Calvary Road Baptist Church
“A Survey Of Satanic & Demonic Warfare In The Psalms”
Psalms
Our survey of Satanic and Demonic warfare brings us to the Psalms. I will admit to you that I have put off this message dealing with Satanic and Demonic warfare in the Psalms for more than two months.
I am thankful that we hosted several guest preachers during that time and that I was able to deliver several other messages from God’s Word along the way. But part of my delay was motivated by the overwhelming magnitude of what I faced when studying the Psalms.
One hundred fifty poems are incorporated into the Old Testament book we refer to as the Psalms. One psalm is but two verses long,[1] with several only three verses.[2] But Psalm 119 is 176 verses long!
Of those one hundred fifty psalms in the book of Psalms, half contain references to the supernatural realm of incorporeal beings[3] created by God before He created the time-space-matter continuum.[4] Of course, many of those incorporeal beings are wicked, having sinned and continuing to sin against God.
What causes a bit of confusion is our English language tendency to refer to all incorporeal beings as angels, though they are not so identified in the Hebrew Scriptures. We refer to them as holy angels and fallen angels or as holy angels and sinful angels. But in the Bible, that is not the case.
Let us begin with Psalm 104.4, where we find several interesting terms:
“Who maketh his angels spirits; his ministers a flaming fire.”
“The term mal’akim is the plural of the Hebrew word translated ‘angels’ throughout the Hebrew Bible.”[5] Now turn your attention to Psalm 16.3, where mention is made of saints:
“But to the saints that are in the earth, and to the excellent, in whom is all my delight.”
Being on the earth, the saints referred to in this verse are undoubtedly righteous human beings, the word “saints” translating the Hebrew word qadowsh.
But the word is more often used in the Hebrew Scriptures to refer to spirit beings serving God.[6] This is seen in Psalm 89.5-7:
5 And the heavens shall praise thy wonders, O LORD: thy faithfulness also in the congregation of the saints.
6 For who in the heaven can be compared unto the LORD? who among the sons of the mighty can be likened unto the LORD?
7 God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be had in reverence of all them that are about him.
The scene in this passage is in heaven and not on earth. The phrase “sons of the mighty” is translated in other passages “sons of God.” What we have here, then, is a gathering of supernatural beings in the throne room of heaven in the presence of the LORD.
The point I seek to make with the vast number of psalms that deal with supernatural beings, both holy and sinful, is the focus on the spiritual realm that is so easily overlooked by the inattentive reading of the Psalms. It would take me weeks to do proper justice to this topic in the Psalms, demanding time and attention that I cannot spare, and reference works related to the topic in my library numbering more than a dozen.
What I propose to do, instead of dealing with the topic thoroughly, is focus our attention on two Psalms, Psalm 82 and Psalm 89, without promising to do either of them the justice they deserve. I will then make brief references to other psalms.
First, WE CONSIDER THE 82nd PSALM
1 <<A Psalm of Asaph.>> God standeth in the congregation of the mighty; he judgeth among the gods.
2 How long will ye judge unjustly, and accept the persons of the wicked? Selah.
3 Defend the poor and fatherless: do justice to the afflicted and needy.
4 Deliver the poor and needy: rid them out of the hand of the wicked.
5 They know not, neither will they understand; they walk on in darkness: all the foundations of the earth are out of course.
6 I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High.
7 But ye shall die like men, and fall like one of the princes.
8 Arise, O God, judge the earth: for thou shalt inherit all nations.
Verse 1:
“God standeth in the congregation of the mighty; he judgeth among the gods.”
