“Then we departed from the river of Ahava on the twelth day of the first month, to go unto Jerusalem: and the hand of our God was upon us, and He delivered us from the hand of the enemy and of such as lay in wait by the way.” Ezra 8:31
Since the fall of man in the Garden of Eden, man has been at war, first with his sinful self, and then with Satan. The Lord Jesus made it very clear concerning this adversary, this enemy, that he was, and is, a thief, who comes only to steal, kill and to destroy. (Jn. 10:10) This is the essential nature and disposition of the enemy of God, and ours. Though he might appear as an angel of light, he is pure evil, whose intent is to defame and destroy, all that is good and holy. He is in absolute opposition to all that is of God, and God’s people. To neglect the fact that the Christian is in a spiritual warfare, is to be naive, and vulnerable to Satan’s attacks. When Christ died on Calvary, declaring His perfect work to be finished, one of the great aspects of that work concerned the spiritual powers of darkness. Paul wrote to the Colossians on this matter: “And having spoiled principalities and powers, He made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.” (2:15) In Paul’s letter to the Ephesian believers, praying for them, and seeking to teach them of Christ’s victory over Satan and his demons, he wrote that the Father “…raised Him from the dead, and set Him at His own right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come.” (1:20) Paul’s purpose in declaring such wonderful truths is to provide the believer with a knowledge of the all-victorious power of Christ in heaven, and by virtue of the believer’s union with Christ, to know it by faith. Yes, there is a warfare, and it will continue until the enemy, Satan, is cast forever into the lake of fire. Until then, we are called upon to grasp the enormity of the victory that is ours IN Christ, that we might, according to the knowledge that He gives, be strengthened to appropriate that very power and strength on this earth in service to Christ. It is as the believer abides in Christ, deriving all from Him, that Christ’s power is manifested in the life, even in the face of the enemy.
All through the tumultuous history of the Old Testament, especially as it applies to the nations of Israel and Judah, warfare seemed to be almost a way of life. There were periods of peace and prosperity which God would give to His people when they followed Him fully. It was when the people turned aside from God, that access was given to the enemy to come in and have his way. Only by a true repentance by the people towards God could there be a reversal of the oppression of the enemy. Even in David’s great Psalm 23, there is mention of “fearing no evil,” and a “table set before him in the presence of mine enemies.” (v.4,5) As long as this earth will last until Christ makes a new heaven and earth where there is no sin, there will always be “wars and rumors of wars,” if not between nations, then between individual men. The issue is to recognize this reality and learn God’s way in facing and overcoming it.
When Ezra and the people were returning to Jerusalem, eventually to rebuild the temple, and to reestablish the true worship of God, they proceeded with the authority of the king. Faced with enemies along the way, they sought God with prayer and fasting, preferring to trust God to protect them. Ezra was concerned that the testimony of the living God, and their faith in Him, would not be marred by their unbelief. God protected them from their enemies.
Dear Father, Be our Fortress. In Jesus’ name, Amen.