Get Thee Behind Me Satan!
Posted by:
Bible Blogger on
December 20, 2007 at
12:29PM EST
"Get thee behind me Satan!"
Did you know that not only was that the phrase Jesus used in Mark 8:33
to rebuke Peter but it's also the rallying cry of the modern day
Pharisee? The people who want to impose their rules upon other people
and pass judgment? The ones that want to rebuke others into
accountability with their version of the law while running away from
anyone who dares to point out where they are not in line with
Scriptures?
Unforunately, we're in a society where the modern-day pharisee has
ample opportunity to smear and attack the people they disagree with
using a few scriptures and a lot of gossip.
"Besides that, they learn to be idlers, going about from
house to house, and not only idlers, but also gossips and busybodies,
saying what they should not. " - 1 Timothy 5:13 (ESV)
Gossips and busybodies...saying what they should not. Wow. Stop and
think about people around you who want to know all the inside dirt on
people when they really have no business knowing it. How often they're
so aggressive to get this information from you! Then once they obtain
that information they proceed to come after that person as if they know
first hand what it is you've told them about the person. No, they
can't prove it but they sure have the gossip and the righteous
condemnation to throw at them!
"He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous are both alike an
abomination to the Lord." - Proverbs 17:15 (ESV)
Many of these modern day Pharisees fall under that proverb. Who are
the wicked they justify? Themselves. They condemn righteous people
out of a desire to make themselves look more holy and virtuous as if
they alone have a direct pipeline to God and God's truth. When they
face people who hold them accountable for their use of gossip or
slander, the response is a self justification and a refusal to listen
to Scripture or teachings.
"The way of
a fool is right in his own
eyes, but a wise man listens to
advice." - Proverbs 12:15 (ESV)
I hate to brand a group of people with a name like "fools" but the
proverbs speaks it ever so clearly. In the eyes of the world, these
people will be seen as hateful, intolerant bullies who end up driving
people further away from the love of Jesus Christ they claim to know so
well. Christians will look at them and see how they're violating
Scripture in their gossip and slander but when they approach these
people in love to show them what they're doing is not in line with
God's Word you're met with...
"Get thee behind me, Satan!"
Can you see the arrogance in such an action? To believe that someone
holding you accountable to Scripture...God's Word...is the same as
Jesus speaking of his death and the disciples saying that would never
happen to him? Basically saying you're just like Jesus himself?
"for all have sinned and fall
short of the glory of God" - Romans 3:23 (ESV)
To be sure, Satan will attack you and many times it can come through
other Christians who are not living the life or walking in truth.
However, just as many times the people being used against the will of
God are those who believe themselves to be completely in God's will
while gossiping, slandering, lying, deceiving and having false motives
to their actions. The ones who refuse to accept the truth that if you
bear witness to some event and castigate another believer because of it
without being there yourself to see it that it's gossip...which is a
sin. God cannot honor someone who is openly and willfully sinning
because God cannot associate with sin. God would not tell you to use
sinful purposes to serve his ends.
What do you do when you face these modern day Pharisees? First, ask
them why they feel their actions are justified. Then point out to them
where that does not line up with the Word of God. If they refuse to
listen or begin to attack upon you then just walk away from them.
Clearly state why they are wrong and how they are in sin with what
they're doing in their public condemnations, rantings and statements
first but then let them go.
Why walk away?
"A fool takes no pleasure in
understanding, but only in expressing his
opinion." - Proverbs 18:12 (ESV)
"Do not speak in the hearing of a fool, for he will despise the good
sense of your words." - Proverbs 23:9 (ESV)
Once you ascertain that this person is not interested in listening to
anything but their own voice, do not speak in their hearing (in other
words, to them.) Why not speak to them?
"If a wise man has an argument with a fool, the fool
only rages and laughs, and there is no quiet." - Proverbs 29:9 (ESV)
Trust in the Holy Spirit to guide you when faced with these modern day
Pharisees. He will lead you into all truth regardless of the
distortions of the truth that you will have thrown at you from the
people more interested in their own voice and self justification than
the truth of the Word of God.
