Every day on the corner of State Street and 2nd Street, I pass a sign that gives me a great deal of pleasure. The sign is a historical marker with the following message:
Council of War
“E. 1 block. Generals S. D. Lee and N. B. Forrest met on night of June 9, 1864 to plan Battle of Brice’s Crossroads, where Federals under S. D. Sturgis & B. H. Grierson were routed.â€
-- Mississippi Historical Commission
The thing about the message on the sign that appeals to me is the image that it conjures up of “Federals†being “routed.†I can imagine them running over hill and dale as they gave up the fight and headed for cover. (I often see such signs across the South. I am not sure how, with all of this “routing†going on, that we ever lost the war—but that’s a topic for another day).
When you “rout†someone, you don’t just barely win. You really put it on them. I am grateful for the fact that I have never had to fight in a war, but I have been involved in “routs†in various kinds of athletic contests, elections, and competitions. Usually I have been the “routee†rather than the “router.â€
I am grateful, however, that I have shared on the positive side of one genuine “rout.â€
Satan dared to take on the Son of God in the ultimate clash between Good and evil. With the cross in place and the Son of God nailed to the cross, Satan thought the rout was on. Turned out that it was, but not in the way Satan thought. This is the way Paul described it: “When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross†(Col. 2:13-15). Sounds to me like a genuine rout!
The good news is that it was a rout in which we shared. Every accusing document arrayed against us was taken out of the way and nailed to the cross. We were “made alive†by His victory on the cross. He completely “disarmed†the forces of evil on that rugged hill.
While Satan is still alive and well on planet earth, the ultimate battle has already been fought. Satan’s fate is sealed. Here and now you can share in the victory in your daily life.
If we erected a sign on that skull-shaped hill in Jerusalem, it might read something like this: “At this spot in A.D. 30, the Son of God met all the forces of evil, and they were routed!†Why don’t you celebrate the victory today!
