Winning the war
When the devil laughs he exults. This is because he is full of bitterness and pride. His vindictiveness is expressed in reproach and self-exaltation. Thus his laughter is full of boastful, hostile exulting. When the Lord laughs, He rejoices. He is full of joy and humility. His love and desire to uplift others above His own condition He expresses in encouragement and self-abasement. Thus He rejoices when He laughs. He laughs with us, while Satan laughs at us.
Now that we have made the distinction between Christ’s laughter and Satan’s, we can move to the next statement: He who laughs last laughs best.
The truth is that in the individual cases of sinners, Christ does not always laugh last, or best. All too often, the adversary has the last laugh. This is the sad fact of reality. Against the constant power that all heaven brings to save every soul, the controlling factor has ever been each person’s choices made for righteousness or for unrighteousness, for or against mercy, for love—with all its freedom and its obligations—or unbelief that God loves us.
As each choice is made for or against the foundation of God’s government, it leaves the soul wide open to the ownership of one of the two great powers contending for the supremacy of the human race.
In the case of each of those two great powers, and in each human case, there is the individual battle and there is the overall war. Many battles make up the whole war effort. Satan can win many battles but lose the war. And, Christ can likewise lose the war after winning many battles.
Neither general intends to lose a single battle, and especially so for the larger war over the soul. For Satan, winning the war means many things: more adherents of his so-called righteous cause against God’s Law; so that he doesn’t burn alone in the fires prepared for him and his angels; and so that while he is still alive, that he isn’t the only one miserable. And in his insane hatred of Christ and desire to ultimately win the big contest, he also hopes that his martyrdom will spawn a future and more successful and greater controversy that finally crushes the kingdom of righteousness.
For Christ, the royal son of God, winning the war means the rescue of the children He loves dearly; those who have made a covenant with Him by sacrifice of self, and the eternal safety of His father’s kingdom of truth and grace throughout the universe.
In many souls, the Son of God has lost many a battle and won the war. Samson lived a very profligate and willful life. But the Lord brought him enough pain and punishment that his self-will broke and he looked to God in the end of his life. King Manasseh caused blood to flow from one end of Jerusalem to the other. He hated Isaiah’s messages of reproof so much that he had him sawn in two. But his wickedness was arrested through the just vengeance of God’s providences. Healing in prison from his being dragged through the thickets of thorns and thistles, “he besought the Lord his God, and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers,” and—amazing grace—“God was intreated of him…. So Manasseh slept with his fathers.” (2Chron. 33:12,19,20).
There is Jacob and King Solomon and King Nebuchadnezzar and Peter and a whole great starry cloud of witnesses to the Lord’s ability to convince a sinner away from eternal destruction. Ishmael led a bitter life. But, in the end, the example and lessons of his father Abraham germinated in his heart and he was converted.
Abraham’s early teachings had not been without effect upon Ishmael, but the influence of his wives resulted in establishing idolatry in his family. Separated from his father, and embittered by the strife and contention of a home destitute of the love and fear of God, Ishmael was driven to choose the wild, marauding life of the desert chief, “his hand” “against every man, and every man’s hand against him.” Genesis 16:12. In his latter days he repented of his evil ways and returned to his father’s God. PP p. 174.
“…And he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.” Peace came to Ishmael’s soul, he calmed down, and the blessedness of the God of Abraham—his God—prospered the end of his life. Though the Son of God has had to endure our rebellious natures, He reads the secret longings of the heart and stays with us to the very end.
Even in the case of His key players, Moses, David, and Elijah, His punishment was strong and severe; yet in every case, His goal has not been “to destroy men’s lives, but to save them.” (Lk.9:56). His severity has always been united with His goodness. “Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.” (Jas. 5:11).
Nevertheless, Satan has also lost many battles but won the war. Cain, Ham, Pharaoh, Balaam, the Amalekites, Gehazi, the priests of Baal, Kings Saul, Amon, and Zedekiah, Judas, Ananias and Sapphira, all demonstrated the results of murmuring against God and choosing the enemy as master.
There was King Asa, who after a long reign of obedience to God rebelled in the end and died a lost man. Satan lost many battles over his soul, but won at the end of his life. Balaam had been the Lord’s prophet and his influence for good had been widespread; yet he began taking the glory to himself and cutting himself off from heaven and was finally guilty of masterminding the destruction of God’s church in the wilderness.
Many of the multitudes that followed Jesus and hung on His every gracious and authoritative word and loving deed, chose to put their trust in human leadership and in the corrupted belief system rabbis had taught them. In the end, they could not get past the traditions of Judaism that rewarded their self-indulgent preconception of a wrong Messiah. Finally they were heard shouting under the inspiration of the priests, “Crucify Him, crucify Him.” “Away with Him, away with Him, crucify Him…. We have no king but Caesar.” “His blood be on us, and on our children.” (Lk. 23:21; Jn. 19:15; Matt. 27:25).
In many cases God has won the war; but more often than not, He has won many battles in the lives of His beloved children and lost the war in the end.
What’s it going to be for us? Have you gone astray from Him? Do you fear He has lost the war over you? If that fear is in you at all, it is evidence that He still has you in His hands.
He desires to restore you to Himself, to see His own purity and holiness reflected in you. And if you will but yield yourself to Him, He that hath begun a good work in you will carry it forward to the day of Jesus Christ. Pray more fervently; believe more fully. As we come to distrust our own power, let us trust the power of our Redeemer, and we shall praise Him who is the health of our countenance. SC p. 64.
Let’s let the goodness and mercy of God draw us to Him to be kept by His love. May our experience be David’s, who said,
“Mercy shall be built up for ever: Thy faithfulness shalt Thou establish in the very heavens.” (Ps. 89:2).
