Ephesians #11 "Fight The Real Enemy"
November 19, 2023Pastor Patrick presented this morning's message, "Fight The Real Enemy." It was the 11th message in a series studying the book of Ephesians. A video of the message is here. Our Conversation Starter for this week is here.
As for the Old Testament, the notion of the devil or satan as described in today's message does not exist for the most part. There is a word, not a name, in the Old Testament: satan (שָׂטָן). But this isn't really the Satan as referenced in Ephesians. The meaning of the Hebrew word is more like obstructer, opposer, adversary, or accuser (which is still appropriate). All, including the latter, accuser, as in a court of law, a role. The word is accompanied by the article "the" making it ha-satan (הַשָּׂטָ֗ן) in Job and Zechariah where it comes the closest to "the devil" as in a being. It's close, but not quite a cigar.
The closest satan gets to being "the Devil" in the Old Testament is in the Book of Job. 14 of the 27 occurences of (ha-)satan in the Old Testament are in Job. In Job, Satan wants to steal, kill, and destroy (see the same triplet in John 10:10a). But, this "Satan" cannot act without God's permission. Satan is simply the accuser, nothing more. In Judaism generally, satan is often understood as representing the human tendency to evil. The Kabbalah (Jewish mysticism) does take satan further, I understand, but I did not go down that road.
An example of satan meaning an obstructor is in Numbers 22:22. God sends an angel to satan (obstruct/thwart) Balaam. By the way, the story of Balaam and his talking donkey is a kid favorite (Numbers 22:21-39).
In any case, I think the OT, the NT, and today's message would all agree that the biggest problem in your life is you. It's not neighbors, strangers, family members, the devil, God, or whatever - the biggest problem in your life is you and your human urges within. That's who you should be working on, particulary on how you react to all those other people and their actions.
You might refer back to a previous Bonus about "demons." It's here. Coincidentally, this same reference gives us a preview of next week's message on "armor."
After the service, I saw this text on a sweatshirt: "because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world." 1 John 4:4. "The one in the world" is clearly a reference to the devil, also sometimes refered to as the antichrist, false teachers, and evil principalities and powers. I thought it was surprisngly appropriate for today's message. It's doubly interesting that the letter this was in was likely written to the church(es) in the Ephesus area just like Ephesians (which surely was). The Greek word used here for "the one" is of no help. It is simply the definite article "the" (ho [also interestingly close to Hebrew's ha]) and no more. In interlinear Bibles, the two occurences are translated as "the[One]" then "the[one}".
Another tidbit I saw randomly on Facebook today: "Rather than the Peace of God, go after the God of Peace." It's about the giver, not the gift.
Bonus
The Mezuzah Project - "We Are All Jews"
Right after I published last week's essay page including a Bonus topic on the Shema, Dennis Prager's weekly column came out. The title was "The Little Box that Could Change America." That box has a name - the Mezuzah.Read Prager's essay before continuing. Some of the following discussion will not make sense without it. Click here.
Pictured at right is one of my attempts at writing a very small portion of the text myself to put in the Mezuzah case. The text is "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one." (Deuteronomy 6:4)
The direct connection between the Mezuzah and last week's Bonus is that the scripture written on parchment or paper inside the Mezuzah includes a couple lines from the Shema, "Hear, O Israel: God is our Lord, God is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might." Additionally, the Shema includes the instruction to "inscribe them (those words) on your doorposts." The thing you put on your doorpost is called a Mezuzah. Jews have been doing so for 3,000 years!
I learned a couple more things on Prager's radio show that same day when he was talking about this project with Rabbi Kraft toward the end of the Ultimate Issues Hour (11/14/23). 1. The word Mezuzah ("doorpost") has a root, lazuz (לָזוּז), which means "to move." The Mezuzah is supposed to move you into being connected with God. 2. The other message of the Mezuzah is that "it is what's inside that counts," be connected from within to God all the time. The Shema goes on to say if you're connected to God (including being obedient) there are blessings, and if you're not connected, there are curses. Do not think of blessings and curses as supernatural/God-driven events; they're simply natural consequences. If that's not an accurate description of where America is going as it becomes more and more secular...
