Making Satan

Unsettling Questions
Years ago (and throughout my spiritual journey), tough questions began percolating to the surface of my mind. These questions took different forms, but they all fell into a few simple categories: God, his holy nature, and my relationship with him (if indeed there was one). Some of these questions were so unsettling that I determined that I must go back to the fundamentals. Although I had read the scriptures many times, I had always read them ad hoc. While this approach fostered a fairly decent knowledge of what the scriptures actually taught, I only realized after reading them cover-to-cover with deeply rooted questions, that I had no idea what the scriptures didn’t teach.

Moses Didn’t Believe In The Devil
I was gliding along one day in the book of Chronicles and suddenly, out of the clear blue, Satan entered the scene. The author(s) mentioned him so casually that one might think that he had been a major player in the story all along. Just one problem. I couldn’t remember a single mention of him prior to that. I figured that I had been a lazy reader. Therefore, I went back and searched every reference that I could find. Still no mention! I went back to the beginning. The serpent that beguiled Eve must have been a symbol for Satan, right? Nope. There were as many positive references to serpents as negative ones. Study, study, study. I gradually came to the conclusion that Moses didn’t believe in Satan. Of course not! Monotheism was the fundamental principle of Moses’ religion. The supposed existence of an immortal entity who blatantly challenged the sovereignty of God would unravel the whole theology. Just as the children of Israel formed a golden calf to worship in Moses’ absence, Judaism began introducing other gods after Moses’ death.

Old Testament Satan As Humble Servant
Even though the Hebrews were quick to stray from their religion in Moses’ day, they were slow to embrace a satan-figure which resembled the dark lords of neighboring religions. After all, Judaism rose as a stark antithesis to paganism. The number of references to “Satan” (the main adversary) or “satan” (a generic adversary) in the Hebrew Bible are so sparse that they can easily be mentioned in this paragraph. In each of the first four references (Numbers, Samuel, Kings, and Psalms), “Satan” or “satan” is an ambassador spirit or angel sent from God to inflict some punishment on a disobedient man. In Job, Satan is a son of God who, rather than punishing a disobedient man, asks God for permission to test a righteous man. Only in the final sixth and seventh references (Chronicles and Zechariah), does Satan actually stand in opposition to God.

New Testament Satan As King (of kings)
Turning the page from Malachi to Matthew was one of the most startling experiences of my life. Not only was it a breath of fresh air to escape the endless insults and judgments of the Old Testament prophets with the introduction of Jesus’ sweet peace and congratulations, but Satan had mysteriously risen from a humble backstage hand to a headlining contender for the lead role. The number of references in the New Testament to Satan and all of his aliases (Beelzebub, Devil, Lucifer, Dragon, and so on) are far too numerous to mention in this paragraph. Instead, I’ll give a brief description of his majestic transformation. Satan ruled over many of his own kingdoms. He sat on a throne and wore several crowns. He stood in defiant opposition to God. He presided over his own church. He possessed human bodies. He rebelled against God and took a third of the heavenly host with him. He was the most threatening enemy of God.

Christians vs. Moses
Moses would never have allowed this state of affairs. There was no other god beside THE GOD, THE GREAT I AM. The whole Satan narrative too closely resembled the pagan religions of the Egyptians and others which he vigorously denounced. Well, history repeats itself and the golden calf reared its horned head again in opposition to God for the affection of the saints. Many Jews of the second temple period, and thereby many Christians as well, fell in love with the Satan figure. He offered them a convenient replacement for their absent Almighty. Nevertheless, as Joshua said:

Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

Religion: “I Will Have My Satan”
So why do we cling so vigorously to Satan in this late day? After all, he has no credentials. He didn’t create the universe, he can’t give life, and he doesn’t even cause the sun to rise. He’s a deadbeat dad. So why cling to him? Control. That’s why. What would religion be without threats?

Preacher: Do as I say!
Person:    Why?
Preacher: Because you’ll burn if you don’t.
Person:    Oh, okay!

Even in my own congregation, sometimes it seems that the devil gets more air time than God does. This is disappointing because I don’t go to be beat over the head by false gods. I go to be inspired. Teach me to be a light to the world. Teach me to be honest. Teach me to be an ever flowing fountain of love. I eat that shit up. Start threatening me with punishment and fire if I don’t obey your arbitrary commandments and you lose me. Enough of this fear-mongering! To every Christian who has read this far, I say, “choose Moses and the prophets, or choose Satan, but you can’t have both.” The two are simply not compatible. The prophet Amos said, “shall there be evil in a city, and the Lord hath not done it?” Apparently, he didn’t believe in Satan, either.

The Third Alternative: Neither Jew Nor Satan-Monger
Since I am neither Jew nor satan-monger, I feel at liberty to have a little fun with both traditions. If you would like a soundtrack to your own thoughts on the subject, allow me to recommend my playlist called Moses And The Devil Be Raging. It deals with the story of Moses and the human fascination with Satan. Who isn’t inspired by an orphan boy who rises to take on kings and speak face-to-face with the creator of the universe. And as for evil, it doesn’t go down easily. Nevertheless, as for me, I will serve the Lord. And gladly, too. He has all the credentials which I seek.

Ariel Hammon
Author of JACK