FOLLOWING THE WORD OF GOD


FRIDAY, SECOND WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME   

1 Sam 24:3-21; Ps 57:2-4,6,11; Mk 3:13-19

The Companions of the Word

Once an alliance or friendship is struck with the demonic spirits, it is difficult to destroy. In fact, it is impossible for our fallen nature to deliver itself from the enslavement of evil forces. The cause of the difficulty is the weakness that results from our sinful state. In our sinful state, we lack the light and grace of God to see and understand the truth. Blinded by the bodily passions and lures of earthly pleasures and riches, we follow the evil spirits like slaves. Only God’s word can truly set us free from their bondage when we profess faith in God and repent of our sins. Without the repentance and confession of sins, the grace of God cannot enter to help and deliver us. The necessity of repentance arises from the need to develop hatred for our sinful selves and reject every base and sinful suggestion or instigation from the demonic spirits, by which they keep us in their company and bondage. Thus, the coming of the light of the word of God reveals the sinfulness of our thoughts, words, and actions. Subsequently, the remorse and hatred we develop for our sinful state extend to these unclean spirits that instigate us to commit them. Though we do not see the demonic spirits, that does not mean they are not around us when we are in sin. We know their presence and operations on us by the sinful suggestions and instigations they plant in our minds and hearts through our memory and imagination. To ward off their constant attacks, we must measure every thought, word, and action with the word of God.

The fall of King Saul was due to his abandonment of God’s word. He was deceived by these foul spirits when they led him to think that being the king of Israel implies doing whatever he wanted. God requires the king to walk in the company of his word. Recall that God rejected Saul because of that. Anyone God places over others needs to keep the company of his word in order to carry out the will of God. Saul’s spiritual condition became worse with time because of his inability to keep the word of God and walk in its light. On the other hand, David grew in favour with God because he let the word of God guide him in all his ways. His treatment of Saul, who was after his life, demonstrates this. “Why, your own eyes have seen today how the Lord put you in my power in the cave and how I refused to kill you, but spared you. ‘I will not raise my hand against my Lord,’ I said, ‘for he is the anointed of the Lord.’” So, attention to the word of God kept David from sinning against God, while departure from God’s word caused Saul to sink deeper into the darkness of evil and sin.

We can rarely comprehend the power of God, and his presence granted to us in the company of Jesus Christ. It is only through gradual transformation and the opening of our eyes and minds that we are able to comprehend what it really means for us to walk in the company of the Son of Man. We make progress in the illumination of our minds through constant confession of our sins, by which the grace of God brings us to detest more and more the evil and sinful company of demonic spirits. By constantly praying with the Psalmist: “Have mercy on me, God, have mercy for in you my soul has taken refuge. In the shadow of your wings, I take refuge till the storms of destruction pass by.” We cannot imagine the privilege of the twelve he summoned and made his constant companions. “Jesus went up into the hills and summoned those he wanted. So, they came to him, and he appointed twelve; they were to be his companions and to be sent out to preach, with power to cast out devils.” The power he gave them to cast out devils was a share in his authority to expand the reach of his earthly activities through their presence. It is similar to the kingship Saul received from God. It is meant to draw them closer to his person and afford them the knowledge of his will and mission. It is not for their own self-serving, but to serve the coming of the kingdom of heaven founded on the Eternal Word. In view of this, he corrected them later to rejoice in the fact that their names are written in heaven and not because the demonic spirits are subject to them at the use of his name.

Let us pray: Almighty ever-living God, who govern all things, both in heaven and on earth, mercifully hear the pleading of your people and bestow your peace on our times. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. 

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