Insightful Musings on the Scriptures
by
Raymond P. Sparre
Northwest University class of '67
Greetings, dear ones.
Overcast, but not raining at present. Becki and Thano will soon return with the two little boys. They will be here till this evening. I’m sure they will be delighted at holding the baby kittens who now have their eyes open
I’m trying to figure out how to keep up with all the work piling up. And look at how tall that grass is out there! I better keep moving.
Blessings on the rest of this day.
Love, Dad/Ray.
Why does God tolerate this dirty devil? Why does He allow Satan to run around tempting people to do bad stuff and to oppose God and His will? Why doesn’t God just snuff him out with one blow of His mighty power and rid the earth of him forever—and return His creation to an Eden-like condition of purity and perfection? He could do that if He wanted, you know—but for reasons I cannot fully explain, He does not want to…yet. But He will. That impending fact is clearly disclosed in Scripture. For now, I can only conclude that Satan actually exists and functions as God’s adversary and antagonist by God’s intention—offering mankind the option of seeking and serving God by their own God-like and God-given freedom of intelligent choice as opposed to robotic programmed automation. While we may never completely comprehend all these things this side of eternity, we do know that God not only tolerates the devil, but uses him. How else could we explain the first two verses of this reading—“Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the desert, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil” (vv. 1-2). So not only does God permit Satan to interfere with and influence men’s minds, but He actually allows him to have a go at attacking His own Son. I’m reminded here of the description of Jesus in Hebrews 5:8-9—“Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered.” Hmm. Please pay careful attention to this lesson: If these things are so, you can rest assured that this dirty deceptive devil will not pass you by—especially if you are closely associated with the Son.
Be reminded that there is no means of protection against this enemy that can substitute for the powerful influence of the Word of God wielded from the heart of a true believer. You will do well to hide it in your heart and develop competence in its use and application. Take note that in each temptation launched by the devil, Jesus defeated them by His use of the “sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God” (Ephesians 6:17).
And be reminded that the devil’s ministry of temptation is not a one-time deal. Verse 13 says, “When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time.” Don’t be caught by surprise. You can bank on it—he’ll be back. Be ready! (1 Peter 5:8-9; 2 Timothy 2:15; Ephesians 6:10-18)