Dale Ridge church of Christ

          Many people in the world view our adversary, the devil, as a red creature with a pointed tail and a pitchfork in his hand who occasionally sits on someone’s shoulder trying to convince him or her to do something that is wrong. However, how does this depiction of the wicked one match up with what Scripture tells us about him?

          We first read of Satan as the Serpent in the garden of Eden (Genesis 3). The serpent is described as being “more subtil than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made’ (Genesis 3:1). From the way that Eve conversed with the serpent, we can deduct that he appeared friendly and non-threatening. He was so convincing that not only Eve but also Adam disobeyed God’s command not to eat of the tree in the midst of the garden.

          We next find reference to Satan in the first two chapters of the book of Job. Here, he is trying to provoke God by saying that Job only obeys God, because He has placed a hedge around Job, and that if God touches all that Job has (Job 1:9-11) and his bone and his flesh (Job 2:5), Job will curse God to His face. We see from these passages that Satan is bold and disrespectful. He has no regard for God or His will.

          In the New Testament, we find Satan tempting Jesus in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-10). It would appear here that Satan knows what the Scriptures say; yet, just as he did in the garden of Eden, he twists what God has said in order to tempt someone. Thus, Satan appears to be well-studied in God’s Word; yet, he converts it into what he would have it to say to serve his purposes.

          In 2 Corinthians 11:14, Satan is described as being transformed into “an angel of light.” He appears to be a messenger sent from God delivering God’s message; yet, we know that is not to be the case.

          Finally, in I Peter 5:8, Peter tells us that we are to be sober and vigilant, for the devil is like a roaring lion and walks about, seeking whom he may devour. The devil is portrayed here as a powerful beast that is looking for victims to consume.

          In conclusion, we can see from these passages that Satan is not the harmless character as many in the world perceive. He is rather a dangerously subtle, proud, tempting, deceptive, consuming, fallen angel who seeks to deceive and mislead as many people as he can. However, through following Christ and obeying God’s will, we can overcome Satan. Let us always remember what John says in I John 3:8 “He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.”

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Filed under: Devotional, Michael Carter on March 8th, 2009