Most who read the Bible are unaware that the Hebrew word elohim and its root word, el, do not always properly translate into the English word God or gods. Elohim and its root word, el, properly refer to incorporeal beings, spirit beings, beings without physical characteristics. Of course, God is a spirit being, so the word is properly applied to Him. But He is unlike all other spirit beings in that He is the Creator, He is without beginning, He is omnipresent and omnipotent, He is unique among beings. In this verse, the first time Elohim appears, it refers to the Creator of all things. In the phrase “congregation of the mighty,” the word el refers to an assemblage of incorporeal creatures, spirit beings that Almighty God created. The pronoun he in the phrase “he judgeth” refers back to Almighty God as the judge of all created spirit beings, with the phrase “among the gods” identifying the elohim, the spirit beings that Almighty God will judge. Thus, the stage is set. God will stand in judgment of the nonphysical beings He has created, identified as “the mighty” and “the gods” in verse 1.
Verse 2:
“How long will ye judge unjustly, and accept the persons of the wicked? Selah.”
This verse features God’s challenge to the sinful spirit beings for exercising unjust judgment of human beings and accepting the persons of the wicked. This verse is sometimes misunderstood as a reference to human beings who occupy positions of authority over others. However, the context does not support that understanding, as you will see. This is God calling to account supernatural beings He has created who are not properly using their power and might in the lives of human beings.
Verses 3-4:
3 Defend the poor and fatherless: do justice to the afflicted and needy.
4 Deliver the poor and needy: rid them out of the hand of the wicked.
These two verses identify the duties and obligations that the powerful spiritual beings ought to discharge in the lives of the human beings influenced by them. Only humans would be poor. Only humans would be fatherless. Only humans would be needy. The spirit beings are called upon by God to exercise justice to the afflicted and needy and to rid them out of the hand of the wicked. The spirit beings God is challenging ought to come to the rescue of oppressed human beings, but they do not.
Verse 5:
“They know not, neither will they understand; they walk on in darkness: all the foundations of the earth are out of course.”
It was the task of the spirit beings to be the guardians of social justice, given their intelligence, powers, and experience. But they did not measure up to the need that was presented to them. Those they could have helped were ignorant (“They know not”) and relatively unintelligent (“neither will they understand”). Unlike spirit beings, we humans are ignorant and not very smart. The result? Humanity walks on in darkness, and the foundations of the earth are out of course. Everything is a mess.
Verse 6:
“I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High.”
Some commentators insist that this entire psalm addresses human leaders since the Lord Jesus referenced this first phrase when speaking to His adversaries in John 10.34. However, I am persuaded His point on that occasion was that the Jews He was speaking to were just as derelict in their duty to lead as the spirit beings referred to in this psalm.[7] It was as if He was saying to them, in so many words, “You are no better at discharging your duties and obligations than are the spirit beings.” In support of this is a frequently overlooked detail in the second half of Psalm 82.6:
“all of you are children of the most High.”
But “children of the most High” could easily and accurately be translated “sons of God.” Especially in the Old Testament, “sons of God” refers to spirit beings, not human beings, those directly created by God and not produced by biological reproduction. Not human. Thus, this verse adds to the culpability of those being accused. “You are elohim!” according to the first phrase. “You are sons of God,” according to the second phrase. The implication? Surely you ought to have done better than you have done.
Verse 7:
“But ye shall die like men, and fall like one of the princes.”
This is the verdict pronounced by the Judge, the Judge being God. The spirit beings here accused are guilty! Their fate will be the same as the sinful men (since all have sinned) they ought to have helped. There will come a day when God will visit judgment upon mankind, and the great and the small will be judged.[8] No two-tiered justice on Judgment Day. Both spirit beings and human beings who are guilty in the sight of God will be cast alive into the lake of fire.[9]
Verse 8:
“Arise, O God, judge the earth: for thou shalt inherit all nations.”
This is the psalmist’s cry for God’s justice to be applied to the human realm just as he has recounted its application to the spiritual realm. What about the reference to the nations? When God turned the nations over to their own devices in Genesis 10 with the confusion of tongues, after which He called Abram out of Ur of the Chaldees and instituted the Abrahamic Covenant, which would lead to Christ’s coming, He, for the most part, left the Gentile world to the control of the spirit beings. The 82nd Psalm is a portion of Scripture that displays God’s judgment upon those spirit beings for their mishandling of the opportunity God gave them. The psalm ends, however, on a note of victory that, despite it all, God shall inherit the nations.
