08. The Wrath of the Dragon | Chapter 08: A Friendly Enemy

 

Sun Tzu said, “All warfare is based on deception. Hence, when able to attack, we must seem unable; when using our forces, we must seem inactive; when we are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away; when far away, we must make him believe we are near.” The Art of war, pg. 3. Such are the tactics used by the Devil against a human being who does not make the Word of God the basis of his life.

God in His wisdom warned Adam and Eve of the foe they face. It would have been too obvious for the Devil to take his original angelic form and come to Eve, so he came up with the plan to take the form of the Serpent, “…the most subtil (beautiful, precise, wide, crafty and cunning) of the beast which the Lord God had made…” Genesis 3:1. The book of Revelation describes the Devil as “…the great dragon, that old serpent…” Revelation 12:9.

The Greek word “drakonia” which is translated as “Serpent” or “Dragon” means – fabulous serpent. The creature that approached Eve that day was the most beautiful of all the Earth’s creatures that God made.

Such are the tactics of the Devil – he uses things beautiful things that attract attention and affection as weapons against his enemies. This clever disguise makes him seem friendly, his enemies invite him into their lives not knowing that a venomous viper lurks behind the mask.

Eve knew that God gave them dominion over all of Earth’s creatures and that this serpent was no threat to her. It was her over-confidence that was her ruin. Looks are can be deceiving. The newest ability of this particular serpent to speak fascinated her even more and led to the further blinding of her spiritual perception.

Such are the tactics of the Devil – he takes the appearances of things we think we have control over and takes advantage of our over-confidence and sense of security.

Sun Tzu said, “Pretend to be weak, that the enemy may grow arrogant.” The Art of War, pg. 4. I believe that this was exactly what the Devil did to Eve. Arrogant because of her position as Queen of Earth, Eve underestimated the beautiful threat that spoke to her.

The Devil had made his calculations beforehand. He knew his tactics were working as planned so he proceeded to the next phase. Through the serpent, he said, “Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?” Genesis 3:1. Let us dwell deeply on this question and find out the tactics he used:

1. “…hath God said…”
   Every time the Devil approaches a child of God, he will make himself seem friendly, even quoting from the Word of God to achieve his schemes. Under this guise of friendliness, he uses the art of deception to hide his true motives.
   
   
2. A slight twist
   The Word of God, rightly used, leads people to Christ who will then save them from their sins and give them the power for a victorious life. In the wrong hands, it is used as a weapon of deception, leading people to their deaths.
   
   A slight twist in God’s command proved most deadly against Eve that day. God commanded Adam saying, “You may eat of every tree in the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you shall not eat of it for you will surely die in the day that you eat of it.” Genesis 1:16-17.
   
   The Devil added his twist in this divine command and said to the woman, “Hath God said, you shall not eat of every tree of the garden?”
   
   
3. What’s on your mind?
   In his great wisdom and mercy, God does not permit the Devil to look into the mind of human beings. That is why the Devil poses questions and phrases, makes displays and illusions, to read the minds of his enemies by their reactive behaviour.
   
   When the Devil came to Jesus at his forty days fasting in the wilderness, he could’ve just told Him, “You must be really hungry. Turn these stones into bread and eat.” But he twisted the Word of God and said, “If thou be the son of God, turn these stones into bread…”
   
   These kinds of statements are designed to throw his enemies off guard so that they become arrogant and reckless in their response, thus revealing the weak spots that the Devil can exploit.
   
   
4. A Sign of Weakness
   The old proverb “actions speak louder than words” is one of the most effective tool the Devil uses to study and analyze his enemies. The words of Eve were enough to determine her weaknesses. In response to the question raised by the serpent, Eve quoted from the words of God the command about the trees which they should and should not eat. Let us make a comparison between the God’s command and Eve’s answer to the Serpent.
   
   God's Word: Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.
   
   Eve's Word: We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.
   
   Analysis:
   - God did not “say”. He commanded.
   - God never mentioned “fruit”. He told them not to eat of the tree and that includes root, stem, branch, leaves, fruit, seeds, etc.
   - God was specific about which tree was not to be eaten: the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Eve was not specific about which tree was not to be eaten. She said, “…But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden…” There may be more than one tree in the midst of the garden, so which tree did God specify?
   - God said, “thou shalt not eat of it.” On the other hand, Eve said, “…Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it…” She added to the exact words of God.
   
   The Devil made this analysis and came to a certain conclusion: the words of Eve showed that her foundation on the Commands of God was weak. Based on her words alone, the Devil knew that Eve was now ready to be conquered, so he advanced his next phase of attack!
   
   Sun Tzu said, “You may advance and be absolutely irresistible if you make for the enemy’s weak points… So in war, the way is to avoid what is strong and to strike at what is weak.” The Art of War, pg. 25. 
   
   
5. Attack!
   Not wasting his time, the Devil made his bold declaration against the Word of God, “Ye shalt not surely die. For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.” Genesis 3:4-5.
   
   “And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.” Genesis 3:6.

Thus, was the human race conquered – by the exchange of a few words. 

To conclude, I would like to quote a few statements from Sun Tzu’s book, The Art of War. He said, “All warfare is based on deception. Hence, when able to attack, we must seem unable; when using our forces, we must seem inactive; when we are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away; when far away, we must make him believe we are near. Hold out baits to entice the enemy. Feign disorder, and crush him. If he is secure at all points, be prepared for him. If he is in superior strength, evade him. Pretend to be weak, that he may grow arrogant. If he is taking his ease, give him no rest. If his forces are united, separate them. Attack him where he is unprepared, appear where you are not expected. Appear at points which the enemy must hasten to defend; march swiftly to places where you are not expected. O divine art of subtlety and secrecy! Through you we learn to be invisible, through you inaudible; and hence we can hold the enemy’s fate in our hands.” 

Such was the cry of the Devil when he triumphed over man!