewal…In them, Moses emphasized the laws that were especially needed at such a time, and he presented them in a way appropriate to the situation. In contrast to the matter-of-fact narratives of Leviticus and Numbers, the book of Deuteronomy comes to us from Moses’ heart in a warm, personal, sermonic form of expression…

"The love relationship of the Lord to his people and that of the people to the Lord as their sovereign God pervade the whole book. Deuteronomy’s spiritual emphasis and its call to total commitment to the Lord in worship and obedience inspired references to its message throughout the rest of Scripture."(243)

The Israelites were facing a transition from Moses’ leadership to that of Joshua’s. They would be moving from wanderers to warriors.  The Jews of Jesus’ day were facing a transition from the law of Moses to the revelation of Jesus Christ:

For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known. (John 1:17-18 NIV)

Deuteronomy emphasizes the covenant the Lord made with His people. The Jews of Jesus’ day were seeing a New Covenant, not written on stone tablets, but written with the blood of the Son of God. Covenant, God’s sovereignty, His love for His people, and His call for total commitment to Him are the book’s major themes (NIV Study Bible 243). It is no surprise that Jesus, Who was inaugurating a new era in God’s salvation plan, would use this book to rebuke the devil and emphasize those same themes by His own life and ministry.

Jesus Himself entered into the narrative of the Forty Years in the Desert by adding His own chapter as He faced Forty Days in the Desert. Let’s see Jesus’ responses and the larger context from which they are drawn.

To the first temptation, Jesus says, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone.’” (Luke 4:4 NIV) He is quoting Deuteronomy 8:3. I have included the surrounding verses to show the larger context:

Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. Your clothes did not wear out and your feet did not swell during these forty years. Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the Lord your God disciplines you. (Deut. 8:2-5 NIV)

God led His Son to a place where He would have to keep His Father’s commands, depend on Him only, and only do His will. Jesus says later in His ministry:

Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Yes, and he will show him even greater works than these, so that you will be amazed...By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me. (John 5:19-20 & 30 NIV)

Jesus responds to the second temptation with, “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.’” (Luke 4:8 NIV) He is quoting Deuteronomy 6:13. Here are the surrounding verses:

Fear the Lord your God, serve him only and take your oaths in his name. Do not follow other gods, the gods of the peoples around you; for the Lord your God, who is among you, is a jealous God and his anger will burn against you, and he will destroy you from the face of the land. Do not put the Lord your God to the test as you did at Massah. Be sure to keep the commands of the Lord your God and the stipulations and decrees he has given you. Do what is right and good in the Lord’s sight, so that it may go well with you and you may go in and take over the good land the Lord promised on oath to your ancestors, thrusting out all your enemies before you, as the Lord said. (Deut. 6:13-19 NIV)

Jesus will not even consider serving anyone else other than His Father. In fact, in Deuteronomy 6:4 is the beginning of the Shema, the prayer that is the essence of Judaism: "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength." (NIV)

Jesus is reasserting the oneness and the holiness of God. No other gods shall receive any honor other than the one true God—Jesus’ Father. The absolute unity of God, His glorious oneness is preserved by Jesus, for He applies this verse to Himself. The mystery of one God in three Persons is never up for debate by Jesus. He asserts it as truth, for He is Truth.

Thus, Jesus will serve only God as He walks on this planet. That alone is the reason why He came. Jesus loves His Father with every fiber of His being. He will walk in obedience for He loves the Father with an all-consuming love.

Jesus responds to the third temptation with, “It is said: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” (Luke 4:12 NIV) He is quoting Deuteronomy 6:16. Here are the surrounding verses:

Do not put the Lord your God to the test as you did at Massah. Be sure to keep the commands of the Lord your God and the stipulations and decrees he has given you. Do what is right and good in the Lord’s sight, so that it may go well with you and you may go in and take over the good land the Lord promised on oath to your ancestors, thrusting out all your enemies before you, as the Lord said. In the future, when your son asks you, “What is the meaning of the stipulations, decrees and laws the Lord our God has commanded you?” tell him: “We were slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt, but the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand. Before our eyes the Lord sent signs and wonders—great and terrible—on Egypt and Pharaoh and his whole household. But he brought us out from there to bring us in and give us the land he promised on oath to our ancestors. The Lord commanded us to obey all these decrees and to fear the Lord our God, so that we might always prosper and be kept alive, as is the case today. And if we are careful to obey all this law before the Lord our God, as he has commanded us that will be our righteousness. (Deut. 6:16-25 NIV)

Jesus is the new Moses, about to deliver His people from the greatest enslavement of all: to sin and death. We are to be the new house wherein the God of the Universe personally dwells. That will only be possible, however, with the death and resurrection of Jesus:

He was faithful to the one who appointed him, just as Moses was faithful in all God’s house. Jesus has been found worthy of greater honor than Moses, just as the builder of a house has greater honor than the house itself. For every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything. “Moses was faithful as a servant in all God’s house,” bearing witness to what would be spoken by God in the future. But Christ is faithful as the Son over God’s house. And we are his house, if indeed we hold firmly to our confidence and the hope in which we glory. (Heb. 3:2-6 NIV)

I see many things emerging out of Jesus’ encounter with Satan that are very applicable to us. God’s Word alone is our strength and shield. Jesus stood on it no matter who He was talking to and what He was doing. The Word alone was His foundation for how He saw His Father and for His ministry. He knew the Word well enough to wield it powerfully at His supporters, His detractors and Satan.

