We read in Numbers 22:6, Come now, curse this people for me, since they are too mighty for me. Perhaps I shall be able to defeat them and drive them from the land, for I know that he whom you bless is blessed, and he whom you curse is cursed." (ESV)
As we continue to meditate on this portion of scripture we see that the people of Israel were strong, and progressing in their journey. Unknowns to them there was a king who observed their advancements and realized that if they continued the way they did, they would become a threat to his own kingdom.
We too as children of God will daily grow from strength to strength, we will multiply in numbers, and will be taken to greater heights. Let’s not assume that since we are abounding in strength that there will be no opposition or attacks on us. On the other hand we must bear in mind that the world around us is keenly observing us, and therefore there is sense of fear that grips them to see our progress.
The King of Moab watched the people of Israel increase and gain momentum, and he devised a plan to destroy them. He knew that he did not have the strength or courage to attack them directly, and hence he used a cunning plan to sabotage the growth and advancement of the Israelites.
Even today Satan always uses devious ways to attack God’s children.
The secret schemes of Satan
We will study and understand how we can identify these evil plots of the devil, and how we can overcome them.
Balak the King of Moab secretly invited Balaam who was a prophet of God. Balak knew that he could not defeat the Israelites who were too powerful, and hence he had a subtle plan to overcome them. He called for the Prophet Balaam to come, and curse the people of Israel. The only reason why Balak wanted the Israelites to be cursed was that they were mightier than him and his people.
When people cannot fight against us directly or physically, they will often use cunning, and underhand ways to do so. As long as we are struggling and are unblessed, no one will bother about us. However, when we are blessed, honored and when people know that the Lord is with us, we will find that Satan will instigate some people to rise up against us.
What are the secret weapons that enemy uses?
The Psalmist prayed this way in Psalm 64:2, Protect me from the secret plans of the wicked. Hide me from the gang of evil people. (ERV)
1. Secret surveillance
This is what happened to the people of Israel that as they progressed, they were being watched closely by the King of Moab. He was taking note of their strengths and weaknesses.
Every believer in Jesus will at some point face trials, hardships and opposition from various quarters.
Saul’s men watched David
We read in 1 Samuel 19:11, Saul sent men to watch David’s house. They stayed there all night. (ERV)
As David stayed in his house there were men who watched his house all night under the supervision of King Saul so they could finish him off if he came outside.
Be watchful of Satan
If you are wondering if this is true read 1 Peter 5:8, “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” (ESV)
Compare the above verse with the thought that I have been sharing. The devil is referred to as a roaring lion. A lion comes out to hunt, the only aim is to catch the prey and kill it. Have you watched how a lion hunts its prey? In a very cautious and subtle way it follows the prey until it can overpower it. When a herd of deer are together, and one of them notices a lion, it will give a warning call so that all other deer are aware, and move away from that spot. However, if some of those deer ignore that caution, they will become easy prey to the lion.
The comparison of the devil to the lion is made to help us realize that we as children of God should be alert and aware of the schemes of the evil one, and not fall prey to his cunning attacks on us. Satan is always scheming to find ways to trap and devour us. We may wonder as to how we can escape the darts of the enemy when we don’t even know where the attack will come from. Just imagine that if a deer was hidden from the vision of a lion then there would be no way that the lion could attack it.
The Lord blinded the eyes of the men
We read of a situation in Genesis 19:11, Then they did something to the men outside the door--they caused all these evil men, young and old, to become blind. So the men trying to get in the house could not find the door. (ERV)
When evil men wanted to enter the house of Lot who was a righteous man, their eyes were blinded, and their efforts turned futile as they could not even find the door to his house.
This should be our prayer too that those who come against us, and who are trying to harm us for no reason should be so blinded that they cannot even see us or our families. Yesterday I received a testimony of a family who were targeted by a group with guns. As the guns were aimed at them there was a white light that came between them and their attackers, and they were saved. When we pray God will protect us, and we will have the supernatural protection that God will give to those who are His children.
There are some people who will gather information about us, and scandalously pass it on to others. We must pray for such people too that every scheme of Satan should be thwarted, and his eyes blinded. There was a notice issued by the police department recently that when people are going off on vacations they should not make mention of their plans on social media. When people did this they became easy targets and thieves broke in freely knowing that the occupants were away. We should be cautious about what we put up on social media and pray that the Lord will protect us from all the attacks of the enemy.