Second, WE CONSIDER THE 89th PSALM
It will not be possible to deal with all of the 52 verses that comprise this psalm so that I will deal with three verses carefully:
Verse 5-7:
5 And the heavens shall praise thy wonders, O LORD: thy faithfulness also in the congregation of the saints.
6 For who in the heaven can be compared unto the LORD? who among the sons of the mighty can be likened unto the LORD?
7 God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be had in reverence of all them that are about him.
Who? Where? What? These three questions will clear up a great deal of confusion related to this psalm. Verse 5, “O LORD,” doubtless refers to the God of Israel. Verse 6, “the LORD,” refers to the God of Israel. Verse 7, “God” at the beginning and “him,” at the end, is once more the God of Israel. What about “the congregation of the saints,” verse 5, “the sons of the mighty,” verse 6, and “the assembly of the saints,” verse 7? Since the Where? of this passage is “the heavens,” in verse 5, “in the heaven” in verse 6, and “about him” in verse 7, this is not locating an event on earth but in heaven and, therefore, human beings are not referred to here but spirit beings. This understanding is reinforced by the fact that “the sons of the mighty” in verse 6 is elsewhere translated as “sons of God,” a phrase never used to describe humans in the Hebrew Scriptures. Thus, in this psalm, the LORD is surrounded by holy supernatural beings who reverence Him. Those who praise His wonders and faithfulness, who greatly fear Him and revere Him, are spirit beings who have not sinned against Him. Mark your Bible. “The congregation of saints” and “assembly of the saints” are not believing human beings in this passage but holy spirit beings.
Let me leave you with some interspersed verses in the Psalms and my comments, showing the spiritual conflict dealt with by the psalmists and wrapping it up with a complete psalm.
Psalm 106.28-38:
28 They joined themselves also unto Baalpeor, and ate the sacrifices of the dead.
29 Thus they provoked him to anger with their inventions: and the plague brake in upon them.
30 Then stood up Phinehas, and executed judgment: and so the plague was stayed.
31 And that was counted unto him for righteousness unto all generations for evermore.
32 They angered him also at the waters of strife, so that it went ill with Moses for their sakes:
33 Because they provoked his spirit, so that he spake unadvisedly with his lips.
34 They did not destroy the nations, concerning whom the LORD commanded them:
35 But were mingled among the heathen, and learned their works.
36 And they served their idols: which were a snare unto them.
37 Yea, they sacrificed their sons and their daughters unto devils,
38 And shed innocent blood, even the blood of their sons and of their daughters, whom they sacrificed unto the idols of Canaan: and the land was polluted with blood.
Do you see the parallel between the idolatry and child sacrifice to the idols and demons of Israel's children during their wilderness wanderings and the modern-day abortion industry’s determination to murder as many babies as possible? It is the same demonism energizing both.
Psalm 78.40-41, 49:
40 How oft did they provoke him in the wilderness, and grieve him in the desert!
41 Yea, they turned back and tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel.
49 He cast upon them the fierceness of his anger, wrath, and indignation, and trouble, by sending evil angels among them.
Suppose God used demons to afflict disobedient Israel long ago. Do you suppose many of the things occurring in our day might be the same fierceness of his anger, wrath, indignation, and trouble produced by the same evil angels sent among us?
Psalm 96.4-5:
4 For the LORD is great, and greatly to be praised: he is to be feared above all gods.
5 For all the gods of the nations are idols: but the LORD made the heavens.
There are gods, elohim, spiritual beings that do not possess physical attributes. But of the beings who are elohim, there is only one LORD. He is great. He is greatly to be praised. He is to be feared above all the other incorporeal beings. All the spirit beings of the Gentile nations are nothing but idols. Only the LORD is the Creator who made the heavens.
