Bob Deffinbaugh, Th.M
The Spiritual War in the Old
Testament: It should come as no surprise to the Christian to read
here that we are engaged in a great spiritual battle. From the early chapters of
the Old Testament it is apparent that Satan is the enemy of God, and that he
actively seeks to oppose God, His purposes, and His people. Let us consider the
evidence for the spiritual war in the Old Testament, and then to further pursue
this matter in the New Testament.
We would probably turn first to the third
chapter of the Book of Genesis to find Satan striking what appears to be the
first blow of the spiritual war. Actually, the battle began long before the
creation of Adam and Eve. Satan’s rebellion against God is described in two Old
Testament prophecies:
12 “How you have fallen from heaven, O
star of the morning, son of the dawn! You have been cut down to the earth, You
who have weakened the nations! 13 “But you said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to
heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God, And I will sit on the
mount of assembly In the recesses of the north. 14 ‘I will ascend above the
heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High’ (Isa.
14:12-14).
12 “Son of man, take up a lamentation
over the king of Tyre, and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD, “You had the
seal of perfection, Full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. 13 “You were in Eden,
the garden of God; Every precious stone was your covering: The ruby, the topaz,
and the diamond; The beryl, the onyx, and the jasper; The lapis lazuli, the
turquoise, and the emerald; And the gold, the workmanship of your settings and
sockets, Was in you. On the day that you were created They were prepared. 14
“You were the anointed cherub who covers, And I placed you there. You were on
the holy mountain of God; You walked in the midst of the stones of fire. 15 “You
were blameless in your ways From the day you were created, Until unrighteousness
was found in you (Ezek. 28:12-15).
It is clear from these verses that the
prophets are not speaking only of an earthly ruler, but of someone possessing
much greater power. They are speaking of none other than Satan. He was the angel
who was created by God (Ezekiel 28:13), given the highest authority under God,
but who was not content with this. He was the one who was in Eden, the garden of
God (Ezekiel 28:13). He was once blameless a the time of his creation, but then
was found with sin (Ezekiel 28:15). He possessed great beauty, power, and
authority, but he had to have more. He wanted to exalt himself further; he
wanted to become like God (Isaiah 14:14).
When Satan rebelled against God, others
joined him in opposing God and His purposes. And so we find Satan making his
first public appearance in Genesis chapter 3, not as Satan, but as a creature
which God has made. Satan comes to Adam and Eve as a fellow-creature, under
God’s authority and that of the man and his wife. His temptation is heeded, and
God’s Word disobeyed, leading not only to the downfall of Adam and his wife, but
of all their
offspring.