Saturday, May 22, 2010

Devotional: Lucifer on a Leash

Isaiah 14:12-15 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.

Lucifer is a created being who exalted himself against God. It is interesting to note that Jesus as creator of all things, is creator of Lucifer too. Ephesians 6:12 says, "For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places."

The principalities, according to the dictionary are an order of angels that are in opposition to God. Colossians 1:14-17 tells us that Jesus Christ is the creator of those beings, which includes Lucifer, also known as Satan.
In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.

As creator of Lucifer, God has him on a leash. He can only do as much evil as God permits him to do. This gives me comfort knowing that, as Joni Eareckson-Tada puts it, "(God) is the stowaway on Satan's bus, always erecting invisible fences around the enemy's fury and bringing ultimate good out of wickedness...Imagine a God who insisted on a hands off policy toward the evil barreling our way. The world would be much much worse than it is. Evil would be uncontrolled. But thank God he curbs it."


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