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An Enemy Occupying the Place of Covenant

Judges 4:1-3 – “When Ehud was dead, the children of Israel again did evil in the sight of the Lord. So the Lord sold them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor. The commander of his army was Sisera, who dwelt in Harosheth Hagoyim. And the children of Israel cried out to the Lord; for Jabin had nine hundred chariots of iron, and for twenty years he had harshly oppressed the children of Israel."

            The children of Israel had a real problem.  Their evil and sin resulted in servitude and bondage to a Canaanite King, Jabin.  His commander was Sisera.  He commanded a powerful army that possessed nine hundred chariots of iron.  His fortress was in Harosheth Hagoyim, which was located at the base of Mount Carmel outside of modern day Haifa. 

Mount Carmel overlooks the Valley of Jezreel, where the Battle of Armageddon will take place in the future.  This is the land that God promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  This promise is reaffirmed in Joshua 1:3-4, “Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given you, as I said to Moses. From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the River Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your territory.”

It is in the very place of promise that Israel is being oppressed by Sisera.  Sisera was well armed and struck fear into the hearts of his enemies. He looked invincible. For two decades the covenant people of God had been oppressed by this strong man.  A strong enemy was occupying their place of promise.
 
Some of you have a strong enemy that is occupying your place of covenant promise.  Revelation 12:11 defines this enemy as the “accuser of the brethren.”  In John 10:10 Jesus defines Him as “a thief, who steals, kills, and destroys.”  Like Israel of old we have an oppressor.  He is occupying our place of promise.  How do we deal with an enemy that trespasses in our place of promise?


We must evict the enemy that has been occupying the place of promise.  James 4:7 instructs, “Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”  In Revelation 12:11 there are instructions on how to overcome the enemy that occupies your place of promise.  “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.”   

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