Offense and Defense

Devotional Reflection, Thursday, January 16, 2025

The week of the first Sunday after the Epiphany

The Rev. David W. Perkins, Th.D.

Key phrases for reflection from today’s Psalms reading:

31For who is God except the Lord?

   And who is a rock besides our God?—

32the God who girded me with strength,

   and made my way safe.

33He made my feet like the feet of a deer,

   and set me secure on the heights.

34He trains my hands for war,

   so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.

35You have given me the shield of your salvation,

   and your right hand has supported me;

   your help* has made me great.

36You gave me a wide place for my steps under me,

   and my feet did not slip.

37I pursued my enemies and overtook them;

   and did not turn back until they were consumed.

38I struck them down, so that they were not able to rise;

   they fell under my feet.

39For you girded me with strength for the battle;

   you made my assailants sink under me.

40You made my enemies turn their backs to me,

   and those who hated me I destroyed.

41They cried for help, but there was no one to save them;

   they cried to the Lord, but he did not answer them.

42I beat them fine, like dust before the wind;

   I cast them out like the mire of the streets.

You will find the full text of today’s Psalm reading at the end of this reflection.

Daily Office Lectionary Readings (BCP, 942):

AM Psalm 18:1-20; PM Psalm 18:21-50   

Isa. 41:17-29; Eph. 2:11-22; Mark 2:1-12

David’s Reflections

Psalm 18, a word of testimony by the king about God’s blessings and leadership, recently struck me with its aggressive tone about conflict with our enemies.  For the king, the enemy might be a traitor, an invader, or an enemy nation’s army.  For us, the enemies with whom/which we struggle could be our anxieties, our inner darkness, fears, areas of vulnerability, adversarial people, addictions, as well as persons who oppose/abuse us.

The Psalms repeatedly speak of God as a refuge, a bulwark, or a fortress.  Those images suggest a defensive strategy regarding our enemies—we retreat into our spiritual resources and throw them around us like a fort wall.  Our enemies attack, and we count on God to keep our defenses strong so our enemies cannot break through or overcome us.

However, in today’s Psalm, the king receives strength from God to go on the offensive, to come out of the stronghold and attack.  That struck me.  We are not just on the defensive against our spiritual enemies.  For one thing, Jesus already has battled them in his life, death, and resurrection and overcome them. They are defeated foes.  (See Colossians 2:8-15 for the image of Jesus as warrior champion on the cross, with sacrificial love conquering the enemies too powerful for us.)

For another, we can go on the offensive against those enemies.  We can seek therapeutic help for anxieties and fears.  We can relentlessly seek their root causes.  We can resolve not to be dominated by them.  We can visualize our lives free from them and embrace that vision by faith, refusing to settle for less and trusting God for the realization of that vision.  We can acknowledge our inner darkness and our capacity for disobedience to God. We can develop strategies for dealing with conflict.

If the enemy is someone who abuses us emotionally, physically, or sexually, we can respond aggressively by retreating from that person and preventing them access to our lives.  We also can report them to the proper authorities.  We can refuse to keep the abuse a secret by confiding in a therapist, clergy person, support group, and/or trusted friend.

These suggestions represent only a limited range of possible enemies and response options.  The most profound shining light has to do with the shift of focus from defense to offense. We can go on the offensive against our enemies.  The specific ways that happens will vary with the person and the situation and the particular enemies involved.  At times, we need to retreat into the refuge of those spiritual resources that function more defensively and rest there in God.  But, our strategies also can include more aggressive, offensive responses.

We also need to be alert for the lurking presence of the Evil One behind our struggles.  We can get distracted with our mental games about whether Satan is a living being or a symbol. The power of evil is real, no matter how we conceive it, and our mental musings can take our focus off that reality and increase our vulnerability. Moments of greater vulnerability, even moments of greater opportunity, often invite a more intense assault from the powers of darkness.  We must guard especially against unresolved anger, hostility, and rage.  (Note especially, Jesus’ warning to Peter the night of the betrayal in Luke 22:31-34.)