But most of all, it was His comfort. He knew the promises were absolute, not subject to change or whim. Those promises were woven into every part of Him. We, in following our Lord, should do no less.

It is in the desert where we are tested THE MOST. If you look at the desert in Israel, it is rocky, desolate and hot. The landscape has a certain ominous aspect to it that says: If you are not careful, you will perish here.

We are tested every day, but a desert period in our lives can reach into our very soul causing us to ask: Does God care? Will He continue to care? Why should He even care?

Jesus went into a desert to show us how we should cope with ours. He doesn’t ask us to do anything that He Himself has not done. He truly knows what we are going through: "For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin." (Heb. 4:15)

He knows and hears the depths of our cries. Out in that silent and desolate desert, His Father heard the cries of His Son’s heart.

What did Jesus learn in that desert to overcome the satanic lies against God? What can we learn from Him when we are in our own desert? In Greek, the word for “tempted” may also be translated “tested.” (Luke 4, Bible Gateway)

Think of it this way: When we are tempted, our character is being tested. Will we stand on what we know of His grace and power, or will we succumb to our flesh and Satan’s lies, believing that God does not care and has abandoned us?

Just before the desert experience, Jesus had received His Father’s love and approval for His life and ministry: "And a voice from heaven said, 'This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.'" (Matt. 3:17 NIV)

Satan was in the desert, just waiting to totally undermine what the Father had said to Jesus. Each temptation was a satanic rebuke of the truth Jesus heard at His baptism. We will see the same thing happen in our lives. After receiving a call to the work for the Kingdom, after an especially lovely time in His presence, after a loss, after a challenge, Satan will chirp in our ear and try to rebuke what we stand on in God.

Solution? Rebuke him back with the Word.

Next Week:  Full Circle, Part II

Facing a Jericho Stronghold With Jesus

I was inspired by an Internet website to see Joshua 6 as an excellent roadmap for how we are to take down spiritual strongholds. When I read the passage, I saw a good battle plan!

1 Now the gates of Jericho were tightly shut because the people were afraid of the Israelites. No one was allowed to go out or in.

2 But the Lord said to Joshua, “I have given you Jericho, its king, and all its strong warriors.

3 You and your fighting men should march around the town once a day for six days.

4 Seven priests will walk ahead of the Ark, each carrying a ram’s horn. On the seventh day you are to march around the town seven times, with the priests blowing the horns.

5 When you hear the priests give one long blast on the rams’ horns, have all the people shout as loud as they can. Then the walls of the town will collapse, and the people can charge straight into the town...”

20 When the people heard the sound of the rams’ horns, they shouted as loud as they could. Suddenly, the walls of Jericho collapsed, and the Israelites charged straight into the town and captured it.

21 They completely destroyed everything in it with their swords—men and women, young and old, cattle, sheep, goats, and donkeys. (Josh. 6:1-5 & 20-21 NLT)

The word “stronghold” in Greek means “a castle” (Strong’s). When we read about Joshua conquering the first stronghold or fortified city in the Promised Land, we find a powerful analogy here.

Joshua’s name in Hebrew means “the LORD is salvation” (Strong’s). Jesus’ name in Hebrew means the same thing—the same as Joshua’s name. So, making this comparison has merit.

Now the gates of Jericho were tightly shut because the people were afraid of the Israelites. No one was allowed to go out or in.

Strongholds are where people hide. But we are called to be different in Christ. 1 Peter 2:9 declares: 

"But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light." (NIV)

That is who we are. We don’t hide and we are not afraid. We have the King of kings and Lord of lords on our side. The Promised Land is ours because we have salvation in Jesus and He is always with us.

Sadly, the world is full of those who do not know Jesus and do not care. The world is equally full of those who know Jesus but are living behind a wall, filled with fear and condemnation. They don’t want to go out and they certainly don’t want anyone coming in.

So, we have to show both groups that we are victorious in Christ. We walk in His freedom and shout the praises of God. That kind of faith brings results.

But the Lord said to Joshua, “I have given you Jericho, its king, and all its strong warriors."

The Lord had already given Joshua the city. Even though it stood there, looking invincible, God had other plans.

Addiction, fear, condemnation, doubt, deep hurt, unforgiveness, and unrepentance: they all look invincible, whether we see them in ourselves or in others. But the battle is won in Christ. We need to take this promise and boldly walk up to the city walls.

"You and your fighting men should march around the town once a day for six days."

Marching showed the people’s faith in God. But it also showed obedience to a God-ordained process. Whatever process for recovery and growth God shows you—a counselor, a mentor, a doctor, therapy, medication, fellowship with believers or all of the above—do it. Joshua did not question the process of conquering Jericho.

Once God reveals His plan, we step out in faith, knowing it is for our best.

