There’s really only one mortal enemy. And that’s the devil. We learn about the rift in the Bible, especially in the New Testament. The origins of the rift are shared in Genesis. Care to know more about it? Consider Today’s Holy Nougat.
Genesis 3:15 CEVDCI
[15] You and this woman will hate each other; your descendants and hers will always be enemies. One of hers will strike you on the head, and you will strike him on the heel.”
Blow for Blow 1
Recently, a friend and I were joking around, and the conversation turned to matters of violence and abuse. She didn’t hesitate… blow for blow, my dear. Blow for blow, she replied. I wasn’t totally surprised. She does not subscribe to abuse, not even in jest. Not even if it seemed that she was the instigator. The minute hitting was introduced, it was a fight, and she fights to win.
Self-Check
What is our approach to acts of violence? Do we retaliate when hurt? Should we?
Deeper Dive
But what do we do when the one who is behind the violence is not actually visible? Genesis 3 doesn’t state that the battle was an epic spiritual battle. In fact, there’s no mention of a battle, only deception, and definitely no mention of the devil. Nowhere there is it included. Except for the striking of each other.
Some might even say that the lesson from the wider text is about being discerning with our friendships. The spent was one of the animals named by Adam – in naming, Adam had power over it (some versions use the term, dominion in Genesis 1 to describe the idea). But the serpent went to the woman, and used guile to convince her.
That seemed to be his weakness. The woman God gave to him. For he knew not to eat from the tree. He received direct instruction about it from God. The woman only heard from Adam. Adam didn’t stop her from eating. And he followed her lead.
Having convinced the woman to eat of knowledge, the serpent’s work was done.
But it leaves us with the question: ‘Who authorised the serpent?’, in other words, ‘under whose authority did the serpent act?’
James 1:13 is clear. God does not tempt humans. However, 1 Peter 5:8 warns believers to be sober and vigilant because our adversary the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.’ We realize from this that a) the devil is our Adversary; b); our Adversary is like a lion; c) our Adversary is on the prowl; and d) our Adversary is only interested in our destruction.
That takes me back to Genesis 3, where choosing to eat of the fruit led to destruction. Could it be that the Adversary in the Garden was the devil? I believe so. Yet another animal is introduced in the 1 Peter 5 text. Hmmn. First a crafty, forked-tongued serpent, then the king of the jungle on the prowl. The devil, our Adversary, has many disguises. Yet the modus operandi (M.O.) remains the same. In John 10:10, we are told that the thief’s M.O is to kill, steal and destroy; and 2 Corinthians 11:13-15 tells us that our Adversary will go to the extent of disguises to deceive and devour us.
I may be jumping to a conclusion here, but it seems that the devil is behind that first deception. In short, the devil struck the first blow.
But neither the woman nor the man had immediate tools to retaliate. Not on their own. For in yielding to the coercion, the couple became ‘subject to’ the enemy. Unless and until that Special Offspring came to bruise the serpent’s head, being devoured was humanity’s fate. Remember, a serpent is a constrictor. It wraps itself around it’s prey like a friend, then squeezes the breath out and crushes bones before devouring.
But the fight isn’t over.
Not yet.
And until it’s over, you and I must be alert, ready to fight back, blow for blow to ensure that we don’t become ensnared. We must keep the Adversary at a distance by situating ourselves in the Word; just like Jesus did (read more in Luke 4). The tool to return each blow is at our disposal. Let’s use it.
Prayer Point
Lord, help us to know and apply Your Word like Y’shua did. Help us to discern when and how to say, ‘It is written’. In Y’shua’s name we pray, amen.
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May all we seek be found in Christ
