Satan: Our Enemy

This painting is entitled, “Checkmate”.  It had hung in the Louvre in Paris until it was sold at a Christie’s auction to a private investor in 1999.  As you can see, it depicts Satan playing chess against a young man.  The competition was for the soul of the young man; he belonged to Satan if he lost.  The title betrays the intent of the painting.
 
However, a chess grandmaster Paul Morphy, came upon this painting and was intrigued.  He wanted to see if the outcome was as certain as it seemed to the artist.  Satan had just announced that check-mate was coming in 4 moves.  You can see the young man staring at the pieces as if having decided he has been defeated.
 
He stood before it for 10 minutes, 20 minutes, 30 minutes raising and lowering his arms as though playing in the game himself.  He even set up a chess board duplicating the painting.  Suddenly, he paused and the sweet sense of victory was evident on his face.  “Young man, make that move.  That’s the move!”  The painting is real even though the story about it is debated.  However, it makes a great point about our main enemy, Satan.
 
On the one hand, there is no way anyone will fully escape Satan unscathed (Romans 3:23).  One the other hand, there is a way to escape total corruption at Satan’s hands (I Corinthians 10:13).  It’s a matter of looking for and finding the escape route God always provides.
 
Satan’s first appearance in the chess game of life is recorded in Genesis 3.  Eve had one move—just say no.  However, she did not and checkmate was the result.  We play a potentially deadly game of chess with the world and Satan every day.  We have only one move—NO!  Playing any other move puts us in checkmate for that moment.  What will you do?

— Mike Johnson