Yes, God could have caused the walls to immediately tumble down, but He was out to build the character of His people. A character centered on faith in God will be able to move mountains. Why? A mature character knows of God’s goodness in the past, how God doesn’t change and how He will come through in the future:

• Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. (Rom. 5:3-5 NIV)
• Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. (James 1:2-4 NIV)

Faith is a walk. Joshua and his men boldly walked out and around the walls, focused only on the mightiness of God and His love. Compared to that, the walls seemed rather puny!

"Seven priests will walk ahead of the Ark, each carrying a ram’s horn. On the seventh day you are to march around the town seven times, with the priests blowing the horns."

We serve and follow the High Priest, Jesus. The Ark contained the covenant was made between Moses and God. Jesus is our Covenant with God. He died for us and we die to self. He lives in us and we live in Him. We are His own. As we walk behind Him each day, we are reminded how much He loves us, even if our walls haven’t fallen. 

YET.

"When you hear the priests give one long blast on the rams’ horns, have all the people shout as loud as they can. Then the walls of the town will collapse, and the people can charge straight into the town...”

The process that Joshua and his men engaged in will take days. Our process of building and acting on faith takes time as well. We are walking, focused on our High Priest and His love covenant for us. Then, just as God had the people walk around seven times on the seventh day, our day of freedom dawns.

The stronghold begins to weaken, for our heart is growing stronger in Him. The walls lose their power to instill fear and a sense of never-ending slavery.

The priests blow the horns one last time and the people shout. We work together with our High Priest; we follow His lead and we shout for joy in His presence. The trumpet of His love drowns out the whispers of Satan that sin is who we are, we can never recover, hope is for other people, and condemnation is all we deserve.

The trumpet blast of His declaration of “It is finished” from the cross drowns out all of the lies of Satan. The same power that raised Jesus from the dead is ours:

And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you. (Rom. 8:11 NIV)

When the people heard the sound of the rams’ horns, they shouted as loud as they could. Suddenly, the walls of Jericho collapsed, and the Israelites charged straight into the town and captured it.

The Holy Spirit rushes into our city as the walls collapse to give us hope that the city will not rise up again. Now, the Lord is occupying our city in His power:

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Gal. 2:20 NIV)

They completely destroyed everything in it with their swords—men and women, young and old, cattle, sheep, goats, and donkeys.

It may sound harsh to our modern ears, but what is sinful must be removed completely. If we have an addiction, we may have to walk away from friends, family, and certain environments to keep the city from rising again.

We may need to bag the computer, or put it out in the living room, facing where everyone can see it.

Whatever needs to be removed for your recovery and to remain free in Him, do it! Do Jesus’ words sound any less harsh than what was said to Joshua?

If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell. (Matt. 5:29-30 NIV)

God does not compromise with our sin in any way. Why? When we compromise with sin, Satan gets actively involved. When we surrender an area of our lives to God, Satan now has one less area to operate on in our lives.

It’s a process, but God is faithful! The walls of Jericho fell down after the warriors followed and were obedient to the leader and the priests. We (the warriors) must follow our Leader and High Priest (Jesus) to bring the city (whatever strongholds we face) down.

He is faithful.

The battle is won.

He fought and died for us.

We need to be faithful by remaining obedient.

We wield the Sword of the Spirit in one hand.

What do you think we do with the other hand?

We keep it firmly in His nail-scarred hand.

Jesus' Enemy Contact in the Gospel of John

We will now explore with Jesus how Satan colludes with religious people. One expects the world to be influenced by Satan; but to hear Satan through the mouth of religious leaders, who should on the lookout for such intrusions, is mind-boggling. Some of our deepest hurt can come from those who should know better.

Jesus experienced this first hand:

“Abraham is our father,” they answered.

“If you were Abraham’s children,” said Jesus, “then you would do what Abraham did. As it is, you are looking for a way to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. Abraham did not do such things. You are doing the works of your own father.”

“We are not illegitimate children,” they protested. “The only Father we have is God himself.”

Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I have come here from God. I have not come on my own; God sent me. Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say. You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe me! (John 8:39-45)

The leaders, because of their anger and jealousy at Jesus, have given Satan a stronghold. Their emotional reaction has now transformed into murderous intent.

This is why anger is so dangerous, for it can lead to murder. Why? Once you have given Satan an open door with your anger, he will come in and start building a case against the person you are angry at; soon, with your anger growing, ideas about what you should do to that person also grows. It may even grow into ending that person’s life.

This is why lust is so dangerous, for it can lead to adultery or any kind of sexual sin. Lust opens the door to Satan, allowing him to influence your thinking. Such thinking grows into more and more of a focus which transforms into potent desire. Before long, you are making plans, with Satan providing the itinerary.

Satan is the “father of lies.” A stronghold—anger, lust, jealousy, fear, doubt—will allow him in to start weaving the lies into a greater and greater web. Our emotions and our heart will blind us to who Jesus really is; Satan works with that blindness and the lies will become stronger and stronger, bringing us deeper and deeper into Satan’s way of thinking. Soon, we have united our wills to his agenda and the results will be devastating.

These religious leaders, so angry with Jesus, are going to soon unite with the Romans (whom they despise) to kill Him. Sin makes strange bedfellows, does it not?

Think of the kid, growing up in an alcoholic home and despising his father, will, because of anger and unforgiveness, someday turn into his father and head down that same road of destruction.

