Faith and Duty: Sermons on Free Texts, with Reference to the Church-YearBuchheimer, L. B. (Louis Balthaser)
Religion
Faith and Duty: Sermons on Free Texts, with Reference to the Church-Year
Buchheimer, L. B. (Louis Balthaser)
Church year sermons; Lutheran Church -- Sermons; Sermons, American
Then came Amalek, and fought with Israel in Rephidim. And Moses
said unto Joshua, Choose us out men, and go out, fight with
Amalek; to-morrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the
rod of God in mine hand. So Joshua did as Moses had said to him
and fought with Amalek; And Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to
the top of the hill. And it came to pass, when Moses held up
his hand, that Israel prevailed; and when he let down his hand,
Amalek prevailed. But Moses' hands were heavy; and they took a
stone and put it under him, and he sat thereon: and Aaron and
Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other
on the other side: And his hands were steady until the going
down of the sun. And Joshua discomfited Amalek and his people
with the edge of the sword.--_Exodus 17, 8-13._
An impressive picture of modern art is that which has for its
scene the Evil One, the devil, sitting at a table playing a game
of chess. Bending over the board, with the self-possession of a
master, reclines the adversary of man. At the opposite side is a
young man. There is a look of diabolical glee upon the dark brow of
Satan, whilst the features of his playmate wear the signs of deepest
agony; for, alas! that which the youth has staked on the results
of the game seems hopelessly lost--his immortal soul. Back of the
young man, unseen by him, the artist has painted a calm, benignant
figure. It is his guardian angel, or better still, the Angel of the
Covenant, the Lord, whose heavenly skill at last checkmates the
destroyer.
This is not merely poetic and artist's fancy. It is with no cloudy
vagueness that the existence of a Spirit of Evil is revealed in the
Holy Scriptures. There are many these days who are disposed to laugh
at the account which tells us of man's temptation and fall in the
Garden as a myth, an Oriental hyperbole, and to characterize the
closing chapters of Revelation, which inform us of the Tempter's
fall and fate, as allegory and romance. But there still remains
scattered throughout the Bible, in connection with every prominent
Bible character and Bible event, mention of a personal agent of
evil, the foe of God and the foe of man, bent with restless activity
and mastery of deceit upon the destruction of souls and the
corruption of the creation of God.
Not a matter of speculation is this belief in the existence and
power of the chief of fallen angels, and far wiser and prudent were
it if, in place of talking of, people, in humble acceptation of
God's Word, would recognize their foe, and seek the strength and
means to contend with him.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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