2. Secret lies
We read in Esther 3:8, Then Haman came to King Xerxes and said, "King Xerxes, there is a certain group of people scattered among the people in all the provinces of your kingdom. They keep themselves separate from other people. Their customs are different from those of all other people. And they don't obey the king's laws. It is not right for the king to allow them to continue to live in your kingdom. (ERV)
This was a secret plan of Haman who gave a false report about a people to the king of the land. Haman accused the group of Jewish people who lived in that land as those who had strange customs, who were separated from other people, and that they did not obey the king’s laws. He also told the king that these people should be put to death. Here we see that Haman plotted and reported lies about the Jewish people who were living quietly, and in subordination to the king and his laws. By doing so, Haman turned the heart of the king against the Jewish people. Haman had nothing against the Jewish people, but he had personal enmity against one Jewish man Mordecai.
There are some people who will have a personal problem with someone, and just to get even they will instigate an entire group against them. Such people will lie boldly, and will go to any extent to slander others. We should pray against such people, and ask the Lord to stop their lies. Instead of confronting the person on the issue at hand and settling it, they will make sure that they gossip, slander and turn the hearts of all other people against that person. This is the work of Satan because he is a liar and the father of lies.
You may have experienced this in families. When there is a wedding, and if for some reason one of the family members in the extended family feels they were disregarded in some way, they will make sure that they influence other members in the family with their subtle talk and lies to have negative thoughts towards the one who hurt them in some way.
So also at work place when a new person takes over as a manager, and if he is strict and disciplined, taking action against those who are not on time, this is what will happen. If an employee is used to coming late, and if this leads to some sort of altercation between the manager and the employee, we will find that the employee who was in the wrong will begin to spread lies, and influence others to turn against the good manager. This happens at every level in the family, at work place, in society and also in the country. Let us never entertain any accusation that is brought against someone, without first checking on the authenticity of it.
We read in Psalm 31:18, Silence their lying lips – those proud and arrogant lips that accuse the godly (NLT)
This should be our prayer that God should silence the lips of those who spread lies and falsely accuse the righteous people. Every believer faces this kind of accusations, and we should sincerely pray that the Lord will shut the mouths of those who do so. You may have noticed how someone who is in good relationship with us will suddenly avoids us for no reason. If we were to delve into it we will discover that someone else has shared some false allegations or lies about us, and have thereby biased that person’s mind about us. The Lord has given us authority to bind and loose someone and we should exercise this authority that God has given to us as His children to bind every power of darkness that works against us.
3. Secret deceit
We read in 2 Samuel 15:2-6, Absalom would get up early and stand near the gate. He would watch for anyone with problems who was going to King David for judgment. Then Absalom would talk to them and say, “What city are you from?” They would say they were from such and such tribe in Israel. Then Absalom would say, “Look, you are right, but King David will not listen to you.” Absalom would also say, “Oh, I wish someone would make me a judge in this country! Then I could help everyone who comes to me with a problem. I would help them get a fair solution to their problem.” And if anyone came to Absalom and started to bow down to him, Absalom would treat him like a close friend—he would reach out and touch him and kiss him. Absalom did that to all the Israelites who came to King David for judgment. In this way Absalom won the hearts of all the people of Israel. (ERV)
In this incident David was King over Israel. He was anointed and appointed by God to be in that position. David’s son Absalom coveted the throne of his father, and wanted to abdicate it by any means. In order to do this Absalom would stand by the road side early in the morning , and would stop those who are on the way to the king, and would feign concern about their issues. Absalom had good standing because he was the son of King David, but he misused his position to gain favor among the people, and to turn them against his own father.
A person shared with me that he had a shop and someone came, and set up shop right next to him with the exact same goods, but gave a huge discount so that everyone would come to his shop. These are those who have an eye to covet other people’s things, positions and jobs. Sometimes people will fake concern and we should be cautious to not share everything with everybody. The only reason these people enquire about us is to get some information that they can misrepresent, and pass on to others.