Think of the kid, growing up in a violent home and despising her father for beating her mother, will, because of hurt and a desperate need for love, choose a man who will turn out to be like her father.

The list goes on and on, because of Satan’s lies to our heart.

We have the right to be angry, jealous, hurt, bitter, disappointed, and broken because of what has happened to us in our lives. God doesn’t want us to live in such bondage. Jesus came to heal and restore us. But instead of seeking Him, we listen to the lie of You Deserve to Feel This Way!

Then a long list (signed by Satan) of how to live with the pain comes rolling in: drugs, alcohol, abuse, fear, sinful indulgence, alternative lifestyles, unbelief... The list is endless because Satan tells us the pain will be as well.

But if we bring our anger, jealousy, hurt, bitterness, disappointment, and brokenness to Jesus, He will heal, restore and give us a new heart, one sensitive to His love and forgiveness. The choice is ours, despite what Satan and the world says. Stand on what the Word says:

What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Rom. 8:31-39)

In summary, Jesus encountered evil and spoke the truth and the Word to drive it away. Despite Satan’s best efforts to appear invincible, he’s not. The Word of God is the best at rebuking Satan; this sharp Sword reminds the enemy that you are ready and willing to use it for yourself and for others.

Whatever we do for His Kingdom must be done in the name of Jesus:

The name of the Lord is a fortified tower;
     the righteous run to it and are safe. (Prov. 18:10)

Amen.

Jesus' Enemy Contact in Mark and Luke's Gospels

Satan sometimes hides in plain sight. He may even use the guy sitting next to you in church. Hollywood has portrayed satanic influence as being so shockingly weird and abnormal that you can’t miss it. This has been such a disservice to the discussion of spiritual warfare. Satan oppressing someone can be as subtle as the silent growth of cancer inside the body.

We will start in Mark with our next encounter:

They went to Capernaum, and when the Sabbath came, Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach. The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law. Just then a man in their synagogue who was possessed by an impure spirit cried out, “What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!”

“Be quiet!” said Jesus sternly. “Come out of him!” The impure spirit shook the man violently and came out of him with a shriek. The people were all so amazed that they asked each other, “What is this? A new teaching—and with authority! He even gives orders to impure spirits and they obey him.” News about him spread quickly over the whole region of Galilee.” (Mark 1:21-28 NIV)

Isn’t it interesting that this man sat in the synagogue, Sabbath after Sabbath, and no one seemed to notice he was oppressed demonically? Or were the people too afraid to say anything? Or did they sense something was wrong, but felt powerless to do or say anything?

As you grow in the knowledge of Him, you will become more sensitive to Satan’s influence over someone. This person may come to your church Sunday after Sunday, and you sense something malevolent is going on. So, what to do? Pray! Then, pray again: pray for that person. Pray as to what you should do. Pray for the leadership of the church for their discernment. Pray about what to say and what not to say.

The saddest part about demonically influenced people is the underlying emptiness in them. They may love the Lord, but because they haven’t surrender all the areas in their life, Satan has a stronghold that he exploits regularly.

Prayer is the answer. Prayer is always the answer.

Next encounter:

Whenever the impure spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, “You are the Son of God.” But he gave them strict orders not to tell others about him. (Mark 3:11-12 NIV)

Interesting how the demons immediately understood who Jesus was.

The Pharisees caught on early who Jesus claimed to be.

The High Priest, at Jesus’ trial before the Jewish high court, demonstrated that he fully understood the claim Jesus was making about Himself, that of being God’s own Son.

Interesting how Jesus’ enemies got it so easily, and yet the ones He came to save did not. How sad.

When the men came to Jesus, they said, “John the Baptist sent us to you to ask, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?’” At that very time Jesus cured many who had diseases, sicknesses and evil spirits, and gave sight to many who were blind. So he replied to the messengers, “Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor. Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me.” (Luke 7:20-23 NIV)

Jesus’ ministry is a direct fulfillment of Isaiah 61:1-2. He is telling John and his followers that the ministry is validated by the works He is doing. John’s question is legitimate, and Jesus does not mind the inquiry.

The Kingdom of God is not filled with sickness, demons, death or poverty. Jesus established that in His ministry. Now, in His name, we are working for this Kingdom where He is Lord. We are trying to put the prince of this world out of a job. We do it, like our Lord, one person at a time.

The glorious Day is coming where a new heaven and new earth will be created and Jesus’ Kingdom will reign supreme. But until that Day, we keep working.

Again, think of D-Day. The Allied forces had to take one beach, one village, one region, one country at a time until the Nazis were utterly defeated. Even in this imperfect world, the Allies realized that the only way to remove Nazism was to conquer it completely. That took a long time, many lives and lots of blood, sweat and tears.

We are in a war. We must take one beach, one village, one region, one country at a time until the world has heard of Him. Slow, yes. Rewarding? Yes. Hard? You betcha. We follow Him and His orders, for we are empowered with His Spirit. We fight in the knowledge that He has won, despite the lies coming from the other side.

The next encounter comes through a parable of the sower:

This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God. Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. (Luke 8:11-12 NIV)

Trust me when I tell you: As soon as you hear the Word, here come the birds. Either going to church or leaving church (or both!) you will get into an argument with your spouse/your kids/the neighbor, get distracted, run out of gas…all sorts of annoying things to prevent the Word from taking root and bringing forth fruit in your life.

