As we reach Day #31 in Counting the Omer, we are reminded that the number
31 is associated with "rightful sonship" or "proper authority" in scripture. The
31st time the name Isaac is mentioned it was when Isaac became the father to Esau and Jacob. In Joshua 12 verse 24, we see that the total number of overlords or "kings" that the Israelites conquered in order to take their rightful possession of the land is
31. Josiah, a very righteous king in the Old Testament, reigned for
31 years. We, the Church, receive our power, authority and rightful positioning when we follow and love God's righteous ways.
Once again we see that there really is no greater written work in the entire world than the Holy Bible. I have yet to go looking in there for an answer and come out empty. The stories are rich in symbolism and surprisingly pertinent to every aspect of our modern lives. One particularly interesting "sonship" story is found in Acts 19. For purposes of narrative illustration, I am quoting today from The Message Bible:
Some itinerant Jewish exorcists who happened to be in town at the time tried their hand at what they assumed to be Paul's "game." They pronounced the name of the Master Jesus over victims of evil spirits, saying, "I command you by the Jesus preached by Paul!" The seven sons of a certain Sceva, a Jewish high priest, were trying to do this on a man when the evil spirit talked back: "I KNOW JESUS AND I'VE HEARD OF PAUL, BUT WHO ARE YOU?" Then the possessed man went berserk-jumped the exorcists, beat them up, and tore off their clothes. Naked and bloody, they got away as best they could
~ Acts 19:13-16
Now you might wonder how this is applicable to our modern-day Christian understanding in Western democratic nations. It's not every day we get to see demon-possessed people going berserk in the streets, right? Ummm...wait a minute.
Yet we go right on doing the same thing as the seven sons of Sceva. They were the sons of a Jewish High Priest. By all rights, they should have had some serious authority over this demon-possessed maniac. He should have trembled in the face of not one, not two but SEVEN SONS of an ecclesiastical powerhouse confronting him directly. They even presumed that if they recklessly threw around the name of Jesus, surely that should be the "magic charm" that w
ould solve the problem.
Interestingly, the word "Sceva" is a Hellenized version of the Latin word "scaeva" meaning "left-handed." I believe the Biblical imagery here is one of picking a fight with one-arm tied behind your back and striking out at a problem from the wrong angle.
Today, we see many church people trying to confront deep-rooted demonic problems in their nations just like the sons of Sceva. They may be highly placed in positions of respected authority both politically and in the churches. However, they are not going into battle properly armed. Instead, they rely upon magic incantations about rights, civil liberties and some poorly defined universal morality. Others may even be picking up on leftist code words of "tolerance," "fairness", and "social justice" thinking this might give them the upper-hand.
However, we don't battle against reasonable entities that want to sit down and have a spirited debate with us in the name of governmental rights. Here's what the Bible tells us we battle against:
For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
~Ephesians 6:12
Anarchists and tyrants are fond of saying: "Don't take a knife to a gun fight." While I don't agree with this sort of character, it IS important to go in properly armed:
Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
~ Ephesians 6:13-17
So, who's your Father? If you are like the sons of Sceva, you are relying on the flesh and you will have a poor outcome.
Thus says the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusts in man, and makes flesh his arm, and whose heart departs from the LORD.
~ Jeremiah 17:5 (KJ 2000 Bible)
If God is your Father, then we are to confidently confront the societal demons as the rightful heir to His Authority. Pick up the right weapon, the Holy Word of God. Aim with accuracy, using sight with the plumb-line of Jesus Christ. Have a solid steady firm footing, standing on the Rock of Ages. If you fight with anything less, like the sons of Sceva, you just might end up the victim of a powerful...
LEFT HOOK.
Because you rage against me and because your insolence has reached my ears, I will put my hook in your nose and my bit in your mouth, and I will make you return by the way you came.
~ Isaiah 37:29
