Original Exorcism

Lucifer of Liége, Liége Belgium (Image: Pixabay)

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Isaiah 13-17; Psalm 112

TO CHEW ON: “How you are fallen from heaven,
O Lucifer, son of the morning!
How you are cut down to the ground,
You who weakened the nations!” Isaiah 14:12

Here we have the interesting account of what is believed to be Satan’s casting out of heaven. My Bible’s notes explain the double application:

“These verses … are part of the proverb against the king of Babylon. The language, however, shows that he is a type of Satan” Nathaniel M. Van Cleave, New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 891.

There are several other accounts of Satan’s fall:
- Jesus, when debriefing the disciples on their return from ministering in His name and excited that they could perform exorcisms, told them this was no surprise for Satan was a long-ago defeated foe. He said: “‘I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven’” Luke 10:18.

John in his Revelation vision tells it again:
“So the great dragon was cast out, the serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world, he was cast to earth, and his angels were cast out with him” - Revelation 12:9*

It is interesting to notice the details in Isaiah’s telling. Lucifer’s pride and self-will are on display in his “I will” statements:
“I will ascend to heaven,
I will exalt my throne above the stars of God;
I will also sit on the mount of the congregation…
I will ascend above the heights of the clouds,
I will be like the Most High” - Isaiah 14:13-14.

God responds to him:
He will be brought down
He will be the object of stares
He will be the object of ridicule.
He will be cast out by even the lowest place, the grave.
He will be alone (Isaiah 14:15-20).

What particularly makes me sit up and take notice in this account is the reason for Satan’s fall: pride and self-will, attitudes with which I (and perhaps you too?) am all too acquainted.

PRAYER: Dear Father, by Your Spirit help me to recognize, repent of, and root out the satanic qualities of pride and self-will that so readily take root and flourish in my life.

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 112

* Some eschatologists interpret this as a future and final casting out of Satan. different from the one described in Isaiah; others see this as a flashback to that first casting out.

 *********
Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Thanks for reading! This year we are using The Bible Project "Timeless Reading Plan" to read through the Bible in 2018. If you'd like to read along in your own Bible, you can download a pdf of the reading plan HERE.

Inherit the land!

Image: Pixabay

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Deuteronomy 1-3; Psalm 53

TO CHEW ON: “You have dwelt long enough at this mountain” - Deuteronomy 1:6

“You have skirted this mountain long enough” - Deuteronomy 2:3 NKJV
“You have roamed around this mountain country long enough” Deuteronomy 2:3 AMP

“… inherit the land…” Deuteronomy 3:28

In these first three chapters of Deuteronomy, Moses reviewed for the Israelites the chain of events that had brought them to this time and place (40 years out of Egypt, camped on the eastern border of Canaan). Three bullet points in his lecture stand out and may apply to us too.

“You have dwelt long enough at this mountain” - Deuteronomy 1:6.

The mountain Moses was referring to here was Mount Sinai. We recall what happened there—an intense experience with God: the law, the Tabernacle, worship, all accompanied by God’s electrifying presence.

But they weren’t to stay there. The day came that God said “You have lived here long enough.”

“You have roamed around this mountain country long enough” - Deuteronomy 2:3 AMP.

Moses continued reminding the Israelites of their history in the wilderness, their 38 years of additional wandering. It was a fate they brought on themselves by their fear and refusal (two years into their journey) to trust that God would give them victory over the fearful giants of Canaan.

Thankfully the day came when God again said, “Enough! it’s time to re-engage with faith and courage and claim the promise I gave you 40 years ago” (my paraphrase).

“… inherit the land” - Deuteronomy 3:28

This is part of the assignment God gave Moses for Joshua at the end of our reading: “But command Joshua and encourage him and strengthen him; for he shall go before this people and he shall cause them to inherit the land which you will see.”

How do these things relate to us?

There are times we experience spiritual highs—times when God feels close and intimate. Like Peter on the Mount of Transfiguration, we’d like to camp there… and stay… forever! But that’s not what life is for. We need to re-engage with the world, life, and resume our pilgrimage to realize the purpose and destiny for which we were created.

We can also get stuck going in circles, as the Israelites did. Joyce Meyer has devoted a 10-chapter section of her classic Battlefield of the Mind to “Wilderness Mentalities”—attitudes which keep us from making spiritual progress. She says in the introduction to that section:

“We really shouldn’t look at the Israelites with such astonishment because most of us do the same thing they did. We keep going around and around the same mountains instead of making progress. The result is it takes us years to experience victory over something that could have and should have been dealt with quickly” - Joyce Meyer, Battlefield of the Mind, p. 175.

If we’re n such a place, let’s stop trudging around in the desert and pray for insights into attitudes and actions that will bring breakthrough and take us into the land of all God has for us.

PRAYER: Dear Father, I need Your insights into the parts of my life that seem to be going nowhere. Please show me Your secrets of breakthrough. Amen.

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 53

The Bible Project VIDEO: Deuteronomy (Read Scripture Series)



Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Thanks for reading! This year we are using The Bible Project "Timeless Reading Plan" to read through the Bible in 2018. If you'd like to read along in your own Bible, you can download a pdf of the reading plan HERE.