“Why We Read the Bible” + Every Story Needs an Antagonist
Why we read the Bible:
1. How we find salvation
2. How we find out how to live our lives once we are saved.
3. Food for our souls.
4. The Word of God gives direction, peace, comfort, hope counsel, strength, and refuge.
5. It is how we get to know God.
6. It heals broken hearts. “He sent His Word and healed them.”
This is certainly not an exhaustive list, but just a few compelling reasons to pick up the best seller of all time.
Every Story Needs an Antagonist.
Since I’ve been in the story of David and Goliath for the last month or so, one of the things that has consistently stuck out in my mind is this little thought: “Goliath was killed with his own sword.”
“So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone, and smote the Philistine, and took his sword, and drew it out of the sheaf thereof, and slew him, and CUT OFF HIS HEAD THEREWITH.”
The very thing that Goliath had intended to plunge through David, became the thing that ended his own life and brought final victory to David and Israel. When Goliath daily taunted God’s people with “send me a man, that we may fight,” it was an invitation to hand-to-hand, man-to-man combat that he was sure to win. Goliath never considered that he’d be “wiped out” with his own weapon, but that is precisely what is happened.
As I was driving yesterday, other Bible stories began to spin off of this central thought that the enemy was defeated with his own weapon.
After Goliath, Haman came to mind. He was the nemesis of God’s people when they were in exile. He specifically directs his hatred toward one man, Mordecai, who refuses to bow to him. The hatred Haman has causes him to construct a gallows 75 feet tall and concoct a plan to very publicly hang Mordecai on it. But through a very interesting series of events, we see that the end of the story goes like this: “So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai…” What he had intended for the destruction of a child of God precipitated his own demise.
After Haman, Pharoah came to mind. Just after he had finally consented and conceded to allow the Children of Israel to leave Egypt, God hardens his heart. (Exodus 14:4) In Exodus 14:5, Pharoah asks, “Why have we done this, that we have let Israel go from serving us?” He realizes he has just lost his workforce. The story goes on that “he made ready his chariot…and he took 600 chosen chariots, and all the chariots of Egypt, and captains over every one of them.”
Chariots in Egypt were costly and used by nobility and royalty. They were a key part of the military might of Egypt. Wikipedia says: “Chariots are thought to have been first used as a weapon…” The word “chariot”/ “chariots” is used 10x in Exodus 14. Pharaoh thought for sure that his technology and infantry would overtake God’s people. No questions asked. He was hands down armed and equipped beyond the Israelites. He is so convinced and assured of victory that he is willing to pursue the Israelite masses through the parted Red Sea. This is pretty crazy: “And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea on dry ground: and the waters were a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.” (Exodus 14:22) Pharaoh has just lived through the trauma and tragedy of the plagues. He has just lost his son as the death angel passed over his palace. He has just been held at bay by a pillar of dark cloud so the people of Israel could pass through the walled-off sea. (Exodus 14:19-20) He has first-hand witnessed the vengeance and grandeur of God, yet he is dauntless in his pursuit.
He trusts his military might will outrun and overtake his previous slaves. But the story goes on: “And the Egyptians pursued, and went in after them to the midst of the sea, and all Pharaoh’s horses and his chariot, and his horsemen. And it came to pass, that in the morning watch the Lord looked unto the host of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and the pillar of cloud, and troubled the host of the Egyptians, and took off their chariot wheels, that they drave them heavily…” The Egyptians recognize that the Lord is fighting for Israel, and decide to turn around. (V. 25) Duh! But it’s too late… their technological advances, their trusted chariots, will get them nowhere. The very thing that they thought ensured the defeat of Israel, only ensured their destruction!! “And the Lord said to Moses, ‘…stretch out thine hand over the sea, that the waters may come again upon the Egyptian’s, upon their chariots, and upon their horsemen.’ And Moses stretched forth his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to his strength when the morning appeared; and the Egyptian’s fled against it; and the Lord overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea. And the waters returned and covered the chariots, and the horseman and all the host of Pharoah that came into the sea after them. Their remained not one.” (Exodus 14:27-28) The chariots the Egyptian’s trusted became the deadweight that saw them drowned. “Thus the Lord saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians; and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore.” (Exodus 14:30)
After Pharoah, Joseph’s brothers come to mind. I am running out of time, but briefly… The one-way ticket to Egypt that they purchased for Joseph became the ticket to the fulfillment of his dreams. They hated him for his dreams (Genesis 37:8), and in their evil scheming had said, “We will see what will become of his dreams.” (Genesis 37:20) As they watched him disappear over the desert horizon, chained behind a Midianite caravan, they assumed that was the end of their despised brother and his dreams. They thought that was the last image they would have of him. Little did they know that the trip to Egypt was part of a divine plan: not only the path to Joseph’s destiny, but that they had actually paved the way for the preservation of their entire family. Years later after enduring trauma and tragedy, Joseph looked at his brothers and boldly and tenderly stated, “… You thought evil against me, but God meant it unto good to bring to pass as it is this day to save much people alive.” (Genesis 50:20) Their plot was God’s plan.
