I randomly ran across a blog post by what appeared to be a very sweet young couple who were worship leaders in their church. They had a dilemma and were asking their readers for input.
While leading a praise song, one of the lines spoke of “drowning their enemies.” As they sang they began to wonder, “Is it right for Christians to want to ‘drown their enemies.’” They wanted to know what their readers thought.
I decided to not respond because my initial thoughts were not very kind. They were:
- Seriously? You are asking your readers when you should be asking your leaders. Check with the pastor you serve under. I’ll bet he can ‘splain it to you.
- You seem like a really sweet couple but how did you become leaders in the church if you are so Biblically ignorant.
- Then I remembered my early days preaching when (most) people were gracious with my ignorance, too.
I once was young, now I’m old.
I don’t feel much smarter, just more bold.
But, just in case you are thinking of drowning an enemy or two, here is the answer. Should we want to see our enemies drowned?
You betcha! … as long as we know who our real enemies are.
The song is obviously referring to Exodus where God drowned all the armies of Pharoah in delivering His people from Egypt. In the Old Testament, many of the enemies of God’s people were annihilated. I don’t have time here to give the apologetic as to why, just to explain: Many physical things in the Old Testament are pictures, or types, of spiritual realities in the New Testament. (For example: a physical lamb pictured Jesus, the spiritual lamb of God.)
In the New Testament we are clearly told our enemies are not “flesh and blood” but spiritual forces (Ephesians 6:12). Just like Israel could not cohabitate with the pagan nations around them without eventually, as they did, bringing destruction upon themselves. Today, if we try to tolerate, be kind to, have sympathy for our old nature and the evil spiritual forces active in this world, we can be sure we will eventually bring destruction upon ourselves and those around us. You can’t play in mud without getting muddy.
Yes, we should want our enemies drowned (a picture of baptism?) but we’ve got to remember that our enemies are not “flesh and blood.” In other words, if that presidential candidate, politician, boss, neighbor or any other person that you’re sure is Satan incarnate, is flesh and blood – then they are a captive of the enemy and not the enemy.
Our real enemy loves to put these flesh and blood puppets forward while he hides in the background manipulating them for his purposes. We waste our time fuming and shooting at the puppet when it is the hand within the puppet that is the problem. Drown the puppet and “the hand” will just put another one up there. Our target with the “weapons of our warfare” must be the hand inside the puppet – the spiritual forces that drive the systems of this world.
Yes, most definitely, we should want to see our enemies “drowned” but remember that if they are “flesh and blood” they are not the enemy but ones we have been sent to liberate from the enemy.
Check out the “drown ‘em” song HERE.
Hand Puppet photo from Gratisography