Target-Rich Environment

In the Garden of Eden God created. His ultimate creation was Man and then Woman (Gen 1:26-27) and, at the same time, marriage -- the union of a man and a woman for the purposes of mutual support (Gen 2:18) and for procreation (Gen 1:28) for life (Matt 19:6). And it was very good (Gen 1:31). Is it any surprise, then, that the next scene after Creation was an attack by Satan on God's creation? The serpent didn't go to the beasts or to Adam. He went to Eve (Gen 3:1). He didn't go for Eve; he went to undercut God (Gen 3:1-5). Mess up the structure (1 Cor 11:3), mess up the relationship, mess up the world. The result was a rift between God and His creation (Gen 3:8-10) and the curse guaranteed marital strife (Gen 3:16) and a conflict with God (Gen 3:24) for the rest of this human existence.

It seems as if this has always been Satan's battle plan. Figure out what God is doing and fight it. God made humans in His image; take down humans. God made humans for fellowship; cause a rift with humans. God made a covenant with Abraham (Gen 15); tempt Abraham (Gen 16). God had a special relationship with Moses; destroy Moses (Num 20:10-12). Job was blameless (Job 1:1); take down Job (Job 1:7-12, etc.). And so it goes. Satan has had a target-rich environment by simply noticing all the things that are important to God and targeting them. So God loved the world this way; He sent His only Son to die for us so that whoever believed would have eternal life. Today, of course, we know better. Jesus died, maybe, but not "for us." People sin, perhaps, but no payment for sin is required. God might be our maker (lowercase "m" on purpose), but He's not our boss. That would be us. God makes marriage and gender, sexual limitations and behavioral rules, promises and preparations, and Satan works hard to target these things and take them down, even among the so-called "believers." God has made it clear ... and Satan isn't blind.

Look around. In our current culture all the points where strife is occurring appears to be specifically on the topics that God is most invested. They've pushed God out of His rightful place in the public square. Jesus claimed to be "the Truth" (John 14:6) and that God's Word was truth (John 17:17), but they've discharged the concept of truth in favor of what one person referred to as "truthiness." Objective truth does not exist, and, poof!, God, His Son, and His Word are gone. They've dismantled the value of humans, dismembered the definition of marriage, deconstructed the entire concept of gender. They've called good evil and evil good. Kill an innocent human being and call it "reproductive choice." They deny the Cross and laugh at the Atonement which, according to Scripture, is the perfect demonstration of God's love (Rom 5:8-10). And on it goes. While Satan isn't blind, the ones who are blind are the ones who fight alongside the god of this world to take down God's structures, directions, plans, and promises. To be fair, that includes each one of us to some degree or another. We buy the lies of God's enemy -- "Did God say ...?" -- and work at undercutting His clear instructions. Because we live in a target-rich environment where the target is God and the opponent is Satan and humans are among his favorite recruits, his best tools. After all, if you can use one of God's best creations against God, how much better can it get? Don't be that tool (Rom 12:2). I'm not suggesting you correct everyone else. I'm asking you to look to yourself.