So, what to do? Keep sowing. Keep praying. Satan is not all-powerful:

Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them. We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error. (1 John 4:4-6)

The next encounter:

And when he went forth to land, there met him out of the city a certain man, which had devils long time, and ware no clothes, neither abode in any house, but in the tombs. When he saw Jesus, he cried out, and fell down before him, and with a loud voice said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God most high? I beseech thee, torment me not. (For he had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For oftentimes it had caught him: and he was kept bound with chains and in fetters; and he brake the bands, and was driven of the devil into the wilderness.)… Then the whole multitude of the country of the Gadarenes round about besought him to depart from them; for they were taken with great fear: and he went up into the ship, and returned back again.

Now the man out of whom the devils were departed besought him that he might be with him: but Jesus sent him away, saying, Return to thine own house, and shew how great things God hath done unto thee.

And he went his way, and published throughout the whole city how great things Jesus had done unto him. And it came to pass, that, when Jesus was returned, the people gladly received him: for they were all waiting for him. (Luke 8:27-29 & 37-40)

We met the two demon-possessed men earlier. Luke decides to focus on just the one (Wycliffe Bible Commentary 220). Both were healed, but one stayed and shows us vividly how demon oppression works. The man still had a will for he came to Jesus. (Wycliffe Bible Commentary 221). If the demons were in complete control, the man would have run away from Jesus as fast as he could, for the demons knew what Jesus could do: drive them out and heal the man.

Here’s where a definition is useful.

In the Greek, the word used to describe what the man in the tombs was afflicted with is “demonization” This means “the presence of an evil personality (a demon) within an individual” [1] Richards continues:

"This does not means or imply that a demonized person is controlled by an evil presence. He or she typically might not even be aware of the demon or demons. It says simply that from a position within the human personality the demon has a unique opportunity to influence an individual’s thoughts, emotions and choices. This is different from the sporadic attacks of demons on an individual from the outside—attacks that need to be repelled, but that can generally be dispatched without great effort once they are recognized." [2] 

So, unlike the man who sat in the synagogue every Sabbath and then reacted when Jesus walked in, this guy was clearly (to everyone around him and to himself) overtaken with a demon and more than one as it turned out. But he still had a will. He wasn’t a puppet only capable to doing what he was told. So, he approaches Jesus (his choice) and then screams at Jesus (the demons’ choice).

A terrible imbalance exists in the life of someone who is being oppressed. The man cuts himself and hangs out with the dead. He is clearly being tormented; but he approaches Jesus, sensing something different about this Man. The man senses that Jesus is not here to chain him up or throw stones at him.

That is what we need to understand. A person under the influence of a demon has not checked his or her will at the door. This person can still think, reason and react. Jesus spoke to the demon directly, just as He did when Peter was Satan’s mouthpiece.

Satan drives those whom he influences out into the spiritual wilderness, where addictions and distractions keep the person in bondage. The bondage itself is not the end; the person’s destruction and death is Satan’s goal. So, the longer in the wilderness, the greater chance that Satan will succeed in his plan for the person.

That’s when we speak truth into the life of a person. We speak the truth of Satan’s agenda without condemning the person, but lovingly telling them where their lives are going to end up.

Then we speak Truth into their lives: Truth is Jesus Christ and His way leads to life and life abundantly.

This man’s restoration was not initially celebrated by the townsfolk. You would think that losing some pigs was not as important compared to this man who was now in “his right mind” (Wycliffe Bible Commentary 221).

Family and friends can be an impediment to a new believer achieving recovery and freedom in Jesus Christ. It is critical that we mentor someone who has walked away from Satan’s influence. We must teach and encourage this person to keep leaning into Jesus with prayer and time in His Word. This is what keeps us pressing on:

Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. (Phil. 3:12-14 NIV)

The man wanted to follow Jesus. Jesus wanted him to be active now in his faith. As the man shared his story with each person he met, this would reinforce his new life. It would remind him of God’s grace and love in his restoration. He would be under no delusions that he had somehow handled his former life on his own. Equally, his new life was only sustainable with God’s power. He would have to rely on God every moment of every day. The results? The people received Jesus positively the next time He came around. This man was a walking testimony to Jesus, His ministry and His love.

We cannot recover from demonic oppression on our own. It takes walking with Jesus every day. We need to stay connected to the family of God. Our new life is tender and takes time to grow.

Next up, we will walk with Jesus as He encounters evil in the Gospel of John.

[1] & [2] Richards, Larry, The Full Armor of God: Defending Your Life From Satan's Schemes, Chosen Books, 2013, page 83.  

S.T.A.N.D. on Following Jesus’ Ministry, Part III: Looking into Matthew's Gospel

 Our next encounter in Matthew's Gospel is: 

Then they brought him a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute, and Jesus healed him, so that he could both talk and see. All the people were astonished and said, “Could this be the Son of David?” But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, “It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this fellow drives out demons.”

Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand. If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then can his kingdom stand? And if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your people drive them out? So then, they will be your judges. But if it is by the Spirit of God that I drive out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. Or again, how can anyone enter a strong man’s house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can plunder his house. Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. And so I tell you, every kind of sin and slander can be forgiven, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.

Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit. You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.” (Matt. 12:22-37 NIV)

Here is another opportunity for Satan to snarl at Jesus. This time, Jesus takes the Pharisees (and Satan) head-on. He demolishes their logic and then reminds them that their words are eternally dangerous.

The people are at least open to Jesus being the “Son of David.” But when the Pharisees hear their question, they are furious. Anger and jealousy are open doors for Satan and he jeers at Jesus through the leaders. 

One aspect of Jesus’ mission is to “bind the strong man.” We can derived a quick profile of Satan from these verses:

• Satan is strong, but he can be bound. He is not invincible.
• The strong man has possessions, us, but they can be “carried off.” We can be redeemed.
• His house is here on earth, but he can be “plundered.” He can and will be conquered.

Jesus cares enough about the Pharisees to warn them of their serious transgression of attributing the things of God to Satan.

His words are a warning to us as well: What we store up in our heart will play out in the things we say and do. Good fruit comes from good trees. Good words and kind deeds come from a heart so enriched with Jesus’ love and mercy that it can’t help it.

Jesus doesn’t excuse the Pharisees’ words. He takes a no-nonsense approach with Satan and with them. Whatever you store up will tumble out. Words matter and show the state of our heart. Nourish your heart with the good things of God: prayer and time in His Word. Then when Satan comes a-calling, you will see him for what he is: a liar and a deceiver who uses your fear, doubt and anger to incite you to attack others and likewise, for them to attack you.

Our next encounter is:

When an impure spirit comes out of a person, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, “I will return to the house I left.” When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that person is worse than the first. That is how it will be with this wicked generation. (Matt. 12:43-45 NIV)

Satan loves a clean (serving God based on my works), orderly (pride driven) but empty (no love) house.

The context here is the leaders have asked Jesus for a sign. He says that like Jonah, he will be confined in the earth for three days, but will emerge victorious. (Matt. 12:40). That is the greatest sign of all: the Son of Man conquering death itself. Jesus will not perform a sign on demand. He made that clear to Satan when He refused to jump from the Temple at Satan’s suggestion in the wilderness.

But even with the change of tone in the leaders (they are no longer accusing Him of being in league with Satan) they still have impure motives. They may look clean and put in order. In other words, they look spiritually respectable, but they are empty, for they have no love.

That is the key here. Satan loves an empty soul. Even a good person—someone whose house looks in order to us—is in danger of Satan using and filling. Nature hates a vacuum, and so does the spiritual world. Our souls are containers, either filled with God or the deceiver.

I know this sounds harsh. How could a good person who does not commit any egregious sins be serving Satan? Jesus is condemning the unbelief of His generation in the surrounding verses. They are asking for a sign, which seems to be harmless enough. But it is still unbelief. A sign, not their love, will supposedly enable them to follow Jesus. That is what makes unbelief so dangerous: If we don’t accept and serve Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, we default to the world and its values. Satan is the “prince of this world.” So whether we know it or not, our empty soul will be filled. We will serve either Jesus or Satan.

A soul that serves God with pride-filled works and no love results in emptiness.

A soul that ignores God results in emptiness.

We choose Who or who will fill our soul. Jesus, in previous verses, says we are either with Him or against Him. Again, we choose: either unbelief or belief.  Satan cheers us on towards unbelief and emptiness. Why? So he can gain entry and influence our lives.

Our next encounter is:

When they came to the crowd, a man approached Jesus and knelt before him. “Lord, have mercy on my son,” he said. “He has seizures and is suffering greatly. He often falls into the fire or into the water. I brought him to your disciples, but they could not heal him.”

“You unbelieving and perverse generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy here to me.” Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of the boy, and he was healed at that moment. Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?”

He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” (Matt. 17:14-21 NIV)

Jesus wants us to be ready to act on our belief in Him. Acting on our belief is another word for faith. Remember the armor and specifically the Shield of Faith? Satan puts on a grand show through this poor boy: falling into fire or water would terrify anyone. The screams alone would send shivers down anyone’s spine. And that is precisely the point: Satan wants to appear utterly invincible. The disciples bought that lie this time. Their fear along with being stunned by such a display caused them to recoil. Satan then capitalized on their fear and encouraged them to see themselves as powerless.

With their Shield of Faith down, here came the dart of You Can’t Do This! It worked. That’s why Jesus had to remind them once again of the power of having faith in Him. Satan’s tactic of seeming to be more powerful than Jesus is a favorite of his; Jesus reminded His disciples that Satan is a liar.

If Satan condemns your faith as powerless, guess what? It’s a lie!  Faith in Jesus is the most powerful force in the universe, not Satan, despite his displays to the contrary.

Our next encounter comes in the form of a parable:

The King will reply, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”

Then he will say to those on his left, “Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.”

They also will answer, “Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?”

He will reply, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.” Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life. (Matt. 25:40-6 NIV)

Spiritual warfare is not always an encounter with overt evil. Spiritual warfare is also about how you are going to serve the One you love. Loving Christ without serving others is like “unsalty” salt. It is utterly useless: "Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; it is thrown out." (Luke 14:34-35)

The ones who need Christ the most are the ones whom the world quickly passes by. All the folks mentioned here in this parable—the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the naked, the sick, the prisoner—have a steady satanic whisper in their ears: God doesn’t care about you.

