The world quotes Jesus word’s for turning the other cheek when facing an enemy or persecutor but no one wants to adopt it. Resistance and retaliation appear to be defensive weapons but did not help in defending but ended up avenging ourselves and others. Jesus teaches us not to resist the evil person, which means letting them do whatever harm they would like to do. So is Jesus asking us to lose the battle? Is Jesus changing the trend that the God of the host, who helped His people to win the battles? People think that walking with Jesus is very difficult and that a believer’s life is full of thorns. Some people need a great deal of restraint and practice tolerance to walk with Jesus.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also.

Matthew 5:38-39

Rehoboth

He moved on from there and dug another well, and no one quarreled over it. He named it Rehoboth, saying, “Now the LORD has given us room and we will flourish in the land.”

Genesis 26:22

During the famine, God instructed Isaac to stay at Gerar, a famine-afflicted land. Isaac planted crops in that same year, and God gave him a hundredfold yield. Instead of understanding the mighty power of God, Philistines eyed only on the blessing of Isaac and envied him. As a result, they asked him to vacate their land and filled the well of Isaac’s father and the wells he had dug. Isaac did not resist them but left the land and the wells and moved to new places. He named some of the wells that the philistines ceased as, Esek and Sitnah, translated as contention and hatred, respectively.

After leaving so many wells, finally, Isaac dug yet another well, and no one quarrelled over it. As Isaac did not struggle or lament over his loss, he quickly found the place that God kept for him. He named the well Rehoboth, the open space. Isaac gave in because he did not give up His trust in God. Let us not waste our time responding to evil people. Let us invest our time talking with our God, who will lead us to a spacious place.

He brought me out into a spacious place;
he rescued me because he delighted in me.

Psalms 18:19

Battle Belongs to God

A battlefield is where soldiers fight with their enemies; God changes the battlefield into a place of worship; God views the church as a battlefield, where a sinner should fight against sin and be victorious (Hebrews 12:4). We fight where we should not and withdraw from where we should be fighting. We still do not have faith to worship God on a battlefield or praise God to destroy the forts, even after witnessing God doing that during the time of Jehoshaphat and at the wall of Jericho. When we gain faith, we will let God fight for us.

As they began to sing and praise, the LORD set ambushes against the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir who were invading Judah, and they were defeated. The Ammonites and Moabites rose up against the men from Mount Seir to destroy and annihilate them. After they finished slaughtering the men from Seir, they helped to destroy one another.

2 Chronicles 20:22-23

When the police find it difficult to arrest an active criminal for a long time, they set up an ambush by using one of their own as bait. One among them offers himself as bait to catch the criminal red-handed. They are giving in to the thirst of the criminal but not giving up on their commitment. The police officer’s commitment to the mission is exemplary. He/she trust their team to give them cover at the appropriate time.

Are we committed to fulfilling God’s mission? Do we trust His protection? Then, why do we not pose ourselves as bait for our God to set an ambush to redeem the evil people by the blood of His Son Jesus? When people of God began to give in and praise His name, God set an ambush against their enemies, and at the kill zone, cleansed them with the blood of His Son, Jesus.

Resist The Devil

When we give in, God fights our battles and gives us victories. But, concerning our inner struggle, which instigates us to disobey God and fight our enemies, God expects us to fight our sin and overcome it. While Jesus asks us not to resist the evil person, James asks us to resist the devil. Are these two statements contradicting each other or do they convey the same meaning? Both teach the same, as James also asked us to submit ourselves to God before resisting the devil.

Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

James 4:7

Resisting the devil appears like a Herculean task. Many people assume that resisting the devil may kindle his anger, and they cave into him. Concerning fighting with an evil person, we do not obey God and keep fighting with them. But concerning the devil, we do not resist him and let him harm us in many ways. Resisting the devil is not about an encounter, but it is all about equipping us with the armour of God, especially with the helmet of salvation (Ephesians 6:17). Resisting the devil in the real sense means doing away with our sin. Sin within us invites him into our lives, and in turn, he dominates our lives. Continuing to live with sin and resisting the devil is like accelerating our car and pressing the brake pedal simultaneously, something will break down soon because of our choice to press both the pedals.

Do Not Be Conceited

Why do we resist the evil person despite Jesus asking us not to? We oppose wicked people not to glorify the name of God or to accomplish the will of God but to glorify our own name. We resist them to prove our stand. The devil makes a person his victim by leading them to be alone. The devil achieves this in two ways, either by frustrating the person to stay away from everyone or being proud of themselves so that they will be conceited and choose to live alone. God wants us to spend time with Him alone. To spend time with God in solitude, we have to humble ourselves and follow Him.

Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.

Romans 12:16

Turn To Them The Other Cheek Also

Turning our other cheek gives pleasure to our enemies as they rejoice over their victory. But, they are not going to rejoice forever. God is not telling us to allow them to harm us, but when we obey God, He ambushes them and removes them from our lives. Isaac, though he gave up many of his wells to the Philistines, he did not give up on moving forward and receiving the blessings of God. Because of the obedience of Moses, God ambushed Pharoah and His entire army, and they drowned at the Red Sea. But when we give in, we give up on God. Turning our other cheek might be a humiliation in our social life, but not minding that, we have to move forward and let God fulfill His desire in our personal lives. The moment when we turn our other cheek to our enemies, God brings out paradigm shifts instantly in the lives of our enemies. Do not sabotage God’s plan by getting angry at people provoking us. Instead, be still and allow God to accomplish His will (Psalm 46:10). If we do so, God will conquer our ultimate enemy, sin, and we will become victorious through our Lord Jesus.

To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne.

Revelation 3:21