From the fall of man in the garden, creation has groaned for deliverance and redemption. “And I put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed. He shall crush your head, and you shall crush His heel.” (Genesis 3:15) Since this moment in history humanity has only gotten farther from YHWH. “And YHWH saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” (Genesis 6:5) It was after this that Elohim flooded the earth. Yet, humanity still fallen, continued its slide. “Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens, and make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered over all the face of the earth.” (Genesis 11:4) Notice the pronouns, us, ourselves, we . . . Which go back to the garden; “And the serpent said to the woman, ‘You shall certainly not die. For Elohim knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes shall be opened, and you shall be like Elohim, knowing good and evil.” (Genesis 3:4-5)

Life since has not changed, as King Solomon writes, “What has been is what shall be, what has been done is what shall be done, and there is none new under the sun.” (Ecclesiastes 1:9) This brings us to the story of deliverance and redemption. Through the life, death, and resurrection of Yahoshua ha’Mashiah we have redemption for sin and deliverance from the judgment coming to this present age. This line in Adonai’s prayer, “but deliver us from evil,” has also been translated, “but deliver us from the wicked one.” Some translation say, the evil one, or the devil, all of which certainly capture the intent. We are to look for and seek for our deliverance through YHWH.

Ephesians 2:1-9 says: “And you were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the ruler of the authority of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once lived in the lusts of our flesh, doing the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, as also the rest. But YHWH, who is rich in compassion, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses and sin, made us alive together with Mashiah – by grace you have been saved – and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavens in Mashiah Yahoshua, in order to show in the coming ages the exceeding riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Mashiah Yahoshua. For by grace you have been saved, through belief, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of Elohim, it is not by works, so that no one should boast.”

In a world that indulges in forbidden fruit, that seeks its own, where personal truth trumps the Truth of Elohim, we must seek for deliverance through our deliverer, Yahoshua ha’Mashiah. The devil is prowling around, just looking to devour us, we must stand strong, and endure. As i wrote last time, put on the full armor of Elohim.

“Because of this, take up the complete armor of Elohim, so that you have power to withstand in the wicked day, and having done all to stand. Stand, then, having girded your waist with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having fitted your feet with the preparation of the Good News of peace; above all, having taken up the shield of faith with which you shall have power to quench all the burning arrows of the wicked one. Take also the helmet of deliverance, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of YWHW, praying at all times, with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, watching in all perseverance and supplication for all the saints.” Ephesians 6:13-18

May we honestly seek and pray, “deliver us from evil,” in an increasingly evil world.

You are loved,
cj