How long will you attack a man? You shall be slain, all of you, like a leaning wall and a tottering fence. They only consult to cast him down from his high position; they delight in lies; they bless with their mouth, but they curse inwardly. (Psalm 62:3-4)
Throughout the Scripture, and history for that matter, we see countless examples of how one person’s jealousy of another has led to intrigue, plots and even murder. Jealously of the favor shown to Abel provoked Cain to lure him into a field and murder him. Obviously, Cain didn’t give Abel advance warning of his intentions, meaning that he must have enticed him with smooth and inviting words, even as he cursed him inwardly. This reminds us of the proverb that says, “Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful” (Proverbs 27:6).
When wicked people see those favored of God began to rise to their appointed place, they devise acts intended to undermine and, if possible, destroy. In my view, David is the epitome of this scenario; without doing anything other than being a faithful shepherd to his father’s flock and a faithful servant to his king, he walked around with a big target on his back. We should not be surprised at this, however; anything that God has set His hand upon, the Adversary sets his sights on it to possess, and if he cannot possess it, he will strive to destroy it. For instance, Jerusalem is where God has set His Name and, until the Messiah returns to reign from that city, the Adversary will do all he can to possess it for himself.
So the point we need to take away from this is, like it or not, serving God means being at war with the Adversary. And so, while we go about just trying to live life, our enemy continually seeks to kill, steal and destroy. I would even say that, if the enemy has not tried to come after you, you’re probably doing it wrong. This is especially true when we are stepping up to serve in our Kingdom assignment. In short, if we are striving to serve God as He has called us to do, we should expect that the kingdom of darkness will try to complicate life for us.
No matter, though, because our trust is in the Rock of our Salvation; He is our defense and we shall not be moved. Not only shall we be unshaken by the enemy, Messiah made it clear that, rather than waiting for the enemy to attack us, we should be advancing against him. And if we are established upon the Rock, the gates of hell will be unable to withstand the assault. Taking the fight to the enemy is what we are called to do and will, in the predetermined time, culminate in the ultimate victory over darkness. Not only will the gates of hell cave in, but like a leaning wall and a tottering fence, the kingdom of darkness will collapse completely. In that day, the King of kings will establish righteousness throughout the world. Amen.
Blessings and Shalom,
Bill
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