The key phrase on the paper in the Mezuzah, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength" (Deut 6:5 and elsewhere in the OT) is repeated in the New Testament as well, e.g. Mark 12:30, Luke 10:27, and Matthew 22:37.
As Prager points out, don't think of the Mezuzah Project as virtue signaling (which he abhors). This is an act of defiance against evil.
The Mezuzah is actually in two parts that can be purchased separately. Part one is the case, the "box," that is hung on the doorpost. Part two is the parchment or paper inside the box upon which is written the texts mentioned above. Both are entirely appropriate for Christians. The inside part can cost a little or a little more depending on whether it is kosher or not. To be kosher, which is the more expensive way, it has to have been handwritten by a properly trained scribe on parchment from a kosher animal. If kosher is not an issue, simply printed on regular paper is fine. For non-Jewish participation in this sign of support for the Jews, there is no need for any text on the inside at all.
At right is my final cut at writing the text. The rolled up script with black-on-white lettering came with the Mezuzah. The Mezuzah case is the larger black tube. It's hard to see, but there's a stylized letter, shin (looks like a "W" in red circle first image), put on the tube as a buffed/shiny area. The silver-colored piece at the bottom of the tube is a screw-in cap that can be removed to insert your "scroll" and then put back in to hold it in place. On the back of the case is a double-sided tape for affixing to the doorpost. At far left is a normal writing pen to give you an idea of size for these items. This is a small, simple Mezuzah; they can be much bigger and fancier.
At right is the final installaion on our gatepost (the first thing you come to up the walk at our house).I thought I'd take this opportunity to practice a little Biblical writing. In my case it's more like drawing as my knowledge of Biblical Hebrew is very elementary. I discovered calligraphy markers in the process, much easier to use than traditional calligraphy nibs, ink, etc. I do hope to graduate to nibs and ink eventually in order to do it smaller and more controlled. Shown above is what I "drew" to put in our Mezuzah.
"Then they came for me - and there was no one left to speak for me." See the "First They Came..." entry on Wikipedia.
For a little more about the Mezuzah, click this Chabad.org link.
It is fascinating the degree of care taken to write ritually-acceptable copies of certain Hebrew texts for such things as the Torah, tefillin (little boxes worn on the head), and mezuzot (plural mezuzah). The practice is known as sofrut (long vowels). A sofer (long o) is a Jewish scribe who transcribes (copies) these texts. See the Wikipedia entry.
Bonus2
Be Still and Know That I am God
I saw a cool, framed image of this quote at a friend's house the other day. And I wondered where that text was in the Bible. Answer: Psalm 46:10. The verse continues with "I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."
Some interesting things about this verse and this Psalm... It's mostly written in the third person, about God. Our verse in question is the only one in this Psalm where God is talking in the first person. The overall context seems to be about great distress, probably war.
I always assumed "be still" meant go into a meditative state of some sort from your normal state of mind. Turns out, the word "be still" (raw-faw, רָפָה) is much bigger than that. It's more than just a small calming down. It's not simply "be quiet in God's presence." It suggests stop being frantic, let down, cease - probably refering to the activities of war. Stop it! This would apply to the enemy as well - stop fighting a war you're not going to win. Other meanings of the root include abate, consume, draw toward evening, fail, be faint, sink, and forsake. A related word means heal or be healed.
The word "know" (yada, יָדַע) is equally packed with meaning. It's been translated as acknowledge, aware, know (including the Biblical cohabitate), clearly understand, comprehend, discern, discover, experience, intimate, regard, know with certainty, learn, make known, perceive, recognize, and understand.
Every time I delve into a text it turns out to have far more meaning than I ever imagined. Sometimes it seems like every word or phrase could blossom into an entire sermon.