The David Spoon Experience 12-7-23 part 1
A) 2nd Corinthians 11:14 is indeed a statement for the ages. It tells us that Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. The common depiction of Satan in a red suit is no more accurate than a picture of the Last Supper. While these images make a lasting impression in our minds, they don’t represent the Biblical portrait accurately. Let’s clarify something: Satan does not appear and say, “Howdy, I’m here to ruin your life. But first, I’d like to shake your hand and tell you what a pleasure it’s been to destroy you.” That’s not his modus operandi.
B) The very next sentence that Apostle Paul brings up is the reality that the servants of Satan masquerade as servants of righteousness. So, before we engage in those bizarre conversations with people who have no understanding of who God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are and what the Bible truly represents, we need to understand that there are servants of Satan. Not every person is a child of God. This is an absolute falsehood. Jesus spoke against this, as did the Holy Spirit in the Book of Acts and God the Father in both the Old and New Testaments. Some are tares planted amongst the wheat.
C) Then Paul makes an intriguing statement in verse 20 when he says you tolerate anyone who enslaves you, exploits you, takes advantage of you, exalts themselves or strikes you. It’s as though the apostle is saying from a spiritual point of view that you seem to enjoy being mistreated because you tolerate so much absurdity from people who claim they are spiritual giants. True spiritual giants never proclaim themselves as such; spiritual giants are the most humble and meek of all.
D) Paul then makes an interesting contrast when he says, “I’m sorry we weren’t like this. I’m sorry we didn’t try to take advantage of you. I’m sorry we didn’t try to abuse you. I’m sorry we didn’t try to exalt ourselves over you. I’m sorry I wasn’t worse in treating you so that you could feel better about yourself and me.” It’s a beautiful way of saying, “I could have been a scoundrel, but that’s not what God wanted.” But the fact that you seem to prefer people exhibiting such behavior is its own form of malady. You answer to God first; I answer to God first; we will all answer to God first. Every shepherd is, at best, a subordinate shepherd under the Chief Shepherd. And both you and I are His sheep.
