Oh, no!
October 20, 2011 (Thursday)
“Lions, and tigers and bears — oh, my!”
And cheetahs, wolves, giraffes and camels — oh, no!
Schools in eastern Ohio were closed Wednesday because wild animals were on the loose. The owner of an exotic animal reserve let the 50 animals loose and then killed himself. Law enforcement officers combed the area hunting them down. As of sunset yesterday, only two remained free.
Does the thought of a wild ferocious animal on the loose remind you of a scripture verse? There’s one that refers to the wicked King Herod as a “fox.” But the one I’m thinking of is from the Apostle Peter: “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8 NIV).
Evil is personified in the Bible as Satan, the devil. Peter referred to him as a prowling lion, on the hunt for Christians. In those days it was dangerous to be a Christian and the cruel opposition of the Roman state could only have been the result of Satanic work. Peter left the language open-ended, however, so that we in this day might understand that we have demonic opposition in every endeavor to live for Christ and serve him.
In some ways, the entire subject of evil, the devil, wicked angels and demons is mysterious. One cannot deny, however, that the Bible teaches his existence and says the sphere of his activity is in this world. Jesus went so far as to brand him “the god of this world.” Not that God has turned the world over to him, but for his own reasons, God has allowed Satan to work in this realm.
The Apostle Paul portrayed the present scenario in this way: “..we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12 NLT).
That’s something to remember the next time you become aware that you are being tempted. When that happens, remember this Bible verse: “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7 NIV).