Well, there was one – well, many, actually –
but I found one of them especially
astute at fending off my lies.[1] I thought
him an anomaly, no more; I ought
to have seen in him instead a portent of
One who would soon enchain me from above.
Behold the workings of my genius mind:
I prowl the earth,[2] endeavoring to find
some unsuspecting and unguarded fool,
someone whom by deception I can rule
and ruin – someone like you. And if I can
entice, ensnare, and capture, by some plan
or lure or bit of poisoned truth, one who
is highly visible, then I would do
so much more damage to His cause, whose name
I will have brought to very public shame.
Which stratagem led me to take dead aim
at one charged to God’s holy Word proclaim,
and in His worship lead the people.[3] I
knew well that he a loving shepherd’s eye
kept on the flock of God. How well he knew
them, understood what they were going through,
and all their foolish thoughts and ways. It must
have pained him greatly to observe their trust
in God erode, as I strewed all along
their daily path temptations far too strong
for them to stand against. He watched as they
increasingly began to disobey
the Lord, preferring rather worldly ways
and self-indulgence to the love and praise
of God. Themselves they lavished with as much
of worldliness as they could see or touch
and make their own.[4] They fairly licked the earth,[5]
and boasted of their fast-increasing worth
and prominence; all their substantial wealth
I bundled up with ease and with good health –
to reinforce their self-assurance that
God’s blessings were upon what they were at.
They boasted of their leisure, scorned the weak,
oppressed the poor, and raised their tongues to speak
against the very God of heav’n: “He does
not know or care what we may do, because
it’s clear His blessings are upon us!”

Can
you see the interlacing in my plan
to bring them under my control? I set
their hearts and minds and consciences to let
them lust for fleshly things; I taught them to
God’s blessings see in what they sought to do,
so to accommodate His Word to all
their vanities; and thus I made them fall
down on their knees and worship all the vain
desires their sinful hearts could hope to gain,
and all they while I fed them the belief
such practices would not result in grief
or pain, for God, so far away, could see
them not. [6] Thus blinded, they succumbed to me.
Oh how that faithful priest and prophet burned
to see them mired in things and pride, and turned
away from God. And then, at what I took
to be the perfect time, I set my hook
before his own self-pitying soul: “Why should,”
I deftly whispered as he mused, “such good
things be denied to you?[7] Why must you day
by day submit to disciplines, obey
God’s Law, and keep yourself unstained before
Him, and before these people, who have more
of this world’s ease than you have ever known?
Should you not seek a little of your own
enjoyment, ease, and wealth? Should you not be
entitled to enjoy prosperity
and comfort right along with all the rest
of those whom God has evidently blessed?”
I watched as he approached the bait and thought
about my proposition, how he ought
to make response to what he felt within
his heart of hearts. Would lust give birth to sin,[8]
I wondered? Would he, like the others, set
his faith aside, give way to pride, and let
his passions overrule sound judgment? By
this means so many times before had I
led others to embrace the lie and yield
to me, that I saw nothing that could shield
him from my onslaught. But as I my ear
turned in anticipation of the cheer
that would arise from my demonic host
at one more victory for me to boast
about, this wretched priest turned from my bait
and, shaking from my clutches, turned to wait
upon the Lord in prayer![9] As he began
to speak I knew that I had lost this man,
and helplessly stood by as he appealed
to every gate of grace and truth, and sealed
himself against my pow’rs.[10] I gnash my teeth,
my spirit howls, and deep within I seethe
with anger every time one such as this
robs me of my anticipated bliss
by firm resistance to my wiles! Shall I
relate each step he followed to deny
me my entitlement? If only to
refresh my memory of what to do
in situations just like this, I shall:
I failed to sink the hook; my gambit all
began unraveling when he realized
that yielding to me meant he would despise
his brethren.[11] Just as those whose flaunted sin
had nearly dragged him down, trapped him within
my snares, so he was contemplating just
the same – a violation of the trust
of all those looking to him as a priest
of God. He came to see himself a beast
more than an image-bearer,[12] as he thought
of letting passion rule where reason ought
to – and a fair deduction, that, I must
admit. Himself he looked at with disgust
to reckon, when God is so very good
to all His people, that he ever could
discover any lasting benefit
in anything at all that made him quit
obedience to the Lord. I could not make
him love himself more than the rest, or break
the hold upon his soul of knowing he
was made in God’s own image. He could see
that following passion, self-indulgence, lust,
mere titillation, gain, and pride were just
the opposite of how the children of
the Lord should live.[13] Then, swept up in God’s love
for him, and of the utter goodness of
approaching Him and dwelling in His love,
he sought the counsel of God’s Word and poured
his heart out in submission to the Lord.[14]
Submission soon to praise gave way as he
his true perspective gained. Then he could see
that nothing better for God’s people is
than that they should keep focusing on His
agenda, His perspective, His revealed
and holy truth.[15] All those whom God has sealed
unto Himself within the promises
of His eternal covenant will bless
Him when temptation comes, and will be blessed
in turn. Thus did this priest endure my test.

And I, in quitting my assault against
him, realized that I have no defense
against those who the Word of God will cling
to when I sidle up and try to bring
them to my point of view – and to my chains.
Yet this my consolation still remains:
most humans are mere fools, who though they know
they must resist my wiles and quickly show
the door to me whenever I confront
them, can be led to break God’s covenant
and cast their lot with me; the law of sin
is easily excited deep within
their souls,[16] and they are willing to conspire
with it against sound judgment and all higher
obedience. They prefer not to rebuff
me; they would rather wear my clinking cuff.

Thus I consoled myself each time one of
these foolish mortals held fast to the love
of God, denying self. And in this case,
as in all others like it, my disgrace
at their recalcitrance just made me all
the more resolved to rectify my fall
and gain the throne of heav’n. I failed to see
that such defeats portended worse for me.

[1] Psalm 73
[2] 1 Peter 5.8
[3] 1 Chronicles 25.1, 2
[4] Psalm 73.4-8
[5] Psalm 73.9
[6] Psalm 73.11
[7] Psalm 73.13, 14
[8] James 1.13-15
[9] Psalm 73.15-17
[10] Psalm 73.18 ff
[11] Psalm 73.15
[12] Psalm 73.21, 22
[13] Psalm 73.16-18
[14] Psalm 73.23, 24
[15] Psalm 73.25-28
[16] Romans 7.21-23