"Keep Your Enemies Closer"

BIBLE READING: 2 Samuel 13-15

            Batman had the Joker, Superman had Lex Luthor and Peter Pan had Captain Hook.  In every situation, this person would be a thorn in the side of the hero.  David was no different; he also had his own nemesis.  One might think it was Goliath, but that was too easy for David to defeat because he was always the bad guy.  Then one might think it was Saul, who constantly sought David’s life, but that too was short lived.  The one person that David had to really face as a threat to his life, as well as his kingdom, was his own flesh and blood, Absalom.  This must have been the most difficult of foes for David, because it was his own son.  The hatred from Absalom grew so much against David that he had to flee his own city into the mountains, to save his own life.  The entire conflict between the two was one that was seasoned with hatred and love.  We too have an arch enemy that is very close to us as well; in fact you live with this person 24/7. No, it isn’t your spouse; I am talking about your own self. It is the same struggle that Paul dealt with in Romans 7.15-25, that we call the dual nature of man.  Our mind is driven to do good while our flesh is driven to do otherwise.  Make no mistake; our greatest enemy is not the Devil, it is our own flesh and blood.   There will always be a struggle between the force of good within our minds and the force of evil within our bodies.  Sometimes we will prevail, and sometimes we will fail. However, we must never give up the fight.  There is an old saying that says “you keep your friends close, and your enemies closer”. In this case, that may very well be the closest you can keep them.

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