What Can Christians Do When the Enemy Comes in Like a Flood?
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When crisis comes into our lives, we often feel overwhelmed. The Bible poetically describes this with the phrase, “when the enemy comes in like a flood.”
We have an enemy, whether we believe it or not. Satan and his minions stand against God and his purposes, including the people he loves and desires to redeem. Jesus calls Satan, also called the Devil, a liar, a being who was a liar from the beginning. He understands how humans will be tempted to quit from fear, so the enemy purposefully overwhelms us.
Every person can relate to times when several crises happen at once. Disaster seasons can overwhelm us—disasters in our personal lives, churches, or communities. Then, we become discouraged.
Alone, we have no hope. But for those who follow God, there is hope. Still, we shouldn’t be ignorant of our enemy’s devices. What does it mean when the enemy comes in like a flood?
What Bible Verse Says “When the Enemy Comes in Like a Flood”?
“When the enemy comes in like a flood” comes from Isaiah 59:19.
In this book, the prophet Isaiah, often called the “Messianic Prophet,” addresses both his period’s contemporary issues and foretells future events, particularly the Messiah’s coming.
In Isaiah 59, the prophet begins by highlighting the Israelites’ spiritual and moral degradation. He describes a society characterized by injustice, violence, and a separation from God. The people are portrayed as being entangled in sin, leading to a state of spiritual darkness and alienation from the divine.
Isaiah 59:4 vividly captures the pervasive nature of the problems: “No one calls for justice, Nor does any plead for truth. They trust in empty words and speak lies; They conceive evil and bring forth iniquity.”
Isaiah continues to outline the sin’s widespread consequences. He emphasizes how prevalent it has become and how it will impact people’s relationship with God. The themes of darkness, blindness, and stumbling in the path of righteousness permeate Isaiah 59’s early verses.
It is within this discussion about spiritual and moral decay that the famous verse Isaiah 59:19 appears, a beacon of hope:
“So shall they fear the name of the Lord from the west, and His glory from the rising of the sun; when the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him.”
This verse is a pivotal moment in Isaiah’s message. It offers a glimpse of divine intervention, of righteousness’s ultimate triumph over the enemy.
The subsequent verses (Isaiah 59:20-21) continue the message of redemption and restoration, foretelling a Redeemer who will come to Zion and turn away ungodliness from Jacob. This anticipation of a Redeemer aligns with the broader Messianic themes found throughout the book of Isaiah.
What Does “When the Enemy Comes in Like a Flood” Tell Us about His Tactics?
The comparison to a flood suggests that the enemy’s tactics involve a forceful and intense onslaught. Like a torrential flood, the adversary seeks to inundate and submerge everything in its path. This imagery underscores how aggressive and all-encompassing the enemy’s tactics are. The enemy doesn’t bring a gradual flood but a sudden one. The word “comes” in the phrase implies an unexpected assault. The enemy’s tactics may involve surprise attacks, catching individuals off guard and creating a sense of disorientation.
The phrase “like a flood” implies the enemy’s deliberate timing. Floods are often associated with seasonal changes or specific weather patterns. Similarly, the enemy may employ strategic timing, taking advantage of opportune moments or exploiting vulnerabilities in their targets. However, a flood is not a momentary event; it persists until it runs its course. Likewise, the enemy’s tactics may involve a sustained effort over time. The aim is to wear down resistance, erode defenses, and gradually achieve their objectives through prolonged pressure.
While we may think of a flood in a basement, in context, biblical floods are known for their broad and wide-reaching impact, affecting large areas. People often think local and immediate. The enemy’s tactics are designed to have a pervasive influence beyond that small scale, spreading across our lives, relationships, and community. The goal is to create widespread disruption and chaos.
Floods exploit vulnerabilities in terrain and structures to maximize their impact. Similarly, the enemy may identify and exploit weaknesses in individuals or communities, capitalizing on areas of spiritual, emotional, or relational fragility to gain an advantage. Floods can erode foundations and structures, leading to their collapse. In a spiritual context, the enemy’s tactics may undermine foundational principles, values, and beliefs, weakening the spiritual and moral fabric of individuals and societies. During these hard times, people question God’s goodness or sovereignty.
Difficult times lead to fear. The flood imagery can evoke fear and panic due to its destructive potential. Similarly, the enemy’s tactics may involve instilling fear, confusion, and panic, destabilizing individuals and communities emotionally and spiritually.
