What Satan even Knows

I could spend quite a bit of time listing many of the scriptures in the Bible where it speaks of our necessity to know God's word.  For the Christ-follower, being in God's Word gets no argument from Biblical circles,  as we know that being in the Scripture is an absolute priority for true Biblical Discipleship.  We know this is not an option to knowing Him.  Jesus lived to obey the Father's words, to fulfill the scripture, to teach the scripture, to model truth, to point out hypocrisy, to explain the scripture to those confused.  As scripture permeated every bit of Jesus life, so must our lives be filled with the truth of scripture.

If we are not careful though, knowledge can actually not really lead anywhere spiritually.  The truth simply becomes "Facts" that we have agreed to and believe to be true.  We all know from instances in our lives that we know a lot, but don't actually allow the truth to translate into walking out the scripture.  They just get stuck in our head or are filed away into some kind of knowledge bank where they just sit.  It is as if we at times think accumulation is the end result.  This was one the big issues the Religious leaders in the 1st Century struggled with.  They knew the scriptures in their mind, but right in front of their very eyes and ears, was the fulfillment of those very scriptures and they missed it.

The Psalmist wrote 3 very insightful verses in chapter 119.  Here they are, please read them slowly and let the meaning be comprehended.

Psalm 119:98 Your commandment makes me wiser than my enemies, for it is ever with me. 

Wisdom greater than our enemies comes from the commandments that are every with us.  What does this mean?  It does not mean I believe, because the commandments are "filed" away in our mind, but they are present, ever with us, in our mouth, leading our hands and feet, and guarding our eyes.  They are not somewhere else, but present as we live.  Next...

Psalm 119:99 I have more understanding than all my teachers, for your testimonies are my meditation.

Knowledge is to lead to understanding, the understanding comes from the active meditation on the Word.  Again, filled away, but is out and being chewed upon in our mind.  The word is present in our thoughts.  The meditative chewing on the Word leads to deep understanding of not only the meaning of scripture, but the working out of the scripture in all areas of our life.  Now...

Psalm 119:100  I understand more than the aged, for I keep your precepts.

To get to a deep understanding of the scripture does not necessarily come from years and years of reading the scripture, but from keeping the scripture  Again the meaning is clear, understanding comes from keeping, meaning walking in the knowledge of the truth.  The Psalmist is not encouraging us to just keep facts in our head, but to keep the precepts means that affect how we live.

Those thoughts above came out of my time in Matthew 4 today.  Matthew 4 reminded me to think through something interesting.  All around us in our day, we hear the scripture quoted from politicians, musicians, athletes, and philosophers.  Satan quoted scripture as well in Matthew 4.  In each of the 3 temptations, underlying the temptation is Satan's knowledge of the Word, though he only quotes scripture out loud in the second temptation.  In each of the temptations, he tempts with something that would lead Jesus to violate a commandment of God.  He knew that for Jesus to "take the bait" (see James 1:14) would mean the fall of Jesus and all of the implications connected to that.  He knows the scripture as well.

1.  First Temptation comes from his understanding of the manna in the wilderness.  Satan using the manna to manipulate Jesus to sin.  Jesus quotes Deuteronomy 8 to rebuke Satan.

2.  Second Temptation - Here, Satan quotes from Psalm 91:9-13.  To rebuke Satan this time, Jesus quotes Deuteronomy 6:16.

3.  Third Tempation - Satan calls Jesus to worship him, which is a clear breaking of God's commands and Jesus responds by quoting Deuteronomy 6:13.

Jesus knew what Satan was doing and that is why He responded with scripture.  Lies can only be dealt with by the truth.  Truth is ready to be spoken when it is being meditated on.

So, what's the big point in this blog today?  Since Satan knows the scripture and will use his knowledge of it in temptation, it is of the highest necessity that we not just have it filed away, but scripture needs to be present, alive in us, on our tongue, before our eyes, in our hearts.

You see, Satan knows the priority that God's Word is to have in the life of the Christ-follower and just as he did with Jesus, he will use his knowledge of scripture to pervert the truth and call us to buy the lie that only leads to sin.  

Joshua said it this way, "This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it.  For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success".  Joshua 1:8