The devil enters Jewish writings after the Zoroastrians end the bondage of the Israelites. By the time of Jesus, speaking of the Devil had become common.
James writes of the devil. In chapter 3 he writes, "Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near God and he will draw near to you."
Whatever or whoever the devil is - it is never a good thing to cozy up to "it." When we allow ourselves to begin to develop un-saintly behaviors, we know that real transgression is sure to follow. Merely keeping a distance between ourselves and that which lures us away prevents a multitude of slips and slides.
Part of my disdain for talk of the devil is linked to a TV comedian who in the 60's and 70's had a routine in which every bad act was explained away by saying "The Devil made me do it." It garnered many laughs; it also created the mentality that the one who acted was not responsible for their mis-deeds. The devil may be powerful, but never enough so as to defeat the intentions of God. That can only happen when we resist God and draw near to the devil.
Luther referred to James as "the epistle of straw." But James has much to offer a world where the Devil has so many trinkets and so much glitter. James reminds us, it is the Lord who alone can "exalt you."
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