Every time someone shared a problem with Absalom, he made them feel that they were in the right, and that he could help them get justice for their situation. Absalom gave the impression that the king had no time to hear the people who approached him, and hence he disrupted them mid-way, and made sure that he got a good name. This was not a position that was given to Absalom, but he illegally took it upon himself, and influenced the people to believe that he would make a fair judge for the country, and that he should be appointed to such a position. The people who came to Absalom would be so pleased with him, and even before they bowed to him, he would hug and kiss them. This kind of behavior by Absalom made all the people believe that the King’s son was a genuine man who loved, and cared for them. Absalom cared nothing for the people, but his deceitful behavior was with the sole purpose to entice them, and by doing so he stole the hearts of all of the people of Israel towards him. The sad thing was that the people of Israel were allured, and fell into the trap that was set up for them by Absalom.
The one place we can pour out all of our problems is the presence of God. We should go to people only as a last resort, and not as a first option. Jesus said that when we close the doors, and pray in secret, the Lord who hears will reward and answer openly. All of us need God’s wisdom and discernment to understand the true thoughts and intentions of those who speak to us. There are many people who have allowed their hearts to be stolen by those who are deceitful. We should guard our hearts above all else.
David found refuge in the Lord
We read in 2 Samuel 22:2-3, The Lord is my Rock, my fortress, my place of safety. He is my God, the Rock I run to for protection. He is my shield; by his power I am saved. He is my hiding place, my place of safety, high in the hills. He is my savior, the one who rescues me from the cruel enemy. (ERV)
David found refuge in the Lord who was his rock, fortress and his place of safety. The Lord was always topmost in David’s life.
We too must make God our rock and our fortress, and surely He will rescue us from our cruel enemies.
David also had some earthly people who were a huge support to him
1. David’s friend Jonathan
We read in 1 Samuel 20:42, Then Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace, because we have sworn both of us in the name of the LORD, saying, ‘The LORD shall be between me and you, and between my offspring and your offspring, forever.’” And he rose and departed, and Jonathan went into the city. (ESV)
Jonathan was the son of King Saul, and though Jonathan was the heir to his father’s throne, Jonathan knew that God had chosen David to be the next king. This made Jonathan a most loyal friend to David. Jonathan stood with David, gave him great counsel, and even was willing to give his life for his friend.
We too must look out for such friends, and not have wrong friendships that would ruin our lives. It is crucial that we have such godly friends too.
We read in Proverbs 13:20, Walk with the wise and become wise; associate with fools and get in trouble. (NLT)
Our good friends will only give us good advice, and not lead us astray. Many young people have gone into addictions because of wrong friendships and associations. If we make friends with foolish people they will surely get us into trouble.
2. David’s wife Michal
We read in 1 Samuel 19:12, “So Michal let David down through the window, and he fled away and escaped.” (ESV)
Michal the wife of David, was King Saul’s daughter, but when she knew that David was in trouble, she risked her life and let David down through the window and saved him from the hands of her father.
Our relationships at home must be healthy and good. Many parents and children are not in talking to each other. When our relationships at home are broken, and splintered it will certainly affect our children. Children learn everything at home, and we must be careful to be good examples as husband and wife. It is a fact that when children especially the girls, don’t get the love and affection of their father at home, they will look for it elsewhere and get trapped in wrong relationships.
Proverbs 1:8 says, Hear, my son, your father’s instruction, and forsake not your mother’s teaching, (ESV)
As children learn to listen to the advice of their father and mother and walk in them, they will be safe and have a blessed life.
3. David’s spiritual mentor
1 Samuel 19:18, “Now David fled and escaped, and he came to Samuel at Ramah and told him all that Saul had done to him. And he and Samuel went and lived at Naioth.” (ESV)
David had a good mentor in Samuel who counselled him and guided him. In a moment of emotional distress, David went to Samuel to took him in, and helped him make right decisions.
Everyone needs a mentor, someone who is older, and more mature than us, a father figure who can guide us aright. This is someone who is a trustworthy counselor whose age and maturity will give us right counsel. It is a fact that when our minds decide to do something we can only see the positive in it, and will be blinded to all the negatives.
We will have those who will come against us, they will secretly watch us, and they will spread secret lies about us, and will also secretly deceive us. Our prayer is that such people are blinded, their mouths silenced, and their plans thwarted, and none of us be trapped to it. Make God your refuge and fortress, find good friends, have good relationship in the family, and find a good spiritual mentor who can guide you in the right path.
Rev. F. Andrew Dixon
www.goodnewsfriends.net
