SATAN ALWAYS STANDS TO OPPOSE
- Olufunmilayo Adekusibe
- Mar 11
- 4 min read
Today’s reading:
Zechariah 3:1-10
“Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the Angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to oppose him.” (v. 1)
Have you ever thought of how daring Satan, the devil, can be? Imagine him, Satan, being present in heaven on a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, he came also among them (Job 1:6). Furthermore, when the Lord asked him from where he came, he answered by saying, from going to and fro on the earth, and from walking back and forth on it (v7). Amazingly, this same Satan had, before the creation of the first man on the earth, rebelled in heaven against God, and had been cast down to the earth (Is. 14:12-14; Ez. 28:12-14, 8, 17). In heaven then, Satan was known as Lucifer, and later on, on earth, he acquired other names – Satan, Devil, Serpent, etc. Some of the words by which he is described in the scripture and among mankind are: Prince of this world (John 12:31); adversary, opponent, the evil one, accuser, tempter, deceiver, seducer, enemy of God and man, enemy of all righteousness, etc. In heaven, as Lucifer, he was said to be a beautiful angel who was very musical. He was called “Son of the morning” (Is. 14:12). However, due to his rebellion of wanting to be like the Most High – God, and his subsequent casting down to the earth, he turned and became the chief opponent of God and everything about him, especially the people He created and still creating on the earth, in his image and likeness.
It is no wonder then that one of the strongest activities or functions of Satan, is to oppose mankind, in many ways. In Today’s reading, it is said that Satan was standing at the right hand of Joshua the high priest, to oppose him. In Mk. 3:23-26, Jesus proved to the scribes that Satan was in opposition of him and his ministry, especially in the area of Jesus casting out demons which are part of Satan’s kingdom. Some of the other functions of Satan apart from opposition are: deception and lying, seduction, brandishing the power of death, rulership of nations of the world, influencing for evil, outwitting, etc. To “Oppose” means: to resist, to contend with; to object; to challenge or block something; to place in front or in the way; etc. The question is – why was Satan standing at the side to oppose a whole high priest, Joshua? In the Old and New Testament days, the high priests were next to God. They were the only ones who could enter the Holy of Holies to minister to God directly. It, therefore, meant that they were to be very holy.
However, Satan was attracted to Joshua, the high priest, because of a filthy garment on him (v.3).
A filthy garment stands for: sin, unbelief, impurity, pollution, defilement, uncleanness, stain all of the soul. It connotes also iniquity, transgression, apart from sin. No wonder, the Angel of God before whom Joshua was standing said in v4, after he asked for the filthy garment to be removed, that he had removed his iniquity from him. In place of this, he said he would clothe him with rich robes. Therefore, Satan was initially attracted to Joshua’s iniquity, etc. It follows as in real life that, just as flies are attracted to filthy things, Satan is attracted to sins, iniquity, etc (as earlier listed) in the lives of humans, especially those expected to be holy, such as believers. In the believers’ world, some of the “filthy garments” commonly used by Satan include: anger, unforgiveness, resentment, lack of self-control, foot-holds, all sorts of temptations, and so on. It is instructive to note that after the filthy garment had been removed from Joshua, Satan was not mentioned throughout the rest of the Chapter and even the book. He receded, disappeared, because what attracted him had been removed. So it is in a believer’s life. When a life is washed clean by the blood of Jesus, now devoid of filth and flooded with light from God, Satan disappears.
Many benefits then accrue. In v6, God made promises to Joshua if he would walk in His ways and keep his commandments, he would also judge God’s house and have charge over his courts. As believers, do not allow Satan to oppose you so you can receive the benefits of eternal home and reign with God, apart from other benefits from God. Some of the ways Satan uses to oppose human beings include: suffering and pain; persecution; temptations; grief arising from trials; tests of faith; and so on. Some of the ways to resist Satan and his oppositions include: prayer and fasting; resilient faith; standing one’s ground, especially in the face of human opposition; being led always by the Holy Spirit; reading and studying and meditation of the Word of God; worship and praise; testifying; evangelism; holiness.
You cannot resist or oppose Satan effectively, if you are not on the side of God. You must be born again and become a child of God, through accepting the sacrifice of Jesus, Son of God, who died for the sins of mankind. Once you confess and forgiveness is received, you are born again and now on God’s side. You can oppose or resist Satan’s opposition easily and effectively.
CHRISTIE KUPOLUYI
To surrender your life to Christ, say this prayer aloud. “Father, I acknowledge my sin against You. I repent and ask for forgiveness, in the name of Jesus. I surrender to the Lordship of Jesus. By the power of Your Holy Spirit, take control of my heart and lead me in Your path of righteousness. Thank you, Lord.”
If you said the prayer, Congratulations! Prayerfully look for a living church and meet the resident reverend, pastor or priest.
Prayer:
Eternal Father, thank you for the victory you won over Satan before the foundation of the world.
Lord Jesus, we appreciate your sacrifice which places mankind on the side of God.
Father, thank you for the power of the Holy Spirit made available to believers to resist and oppose Satan.
Lord, please wake the church up to effectively resist the opposition of Satan against it, through the Holy Spirit.
Father, please kindle the fire of revival in our nation through the church, and make it spread throughout, so that Satan is rightly opposed and flushed out of our nation.
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