Satan Is No One's Friend
Oh, sure. He poses as a friend, but he is nothing of the kind. We often sing, "What a Friend We Have in Jesus," but Satan is nobody's friend. When he tempts us to sin, he can be quite persuasive. Just look at the way he approached Eve. He acted as though he was on her side. He came across as one who was thinking about her best interests, but that concern was feigned in order to get her to sin. "Yes, I'm your friend," Satan says, "and I'll give you the real lowdown. God doesn't want you to eat of the fruit because He knows it will make you like Him." "Oh," says Eve, "I hadn't thought of that. I guess I better have a bite." Having eaten, she is wiser—wise enough to know everything will not turn out the way it was promised.
If she had an opportunity to engage the serpent in conversation again, the first thing she might have said to him was, "You lied to me"—to which he probably would have replied, "Yeah, so what?" That's how much of a friend Satan is. His goal was not to help her—but, to the contrary, to get her to sin. He uses subtlety. He knows that if he said, "I'm your adversary, and I've come to separate you from God. Now do what I say. Eat the fruit," she would probably resist his entreaties. Therefore, he pretends to be a friend—someone she can trust—but his only goal is to separate her from God.
Who was one of Satan's greatest servants? Queen Jezebel certainly ranks high on the list. Although living in the northern kingdom of Israel (a nation given to God's people who were to glorify Him), she promoted the worship of idols, such as Baal and Asherah. She was an evil influence over the whole nation—but especially her husband, King Ahab. He was wicked in his own right, but she just made things worse. On one occasion, he weakened—when God answered Elijah's prayer at Mount Carmel (while the servants of Baal received no response). Ahab did not stop Elijah when he commanded that the false prophets be put to death. Elijah eventually ran ahead of Ahab back to Jezreel (1 King 18). Jezebel, however, failed to be impressed and immediately ordered Elijah's death, causing him to flee. Ahab did not prevent her from her wicked intent, either, although she failed. Later, she arranged the death of the innocent Naboth to obtain his vineyard (1 Kings 21).
Yet when God sent Jehu to take vengeance on Jezebel, Satan had no pity on her. He might have said, "She has promoted evil in Israel more than anyone; I should find a way to prolong her life." But he did not. As Jehu approached, she dolled herself up and insulted him, calling him, "Zimri." She was so evil that her own eunuchs threw her out the window of an upper story. Her blood spattered on the wall and the horses, who trampled her (2 Kings 9:30-37). They only intended to bury her because she was a king's daughter (v. 34). However, only the palms of her hands, feet, and skull remained; so, none could ever say, "Here lies Jezebel" (v. 37). Satan didn't save her; he just looked for another sap.