Bible Study with the Cincottis – Who’s the Enemy? – 10/04/2026
Today’s Bible Study, Authored by Arthur Cincotti.
Listen to our Bible Study Discussion at: Who’s the Enemy? – 10/04/2026
Or watch the Video Zoom Session of our Study on YouTube:
Who’s the Enemy?
“When the enemy comes in like a flood,
The Spirit of the LORD will lift up a standard against him.”
Is. 59:19
I have noticed a pattern in many of the Psalms, especially the psalms of David; there will be some deep, soul-searching prose, gut-wrenching reflection, and genuine effort toward praise and worship. I love these psalms. They often lead me down the same path. Whenever I want to get in touch with my inner condition, I turn to the Book of Psalms. I’m feeling good, as though I’m drawing near to God. As though I have a soul companion out there somewhere in antiquity who is expressing my raw emotion much better than I could. But then, tucked somewhere in the breath of the verse, this dark character frequently shows up. It’s kind of a downer. I was feeling like David was this super spiritual character who loves everybody, whom I could aspire towards, but then he drops a line like, “Evil shall slay the wicked, And those who hate the righteous shall be condemned.” Ps. 34:21. Where did that come from??? Psalm 40 is another great example; full of praise, very confessional, inspiring declarative verses like; “He has put a new song in my mouth” verse. 3, and “I delight to do Your will, O my God.” verse. 8. But then, out of nowhere, “Be pleased, O LORD, to deliver me; O LORD, make haste to help me! Let them be ashamed and brought to mutual confusion Who seek to destroy my life; Let them be driven backward and brought to dishonor who wish me evil.” verse. 13,14
David had real enemies. In contemporary Western Christianity, our enemies are the big corporations who charge us too much, or the politicians who disagree with us, or the guy who cut us off at the last intersection. Nobody is trying to kill us…yet. The enemy of our souls would gladly lead us down this path of confusion. Worse yet, since we are inclined to sense that we have an enemy, even when no present threat is before us, we have an ugly tendency to make an enemy out of our brother in the next pew.
Pitting us against one another is his favorite tactic. Let’s look at some of David’s unlikely enemies.
- His father, who didn’t even consider him worthy to be brought before the visiting prophet Samuel. That must have hurt.
- His brothers, who ridiculed him when he came to the battlefield, saying, “Why did you come down here? And with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your pride and the insolence of your heart, for you have come down to see the battle.”
I Sam. 17:28. Boy, were they about to eat their words!
- How about King Saul? David refreshed Saul with music and blessed him with loyalty. He loved his son Jonathan and married his daughter Michal. It was an unexpected hardship when Saul started throwing spears at him. Soon they became bitter enemies, but David would not raise his hand against Saul.
- David’s son, the fair-haired Absalom, turns against him and tries to steal the kingdom. These are the hardest betrayals of all. It ends badly for Absalom and David is not even allowed to grieve.
- Even David’s trusted second in command, Joab, dealt deceitfully with him.
No wonder David writes:
“For it is not an enemy who reproaches me;
Then I could bear it.
Nor is it one who hates me who has exalted himself against me;
Then I could hide from him.
But it was you, a man my equal,
My companion and my acquaintance.
We took sweet counsel together,
And walked to the house of God in the throng.” Ps. 55:12-14
There are real enemies like the Philistines and the Amalekites, and there are more subtle enemies who lurk like sheep. Jesus said, “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.” Mt. 7:15. Indeed, He goes on to say, “Now brother will deliver up brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death. And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake….” Mt. 10:21,22. Satan’s not very creative. He hasn’t changed his tactics. We have to be careful not to play into his hand. We must identify who the enemy is.
In order to do that, we must first know who we are. An enemy is the one who opposes you at your core being. That’s not the guy who cuts you off in traffic, even if he flips you the bird. My identity is not a motorist. My identity is son of the Most High God; adopted, grafted into the vine, heir and co-heir with Christ. These are powerful markers that distinguish our standing and authority. But the real enemy is constantly trying to undermine these truths, and one of his methods is to pit us against one another. Have you ever said of another parishioner, “I’m not even sure they are a real Christian”? How dare we! How do these murmurings advance the kingdom? James is very forceful when he says, “Do not speak evil of one another, brethren, he who speaks evil of a brother and judges his brother, speaks evil of the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. There is one Lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy. Who are you to judge another?” Js. 4:11,12
We must use discernment. It is important that we stand firm for sound doctrine. We also want to identify the wolves in sheep’s clothing, and we probably shouldn’t put the convicted shoplifter in charge of counting the offering. But we must also be careful how far we take our fruit inspecting. Paul rebukes the church at Corinth when he says, “But brother goes to law against brother, and that before unbelievers!” I Cor. 6:6. He goes further to say, “Why do you not rather let yourselves be cheated?” I Cor. 6:7. WOW! You never see that verse on the church sign. In so many cases, we are destroying ourselves from within. God’s heart is always toward reconciliation. He has “reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and given us the ministry of reconciliation.” II Cor. 5:18
We know the real enemy and are not unaware of his schemes. He has captivated the hearts of those who rise up against us. But those same are image bearers. They have the freedom to speak evil of others, which is not freedom but a bondage. Jude says, “Yet Michael the archangel, in contending with the devil, when he disputed about the body of Moses, dared not bring against him a reviling accusation, but said, ‘The Lord rebuke you!’” verse 9. How much weightier are the words of Jesus when He says, “love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you.” Mt. 5:44. He’s actually not distinguishing, here, between believer and unbeliever. Consider how we were all unbelievers once, and even as redeemed, we yet blow it…frequently. We need to cut one another some slack.
It has been my experience that reconciliation is not always possible, but prayer is always possible, and kindness is a fruit of the Spirit; “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.” Rm. 8:14. Paul says elsewhere, “Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith. Gal. 6:10. The real enemy is not flesh and blood and never was. God is committed to stamping out evil. In the new dispensation this takes on a higher expression. “If it is possible, as much as it depends on you, live peaceably with all men. Rom. 12:18. Don’t let your carnal mind rule! “But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” I Cor. 2:14.
We have the mind of Christ!
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