are saved when each person attains to salvation in this way, being found victorious in those battles. Oh Lord God, where is the understanding in us of such cunning hatred of the devil, when we cannot easily understand even the small seen things that are well known to us? It is truly written, “For the corruptible body is a load upon the soul, and the earthly habitation presseth down the mind that museth upon many things. And hardly do we guess aright at things that are upon earth: and with labour do we find the things that are before us. But the things that are in heaven, who shall search out? And who shall know thy thought, except thou give wisdom, and send thy Holy Spirit from above.” (Wisdom of Solomon 9: 15–17) The great dispossession and poverty of man is clearly demonstrated in this scripture. When the corrupted flesh oppresses the soul and the earthly dwelling limits or darkens reason so that we do not easily learn of and understand those things that are visible on the earth, how then will we be able to grasp with our senses those things that are in heaven? The apostle now shows us the battle against those devils that fell from heaven and have great cunning above our understanding, but they are spiritual and unseen. Therefore, like a blind person with the seeing, if we cannot see further than that which the physical eyes are able to see, we will not be able to engage with them in the battle. The blind do not see which direction the seeing strike at them from–only when they feel the blow.
We ascertain from God’s words that such is the battle that people have with the devil because the Lord God speaks these things about the devil, saying, “A marksman cannot repel him; sling stones will turn into chaff to him. A club seems to him but a piece of straw; he laughs at the rattling of the lance. Under him are rays of sunshine and he spreads gold under his feet like mud. He makes the depths churn like a boiling caldron and stirs up the sea like a pot of ointment. The path will have shone behind him and it will seem that the abyss grew old or was done away with. There is no power on earth that stands against him who is made so that he is not afraid of anyone. He sees all haughtiness and he is the king over all proud sons.[1]” (Job 41: 28–34) These words of God are all about the devil. The Lord God announces his great power and cunning in them, speaks dreadful things here, and announces how all people are fallible before the devil.
First of all we have to consider his power, where he says, “There is no power on earth that stands against him who is made so that he is not afraid of anyone.” Therefore “A marksman cannot repel him; sling stones will turn into chaff to him … he laughs at the rattling of the lance.” These are all great things by which powerful people conduct the battles of this world to overcome and destroy one another, demonstrating their power through the weapon. But as the Lord God says, “There is no power on earth that stands against him.” Therefore, though a person would want to stand up against the devil and destroy him with the great power of this world, he will not be able to according to these words of God; the devil’s strength is above the strength of this world. People today, who outfit themselves with the power of this world and its weapons, wanting to destroy the devil, think futilely. When they lay siege with sling stones, wanting to tear down the fortifications in which evil people hide–people filled with the devil–the devil ignores it. Instead, the devil also enters into those who are laying siege and lives in their cruel and loveless hearts, regardless of the destruction of the fortifications and the hateful evil people inside. They do not easily lay siege to the heart with sling stones because they do not discern that he would be there. That is why the Lord God also says that sling stones are like chaff to him, because sling stones do as
- ↑ World English Bible: The arrow can’t make him flee. Sling stones are like chaff to him. Clubs are counted as stubble. He laughs at the rushing of the javelin. His undersides are like sharp potsherds, leaving a trail in the mud like a threshing sledge. He makes the deep to boil like a pot. He makes the sea like a pot of ointment. He makes a path shine after him. One would think the deep had white hair. On earth there is not his equal, that is made without fear. He sees everything that is high. He is king over all the sons of pride.
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