Deuteronomy 20
IN THIS chapter the Lord gives His people instructions in warfare. "When thou goest out to battle against thine enemies, and seest horses, and chariots, and a people more than thou, be not afraid of them: for the Lord thy God is with thee."
Israel were to rely upon God Himself being with them, but this also supposes that they were with God, going on faithfully with Him. Then their enemies would indeed be God's enemies and they would be fighting against Him. Oh if Israel had only been faithful to Him in their goings on what irresistible power would have been theirs! How invincible they would have been in this world!
So it was not a matter of human valor or military might, such as is found among men in the world, but it was a question solely of the Lord and Israel's confidence in Him.
"The Lord is a man of war," we read in Exodus 15:3,3The Lord is a man of war: the Lord is his name. (Exodus 15:3) yet war is not something that He delights in. He takes "no pleasure in the death of the wicked" (Ezek. 33:1111Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel? (Ezekiel 33:11)), and judgment is "His strange work" (Isa. 28:2121For the Lord shall rise up as in mount Perazim, he shall be wroth as in the valley of Gibeon, that he may do his work, his strange work; and bring to pass his act, his strange act. (Isaiah 28:21)). Rather He delights in mercy and in saving sinners.
Israel were an earthly people, seeking an earthly inheritance, so it was quite right for them to fight for possession of Canaan. Still it was the Lord's battles they were called to fight. However, in this dispensation of grade how different for us! Christians are a heavenly people and our conflict is a spiritual one. We do not fight with carnal weapons, for "we wrestle not against flesh and blood, . . . but against spiritual powers," against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." And just as Canaan was where the enemy must be fought and beaten, so the heavenly places are where we must overcome our spiritual foes who would oppose our taking possession of our heavenly blessings in Christ. But as with Israel, so with us:
The Lord is our banner,
The battle is His;
The weakest of saints
More than conqueror is.
But then there was to be no fainthearted among them when they went into battle. If a man had built a new house and not lived in it, or planted a vineyard and not eaten of it, or betrothed a wife and not taken her, he was to return home lest he become homesick or fainthearted. The battle was no place for such. They might discourage others in the face of the enemy. The Lord would not have us earthly-minded but whole-hearted in our service to Him.
When they approached an enemy city they were first to proclaim terms of peace to it. If these terms were accepted the enemy was to be spared, but if refused they were to be destroyed.
However, the Lord made an exception in the case of the Canaanites. No peace was to be offered to them. They represented the worst wickedness and their abominations were so hateful to God that they were not to be spared. If not exterminated they would live to plague and corrupt Israel, and even overcome them. Alas, the history of Israel only proves how true was the Lord's word to His people. They did not drive out all those guilty nations and suffered from them for their lack of faithfulness. The Lord help us to be more faithful in putting out of our lives those things of the flesh and of the world, so hateful to God, which dishonor Him and hinder our Christian progress.
Messages of the Love of God 7/20/1975