Was it Satan, though? Yes it was Satan. Some sections
of the church (i.e. some churches) seem to try and ignore Satan’s existence,
telling us we shouldn’t give Satan too much credit. But that is exactly what he
wants, for if we are not taught to be aware of him and to be on the lookout for
him, it is the ideal conditions for him to function in. ‘Ignore me and pretend
you do not see me, so I can mess up your life as I like,’ he would say.
To Jesus and the apostles, as recorded in their
writings, Satan was very real and they were quite outspoken about him. If they
warned us repeatedly against him and did not consider it giving him too much
credit, why do we do it? I think the problem is that the church tries to please
people too much. It is not acceptable to talk about horrible things in sociable
surroundings and the church seemed to have become a social club in many
respects, rather than an army training camp as it is meant to be.
In an army setup it is not considered giving the enemy
too much credit if you talk about their strategies. It is called being alert
and proactive. The fact is the enemy did accomplish what they have, had they
gained some ground or won a battle. It is no use ignoring that fact or sweeping
it under the carpet, fearing that we will give them too much credit. They deserve
that credit and the army will have to find a way to prevent it next time. One
thing the army has learnt from it, though, is the way the enemy functioned and
they will know how to stop them next time.
We need to acknowledge when Satan has won a battle and
learn from it, so it would not happen again. Jesus and the apostles gave us all
the tools and strategies in the Bible that we can use to fend off Satan’s
attacks. The only thing we need to learn from experience is what opens the door
for his attacks, how and when he attacks and how to prevent it. Just as we should
be zoomed in on the Holy Spirit’s guidance, so we must be aware of gaps where the
enemy may find access to our minds and souls.
In the case of Haman, as in chapter three of the book
of Esther, Satan knew Mordecai would not bow before Haman, since Mordecai was a
godly man and would only bow before the LORD. Satan, however, had a greater
plan just as the LORD had a greater plan. He wanted to destroy the LORD’s
beloved people, so he created a setup. He knew Haman’s heart and probably also
prepared him for this opportunity by pumping him full of pride. This he does
with anybody (also today) who are susceptible to it. He gradually adds to such
a person’s life power, wealth and success, causing them to grow in pride. Then
he arranges a position of power for that person, so he could be used as Satan’s
handle to kill, steal and destroy (John 10:10). There are many examples in
history – mostly dictators like Hitler.
So Haman was set up and indoctrinated. Then he received
the position of power Satan wanted him to have and the scene was set for Satan’s
ultimate plan – the destruction of the beloved people of his arch enemy, God.
The trigger for this genocide would have been a Jew, one of the LORD’s beloved,
who refused to give Haman honour. Satan would have barked in Haman’s ear: ‘Did
you see that wretched Jew, Mordecai, did not bow before you. Maybe you should
make use of this opportunity to destroy all the Jews.’ As recorded in verses
3-6, the royal officials were used to assist in this task.
You may now tell me it has got nothing to do with
Satan. People do things like that. Is it coincidence that it was the Jews, God’s
beloved, that were targeted? Is it coincidence that it was the Jews that were
targeted by Hitler? Is it coincidence that Christianity was and is still targeted
by communism? It is a spiritual war we are involved in and people are only
pawns in the hands of the spiritual forces (Ephesians 6:12).
Lord, please open my understanding of the spiritual
realm.
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Thank you Lord that your Word went
out from your mouth, via your servant’s pen, and it will not return to you
empty, but will accomplish what you desire and achieve the purpose for which you
sent it.
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