UNMASKED

This weekend those participating in Halloween celebration, Hallelujah party, or some other costume-related event, will probably wear a mask or disguise of some sort. When done correctly, few can unmask (reveal) the characters. Many of the secular type events originally began innocently enough. No doubt, over time, things have changed. Back in 1965, mom took us to Woolworth to get us some costumes. She wasn’t particularly happy at the ridiculous price she had to pay for a small 6x6x1” box she bought Nels. It was a cute cat with a big grin. The small box costs 59 cents! It probably made mom howl and Nels smile! Who would’ve thought how expensive things were back in those days?! Nels did enjoy that cat disguise for many years. Many of us enjoyed dressing up. Of course, things were a bit more innocent 57 years ago! In the story of King Saul in the Bible, while he didn’t celebrate Halloween, he did desire to visit a witch. He contacted the underworld to see what his future held. The king knew that it was wrong to go to a fortune teller or a witch, in fact, he decreed that no one should visit them; yet he disguised himself and sought one out. He asked for the prophet Samuel to be contacted, since God had shut His ear to him. Samuel was displeased with being summoned, but did tell Saul what his future held: “Tomorrow, you and your sons will be with me” (1Samuel 28:19). In other words, since God had already taken the kingdom of Israel away from Saul due to his disobedience, and Samuel had already prophesied it to him, further disobedience was not going to make things better. In fact, he made them worse. The witch and Samuel were able to see through his disguise, and, God who knows everything, allowed Saul and his three sons to be killed the very next day, just as Samuel had told him. So, celebrating Halloween might not get you killed…and wearing a disguise might not get you a one-way ticket to the underworld, but one thing is true: The ruler of the underworld delights when people celebrate his activities. Doing so, invites him in. He doesn’t know how to play innocently; he’s evil and knows that sin escalates. Given a foothold, he’ll push the door wide-open. Darkness knows no light. Satan knows his days are short and he seeks to gather as many souls as he can (Revelations 12:12b). Let him keep the darkness. Better yet, unmask his evil deeds: “And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them…But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light:” (Ephesians 5:11,13). Let’s celebrate light.
“What communion has light with darkness” (2Corinthians 6:14b)? “You are children of light, and the children of the day; we are not of the night nor of darkness” (1Thessalonians 5:5).
God Bless,
Sam