But Elymas the magician (for so his name is translated) was opposing them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith. But Saul, who was also known as Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, stared at him, and said, “You who are full of all deceit and fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not stop making crooked the straight ways of the Lord? Now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you will be blind and not see the sun for a time.” And immediately a mist and a darkness fell upon him, and he went about seeking those who would lead him by the hand. Then the proconsul believed when he saw what had happened, being amazed at the teaching of the Lord.
This passage clearly gives precedent to the use of force against the forces of evil. Elymas seeks to discredit the faith and Paul confronts him directly with the power of the Holy Spirit. There’s a lesson here for non-confrontational people such as myself. When enemies of righteousness, evil people, seek to hinder the preaching of and the receiving of the gospel, direct confrontational force used against such people has biblical precedent. Just as Jesus cleansed the temple through the turning over of the money changers’ tables and the tables of those selling sacrifices, Paul directly addresses this deceptive, fraudulent person who is distorting the message of faith and attempting to impede the gospel. When evil people are working to turn seekers from faith in Jesus and hindering others from hearing and receiving the good news, force is authorized and effective. Evil is by its very nature selfish and narcissistic, seeking its own best interests. The message of faith is by its very nature selfless and effacing, seeking the eternal interest of others even when this means confrontation. Blatant, intentional evil that seeks the worst for others must be confronted by the power of God through His servants.
We won’t fear for God is with us. He will never leave us nor forsake us. His love is everlasting. His protection is eternal. We stand against all forms of evil with the power of the Holy Spirit. No person should ever be hindered from seeking Christ or walking in faith. God give us strength, courage and discernment to biblically confront such evil.
Ventanas 