And the Lord said to Satan, “The Lord rebuke you, O Satan! The Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you![1] (Zechariah 3:2 ESV)
Rebuking
Jesus is not just a mild-mannered smiley-faced speaker of profound thoughts. He is God’s soldier. He is God’s right hand. He is God’s firstborn Son.
God has three enemies: the flesh, the world, and Satan. And here we see how God deals with Satan. God rebukes Satan. And rebuke is a powerful word.
It means more than yell at… it means Satan is put in his place.
It means more than lecture… it means Satan is bound, limited, and powerless.
It means more than make Satan feel bad… It means Satan is defeated, laughed at, and now nearly ignored.
And God did not rebuke Satan quietly… God rebuked Satan with God’s Word, and still does today. The best defense when you are afraid of what Satan might do is to read God’s Word.
But not just because it is a book. God’s Word is Jesus Himself.
While keeping in mind that Satan is not the comical cartoon figure of a horned tempter. Satan represents, in a way, all who oppose God. He is also a symbol of the part of the spiritual world that we cannot grasp, and therefore are tempted to fear.
Even the unknown is rebuked by God through Jesus. Even the mysterious is rebuked by God through Jesus. EVERY enemy of God is rebuked by God through Jesus.
And we are on His side.
We can not fight what we do not understand. But Jesus can.
[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Zec 3:2.