The Enemy’s Attack

There is a very effective attack which the enemy of Mankind uses, particularly against the people of God. We can see it in events of scripture and history, but it is seldom called out for what it truly is – the work of the enemy. There are several aspects to this diabolical scheme which is reserved for particular situations. 

We may not always see situations as purely good versus evil, these lines can be blurred by facts, actions and different perspectives. There is no shadow with God, but the enemy can disguise himself as an angel of light. (2 Cor. 11:14) This is important as it allows him to pit well meaning people against one another.  In Judges 19 -20, there is an account of a murderous atrocity that pitted all the tribes of Israel against the tribe of Benjamin. An undeniable horrible murder took place, the perpetrators were not held to account and a devastating war broke out among the Israelis themselves. This is the enemy’s work to kill God’s people either by using pagan nations or causing God’s own people to turn upon each other. 

A modern example illustrates the elements of the enemy’s scheme. O.J. Simpson was tried for the murders of his ex-wife and her friend who were killed brutally in a vicious knife attack. There was a lot of evidence linking this to Simpson, who acted very erratically, flying to another city, then returning and leading a slow police chase in his white Bronco with his friend who said he was suicidal. The trial was televised and it looked bad for O.J. until the defense turned the trial into a racial conviction of LA detective Mark Thurman. The jury acquitted O.J. Simpson, but a large majority of the public believed he was the perpetrator. Many who defended the verdict saw it as a racial victory for past injustice against Blacks. The point is the trial was changed to be about racism, rather than murder.

In Scripture, after the great victory over Jericho, Israel experienced a crushing defeat against Ai. The cause was due to Achin keeping idols he had pilfered. (Joshua 7) The people of God must be righteous and separate from wickedness. This is a problem because no one is perfectly righteous. Satan uses this fact to confuse and weaken the people of God into attacking each other. When Jesus forgave the woman caught in adultery, he was not approving adultery and told her to sin no more. (John 8:11) We must be wise and not let the enemy redirect us, nor turn us against fellow believers and fall in to deception. All our battles are Spiritual and the victory belongs to the Lord as we submit to Him and His leading.