The children of Israel were at a point where they would be crossing the Jordan to possess Canaan, their promised land. To cross over was the easier part of the plan, to possess it was another. Since the land was occupied by pagan inhabitants, God's people must not expect them to roll over and play dead, and let the Israelites take over. They should anticipate that these people would want to fight to retain their land. In Deuteronomy 20:1-9, God began to set out what they must or must not do to gain ground.
Most
importantly, they must know that God would be with them in the fight. They must
enter the battle fearlessly believing that God would be there with and for
them. Their deliverance from Egypt should already be a clear reminder that it
was God who had brought them out victoriously. To win their battle, they must
always factor God in the battle. To enforce this truth, the priest would come
and exhort and encourage them to enter the warfare boldly. His words to them
going forth into battle were captured in verses 3-4. He was to
remind them saying, “Hear, O Israel, you are approaching the battle
against your enemies today. Do not be fainthearted. Do not be afraid, or
panic, or tremble before them, for the Lord your God is the
one who goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.”
In
Deuteronomy 20:5-8, four categories of people were exempted from the battle.
Firstly were those who had just built a house and had yet to dedicate it to the
Lord. Secondly were those who had just planted a vineyard and had yet to taste
the fruit of his labor. Thirdly were those who were engaged to be married.
Notice that these three categories of people had some commitment and might not
be fully focused on the task expected of them. In losing concentration, they
might die in the battle and their future would be ruined. How thoughtful and
reasonable God truly was! And finally, God instructed that the cowardly who
were too fearful to fight to be excluded from the battle. These should be sent
home. Why? They would be a source of discouragement by transmitting their fear
to those who would be engaged in battle.
The
warfare that was expected of the children of Israel would become lessons for us
in our spiritual battle to attain the goal expected of us in our faith journey.
The Christian walk is a battle for our life. God has rescued us from the world
and set us on a journey with Him. Every one of us who has a relationship with
Christ will face conflict. We will need to battle with our self-life, with the
world, and with the devil. We need to deal with the desire for
self-aggrandizement as well as the lure of the world and the devil’s persistent
temptations. To live and walk victoriously, we need to factor God into every
aspect of our journey, and courageously trust God even in trying circumstances.
One key to victory in our walk is to fully trust our faithful God. We can
never fail with God!
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