In 2013 my home was attacked by bugs. I got up at 3:30 a.m., went
into the kitchen to make coffee, and when I turned on the light, I noticed two
small bugs (about 1/16th to 1/8th inch at most)
scurrying across the counter. I smashed them and didn’t think much
more about it. The next morning as I turned on the light, I saw a couple
more. Then the next morning, more. I opened up the dishwasher and
OMG! More than just a couple hiding at the top. I freaked out, called the
exterminator, and put some dead ones in a jar for him. I had no idea what was
coming next.
My kitchen was being attacked. Now there were bigger ones too,
about ¾ inch long, and they looked like some kind of weird roach. They seemed
to be hiding everywhere. I’d turn on the light, and they’d scurry away, then
I’d see them dropping down by the dog’s dish, coming out of the corners by the
oven and going up the wall by the cabinets.
I lifted the lid of my beautiful new Keurig coffee pot to make my
morning coffee, and one was staring back at me from inside. I could see its
eyes, and it seemed to be defying me in an almost human way. It was horrifying!
That was the last straw, and I was totally freaked out. I called the exterminator,
he came over and determined they were German roaches. Together we took up the
fight against these quickly multiplying attackers. It was a much longer fight
than I wanted it to be, and there were times I honestly didn’t know if I would
win.
Early in the battle, I asked God what the heck was going
on. He directed me to start studying the Amalekites in the Bible,
and He would show me the spiritual background of this attack and what to do
about it.
I learned that the Amalekites were a semi-nomadic tribe. They
moved around, but if they found a cozy place to take over, they would. They
were a formidable people. The devil spirits acting through these people were
schemers and shrewd. Their method was to attack in devious ways from all sides,
like in guerilla warfare, in a way that wouldn’t be noticed until it was too
late. They were driven and didn’t give up. They would wear the Israelites
down by relentless attacks, stealing their peace of mind along with anything
else they could get their hands on.
In Exodus, God says He is at war with Amalek from generation to
generation. (Ex 17:16). I call these types of devil spirits “Amalekite
spirits,” whether they work through people, animals, objects, or horrible
roaches.
From Exodus 17, we learn that it takes vigilance to defeat
Amalekites. Joshua was at the head of the battle, but Moses was in charge. When
Moses lifted up the rod of God, Israel prevailed. When he got weary and let
down his hand, Amalek prevailed. Moses had to have two other guys help him to
hold up the banner of God to the very end of the battle and to victory.
That is such a lesson for us today. In the middle of a fight
against this type of spiritual attack, we may get really tired, but we don’t
give up. Even Moses needed help.
Later in history, the Amalekites show up again. God tells Saul
that the only way to get rid of them is to “utterly destroy the Amalekites, and
fight against them until they be consumed” (1 Sam. 15:18).
Saul apparently thought that it would be okay to keep the king
alive and keep the sheep and oxen and some other spoils as well. But God knew
the Amalekite spirits could occupy much more than just the warriors, so all the
people, the livestock and the possessions were to be destroyed. Saul didn’t
obey, and the consequences were devastating. He lost his kingship, his sanity,
his kingdom, and his life. His disobedience even had devastating consequences on
the generations to come.
That’s why it’s so important to obey God now, no matter what it
takes: perseverance, patience, help from friends, help from the Lord Jesus
himself. How we react now to Amalekite spirits effects not only the rest of our
lives but the lives of our children and our children’s children to come.
The same Amalekite spirits attacked King David’s family about
seven years after Saul died. They came against a city that David lived in, while
David was out of town, burning it to the ground and kidnapping his wives and
children.
Remember, in Moses’ case, God told him to hold up the banner and
claim the victory and get help from friends. But in this situation, God told
David he had to get involved on the front lines. He told David to go after
them.
“And David smote them from the twilight even unto the
evening of the next day: and there escaped not a man of them, save four hundred
young men, which rode upon camels, and fled. And David recovered all that the Amalekites had carried
away: and David rescued his two wives. And there was nothing lacking to them, neither small nor
great, neither sons nor daughters, neither spoil, nor any thing that
they had taken to them: David recovered all” (1 Sam. 30:17-19).
The four hundred Amalekites who escaped from David continued to plague
God’s people until finally, David’s grandkids wiped them out. “And they smote the rest of the Amalekites that
were escaped, and dwelt there unto this day” (1 Chron. 4:43).
The bugs that attacked my kitchen were of the same spiritual ilk
as the Amalekites that attacked Israel.
I did get weary, like Moses, but Jane and I kept claiming the
victory no matter how awful it looked. It took determination and diligence and
more patience than I thought I could muster. At first, we waited for the
exterminator to do the job while we claimed victory. But then we needed to get
involved ourselves. It took months to finally get rid of them all. Like Moses,
I had to get more help, and the exterminator ended up leaving his “special
spray” with us so I could go after the bugs in between his visits.
And I knew that God’s instructions to Saul applied to us as well.
We had to not only destroy the roaches, but we also had to destroy every item
they touched. We didn’t want to end up like Saul. We had to obey. So we got rid
of the dishwasher, coffee machine, other electrical appliances (the roaches
liked warm cozy places), and much more, but it was totally worth it.
When the very last bug was destroyed, I realized that they had
started eating each other, and the toxins in the insecticide had utterly
consumed them until every last one was dead. Gross, but true. That was several
years ago, and they have never returned. Thank God!
When we’re being attacked by this type of Amalekite spirit, God’s Word
assures us that we can win by being intimately obedient to what He asks of us.
He will give us the how of getting through and the ultimate victory in the end.
Moses needed the help of friends, David had to rebuild his city and his life,
and finally, his grandkids wiped out the enemy and lived peaceably in the land.
We take comfort and hope from the Words of our God, and we’re going to be okay.
Love, Carolyn
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