The Devil’s Furniture

The Enemy has a large variety of ways to achieve his destructive goals. Here is a metaphorical description of some of these efforts.

The Back Burner

The English idiom of “putting something on the back burner” refers to knowing very well that something needs to be done but procrastinating and never quite following through on it. It is not a matter of denying that something should or must be done, but rather of saying: tomorrow or the day after, but not today!

 If procrastinating like this is dangerous and regrettable in everyday life, how much more so must it be with respect to our internal and eternal lives! Nothing makes the devil happier than seeing people procrastinate! As far as he is concerned, people can agree with the message of Jesus, they can be touched, and they can be troubled as long as they do not come to a clear decision. That is why Satan whispers in their ear: You have plenty of time, leave it for later! Enjoy today! Why be so serious while you are still young? There is rejoicing in the devil’s kingdom when someone heeds this voice and misses out on eternal salvation. 

The Rocking Chair

A rocking chair rocks back and forth to calm us down and help us sleep. It is no mystery why the devil loves this particular piece of furniture so much. The devil hates clear and consistent decisiveness. He likes for us to waver between earnest and playful, between serious and silly. He is happy if we participate in everything, walking with Jesus in the morning, with the world in the evening, and starting all over again the next morning. That satisfies Satan! The adversary of the Lord Jesus knows very well that this lets us feel safe and secure without leaving his camp. This gives him another reason to rejoice. That is why the rocking chair can be an instrument of the devil.

The Bookcase with the Bible

Of course, Satan is also aware of common decency and good etiquette. Part of that is having a nice bookcase with, quite naturally, a Bible inside. After all, a proper home must have a Bible. But we rarely or never read most of the books in our bookcase, and this is true of the Bible as well. It has gilt edging, but its pages stick together. The devil is happy to let people buy a Bible and put it in the bookcase. It only becomes a danger to him if they read and study the Word of God. That is why he prevents it.

The Old Harp

It does not require a great leap of imagination to see an old harp on the shelf as well. A little music is part of the good life. But are we not often content with being able to play just a few tunes? We pick up the instrument and just end up harping on the same old string.

The devil allows us to occasionally attend a service, help the poor, and donate to missions. He does not fight us on these simple things. Quite to the contrary, he wants to let us fulfill our religious duties. However, the tunes that we play on that one old string do not hurt him and never change. They calm and encourage us. And so it follows that the old harp is a very useful piece of furniture for the devil as well.

One final question: How does it feel to live with the devil’s furniture? Are we familiar with God’s household, and are we happy to serve Jesus resolutely and decisively? Are we no longer wavering between the two sides? Do we really read our Bible, and does a fullness of truth fill our heart? Where is our home?

        Hans Bruns (1895 – 1971)