After reading this three-part series on spiritual warfare in the Old Testament, let’s take a moment to reflect on what we learned about Satan, God and Man and how each played a vital role in the battle between good and evil, and life and death.

CRITICAL QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

1. What does Satan do?

Disobeys, rebels against God; entices, lies, manipulates, deceives; murders, enforces torturous deaths; spurns competition, jealousy, hate, and retaliation; defiles mankind; teaches Man to sin against God, each other, animals and plants; inflicts calamity; accuses; causes doubt; invokes God’s wrath; sells people out for money; causes fear leading to sin; performs signs and wonders in competition with God; enslaves, holds captive; causes Man to “forget” God; yokes believers with unbelievers; prideful; covets leading to sin; conspires and sets-up. Do you see Man still behaving in these ways today?

2. Who/What does Satan use?

He used the serpent; Man (against God and each other ~ including family members); fallen angels; princes (the prince of Persia prevented Gabriel from getting to Daniel), demons and curses (sins of the forefathers visiting the third and fourth generations).

3. Who gives Satan his power?

Man doing Satan’s will; God’s permission and wrath

4. How does Satan manipulate God’s wrath?

By tempting and leading Man to out-of-control sinful living

5. How do God and His children overcome Satan’s attacks?

Man’s repentance and obedience to God

6. Regarding the six major victories:

a. Did Israel have to fight Egypt to be set free?

No. God sent Moses, equipped with signs, wonders and warnings. God poured out plagues upon Egypt (not harming Israelis in the process), causing Pharaoh to set His people free. When Pharaoh’s armies then chased after the Jews, they were destroyed by the closing of the Red Sea.

b. What gave Israel the victory over Amalek?

Moses was obedient to lift his hands, held up by Aaron and Hur, so Israel prevailed.

c. How did the walls of Jericho come down?

Joshua and his armies obeyed God’s specific instructions to march around the walls for seven days, blowing the trumpets and shouting, bringing the walls down!

d. Did the Israelis have to fight against the Philistines?

Each side chose one soldier to fight. David, just a shepherd boy, killed Goliath with a slingshot and a rock in “the Name of the Lord of Hosts!”

e. Did Elijah have to fight the prophets of Baal?

No. They each prepared a pile of wood with a sacrifice; they each prayed to their god/God and Baal did not answer. Elijah soaked his pile of wood, the sacrifice, and even filled up a trench around it with water. God faithfully sent fire from heaven, burning up the sacrifice, the wood and the water!

f. Did Jehoshaphat have to fight the Assyrians?

No. God instructed them to sing and praise, resulting in the adversary armies killing each other. Jehoshaphat and his armies simply went to collect the spoils!

7. Does Satan’s will lead to life?

Disobedience leads to God’s wrath and ultimate destruction.

8. Does God’s will lead to life?

Yes! He fights for us, delivers us, protects us, and rewards us.

9. Does God ever give up His supreme authority?

Never. He limits Satan’s will, thwarts his plans, judges the rebellious nations, and blesses the repentant/obedient.

10. How can you tell a child of God from a child of Satan?

By their character traits. Satan’s children follow his will; God’s children follow His will. If you go back to John 8:44, Jesus begins this verse stating, “You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father.”

2 Chr 7:14: “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”

2 Chr 20:9 "Should evil come upon us, the sword, or judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we will stand before this house and before You (for Your name is in this house) and cry to You in our distress, and You will hear and deliver us."

Ps 37:40 "The LORD helps them and delivers them; He delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in Him."

Ps 97:10 "Hate evil, you who love the LORD, Who preserves the souls of His godly ones; He delivers them from the hand of the wicked."

Prov 11:6 "The righteousness of the upright will deliver them, But the treacherous will be caught by their own greed."

Ecc 4:9-12 “Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor. For if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion. But woe to the one who falls when there is not another to lift him up. Furthermore, if two lie down together they keep warm, but how can one be warm alone? And if one can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart.”

Isa 54:17 “No weapon that is formed against you will prosper; And every tongue that accuses you in judgment you will condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, And their vindication is from Me," declares the LORD.

Jer 15:21 "I will deliver you from the hand of the wicked, And I will redeem you from the grasp of the violent."

Zec 4:6: “Then he said to me, ‘This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel saying, 'Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,' says the LORD of hosts.”

To continue on with this study into the New Testament, please click the a link below:

SPIRITUAL WARFARE: NEW TESTAMENT 1 of 4

SPIRITUAL WARFARE: OLD TESTAMENT 1 of 4

SPIRITUAL WARFARE: OLD TESTAMENT 2 of 4

SPIRITUAL WARFARE: OLD TESTAMENT 3 of 4