Psalm 103.19-22:
19 The LORD hath prepared his throne in the heavens; and his kingdom ruleth over all.
20 Bless the LORD, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word.
21 Bless ye the LORD, all ye his hosts; ye ministers of his, that do his pleasure.
22 Bless the LORD, all his works in all places of his dominion: bless the LORD, O my soul.
Of the many incorporeal beings, only One is uncreated, eternal. He is the LORD, and His kingdom rules over all. He has strong angels that do His commandments and hearken to the voice of His word. They are told to bless Him. He also has other creatures who are not angels, His hosts, and ministers, that also do His pleasure. They, too, are directed to bless Him. One and all are instructed to bless the LORD.
Psalm 29:
1 <<A Psalm of David.>> Give unto the LORD, O ye mighty, give unto the LORD glory and strength.
2 Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.
3 The voice of the LORD is upon the waters: the God of glory thundereth: the LORD is upon many waters.
4 The voice of the LORD is powerful; the voice of the LORD is full of majesty.
5 The voice of the LORD breaketh the cedars; yea, the LORD breaketh the cedars of Lebanon.
6 He maketh them also to skip like a calf; Lebanon and Sirion like a young unicorn.
7 The voice of the LORD divideth the flames of fire.
8 The voice of the LORD shaketh the wilderness; the LORD shaketh the wilderness of Kadesh.
9 The voice of the LORD maketh the hinds to calve, and discovereth the forests: and in his temple doth every one speak of his glory.
10 The LORD sitteth upon the flood; yea, the LORD sitteth King for ever.
11 The LORD will give strength unto his people; the LORD will bless his people with peace.
The LORD, of course, is the personal name of the God of Israel. “O ye mighty” is elsewhere translated “sons of God,” a reference to spirit beings. The point of this psalm? The psalmist acknowledges the existence of the spirit beings, the elohim. But he powerfully drives home the reality that there is only one Jehovah, Who sits as King forever, Who will give strength to His people, and will bless His people with peace. All nonphysical beings are elohim. Of the elohim, only Jehovah, the LORD, is the immortal Creator of all things. Only He is to be worshipped, praised, adored, obeyed, and revered. He is unique. Of all other elohim, some are holy and to this day worship, adore, praise, and reverence the LORD. Others are sinful, will be judged, and will be consigned to the lake of fire created for them.
The conflict rages.
The war continues.
However, the victory has already been won.
What remains is the discovery of the God’s elect, revealed by their response to the Gospel of God’s grace in Christ, and our opportunity to demonstrate God’s grace in our lives resulting in faithful obedience and love.
__________
[1] Psalm 117
[2] Psalm 133 and Psalm 134
[3] Psalm 2; 4; 7; 8; 9; 10; 16; 18; 19; 20; 22; 28; 29; 30; 31; 32; 33; 34; 38; 40; 41; 45; 47; 48; 49; 50; 56; 58; 64x; 68; 71; 72; 73; 74; 76; 77; 78; 80; 81; 82; 83; 85; 86; 87; 88; 89; 90; 91; 94; 95; 96; 97; 99; 102; 103; 104; 105; 106; 107; 109; 110; 112; 115; 116; 118; 119; 127; 134; 135; 136; 137; 138; 141; 147; 148; 149
[4] Addressed in the following works: Michael S. Heiser, Angels: What The Bible Really Says About God’s Heavenly Host, (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2018), Michael S. Heiser, Demons: What The Bible Really Says About The Powers Of Darkness, (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2020), Michael S. Heiser, The Unseen Realm: Recovering The Supernatural Worldview Of The Bible, (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2015), Sydney H. T. Page, Powers Of Evil: A Biblical Study of Satan & Demons, (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1995), and Archie T. Wright, The Origin Of Evil Spirits, (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, Revised Edition 2015)
[5] Heiser, Angels, page 5.
[6] Heiser, Angels, page 10.
[7] Page, page 58.
[8] Revelation 20.12
[9] Heiser, Angels, pages 46, 99
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