To give you the victory.

Text:

When you go out to war against your enemies, and see horses and chariots and an army larger than your own, you shall not be afraid of them, for the Lord your God is with you, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt. And when you draw near to the battle, the priest shall come forward and speak to the people and shall say to them, ‘Hear, O Israel, today you are drawing near for battle against your enemies: let not your heart faint. Do not fear or panic or be in dread of them, for the Lord your God is he who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies, to give you the victory.’ (Deuteronomy 20:1-4)

Questions:

• What’s your initial reaction/gut instinct when you have a battle on your hands?
• What does Scripture say about where the Christian’s reliance should be?

Context, Context, Context: In the passage above from Deuteronomy 20, God is instructing Moses. About what? Warfare. God, knowing all things and knowing how people instinctively react, teaches Moses some fundamentals about whom and what to rely upon when facing battles.

• First, fear not. That comes straight from verse 1: “. . . you shall not be afraid of them”
• Second, God teaches Moses why he is not to fear. It comes right there in verse 1, too: “. . . for the LORD your God is with you.” God is there–always.
• Third, know that it is God who grants the victory. Deuteronomy 20:4 reads, “for the LORD your God is he who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies, to give you the victory.”

Encouragement: I have no idea where you are today in terms of spiritual warfare. What I do know, however, is that spiritual warfare is inevitable: “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over the present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12). But if you are in Christ, dear ones, victory belongs to the Lord. Keep short accounts with the Lord, work hard, and trust God for the results.