Victory!
Meditation for the week of June 20, 2010
Psalm 24:1 The earth is the LORD’S, and all its fullness, The world and those who dwell therein.
When we see pictures of the earth from outer space, the beauty of the earth is phenomenal. The majesty of what the Lord has created is hard to comprehend. The earth is but a speck in the vast universe that God has created, yet the earth is the place where the action is. Man acts as though the earth is his, but in reality the earth is the Lord’s.
When we look at the starry sky, we see northern lights. We see constellations. We see the moon and the stars which reflect order and beauty. But the earth is where God has placed man, and the earth is the center of God’s interest in the universe. When Solomon thought about the earth he said that God had made everything beautiful in his time (Ecclesiastes 3:11). Even man, who was placed in the Garden of Eden, is and was an awesome part of God’s creation. God could not say that everything was VERY good until he he had created a woman to compliment a man. So why does everything seem so out of control today? Why does this beautiful earth with beautiful creatures kill and maim and destroy that which God has made good and beautiful?
The answer is that Satan is real and tries to destroy anything that glorifies the Lord Jesus. Men would like to make Satan a mythical creature about whom they can joke. We say things like, “the devil made me do it.” But there may be more truth than poetry to that. Satan is a created being like man, and he also was created beautiful (Ezekiel 28:12-15). He was lifted up in pride after being given the preferred place in heaven. He was proud of his position and beauty and it appears he wanted the honor and place that belongs to the Lord alone (See Isaiah 14:14).
Satan is not mythical, he is real. He tried to destroy man in the Garden of Eden and in doing this he brought death and corruption into Adam’s society of which we are a part. He has tried to destroy the beauty of this place that God created for man and for His own pleasure. He is doing a fairly good job of messing things up. But as he plays chess with the Lord, he is always a step or two behind. He deceived Eve into sinning and Adam sinned along with her. But God had already put a plan in place that would provide salvation through His Son. Satan tried to turn the Son aside from his mission by attacking him in the wilderness at the beginning of His earthly ministry and by attacking Him in the Garden of Gethsemane just before His crucifixion. But the Son was and is the faithful One–always doing what pleased the Father. So Satan could not turn Him aside. The resurrection is the proof that Satan did not win. Paul says, “But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:57) .”
Things may look bleak. The oil that is pouring into the Gulf because of the BP Deep Horizon blow out may not be able to be stopped. The wars in Afghanistan and in Iraq may not be winnable. The world economy may be in terrible shape, and the U.S. dollar may not be sound as a dollar any more. But the earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof. I marvel that there is a day coming when death will be the exception and not the rule, when sin will be the exception and not the rule. The universe will be restored to its original beauty. The enmity found in the food chain will be gone. People will live in peace. It seems impossible to believe in our day, but that day is coming. God has promised it and He is going to bind Satan who today runs around as a roaring lion seeking to devour (Revelation 20:2, 1 Peter 5:8). God is able.
The original earth which is the Lord’s was and is beautiful in spite of sin. But the redeemed earth will be even better. I expect to be able to enjoy that beauty as part of the bride of Christ. Those of us who “believe” in the present day will likely be in heaven with the Lord as he reigns over his redeemed restored universe during the coming millennium. It is going to be an awesome day.
Since Satan cannot destroy the earth, he is going to try to destroy man whom God made for His own companionship and pleasure. He is making a last ditch effort today to convince men that he is mythical and that God doesn’t exist. He wants to make sure that the Lord is not glorified by people believing in Him. Do not let Satan win! Believe the truth and not the lie! The Bible says, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved (Acts 16:31).” This is the victory that the Lord wants for us and that Satan wants to keep us from enjoying.
Bruce Collins