There are many other stories like this in scripture where Satan’s plans and Satan’s weapons become the very thing that destroy and destruct his intended purpose. One final story is ringing in my ears…
Satan comes to mind. He hated Jesus. Satan recognized the Messiah. He knew who Jesus was. So, like so many he had worked through before, he began to devise a scheme for his destruction. He worked with the Sadducees, the Pharisees, the High Priest, and Judas. He used the passiveness of Pilate, as he gave into the chants of the tumultuous crowd: “Crucify him… Crucify him.” (Matthew 27:22-25) He formulated a team and a plot to end the ministry and life of Jesus… He assembled Roman soldiers and spikes and mallets and a crown of thorns. He watched with glee as he saw Jesus beaten and marred to the point he was barely recognizable. He was an overjoyed onlooker as the cross was drug through Jerusalem streets and he heard the sound of the nails and the cries of a brutalized man ring in the crowd’s ears. He saw the crudely constructed cross dropped into its place and Jesus’ broken body convulse with pain. He may have snarled with a chilling laugh as Jesus cried, “My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46) and “It is finished.” (John 19:30) He assumes he’s won as Jesus side is pierced (John 19:34), as Jesus’ broken, lifeless body is tenderly removed from the cross by Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea, as Jesus is wrapped in a linen cloth and placed in a borrowed tomb, Satan was certainly drunk on his fulfilled destruction. It was pure elation and exhilaration as the stone was rolled in front of that grave and a guard was placed at its entrance. (Matthew 27:62-66) The cross. The tomb. What a plan. Finalized and finished… so he assumed. What he did not know was that the Cross he’d constructed would be the very thing that would defeat him once and for all. The precious blood of Jesus, spilled and poured out to the delight of Satan, became the price paid for salvation. The stone in front of the tomb had no final epitaph because the story was not over. The cross became the unfolding of the divine plan. The tomb was the final blow in Satan’s ultimate defeat. Jesus was down, but He was not out. Once again, we see that Satan was destroyed by his own devices. His weaponry, his plans, his tactics and schemes were turned and used on him. It was at the cross that the very first prophecy was fulfilled: “It shall bruise thy head…” And it was at the cross and the empty tomb that years of prophecy were culminated. It was there that victory was won for everyone… It was in those following days that the words of Joseph hundreds of years before could be heard echoing through the ages of time: “You thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass as it is this day, to save much people alive!” Satan was defeated by his own evil scheme.
Goliath was killed with his own sword.
Haman was hung on his own gallows.
Pharaoh was drowned in his own chariot.
Joseph’s brothers bowed because of “their” sending Joseph to Egypt.
Satan finished-off himself at the cross and the tomb.
Every story needs an antagonist, and every story needs a plot line. When the enemy of your soul shows up with a curveball to kill you, to “finish you off,” just know he and the enemies of God’s people have a long history of being defeated by their own devices. The thing that should destroy you, will be if you allow it, the very thing that God will use to fulfill his purpose in your life. No loss no tragedy, not unexpected trial, no failure, no diagnosis can stop God’s plan for your life. Don’t give up. It might be a bumpy road or a stormy night, but trust that God is at work, strengthening and shaping you by Satan’s intended destruction.
I borrow the words of Isaiah in closing: “No weapon that is formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue that shall rise against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord and their righteousness is of me saith the Lord.” (Isaiah 54:17)
The enemy will not win.
Every story needs an antagonist.