What Does Isaiah 59 Tell Us about Times When the Enemy Comes in Like a Flood?
Isaiah 59 offers profound insights into the challenges faced when the enemy comes in like a flood. The chapter begins by starkly depicting the people’s spiritual condition. Isaiah, serving as God’s mouthpiece, declares that the Lord’s hand is not shortened, nor His ear heavy, but the people’s iniquities and sins have separated them from God (Isaiah 59:1-2).
The statement sets the stage for the subsequent verses about the separation’s dire consequences.
Isaiah underscores the idea that sin is a barrier between humanity and God. The vivid imagery of hands defiled with blood and lips speaking lies portrays sin’s pervasive nature: how it hinders communion with the Holy One. Isaiah particularly highlights the sin of injustice and oppressing the poor. Verses 7-8 describe feet running to evil, shedding innocent blood, and pursuing crooked paths. This highlights sin’s destructive impact not only on individuals but also on society overall.
The prophet laments the absence of justice and righteousness in society. The people grope for the wall like blind people, seeking guidance but finding none. The lack of a moral compass contributes to spiritual darkness and confusion.
A turning point occurs, however. Isaiah 59:12-13 sees the people acknowledging their transgressions and iniquities. This self-awareness becomes crucial for individuals to recognize the need for repentance and reconciliation with God. Verses 9-11 depict the people longing for light, for deliverance from darkness. Realizing their spiritual condition prompts a yearning for God’s redemptive power.
This repentance doesn’t keep God’s people from attack. The famous phrase “When the enemy comes in like a flood” encapsulates the chapter’s overarching theme, portraying how the enemy will come against them suddenly and overwhelmingly.
Even during this attack, those who follow and worship the Lord in truth have hope.
The chapter concludes with a promise of redemption and restoration. Seeing the repentant hearts, God pledges to come as a Redeemer to Zion and turn away ungodliness from Jacob. This Messianic promise anticipates the ultimate solution to the spiritual challenges presented earlier in the chapter.
What Will God Do When the Enemy Comes in Like a Flood?
The enemy attacks, seeking to destroy and overwhelm God’s people. Their only hope is the God of love and power.
In Isaiah 59, the prophet outlines God’s powerful response to overwhelming challenges.
First, Isaiah begins by affirming God’s strength and power. God’s hand is not shortened, nor is His ear heavy. This sets the stage for understanding that God is fully aware of the situation, not distant or indifferent.
God isn’t only aware and strong but also acts on behalf of the innocent and victim. Isaiah 59:18 describes God’s response to the prevailing injustice and oppression. He will repay according to their deeds, expressing His righteous anger against wrongdoing. This signifies that God’s justice will prevail, addressing the sins that have led to the flood-like onslaught of the enemy.
Despite Judah’s dire sins, Isaiah presents a powerful image of God’s arm being revealed for salvation (Isaiah 59:16). He loves them and remembers the covenant. This metaphor conveys God’s strength and intervention to rescue His people. It emphasizes that God’s redemptive power is available and actively at work for those who turn to Him.
In God’s fight for justice, the response isn’t doom. God doesn’t share sin with the people to condemn them but leads them to repentance. Repentance offers forgiveness and reconciliation, a return to right relationship with God in truth, and now we have his protection against the enemy.
To affirm this point, Isaiah describes what will happen to God’s people when the enemy comes in like a flood: the Spirit of the Lord will lift a standard against him. The standard serves as a banner, a rallying point, and a divine defense. It signifies God’s intervention to counteract the enemy’s forces. Banners also imply identity and a military purpose: God himself will fight the enemy.
The redemptive actions described in Isaiah 59 are rooted in God’s covenant commitment to His people. Despite their transgressions, God’s desire for reconciliation and restoration is evident. The promise of a Redeemer reflects God’s unwavering commitment to fulfill His covenant and bring salvation.
Today, we are children of God under the New Covenant through Christ’s work. Hard times will come, and the enemy will attack, but our hope remains within the person of God. He loves us and fights against oppression and sin. Before he acts, he also offers a way to repent, to turn from our ways to his. The best way to defeat the spiritual enemy is to be reconciled to the Father through the Son.
We will still have difficult times and face overwhelming attacks, but God will be faithful to fight for us and work all things for our good if we love him and walk according to his purpose (Romans 8:28).
Peace.
Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/andrej67
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