“If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their 1wicked ways…” (2 Chronicles 7:14) 1ra‛ râ‛âh: bad, evil, unpleasant, giving pain, unhappiness, misery! Turn from my wicked ways??? What wicked ways? Various forms of the word wicked occur in the bible…evil 442, wickedness 59, wicked 25, mischief 21, hurt 20, bad 13, trouble 10
Let us see how all this wickedness came about! We know for sure that God did not create wickedness, but when God’s created beings turn away from God – that is when wickedness begins…The Bible records that God actually created a powerful, intelligent, and beautiful angelic being (the chief among all angels) called Lucifer (meaning ‘Shining One’) – and that he was very good. But Lucifer also had a will with which he could freely choose. A passage in Isaiah 14 records the choice before him.
Isiah the prophet speaks about Satan’s fall: “HOW ART THOU FALLEN FROM HEAVEN, O LUCIFER, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!” (Isaiah 14:12) “You said in your heart, “I WILL ascend to the heavens; I WILL raise my throne above the stars of God; I WILL sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights…I WILL ascend above the tops of the clouds; I WILL make myself like the Most High.” (Isaiah 14:13-14) Lucifer’s beauty, wisdom and might – all the good things created in him by God – LED HIM TO PRIDE. “God resists (antitassomai: to range in battle against, to oppose) the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” (1 Peter 5:5) His pride led to his rebellion and fall, but he never lost any of his power and traits. He is leading a worldwide revolt against our Abba Father to see who will be God. His strategy was, and is to enlist mankind to join him – by tempting them to succumb to the same choice that he made – to love themselves, become independent from God, and defy Him. “And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.” (2 Corin. 11:14-15) Isaiah’s words: “…they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?”
SO FAITH COMES FROM HEARING, AND HEARING THROUGH THE WORD OF CHRIST…(Rom. 10:16-17)
-Bill Stockham