When the enemy comes in like a flood, know that we can find refuge in God.
Water brings life. But when it comes in the form of a flood, it brings terror and, sadly, even death.
Floods can bring about a lot of sad and terrible things.
They do not discriminate.
They do not choose their victims.
Floods just pass through.
So, the enemy coming with a force like a flood brings unimaginable terror.
Enemies discriminate.
Enemies have their targets.
They choose their victims.
What do we do when we know that the enemy comes for us like a flood?
What Does it Mean When the Enemy Comes In Like a Flood?
How do you stop a flood?
How do you fight it?
The author of Isaiah put a lot of our troubles perfectly into words.
What do you do when your weakest point tempts you?
What do you do when you seem to have reached the end and are nowhere near where you want to be?
Israel knows that place quite well. Let’s look at their situation.
What is the context of Isaiah 59:19
Background of the text
Isaiah was not exaggerating when he described the enemy coming as that of a flood.
The once glorious army of Israel is now down to a figure with way too few zeroes in it.
Divisions, civil wars, and wars with other nations have brought their army almost to its knees.
Their enemies, on the other hand, stand united and strong.
The people of Israel had fallen into a cycle they seemed unable to break out of.
They would start with a good and healthy relationship with God, but then they would fall into temptation.
Their usual problem was idolatry.
They would turn their backs on Yahweh and start worshiping the gods of the people around them.
God would not be pleased with this, and they would face punishment.
They would face the consequences of their actions.
They would then realize their errors and turn back to God.
God would then forgive them, and once again, their good and healthy relationship with God would be restored.
Then, they would be back where they started.
Israel has once again fallen and succumbed to temptation.
And now, the consequences of their actions and decisions are coming like a flood.
A brief commentary of When the Enemy Comes in Like a Flood
Isaiah is the longest book in the Old Testament.
This is perhaps because Isaiah has served as a prophet the longest.
He has been a prophet under the reign of four kings.
People in those days could not handle bad news or being told no.
They wanted to be able to do whatever they wanted to do.
They did not want to listen to God and His prophets.
Instead, they turned to false prophets and took comfort in their false prophecies.
They refused to listen to God-appointed messengers.
Most of them only listened to what they wanted to hear.
They got angry when prophets started telling them that they were making a mistake by turning away from God and that there would be consequences.
Nobody wants to hear about the consequences, right?
Refusing to hear about the consequences does not make them go away, though.
But the verse is not just about enemies and floods.
If we keep reading, we will see that there is a promise at the end of it.
God would fight for us.
He will be the one in the front.
What love!
After so many times when God felt betrayed after all the times they have been in this exact spot before,
God will still choose to forgive and fight for them.
Other Bible Verses for When the Enemy Comes in Like a Flood
Psalm 102:15-16
“The nations will fear the name of the Lord.
All the kings of the earth will revere your glory.
For the Lord will rebuild Zion and appear in his glory.”
When God speaks, the whole world cannot help but listen.
People are drawn to God, to a higher authority.
There will come a time when God will show Himself, take His people by the hand, and set them upright.
Daniel 7:27
“Then the sovereignty, power, and greatness of all the kingdoms under heaven will be handed over to the holy people of the Most High.
His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all rulers will worship and obey him.”
There will be times when those against God seem to prevail, and God’s people, on the other hand, are perishing.
This will not last. God will not allow it.
Our actions and decisions always have consequences.
The same goes for them because God is just.
Zechariah 4:6
“So he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel:
‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty.”
We humans are limited.
There are so many things we are not capable of doing.
At times, it seems impossible, but in reality, it is possible.
We just need faith.
Malachi 1:11
“My name will be great among the nations, from where the sun rises to where it sets.
In every place, incense and pure offerings will be brought to me because my name will be great among the nations,” says the Lord Almighty.”
In the Bible, only the Israelites praised God, aside from a handful of foreigners who have found God in their lives.
Other people have their gods.
But in this verse, God promised to reveal Himself to all nations.
