Meditation for Monday
Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour. 1 Peter 5:8
Modern-language versions of the Bible delete the word ‘because’ from our text. Even the Darby translation omits the ‘because’. Apparently the Alexandrian scholars who produced corrupted versions of the Bible manuscripts in the early centuries didn’t like the direct link that the Holy Spirit makes between our need to be sober and vigilant and the mission of the devil to destroy us. Keep in mind that 95 percent of all Bible manuscripts do have the ‘because’ in our text. So we can be pretty safe in leaving it just where it is. And we can be very suspicious of those who would want to take it out. Maybe they are doing the devil’s work.
The word ‘sober’ means much more than not drinking alcohol, although it certainly includes that. The word indicates being clear headed and well balanced in our thinking. When it comes to spiritual matters, the devil has fooled untold millions into accepting things that are not the product of clear headed and well balanced thinking. Most of the doctrines of the cults and false religions such as Islam are based on nonsense, outright lies of deceivers, and distortions that rational thinking should automatically dismiss. But they are not being dismissed by ever growing numbers of people who are failing to heed the message of our text. Our faith, on the other hand, is based on the solid evidence of the Word of God, as preserved by the Holy Spirit. Eye witnesses to the life of Christ and to the events described in the Scriptures give us confidence in the truth and power of the Word of God. The devil’s attacks include trying to cloud our minds and make us willing to accept the irrational doctrine of those who deny the Word of God. But there is nothing more rational than our acceptance of the Word.
The word ‘vigilant’ indicates that we need to be watchful and alert against the devil’s wiles. That is because the devil is sneaky beyond our knowledge. As already indicated, he has fooled many Christians into accepting Bible versions that downplay the holiness of God, the deity of Christ, and the truth of the Gospel. He has fooled many Christians into allowing the world’s vile entertainment to remain a major part of their lives. He has fooled other Christians into assuming that worship can take a back seat to service, that prayer and Bible reading are optional, that the fellowship with the world can be interchanged with fellowship with the Lord’s people, and dozens of other lies that seem to be working so well. It is obvious to those who watch carefully that the devil is succeeding in keeping Christians from being vigilant today.
The devil will devour our testimony for the Lord unless we remain sober and vigilant. – Jim MacIntosh