“Unless the Lord had been my help, my soul had almost dwelt in silence. When I said, My foot slippeth; Thy mercy, O Lord, held me up. In the multitude of my thoughts within me Thy comforts delight my soul.” (Ps. 94:17-19).
Now that we have made the distinction between Christ’s laughter and Satan’s, we can move to the next statement: He who laughs last laughs best.
The truth is that in the individual cases of sinners, Christ does not always laugh last, or best. All too often, the adversary has the last laugh. This is the sad fact of reality. Against the constant power that all heaven brings to save every soul, the controlling factor has ever been each person’s choices made for righteousness or for unrighteousness, for or against mercy, for love—with all its freedom and its obligations—or unbelief that God loves us.
As each choice is made for or against the foundation of God’s government, it leaves the soul wide open to the ownership of one of the two great powers contending for the supremacy of the human race.
In the case of each of those two great powers, and in each human case, there is the individual battle and there is the overall war. Many battles make up the whole war effort. Satan can win many battles but lose the war. And, Christ can likewise lose the war after winning many battles.
Neither general intends to lose a single battle, and especially so for the larger war over the soul. For Satan, winning the war means many things: more adherents of his so-called righteous cause against God’s Law; so that he doesn’t burn alone in the fires prepared for him and his angels; and so that while he is still alive, that he isn’t the only one miserable. And in his insane hatred of Christ and desire to ultimately win the big contest, he also hopes that his martyrdom will spawn a future and more successful and greater controversy that finally crushes the kingdom of righteousness.
For Christ, the royal son of God, winning the war means the rescue of the children He loves dearly; those who have made a covenant with Him by sacrifice of self, and the eternal safety of His father’s kingdom of truth and grace throughout the universe.
In many souls, the Son of God has lost many a battle and won the war. Samson lived a very profligate and willful life. But the Lord brought him enough pain and punishment that his self-will broke and he looked to God in the end of his life. King Manasseh caused blood to flow from one end of Jerusalem to the other. He hated Isaiah’s messages of reproof so much that he had him sawn in two. But his wickedness was arrested through the just vengeance of God’s providences. Healing in prison from his being dragged through the thickets of thorns and thistles, “he besought the Lord his God, and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers,” and—amazing grace—“God was intreated of him…. So Manasseh slept with his fathers.” (2Chron. 33:12,19,20).
There is Jacob and King Solomon and King Nebuchadnezzar and Peter and a whole great starry cloud of witnesses to the Lord’s ability to convince a sinner away from eternal destruction. Ishmael led a bitter life. But, in the end, the example and lessons of his father Abraham germinated in his heart and he was converted.
Abraham’s early teachings had not been without effect upon Ishmael, but the influence of his wives resulted in establishing idolatry in his family. Separated from his father, and embittered by the strife and contention of a home destitute of the love and fear of God, Ishmael was driven to choose the wild, marauding life of the desert chief, “his hand” “against every man, and every man’s hand against him.” Genesis 16:12. In his latter days he repented of his evil ways and returned to his father’s God. PP p. 174.
“…And he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.” Peace came to Ishmael’s soul, he calmed down, and the blessedness of the God of Abraham—his God—prospered the end of his life. Though the Son of God has had to endure our rebellious natures, He reads the secret longings of the heart and stays with us to the very end.
Even in the case of His key players, Moses, David, and Elijah, His punishment was strong and severe; yet in every case, His goal has not been “to destroy men’s lives, but to save them.” (Lk.9:56). His severity has always been united with His goodness. “Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.” (Jas. 5:11).
Nevertheless, Satan has also lost many battles but won the war. Cain, Ham, Pharaoh, Balaam, the Amalekites, Gehazi, the priests of Baal, Kings Saul, Amon, and Zedekiah, Judas, Ananias and Sapphira, all demonstrated the results of murmuring against God and choosing the enemy as master.
There was King Asa, who after a long reign of obedience to God rebelled in the end and died a lost man. Satan lost many battles over his soul, but won at the end of his life. Balaam had been the Lord’s prophet and his influence for good had been widespread; yet he began taking the glory to himself and cutting himself off from heaven and was finally guilty of masterminding the destruction of God’s church in the wilderness.
Many of the multitudes that followed Jesus and hung on His every gracious and authoritative word and loving deed, chose to put their trust in human leadership and in the corrupted belief system rabbis had taught them. In the end, they could not get past the traditions of Judaism that rewarded their self-indulgent preconception of a wrong Messiah. Finally they were heard shouting under the inspiration of the priests, “Crucify Him, crucify Him.” “Away with Him, away with Him, crucify Him…. We have no king but Caesar.” “His blood be on us, and on our children.” (Lk. 23:21; Jn. 19:15; Matt. 27:25).
In many cases God has won the war; but more often than not, He has won many battles in the lives of His beloved children and lost the war in the end.
What’s it going to be for us? Have you gone astray from Him? Do you fear He has lost the war over you? If that fear is in you at all, it is evidence that He still has you in His hands.
He desires to restore you to Himself, to see His own purity and holiness reflected in you. And if you will but yield yourself to Him, He that hath begun a good work in you will carry it forward to the day of Jesus Christ. Pray more fervently; believe more fully. As we come to distrust our own power, let us trust the power of our Redeemer, and we shall praise Him who is the health of our countenance. SC p. 64.
Let’s let the goodness and mercy of God draw us to Him to be kept by His love. May our experience be David’s, who said,
“Mercy shall be built up for ever: Thy faithfulness shalt Thou establish in the very heavens.” (Ps. 89:2).
“Unless the Lord had been my help, my soul had almost dwelt in silence. When I said, My foot slippeth; Thy mercy, O Lord, held me up. In the multitude of my thoughts within me Thy comforts delight my soul.” (Ps. 94:17-19).
posted by David | 6:31 AM
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