That whisper is a lie. We are to prove that by how we treat and care for others in Jesus’ name. The Kingdom of God is marked by our compassion and love for one another: "A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another." (John 13:34-5)

In fact, love is the only law in the Kingdom of God: "Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ." (Gal. 6:2)

Let’s continue our survey of Jesus’ encounters in the Gospels of Mark and Luke next time. 

S.T.A.N.D. on Following Jesus’ Ministry, Part II: Looking into Matthew's Gospel

There is an overlap with the stories in all of the Gospels; I will examine the ones that overlap and the ones that are unique to each of the Gospels. I used the chart provided in Larry Richards’ book, The Full Armor of God: Defending Your Life From Satan's Schemes.

We want a good overview of Jesus’ methods of handling Satan. Jesus’ ministry was characterized very early on with healing on a physical as well as a spiritual level: "News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed; and he healed them." (Matthew 4:24 NIV)

The reason for this is simple. The portion of Scripture He reads in the synagogue to inaugurate His ministry is from Isaiah 61:1-2:

"He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written: 

'The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim
freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.'

"Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. He began by saying to them, 'Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.'” (Luke 4:16-21 NIV)

So, you can see that disease and demonic oppression are incompatible with the Kingdom of God. He went out and fulfilled His calling to take back souls from Satan’s domain. We must not just focus on Satan’s demons or evil influences. We must see the larger picture of why evil is so pervasive on earth. We must realize that all suffering and evil comes from the Fall:

"For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time." (Rom. 8:19-22 NIV)

So, in bringing the hope of Jesus Christ to this world, we are moving against Satan by our message and our actions. Satan’s influence is great, but we serve Jesus, Who is greater: " Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world." (1 John 4:4)

Our first encounter is:

"When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to him, and he drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick. This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: “He took up our infirmities and bore our diseases.” (Matt. 8:16-17 NIV)

Sickness and demon possession shatters faith in God. Jesus came to speak against the lie that sickness and demon possession are punishments from God for sins. No. They are part of a fallen world and Jesus came to set the world right, by dying for the sins of the world. If sickness and possession were punishments from God, why would Jesus seek to undo God’s sentence upon an individual by healing or casting out the demon?

Jesus came to show God’s true purpose: God was eagerly seeking to reconcile with His children: "For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation." (2 Cor. 5:19 NLT)

Suffering was never a part of God’s original design, for He had pronounced His creation “good.” Adam and Eve disrupted that. Satan then corrupted that. One comment here: God may use illness to teach us. But He doesn’t use it to punish us. Our life experiences with all the suffering, pain, and challenges, are ultimately for our edification: "To all who mourn in Israel, he will give a crown of beauty for ashes, a joyous blessing instead of mourning, festive praise instead of despair. In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks that the LORD has planted for his own glory." (Is. 61:3 NLT)

Not everything that happens to us is good, but only He can bring forth beauty when all the world sees is ashes. Sometimes, in the midst of our suffering, Satan will pester us to keep asking: Why is this happening to me?

A far better question, one that brings us to sit at Jesus’ feet and listening for His response is: How, Lord, do I get through this? Fill me afresh, and strengthen me anew for the days ahead. And, if on this side of heaven, You tell why this has happened, I will trust You for the outcome. If You do not disclose the “why,” I still have You and will still trust You for the outcome. What may I learn from this so I am stronger in You? Let me pursue the “how” instead of the “why.”

The focus shifts from you to Him. It is only in Him will you find strength:

"He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.
Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;
but those who hope in the Lord
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint." (Is. 40:29-31 NIV)

He knows all too well our suffering: "Since he himself has gone through suffering and testing, he is able to help us when we are being tested." (Heb. 2:18 NLT)

Our next encounter is:

"When he arrived at the other side in the region of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men coming from the tombs met him. They were so violent that no one could pass that way. “What do you want with us, Son of God?” they shouted. “Have you come here to torture us before the appointed time?” Some distance from them a large herd of pigs was feeding. The demons begged Jesus, “If you drive us out, send us into the herd of pigs.” He said to them, “Go!” So they came out and went into the pigs, and the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and died in the water. Those tending the pigs ran off, went into the town and reported all this, including what had happened to the demon-possessed men. Then the whole town went out to meet Jesus. And when they saw him, they pleaded with him to leave their region." (Matt. 8:28-34 NIV)

The demons are clearly afraid because the Son of God has shown up. Jesus promised that we, as His followers, will do even greater things than He did: "Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it." (John 14:12-14 NIV)

Jesus is glorified when we serve Him in His name. Clearly confronting the Son of God made the demons tremble. Their leader is a defeated foe by our Leader. Jesus spoke the word, just as He did in the wilderness. Satan had to leave then. Satan has to leave now.

One warning, however. The passage in Luke that describes Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness ends with a sobering reminder: “And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from him for a season.” (Luke 4:13 KJV)

Another translation says, “When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time.” (NIV)

Still another, “When the devil had finished tempting Jesus, he left him until the next opportunity came.” (NLT)

Satan does not let up. But a spoken word of rebuke, in Jesus’ name, is sufficient to drive him away. For now. Satan will be back, but Jesus and His name never loses power: "Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and forever." (Heb. 13:8)

Also, don’t expect people to understand or applaud your efforts. The people in the town asked Jesus to leave after the pigs went high diving.