Something David Bolt once said has stayed with me through the years:  "Anyone who has ever tried to formulate a private prayer in silence, and in (their) his own heart, will know what I mean by diabolical interference.  The forces of evil are in opposition to the will of God.  And the nearer a (person’s) man’s will approaches God's the more apparent and stronger and more formidable this opposition is seen to be. It is only when we are going in more or less the same direction as the devil that we are unconscious of any opposition at all.”*

For New Testament passages regarding spiritual warfare see Matthew 4:1-11;  6:13;  Mark 14:32-42;  2 Corinthians 1:8-11;  10:3-6;  Ephesians 6:10-20;  James 1:2-21;  1 Peter 5:6-11;  1 John 2:12-17;  4:17-18;  5:1-5. I have found encouragement especially in Paul’s lines in 2 Corinthians 10.3-4. “We order our lives in the realm of flesh but we do not wage war with the power of that realm. For the weapons of our warfare are not fleshly but powerful in God for the destruction of strongholds and of arguments and every proud obstacle raised up against the knowledge of  God. We take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.” (My translation)

As the Psalmist says,

36You gave me a wide place for my steps under me,

   and my feet did not slip.

37I pursued my enemies and overtook them;

   and did not turn back until they were consumed.

38I struck them down, so that they were not able to rise;

   they fell under my feet.

39For you girded me with strength for the battle;

   you made my assailants sink under me.

40You made my enemies turn their backs to me,

   and those who hated me I destroyed.

*David Bolt, Of Heaven and Hope.  Foreword, J. B. Phillips (London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1965), p. 115.

Collect of the Day, First Sunday after the Epiphany: The Baptism of our Lord

Father in heaven, who at the baptism of Jesus in the River Jordan proclaimed him your beloved Son and anointed him with the Holy Spirit: Grant that all who are baptized into his Name may keep the covenant they have made, and boldly

confess him as Lord and Savior; who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.  (BCP, 214)

A Collect for Protection

O God, the life of all who live, the light of the faithful, the strength of those who labor, and the repose of the dead: We thank you for the blessings of the day that is past, and humbly ask for your protection through the coming night. Bring us in safety to the morning hours; through him who died and rose again for us, your Son our Savior Jesus Christ.  Amen.  (BCP, 124)

Of the Holy Eucharist  (Especially suitable for Thursdays)

God our Father, whose Son our Lord Jesus Christ in a wonderful Sacrament has left us a memorial of his passion:  Grant us so to venerate the sacred mysteries of his Body and Blood, that we may ever perceive within ourselves the fruit

of his redemption; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.  (BCP, 252)

A Prayer for Light

Lighten our darkness, we beseech you, O Lord;  and by your great mercy defend us from all perils and dangers of this night;  for the love of your only Son, Jesus Christ,  Amen.  (BCP, 111)

A Collect for Mission

O God of all the nations of the earth: Remember the multitudes who have been created in your image but have not known the redeeming work of our Savior Jesus Christ; and grant that, by the prayers and labors of your holy Church, they may be brought to know and worship you as you have been revealed in your Son; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (BCP, 257)

Daily Office Psalm, Psalm 18:31-50

31For who is God except the Lord?

   And who is a rock besides our God?—

32the God who girded me with strength,

   and made my way safe.

33He made my feet like the feet of a deer,

   and set me secure on the heights.

34He trains my hands for war,

   so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.

35You have given me the shield of your salvation,

   and your right hand has supported me;

   your help* has made me great.

36You gave me a wide place for my steps under me,

   and my feet did not slip.

37I pursued my enemies and overtook them;

   and did not turn back until they were consumed.

38I struck them down, so that they were not able to rise;

   they fell under my feet.

39For you girded me with strength for the battle;

   you made my assailants sink under me.

40You made my enemies turn their backs to me,

   and those who hated me I destroyed.

41They cried for help, but there was no one to save them;

   they cried to the Lord, but he did not answer them.

42I beat them fine, like dust before the wind;

   I cast them out like the mire of the streets.

43You delivered me from strife with the peoples;*

   you made me head of the nations;

   people whom I had not known served me.

44As soon as they heard of me they obeyed me;

   foreigners came cringing to me.

45Foreigners lost heart,

   and came trembling out of their strongholds.

46The Lord lives! Blessed be my rock,

   and exalted be the God of my salvation,

47the God who gave me vengeance

   and subdued peoples under me;

48who delivered me from my enemies;

   indeed, you exalted me above my adversaries;

   you delivered me from the violent.

49For this I will extol you, O Lord, among the nations,

   and sing praises to your name.

50Great triumphs he gives to his king,

   and shows steadfast love to his anointed,

   to David and his descendants for ever.

Daily Prayer Offices in The Book of Common Prayer 

Morning Prayer, Rite 2, page 75, Book of Common Prayer

Noonday Prayer, p. 103, Book of Common Prayer

Order of Worship for Evening (Vespers), p. 109, Book of Common Prayer

Evening Prayer, Rite 2, page 115, Book of Common Prayer

Compline (Night Prayer), Page 127, Book of Common Prayer

Daily Devotionals, page 136, Book of Common Prayer