A thief in the night ∙

A thief in the night ∙∙

But be sure of this: that if the head of the house had known at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into. – Matthew 24:43

John 10:10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.

In a shocking turn of events in the spring of 2017, administrators at the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh initiated an audit and were left stunned. They discovered that a significant portion of the Oliver Room’s holdings was missing. Nearly every valuable item in this rare books collection had been pilfered, with the estimated value of the stolen objects amounting to a staggering $8 million. This marked the most extensive theft from an American library in at least a century.

Similar to the stringent security measures employed at nuclear power plants and sensitive computer networks, the Oliver Room was safeguarded through a strategy known as “defense in depth.” This comprehensive technique involves a series of layered, overlapping measures designed to deter any thief capable of overcoming a single deterrent. Greg Priore, the room’s manager since 1992, was responsible for implementing this robust security system.

The Oliver Room was under constant camera surveillance, with a single entry point accessible only to a select few who possessed keys. The room operated limited daytime hours, and all visitors were required to sign in and leave personal belongings, such as jackets and bags, in an outside locker. Priore’s desk was strategically positioned to oversee the room and the table where patrons worked. Whenever a book was returned, he meticulously checked its condition. Priore was always aware of whether an employee or a guest entered the collection.

Given such stringent security protocols, how could such an extensive theft occur? Almost every conceivable threat to the rare books collection had been considered, leaving just one weak point: an inside job. Shockingly, Greg Priore himself was the thief. For nearly 25 years, he systematically stole almost everything he could get his hands on without arousing suspicion. As noted by Smithsonian Magazine in September 2020, the only thing that can prevent an insider from stealing is their conscience.

Satan was the archetypal insider. As the most excellent of all the Father’s created beings, he had complete access to the holiest realms of heaven and the very presence of the Father. No one would think he could be corrupted when he had such vast privileges and access. Yet, he fell from perfection to imperfection, from righteousness to evil, becoming thoroughly heinous and reprobate.

Lucifer, once the bearer of light, transformed into the prince of darkness, the slanderer, and the accuser.

Why, oh why?

REFLECT & PRAY

Haughtiness goes before destruction; humility precedes honor. – Proverbs 18:12

Father, I am reminded of the night of the Last Supper when the Lord Jesus Christ declared, “I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me.” Deeply troubled, each disciple asked in turn, “Am I the one, Lord?” (Matthew 26:21-22).

Dear Father, I pray that I will not be the one.

INSIGHT

The Scriptures lay bare the events and motivations with striking clarity. There came a pivotal moment in the life of the devil when being who and what he was ceased to satisfy him. It just wasn’t enough. His ambitions swelled uncontrollably – he wanted it all! He snapped under the weight of his own desires, yearning to usurp the very throne of the Father Himself. His pride grew immense, fueled by his extraordinary beauty, magnificence, power, and esteemed position. This insatiable arrogance led to his ultimate downfall.

Ezekiel 28:12-17

 12 You were the model of perfection, full of wisdom and exquisite in beauty.

 13 You were in Eden, the garden of God. Your clothing was adorned with every precious stone – red carnelian, pale-green peridot, white moonstone, blue-green beryl, onyx, green jasper, blue lapis lazuli, turquoise, and emerald – all beautifully crafted for you and set in the finest gold. They were given to you on the day you were created.

 14 I ordained and anointed you as the mighty angelic guardian. You had access to the holy mountain of God and walked among the stones of fire.

 15 You were blameless in all you did from the day you were created until the day evil was found in you.

 17 Your heart was filled with pride because of all your beauty. Your wisdom was corrupted by your love of splendor.

Isaiah 14:12-14

 12 How you are fallen from heaven, O shining star, son of the morning! You have been thrown down to the earth, you who destroyed the nations of the world.

 13 For you said to yourself, “I will ascend to heaven and set my throne above God’s stars. I will preside on the mountain of the gods far away in the north.”

 14 “I will climb to the highest heavens and be like the Most High.”

The enemy of our souls does not deserve our pity but only our disdain.

The proverbial saying, “Absolute power corrupts absolutely,” is attributed to the 19th-century British politician Lord Acton. The idea was nothing new and had been expressed previously by others in different words.

What exactly does this mean? As a person’s power increases, their moral sense diminishes. The more power a person has, the more corrupted they will become. “It morally destroys their nature and fills them with destructive pride. However, if the person saves himself from this abuse of power, he or she is a humble person” (https://literarydevices.net).

Satan’s temptations and fall are similar to the temptations we face. The world is in conflict with the Father; the flesh fights against the Holy Spirit, and the devil opposes the Son of God. Pride is Satan’s great sin, and it is one of his chief weapons in his warfare against the saint and the Saviour.

God wants us to be humble; Satan wants us to be proud. God wants us to depend on His grace, while the devil wants us to rely on ourselves. Satan is the author of all “do-it-yourself” spiritual enterprises. He enjoys inflating the ego and encouraging the believer to do it his own way (Wiersbe).

Three enemies want to turn us away from God: the world, the flesh, and the devil. These enemies are left over from our old life of sin (Ephesians 2:1-3). Christ has delivered us from them, but they still attack us.

1 John 2:15-17

 15 Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you.

 16 For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father but are from this world.

 17 And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever.

What is the Father’s answer?

James 4:6-8

 6 But he gives us even more grace to stand against such evil desires. As the Scriptures say, “God opposes the proud but favors the humble.”

 7 So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

 8 Come close to God, and God will come close to you.

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© Dr. H 2024