Matthew recounts two demon-possessed men in the region. In the parallel verses in Luke 8:26-39, Luke focuses on just one of the two men. (Wycliffe Bible Commentary 28). In Luke, we see this man wanting to follows Jesus. Jesus requests that he stay in the area and let everyone know what happened. The other man may have run away, along with his testimony to Jesus’ power. But this man loves and appreciates what the Lord did for him. This is similar to when Jesus healed the 10 lepers, and only 1 returned to thank Him.

People will have either gratitude or fear when spiritual warfare takes place. Don’t fret. Serve God and seek His wisdom to do what needs to be done. Do it to please Him and Him alone. Leave the results to Him. The war is won; just be faithful to Him in each time you go to battle.

Our next encounter is:

"While they were going out, a man who was demon-possessed and could not talk was brought to Jesus. And when the demon was driven out, the man who had been mute spoke. The crowd was amazed and said, “Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel.

"But the Pharisees said, 'It is by the prince of demons that he drives out demons.'” (Matt. 9:32-34 NIV)

Don’t you just hear Satan laughing in the remarks of the Pharisees? Remember how Satan waits to attack Jesus “until the next opportunity came”? Here is one of the many opportunities where Satan uses human beings as mouthpieces to snarl at and mock Jesus.

So, here’s something to think about: Satan uses others to get to you. Jesus was down range of Satan using others to attack Him on many occasions and it will be no different with you. The Pharisees here are being completely illogical (Why would Satan destroy his own works?) and in grave peril (attributing to Satan what God is doing is the “unpardonable sin”) so it makes no sense from a human perspective.

But in the spiritual realm, it fits. Anytime Satan can demean, belittle, question, cast doubt, or sabotage you and your calling with another person’s mouth, he’ll do it. Pride, anger, envy, fear in the other person is the perfect open door that Satan comes through and uses to his advantage. Let’s look at one time where Satan used one of Jesus’ closest followers:

"From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.

Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 'Never, Lord!' he said. 'This shall never happen to you!'

Jesus turned and said to Peter, 'Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.'” (Matt. 16:21-23 NIV)

Peter was well-intentioned with Jesus. Who wouldn’t want to dissuade your best Friend from pursuing such a horrible end? But Peter missed the part about Jesus being raised to life, and the fear of His death opened up a door for Satan to enter and insinuate that Jesus did not need to go to the cross to fulfill His mission. But Jesus had clearly stated, "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." (Mark 10:45)

Let’s examine another follower whom Satan used:

Now the Festival of Unleavened Bread, called the Passover, was approaching, and the chief priests and the teachers of the law were looking for some way to get rid of Jesus, for they were afraid of the people. Then Satan entered Judas, called Iscariot, one of the Twelve. And Judas went to the chief priests and the officers of the temple guard and discussed with them how he might betray Jesus. They were delighted and agreed to give him money. He consented, and watched for an opportunity to hand Jesus over to them when no crowd was present. (Luke 22:1-6 NIV)

There’s that word “opportunity” again. This time, Satan did not use fear but doubt in the heart of Judas to get what he wanted: Jesus arrested and killed.  Judas has begun to doubt Jesus’ mission. Jesus had not used His mighty power to destroy the Roman oppression of Israel; all Judas saw was Jesus using His power to raise the dead, heal the sick and drive out demons.

Judas may have thought to himself: Fine use of your power there Jesus, but what about using it against those Romans? They are the greater evil! Use Your mighty power to conquer them! The crowds are always clamoring for your attention. You need to turn your attention to the Romans and their abuses. I would love to see you wipe their arrogant smiles right off their faces once and for all.

Satan entered Judas, perhaps deceiving Judas into thinking that he could force Jesus’ hand. Judas may have reasoned that when He was finally handed over to the Romans, Jesus would demonstrate all of His power to benefit the oppressed Jewish people. Jesus would free Himself from His captors and then free His fellow Jews.

This, as we know, did not happen. Jesus’ mission was to impart a new heart, not a new government.

Judas’ remorse over what he did drove him to suicide. His guilt and shame were just too much when he found out Jesus was not going to deliver the Jews from the Romans, but had delivered Himself to be crucified. Satan laughed many times in those final days, as Judas was swinging in the trees and Jesus bled on that cross.

On that Sunday morning, however, the laughter stopped.

Satan can use friends, family, disgruntled strangers and anyone to go after you. Most of the time, the person doesn’t even know he or she is being used by Satan to get to you. But your reaction should be the same: Pray for wisdom as to where those hurtful words or actions are coming from. Remember Satan’s endgame: to destroy you and anyone he can along the way. He will use any means necessary.

Reclaim your heritage as a child of God and move forward. Then, PRAY:

But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you.

If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. (Luke 6:27-36 NIV)

Prayer softens your heart, opens you up to God’s healing and consoling presence, and allows you to have compassion on those who have hurt you. Besides, Satan hates it when we show mercy and see others as ourselves. We all need prayer, a Savior and infinite patience with one another.