“The Enemy’s Seduction” – FBC Morning Light (9/14/2023)

Well a good Thursday morning to you. Today we're reading in Isaiah chapters 35 and 6, 1

Thessalonians 2 and Proverbs 13. And I think it's good for us to be aware of the strategies and tactics, the ploys that our enemy uses when he would seek to defeat us.

We see one of these tactics illustrated for us in a very real military threat in very real time and place.

And I'm looking at Isaiah 36 when Jerusalem is surrounded by or being threatened by the

Assyrians. So this goes back 2 ,500 years or so ago, and it's a very real threat.

The Assyrians are a very powerful force. They have already defeated the northern tribes of Israel.

Remember Israel's divided into two parts as a result of a civil split many years before this event in Isaiah 35 and 6.

And there's the ten tribes of Israel, sometimes referred to as Ephraim in the north, and then there's the tribe of Judah, with Simeon assimilated into that tribe as well, and they're to the south.

So you've got these Assyrians who have already taken captive and destroyed, overthrown the northern tribes of Israel.

And they have come into Judah, they've attacked the land of Judah, and have been successful also at defeating some of the cities in Judah.

And now they have arrived outside the capital city, the walled city, fortified city of Jerusalem.

And the word of the enemy comes to the ears of the

Jews, the Israelites, and he's in his threat.

He offers a promise, he tries to seduce surrender with this wonderful promise.

And here's what it says, here's what his promise is in chapter 36 verses 16 and 17.

He says, don't listen to Hezekiah. Hezekiah was the king of Judah, and Hezekiah has tried to encourage the people to put their trust in the

Lord, not to give any heed to the Assyrians. He says, don't listen to Hezekiah, for thus says the king of Assyria, make peace with me by a present, and come out to me.

And every one of you, okay here's the enticement, here's the carrot that's dangled in front of them, every one of you will eat from his own vine, and every one of you, everyone from his own fig tree, and every one of you drink the waters of his own cistern, till I come and take you away to a land like your own, a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards.

In other words, surrender to me, do what I say, and you'll have peace here, you'll not be taken away from your home, you won't have your vine and fig tree destroyed or anything like that, we're not gonna do that, you just surrender to us, and then we'll come and take you to a new land, and it'll be a wonderful place, a land like your own, it'll be a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards, it'll be like another paradise, even much better than this place where you are now.

After all, the place where you are now, so much of it is overthrown, and it's been marked by strife, and so on and so forth, just surrender to me, and life will be so much better, you'll be so much happier, you'll find such great satisfaction, just listen to me, surrender to me.

Now that was a very real enemy, a very real threat against people who would face destruction, but it also illustrates the tactic that the wicked one uses against us spiritually, in our own hearts, and in our own temptations.

He says, hey, surrender to me, go ahead, do this, go ahead, say that, go ahead, have that attitude toward that person, they deserve it, and nothing's gonna happen to you, everything will be fine.

In fact, I'll make sure that it's all good, and that you'll be satisfied once you've done this.

There will be pleasure and joy and satisfaction and peace when you've done this.

Well, what happens when you listen to that siren call? Fortunately, Judah didn't listen, and instead they appealed to the

Lord, and the Lord delivered them from Sennacherib, and from the Assyrians, and that overthrow never came from the

Assyrians. What happens if you yield? Is it all going to be peace and tranquility, is it all going to be satisfaction and joy?

No, no, not at all. There is, on the other side of it, a great deal of misery and dissatisfaction and guilt and so on.

So, don't listen to that siren call, don't pay attention when the

Wicked One would entice you in that way. All right. Our Father and our God, what a good reminder today of one of these ploys that the

Wicked One uses to defeat us. May we ignore his calls, we pray, in Jesus' name, amen.