How much credit ought we give ole Beelzebub? You, know, as a born-again believer in Jesus - how much credit ought we give the devil in our bad behavior; in committing a sin or in not doing the things we ought to do? I think we give him too much. All my life I hear Christians say things like "the devil is after me!" or "the devil made me do it" or "boy, the devil sure has been tempting me these past days." Now, there is much that can and ought to be said here but in a blog our time is limited.
Let's think about one biblical episode for a minute. 2 Chronicles 32:24-36 reports a sinful attitude in King Hezekiah (the last good king before the exile) after the Lord graciously delivered him from Sennacherib king of Assyria and gave him recovery from a fatal disease. What does he do? Becomes filled with pride and does not honor the Lord. The Lord then visited him (as the federal head of the nation) and Judah and Jerusalem with wrath. Then, by God's grace, Hezekiah "humbled the pride of his heart, both he and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the wrath of the LORD did not come on them in the days of Hezekiah."
There is no mention of old "scratch" coming to tempt him into becoming proud of heart. The only players in this account seem to be Hezekiah, Isaiah the prophet, God, the peoples of the two warring nations and the peripheral nations but no where is the devil mentioned as specifically being employed by God to bring about any course of action in temptation (as in the garden of Eden & Jesus in the wilderness). Now, God can and often does employ the devil to those ends (see Job 1:8-12) but here in this case and others we might allude to, Lucifer is not specifically called upon. In fact, I find it interesting that most often, it seems that Bible folk are left to their own devices in making personal choices (exercising free agency). But it is God who is in control of the events and he uses them for his purposes. How can I think that way?
Well, that is the report and testimony given concerning this event. In 2 Chron 32:31 the chronicler reports that "God left him alone only to test him, that He might know all that was in his heart." The devil didn't tempt him, no, rather it was God leaving him alone to his own sinful nature so that the king might more fully appreciate the grace of God and hate the enemy living within his flesh; his fallen sinful nature. The devil doesn't necessarily need to come to us and tempt us. Why, well, we are already wired that way as a necessary consequence of man's fall into sin. Often times in life, the Lord may leave us alone in order to put us to the test that we might discern the corruptness of our fallen flesh so that we might all the more flee with desperate abandon once again to the cross. "Crux probat omnia" the cross is the test of everything; in my mind, in my heart, in all my choices - that ought to be our proper, good and right response.
Conrad Speece put it right in his hymn...
Blest Jesus, when Thy cross I view, That mystery to th’angelic host,
I gaze with grief and rapture, too, And all my soul’s in wonder lost.
What strange compassion filled Thy breast, That brought Thee from Thy throne on high,
To woes that cannot be expressed, To be despised, to groan and die!
For man didst Thou forsake the sky,To bleed upon the accursed tree?
And didst Thou taste of death, to buy Immortal life and bliss for me?
Had I a voice to praise Thy Name, Loud as the trump that wakes the dead,
Had I the raptured seraph’s flame, My debt of love could ne’er be paid.
Yet Lord, a sinner’s heart receive, This burdened, contrite heart of mine;
Thou knowest I’ve naught beside to give;And let it be for ever Thine.
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Very good points, Ed. I think it's important to balance your OT examples, however, with the perspective and theology provided in the NT about the nature of spiritual warfare and how it interacts with our flesh. It's true that we slip only to the degree that our flesh chooses disobedience and idolatry, but there is a very real war that exists between the devil+our flesh and the Holy Spirit+our new nature that has cosmic dimensions (spiritually speaking). As long as the carnality of the flesh is a reality (and it always will be on this side of eternity), we will contend with the devil, since he works through and by the weakness of the flesh to cause us to stumble. Yes, we are free to choose, but we must not underestimate our vulnerability to temptation and deception along the sanctification journey, since all of our petty idolatries have not yet been put to final rest. Paul took this into account even in how he advised Timothy to choose an overseer of the church: "Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil." (1 Tim. 3:7) Thus, we need to be aware of the snares of both the devil and the flesh. The flesh is a dying but still present thing with anti-God energy, and the devil is a being who hates God and his people and actively works to destroy our faith - ultimately in vain, but that does not mean that he cannot inflict severe collateral damage. Everything is under God's sovereign control (as witnessed in the way Paul described his thorn both as sent from God and as a "messenger of Satan to harass"), but this does not negate our frequent need to put on the armor and stand against the devil any more than it negates our call to evangelize or pray. It simply gives us assurance of ultimate victory in Christ when we find ourselves besieged by evil and/or temptation. You are ubdoubtedly familiar with C.S. Lewis' warning that we should be neither obsessed with the devil nor dismissive of him, since in both extremes he gains an advantage. There's so much to say on this subject, but here are a few passages to add to the discussion:
"Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world." 1 Pet. 5:8,9
"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the whole armor of God...In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the falming darts of the evil one." Eph. 6:10-13,19
"And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light." 2 Cor. 11:14
"But the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one." 2 Thess. 3:3
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