Word Defeats Evil

It is mind-blowing to meditate on Jesus' love for us. In Exodus 7, God instructs Moses and Aaron as follows. In verse 9, He says, "When Pharaoh says to you, 'Perform a miracle,' then say to Aaron, 'Take your staff and throw it down before Pharaoh,' and it will become a snake." In the end, we can see the snake that came alive because of God's word and swallowed the other two snakes that came through secret art. The snake became word again—it became a staff in Aaron's hand as told by God's word, after swallowing the two snakes that had poison in them. The snake from Aaron's hand didn't become more vicious, even after engulfing the poisons of the snakes that came through Egyptian witchcraft. In the same way, Jesus defeated Satan on the cross, carrying the sins of the world. Though He carried their sin, were the people grateful? Regretfully, the answer is no. They scorned and despised Him; they rejected Him.

Matthew 27:41–43 (NIV)

“In the same way the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders mocked him. ‘He saved others,’ they said, ‘but he can’t save himself! He’s the king of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him.’”

Matthew 27:39–40 (NIV)

“Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, ‘You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!’”

Now, Satan thought Jesus would curse the people and die—like the word in the book of Job, where, in the height of trouble and pain, Job's wife asked him to curse God and die. But Jesus, at the height of His pain, said, "Forgive them, Lord, they do not know what they are doing." With this word of love—with this powerful word—Satan got the last blow of defeat. The darkness, poison, sins, and pain he brought over the lives of people became powerless. He never hated the humans but loved them on the cross and asked the Father to forgive their sins.

In contrast to the victory of Jesus against Satan and his tricks, we have Eve here. When Satan became an enemy of God after falling from heaven, he thought there was no one else to replace him in singing for God. But God took the dust and made man to sing for Him, to worship Him. Satan poisoned man with evil thoughts. He told Eve that she could become like God when she ate the forbidden fruit. Poor Eve—looks like she didn't know that she was already made in the image of God. But she naively believed the lies and fell again from the presence of God, like how Satan fell once.

Hey friend, how careful are we in not believing the lies of Satan that lure us into sinning against God? Can we hold our mouths from cursing people? Can we hold our minds from reaching out for forbidden fruits of the world? Every excuse that the enemy gives us is a lie. So how can we avoid falling into his lies? Make yourself girded with truth. Fight his lies with God's truth. Learn how Jesus won against Satan with God's word, which is the truth, a way to live.

Dear God, thank You for Your Word and the power You have given to Your Word. May we live according to it. May we know the lies of Satan and never fall for any of them. Give us a vigilant heart that discerns and keeps away from anything unholy. May we live as Your children, as the epistles many read. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.