Reviling Accusations

Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints. For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ.

Likewise also these dreamers defile the flesh, reject authority, and speak evil of dignitaries. Yet Michael the archangel, in contending with the devil, when he disputed about the body of Moses, dared not bring against him a reviling accusation, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!” But these speak evil of whatever they do not know; and whatever they know naturally, like brute beasts, in these things they corrupt themselves.

Jude 3-4, 8-10

Have you ever heard a preacher speaking boldly about what he was going to do to the devil? “I’m going to take that ol’ devil by the tail and swing him around and…” On and on and on he goes. I wonder if he’s ever read the 9th verse of Jude. If Michael the archangel didn’t speak to Satan that way and instead “dared not bring against him a reviling accusation,” I think we would do well to consider how we address this spiritual foe. Michael simply said, “The Lord rebuke you!” In other words, God’s the one that can deal with this enemy. As David said concerning Goliath, “the battle is the Lord’s.” The individuals that verbally assault the devil and his demons are speaking evil of things “they do not know.” They should be careful lest their experience be that of the men in Ac 19:16. These were overcome by the demon they were rebuking and were left naked and wounded!

It seems that few people realize that Satan has a purpose in God’s plan for His people. It must frustrate Satan to be used of God, but he is powerless against what God determines to do. Like a mad dog chained to a stake in the ground that prevents him from going as far as he would, God let’s Satan out only so far as he fulfills the Lord’s will. Twice Paul speaks of Satan being used to correct individuals that were out of line within the church. Let Satan work on them for a while, and they’ll come to their senses! He said of the man in open sin within the church at Corinth: “deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. (1 Cor 5:5) Just as a loving parent chastens a disobedient child (Pr 13:24; Heb 12:6), God uses Satan as a rod to correct those that step out of line. “…of whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I delivered to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme.” (1 Tim 1:20) Also, we often think of evil spirits as tempting us to sin, but we see from 2 Cor 12:7 that God in His wisdom can use them to prevent us from falling into sin! “And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure.”

It ought to comfort us greatly to know that God is in control of the powers of darkness. As the Lord says in Is 54:16: “Behold, I have created the blacksmith who blows the coals in the fire, who brings forth an instrument for his work; and I have created the spoiler to destroy.” No doubt, these spiritual enemies would destroy us eternally if they could, but listen to the joyful declaration to the children of God in v. 17!

“No weapon formed against you shall prosper,

And every tongue which rises against you in judgment

You shall condemn.

This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD,

And their righteousness is from Me,”

Says the LORD.

Jamie

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