All the terminology I kept hearing about the conflict, here in Nigeria, sounded so familiar, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. Then I opened my Bible to the Psalms of David, and later read Psalm 10.
Verses 8 and 9 read:
He sits in the lurking places of the village
In the secret places he murders the innocent
His eyes are secretly fixed on the helpless
He lies in wait secretly, as a lion in his den
He lies in wait to catch the poor
He catches the poor and draws them into his net
Psalm 10:8-9
If you read through the chapter the “He” in this text is referring to the wicked, however the following are the descriptions of the wicked David uses,
Prideful
Renounces the Lord
Renounces the Lord
Does not seek God
God’s judgments are out of their sight
Mouth full of cursing, deceit, and oppression
And so on and so on
The reality here is so similar to the cries of David 2000+ years ago. The common denominator from then and now is Satan. All of the descriptions of the “wicked” David uses, are descriptions of Satan. This isn’t new, this is the spiritual warfare manifesting in the physical. While in the physical this war here appears to be between the Christian and Muslim faith, it is really are war between the kingdom of heaven and the kingdom of darkness. It is sad that the nominal Christians (name only) are actually fighting opposite the kingdom of Heaven.
David, however, saved the last five verses of Psalm 10 to zoom out and show the spiritual reality. The true reality is that the war is already won in the end. The oppression will one day stop, when our Heavenly father comes back. The kingdom of darkness will not prevail in the end. People here have to realize that it is not people they need to be fighting against, but rather the root of the evil in people:
Eph 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