God will prevail.
2 Thessalonians 2:8
“And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming.”
The cruel and the evil may boast for now, but not for long.
If we, His children, will face the consequences of our actions, how much more do those who mock God?
How much more will the enemy face?
Things to Remember When the Enemy Comes In Like a Flood Today
Thousands of years later, we still find ourselves in the same position as the Israelites occasionally.
We find ourselves trembling in terror but paralyzed at the same time because things just seem too much.
Let us look to Jesus.
Jesus was attacked by the enemy and won.
In Matthew 4:1-11, we can read that the Devil tempted Jesus.
The Devil first tempted Jesus to turn rocks into bread.
Then, He was tempted to jump off a tall building and let the angels rescue Him.
In the third temptation, the Devil showed Jesus all the kingdoms in the world and told Jesus that he would give all of it to Jesus if Jesus would worship Him.
Jesus overcame all these temptations.
Mind you, Jesus was tempted for 40 days.
The Devil did not go through his list of temptations.
In the original text, the verb used in the temptation indicates repeated and continuous actions.
Picture this.
The Devil tempted Jesus to turn rocks into bread for forty days, possibly more than once a day.
Jesus progressively got hungrier because He was fully human and fully God when He came to earth.
The Devil was there whispering, telling Him that it’s okay to use His godly powers to break His fast.
Most of us would probably give in just to make the Devil shut up, but not Jesus.
He won because he clung to the scriptures, to who He is, and to God’s will to win.
Jesus is our role model. We can do as He did.
Jesus can silence any storm.
Mark 4:35-41 is a story with a few verses, but it is one of the greatest stories of Jesus.
When the storm hit, Jesus and His disciples were in a boat, trying to cross the lake.
Jesus’ disciples, trained and experienced fishermen, were terrified and were quite sure that they would die there.
The waves were insane.
The wind was howling as loud as someone who stubbed their toe pretty hard.
Jesus, on the other hand, was sleeping.
Yes. Jesus was sleeping quite peacefully.
The waves, the wind, and the terror did nothing to disrupt His peace.
Do you know what did?
Jesus woke when the disciples called for Him.
Without a word, He got up and told the waves and the wind to stop.
The storm stopped as if it was not in the middle of raging, as if nothing happened.
Are you in the middle of the storm?
Does it feel like you cannot hear anything over the winds and the waves?
Do you feel alone and terrified?
Are you feeling sure that this will be your end?
Remember that Jesus is in the boat with you and can silence any storm, even the worst ones.
Jesus walks on water.
Another story involving Jesus and a storm can be found in Matthew 14:22-33.
Jesus told His disciples to go ahead while He dispersed the crowds.
The disciples obeyed.
Jesus went up to a mountain to pray for a while.
When it was dark, Jesus walked on water after them.
Aside from the fact that Jesus can walk on water, we should also note that the waves were going crazy then because both Jesus and His disciples were going against the wind.
The disciples saw Jesus walking on water and assumed that He was a ghost.
Jesus told them not to be afraid.
Peter was not so convinced.
He asked Jesus to let him come just to confirm if it was Jesus.
Jesus told him to go ahead.
Peter managed a few steps and then noticed how big the waves were.
He started sinking, so He called out to Jesus for help.
Jesus reached out to him and saved him.
Sometimes, we leap and find ourselves sinking like Peter.
Let us remember that it only takes three words.
We do not even have to shout.
Sometimes, a whispered “Lord, save me!” will do, and a hand mightier than anything in this world will grab us and pull us up.
In Summary
To-do lists, responsibilities, relationships, and life, in general, can sometimes feel overwhelming.
And then the enemy would come like a flood.
We can barely do anything but stare at what is coming, paralyzed with fear.
The truth is, we do not have to.
The verse did not end with the enemy coming like a flood.
The verse ended with the promise that He would come like a flood and drive the Enemy away.
We are in good hands.
Surrender.
Let go.
Let your faith, not your fears, lead you this time.
