The Enemy Is Out To Get You!
Happy New Year, friends! I know most of us are ready to bid farewell to 2020 and begin a new—and hopefully better—year. I’ve been thinking a lot about what I wanted to write as we flip those calendar pages to a fresh new start, and while I’ve had several ideas floating around in my brain, I settled on a brief series taken from a passage of Scripture I read several months ago. The more I thought about this particular story, the more I realized how many lessons were crammed into it and how vital these reminders are as we begin a new year. So, if you’ll indulge me, I’d like to spend the next seven posts reviewing some powerful truths for making 2021 a successful year.
“But when the Philistines heard that they had anointed David king over Israel, all the Philistines came up to seek David; and David heard of it, and went down to the hold. The Philistines also came and spread themselves in the valley of Rephaim. And David enquired of the Lord, saying, Shall I go up to the Philistines? wilt thou deliver them into mine hand? And the Lord said unto David, Go up: for I will doubtless deliver the Philistines into thine hand. And David came to Baalperazim, and David smote them there, and said, The Lord hath broken forth upon mine enemies before me, as the breach of waters. Therefore he called the name of that place Baalperazim. And there they left their images, and David and his men burned them. And the Philistines came up yet again, and spread themselves in the valley of Rephaim. And when David enquired of the Lord, he said, Thou shalt not go up; but fetch a compass behind them, and come upon them over against the mulberry trees. And let it be, when thou hearest the sound of a going in the tops of the mulberry trees, that then thou shalt bestir thyself: for then shall the Lord go out before thee, to smite the host of the Philistines. And David did so, as the Lord had commanded him; and smote the Philistines from Geba until thou come to Gazer.”
The beginning of this chapter marks a triumphant milestone in Israel’s history—the crowning of David as king. After years of inner squabbles and power struggles, Israel was finally in the mindset to do right by God. They were ready to move forward and to receive God’s blessings on their lives. And David was finally living out the promise God had made to him all those years ago. But, as is the case in our lives as well, when the enemy heard what was going on, they wanted to stop it.
Leave it to the enemy to try and stop us from serving God. While they love to kick us when we’re down, they don’t mind showing up during our happy moments too. And that’s exactly what the Philistines did. Mortal enemies of Israel (particularly David, who had slaughtered their champion), the Philistines sought to stir up mischief. They didn’t want David to be king. They didn’t want Israel to do right and be at peace among themselves. That sounds like the enemy, doesn’t it? Looking to seek, steal, and destroy.
But notice, too, where the enemy set up their battlefield—in the valley of Rephaim. If you’re like me, you have no idea what significance that has. What’s in a name, right? Thanks to a few good Bible commentaries, I can answer that question. The word “Rephaim” can be translated as “giants.” So, essentially, the Philistines set up a war zone in the Valley of Giants. Wonderful!
I’m sure this was an intimidation tactic. I know it is when the enemy sets up the war against me in the Valley of Giants. He waits until I’m busy, preoccupied with the cares of life. He watches for those moments when I’m surrounded by trials, decisions, exhaustion, and so many other giants, and then he pounces. Why doesn’t the enemy set up a battlefield in the Valley of Roses or the Valley of Waterfalls or the Valley of Kittens? Because that would be too kind, and the enemy is anything but kind.
The beginning of this story teaches me two things. One, the enemy is cruel and merciless. They can attack anytime without warning. Good day or bad—it doesn’t matter to them. Surrounded by giants or friends—the enemy doesn’t care. Ready or not, here they come!
Two, the only way to be victorious is to be aware of their tactics. Good times—like the birth of a baby, a new job, a proposal, or in David’s case, a coronation—can sometimes distract us and cause us to forget our adversary is still prowling about, seeking whom he may devour. As for bad times, they can be dangerous too as we can become so focused on the giants around us, we fail to notice the one sneaking up behind us.
God has given us His Word, and in it, he explains the ways of the enemy. He tells us the adversary is a liar. He warns us that the enemy will try to lure us away with temptations and promises. He equates our nemesis to a roaring lion and a sneaky snake. We must take heed lest we fall prey to the enemy’s traps.
Tomorrow, we’ll explore how David responded to this threat. In the meantime, be on the lookout for the enemy. You never know what corner he may be lurking around, and you can be sure he doesn’t have your best interest in mind.
“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:”