“Deliver me, O Lord, from evil men; preserve me from violent men, who plan evil things in their heart and stir up wars continually. They make their tongue sharp as a serpent’s, and under their lips is the venom of asps. Selah” Psalm 140:1-3 ESV
Reflection: who is your enemy?
Yesterday we were again reminded that the enemy is real, and is all around us. 31 year old Charlie Kirk, a father of two young children, a husband, a very outspoken and sharp defender of Christian and conservative values, was assassinated in broad daylight. Who the real perpetrators behind this we may never know. But we can speculate on the motives, given what Charlie stood for, and how he conducted himself, always calling for an open debate. He was a strong supporter and defender of free speech, and used his freedom without fear. And we know that free speech is under attack in many countries, even modern and so-called “free” societies like the United Kingdom and others. You might also have seen the complete collapse of the Nepalese government over the past few days as they tried to shut down free speech.
But, who is behind the attacks on free speech? Who is the real enemy?
Today we remember back 24 years ago, when the United States of America was attacked. Interestingly, people still debate who was actually behind it, who the real enemy was and is. The same being true for most other world events, coups and wars. And even when we look closer, to our own cities and communities, workplaces and even families, we can sometimes question who the real enemy is. One thing is for certain, there is an enemy, and many people are being used to further the enemy’s agenda.
David experienced that, and starts out psalm 140 by saying “Deliver me, O Lord, from evil men; preserve me from violent men, who plan evil things in their heart and stir up wars continually.“ Psalm 140:1-2 ESV. David was clear that there were evil men, doing the work of the enemy, all around him. Now, why is he pleading with God to help him, to rescue him? He was king, with his own army, why not just go and fight these evil men he is talking about? Because David knew his enemy wasn’t just physical, mortal men. This was also a spiritual battle. We read on “They make their tongue sharp as a serpent’s, and under their lips is the venom of asps. Selah” Psalm 140:3 ESV. Notice the reference to the “serpent” and “venom” here. And therefore David had to align the fighting between the physical and the spiritual.
As Christians, we also face many physical enemies in life. And like Charlie stated, we also believe the enemy ultimately is the devil, controlling men’s behavior. Peter wrote “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” 1 Peter 5:8 ESV. Peter knew very well what that meant, as he himself had been used multiple times by the devil, falling for his lies. You might remember that Peter was used to tempt Jesus, “From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you.” But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”” Matthew 16:21-23 ESV. This is very scary to think about, that Peter was being easily manipulated in his thoughts. Remember, Jesus had just told him “And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” Matthew 16:18 ESV.
So, is the real enemy even closer than we think?
It is a somber day today, remembering all the innocent lives lost. Remembering those fighting to keep our freedoms, like Charlie Kirk. And that the war between good and evil rages on, as we are regularly reminded of. As Christians, we must never think that we are not susceptible to being used by our true enemy, the devil. While we have evil men around us as David, battlefront is also spiritual, even in our thought life. So let’s do an inventory of ourselves, who we are fighting for by thinking of who we are listening to, where our ideas and thoughts are coming from. Let’s resist the devil in all aspects of our lives, starting with our thoughts. And declare with David “I say to the Lord, You are my God; give ear to the voice of my pleas for mercy, O Lord! O Lord, my Lord, the strength of my salvation, you have covered my head in the day of battle. Grant not, O Lord, the desires of the wicked; do not further their evil plot, or they will be exalted! Selah” Psalm 140:6-8 ESV