Here is today’s parable, straight from the heart of Jesus.
The strong man and the Stronger Man Luke 11:21 & 22
Before you read the devotion today, notice some key phrases below. They will help you to understand this parable of Jesus.
- strong man- Satan or any besetting sin
- Stronger Man- Jesus
- fully armed-Satan’s weapons (guilt, lies, accusations, habitual sin, condemnation, and fear)
- guards his dwelling, Satan’s possessions, which are lost souls,
- his whole armor-souls or lives threatened by Satan until delivered by Jesus.
Now, read the Savior’s words.
“When the strong man, fully armed, guards his own dwelling, his goods are safe. But when someone stronger attacks him and overcomes him, he takes from him his whole armor in which he trusted, and divides his plunder.”
Luke 11:21 &22
Satan does not willingly give up any soul that he has in his wicked grasp. He will use every resource to hold lost souls and to trip up believers. (1 Peter 5:8)
His desire is not only our destruction, but it is to blatantly defy the King of Glory. When we disobey God, we are God, too.
Satan’s armory of lies, accusations, guilt, fearsome threats, and relentless temptation can pull us into habitual sin. But his weapons are no match for our victorious Savior when we submit obediently to walk with Christ.
Jesus is the Stronger Man. His work at Calvary assures us that we can be free from the awful hold that Satan has on us.
He erased the certificate of debt, with its obligations, that was against us and opposed to us, and has taken it away by nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and disgraced them publicly; he triumphed over them in him.
Colossians 2:14 & 15
There is a timeless and important object lesson on how to keep the adversary out of our lives. Have you ever read the Old Testament story about King Saul’s partial obedience? He was commanded to completely destroy the wicked Amalekites.
Have you ever read the Old Testament story about the partial obedience of King Saul? He was told to completely destroy the wicked Amalekites.
Actually, the story of the Amalekites begins hundreds of years before Saul became king. I will link their story below. But for today’s devotion, we are going to join their story from 1 Samuel 15.
Samuel, the prophet, was sent by the Lord to tell Saul…
“Now go and attack the Amalekites and completely destroy everything they have. Do not spare them. Kill men and women, infants and nursing babies, oxen and sheep, camels and donkeys.’”
1 Samuel 15:3
Don’t get sidetracked by thinking God is cruel. If you will read the linked history below, you will see why God called on Saul to annihilate these people. The deaths of little ones were merciful. They were not at the age of accountability, and Bible scholars believe they were taken to Heaven when they died.
The Amalekites consistently attacked the Hebrews when they were at their most vulnerable. Instead of confronting the warriors, they chose to attack the weakest members of the community, including young children, the elderly, the infirm, and women. In essence, they preyed on the defenseless.
But Saul only partially obeyed the Lord.
Saul and the troops spared Agag, and the best of the sheep, goats, cattle, and choice animals, as well as the young rams and the best of everything else. They were not willing to destroy them, but they did destroy all the worthless and unwanted things.
1 Samuel 15:8-9
Partial obedience to God is complete disobedience.
You may wonder why Saul’s actions were so bad. God views disobedience of Him as rebellion.
Then Samuel said:
“Does the Lord take pleasure in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord? Look: to obey is better than sacrifice, to pay attention is better than the fat of rams. For rebellion is like the sin of divination (witchcraft), and defiance is like wickedness and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has rejected you as king.”
1 Samuel 15:22-23
Saul did not guard his heart. He became a captive of Satan. Not only did Saul suffer, but his disobedience led to the near annihilation of the Jews centuries later.
The story of Esther reveals that a descendant of the Amalekites, and specifically of King Agag, Haman, plotted the destruction of the Hebrew people.
But thankfully, Esther was totally obedient, and God used her and her uncle, Mordecai, to ensure the preservation of the Jews.
Do you see the consequences of not fully guarding your heart? Every believer likely has their own story of how they’ve disobeyed God. Our disobedience not only dishonors Him but also robs us of spiritual oneness and peace with Him. Many times, our actions can hurt others, too.
So what can believers do to be sure that our hearts are not captivated by Satan?
Ephesians 6:10-20 is a great passage to study and apply to our lives. We should memorize this and commit to following the Savior in a growing and personal relationship every single day.
Here is the history of the Amalekites, from Got Questions: Who were the Amalekites? | GotQuestions.org1
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- Who Were the Amalekites
gotquestions.org ↩︎
Getting the Seed out of the basket and into hungry hearts. Matthew 13 