We have met the enemy . . .

Exodus 6; Job 23; Luke 9; 1 Corinthians 10

My daughter once said, “I finally figured out what is wrong with the world; everyone is selfish!” I had to agree. Even babies want what they want right now and we know this attitude is hard to outgrow!

My seminary professors took a ‘big picture’ view of the Bible too. They helped me see another universal truth from all four readings in today’s devotional.

Exodus tells of God’s people who were promised deliverance in chapter 4 and worshiped God at this good news, but soon their situation overwhelmed that promise God gave them.

Moses spoke thus to the people of Israel, but they did not listen to Moses, because of their broken spirit and harsh slavery. (Exodus 6:9)

Moses was told to lead them out, but when they would not listen, he thought the problem was his inability to speak well. God told Him He would do it, but Moses was sidetracked thinking it required more talent than he had:

So the Lord said to Moses, “Go in, tell Pharaoh king of Egypt to let the people of Israel go out of his land.” But Moses said to the Lord, “Behold, the people of Israel have not listened to me. How then shall Pharaoh listen to me, for I am of uncircumcised lips?” (Exodus 6:10–12)

In Job, this suffering man feels helpless and unable to connect with God. However, he responds a bit better to his situation, at least for a little while. He expresses his frustration with his own inability to connect with God or understand why he was in this trial yet he realized that God knew:

But he knows the way that I take; when he has tried me, I shall come out as gold. My foot has held fast to his steps; I have kept his way and have not turned aside. I have not departed from the commandment of his lips; I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my portion of food. But he is unchangeable, and who can turn him back? What he desires, that he does. For he will complete what he appoints for me, and many such things are in his mind. (Job 23:10–14)

In Luke, several incidents show the disciples tended to depend on their own resources. For that, Jesus sends them out without the extras they may have taken, perhaps forcing them to rely on Him. They complained that they didn’t have what it takes to feed 5000 people, as if it was all about their resources, but Jesus took the little food they had and fed the people anyway. He also told them to lose their lives for His sake and never be ashamed of Him, hinting again at their self-focus.

When they could not heal a boy with an unclean spirit, Jesus rebuked them for lack of faith. In another passage He said they neglected to pray for that power. Had they forgotten that without Jesus, they could do nothing?

The inability of self-reliance also showed up in their lack of understanding that Jesus would die. They were so wrapped up in themselves that after He said it, they argued about which of them was the greatest. Jesus had to tell them to be like children, helpless and dependent.

Their focus on the value of “me and mine” again appears in a couple of incidents where they wanted to get rid of those that were doing good but not part of their group and those who rejected Jesus. Luke also tells how Jesus set straight those who wanted to follow Him but gave no thought to what it would cost them. Their ‘me’ focus came out in thinking they had all it takes to do God’s will but Jesus reminded them that serving Him meant giving up what they considered important.

In the Old Testament, God’s people struggled with idol worship. In the NT, the focus on self is our idolatry problem. As 1 Corinthians 10 says,  God’s people experienced His blessing but they indulged themselves in immoral behavior, tested God continually, grumbled about everything, and did not take the way of escape from temptation He provides. These problems still haunt those who follow Jesus. This chapter rebukes those who offer food to idols without realizing the demons behind such activity and giving to them what belongs to God. He warns not to be always seeking my own good instead of the good of others, my own glory instead of the glory of God.

Apply: The comic strip character Pogo said, “We have met the enemy and he is us.” This not quite what Bible says, but my selfishness is an enemy Satan certainly tries to use for his purposes. If he can get me to make life all about me instead of all about Jesus, then I am worshiping the idol of self. I need to remember that the focus Moses had on himself angered the Lord to the point He gave a large portion of the task to someone else. I also need to remember how He shook Job from his self-focus, and eventually His disciples from their self-dependence — and instead rely on and glorify the Lord.