Wisely Wage War

"Plans are established by counsel; by wise counsel wage war."

Proverbs 20:18

There is a time of war, and a time of peace.  Those who make the unfounded claim of "religion" as the sole or main cause of war or human conflict perhaps ignore the fact in every war people are involved.  Nationalism, a desire to seize resources, control a prime location, conquest, political expediency and many other factors have moved people to wage war.  There are wars nations have waged, but there are also individual conflicts we are beset by continually.  There are things worth fighting for, and battles should be enjoined for admirable causes.  As followers of Jesus the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God to pull down strongholds - internal strongholds which can be well-established within us as sinful habits, ways of thinking, and affections of our hearts.

Some view Jesus as a pacifist because of His refusal to lead a rebellion or take up arms against the Romans, but this proves nothing of the sort.  Being God in the flesh He knew the purpose for His coming was to save and not to destroy:  born of a virgin He came as a suffering servant, and later He will return as a conquering King.  To everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under heaven, and one of these will be to wage war.  God will take vengeance on all His enemies, and that is a battle we are not called to take upon ourselves.  Jesus is the all-powerful God with all authority in heaven and on earth, and He (like a shepherd knows the sheep from the goats) knows friend from foe.  Ultimately Satan and death will be utterly annihilated, and those who trust Jesus will be glorified with Him.

Whilst He tarries in heaven, there is a great deal of warfare to be accomplished that takes place in both the natural and spiritual realm.  God has provided a plan which grants victory to those who humble themselves to walk according to it in faith as revealed in scripture.  Once we are born again through faith in Jesus we are given spiritual armour through the Holy Spirit to stand strong in righteousness.  Our battle is not against other people, religions, or nations, but largely takes place inside us.  This is a battle we cannot be passive in because sin is always actively working to destroy us and our godly witness.  Sin in our flesh is happy to initially agree to be appeased or suggests a compromise, but it always moves toward us being in increased bondage.

In the animated film "A Bug's Life," it chronicles the difficulties faced by a colony of ants where were oppressed by the grasshopper bully Hopper and his gang.  The ants shook with fear when Hopper threatened them with violence and forced them to harvest food for him.  The ants were persuaded to organise a scheme to scare Hopper off with a fake bird so he would never come back to steal their food.  These are the same childish tactics we can attempt with sin which easily ensnares us.  We cave to its demands, and when we are fed up we either hide from it or hope to drive it off so it will never return - except it is very persistent and always knows where to find us.  The answer for us concerning dealing with sin is what the ants discovered when it came to Hopper:  sin must be put to death.

This putting to death of sin we see crop up in us is part of the good fight we are responsible to wage as we follow Jesus.  Paul wrote in Colossians 3:5-7, "Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. ⁶ Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience, ⁷ in which you yourselves once walked when you lived in them."  How do we put to death these members?  We must recognise sin for what is it and intentionally, systematically cut it out of our lives.  It made the news in Australia a farmer in the U.S. was slowly being pulled into a combine by his foot.  He needed to work quickly to free himself and could only do this by removing his leg below the knee.  Pretty drastic to remove a limb, but it was necessary if he wanted to live.  If we want to live with the freedom Christ has provided, when sin grips us we are to put it to death with extreme prejudice.  Sin used to be our life, but now that Jesus is our life it has no rightful place in us.

The scripture, fellow believers, and the Holy Spirit provide counsel on how to effectively wage this war, and often it takes losing before we learn how to win.  Being lifted up with pride with our recent success can lead to falls.  We learn to handle overt temptation but realise how stealthy and sneaky the enemy is and how weak in our flesh we really are.  Satan employs a strategy to defeat us, but no weapon which is fashioned against us shall prosper as we walk in the wisdom of God.  Praise the LORD we are not alone in the battle, and it is not primarily our battle to fight but one we overcome through Jesus alone.  By wise counsel wage war on sin in your life, and come alongside others who also fight the good fight to honour and glorify God through obedience.

A Peaceful Future

A Federal Election was held last Saturday throughout Australia, and all of voting age in our family drove down the road to a civic centre to fulfil the responsibility of all adult citizens.  We went around 9am and the queue wasn't long at all - probably because it was a little early for the sausage sizzle as the stall was still undergoing preparations.  Unlike elections in the United States, voting only concerns parties or people - not policies or propositions.  It took plenty of paper (Australians know what I mean) but not much time to cast our vote and be on our way.

The results of the election were a surprise with the more conservative Liberal party winning big over Labor, the other major party in Australia.  I found the results of the election impacted people in a variety of ways:  some paid it no mind, others were ecstatic whilst others were despondent.  The very thing which caused one person to experience happiness was precisely what brought sadness to another.  I observed this split not between Christian and unbeliever, but amongst Christians who love and faithfully serve the LORD.

As one who could be considered politically conservative who spent nearly 20 years of my voting life in California, I am accustomed to regular defeats.  I have been happy to see legislation passed which was later overturned in court because a judge deemed it "unconstitutional."  I have voted for people in primaries who did not receive the nomination of the party, and I have voted for candidates for governor and president who have lost.  I voted for people who I was pleased to see elected, yet their platform positions changed during their term.  I have tasted the bitterness of defeat far more than the sweetness of victory:  my sports teams are the Padres and Chargers!  C'mon, give a guy a break!

There is much to be learned in losing.  My involvement in sport and politics has shown me that winning isn't everything, and losing isn't the end of the world.  To load politicians with our aspirations and dreams of a better future is futile and without merit.  When I have looked to an arm of flesh for my happiness, security, prosperity, and even justice it was hope misplaced.  It is in God who raises up kings and deposes them where my affections, expectations of good and future remains secure.  To look to government for salvation and hope of a better future through schemes and agendas is to look under rocks or darkened caves for what can only be discovered in Jesus Christ who is light and life for all who believe.  A governor or government may serve consecutive terms without a single move in a righteous direction, but God governs all in righteousness.

It is good for God-fearing people to be in politics, but regardless of who is in office our calling is sure.  Micah 6:8 says, "He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?"  God does not hold us responsible to change the world or others, but to walk humbly and obediently before Him.  It does not matter if the government cracks down on "free speech," if churches are required to pay extra tax, if marijuana is legal for medical or recreational use, if immigration policies are tightened or the borders opened wide:  God has shown me how I ought to walk with Him.  Obedience to God may lead to stern consequences like in the case of Daniel:  he prayed to God even when it was deemed illegal to pray to anyone but the king for a month.  God protected Daniel in the lion's den, and He will protect us too - even if He protects us as He did Stephen who was stoned for his faith in Jesus.  The stones were permitted to crush his body to death but not before he was filled with the Holy Spirit, had a revelation of Jesus Christ, expressed forgiveness towards his enemies, and his eternal soul was caught up into the presence of God to live with Him forever.

How great is our God, that in supposed defeat we can be strong and victorious!  Isn't this true concerning Jesus?  Onlookers during His crucifixion mocked Jesus, believing He needed God to save Him.  The reality was in His death God was working to save from eternal death the very people who murdered, mocked, and forsook Him.  In light of Jesus Christ it does not ultimately matter if the results of the election felt like a miraculous victory or a stunning defeat:  since we are complete in Christ and He is our all in all the joy of the LORD is our strength.  It is good for us to care about the direction of a nation, and when one person in the nation turn towards God in faith in obedience, peace will mark that person as it is written in Psalm 37:37, "Mark the blameless man, and observe the upright; for the future of that man is peace."

The Humble Gatherer

The book of Ruth touches me deeply, not just because of the loyalty of Ruth or the unlikely love between Ruth and Boaz:  it is the lovely parallel of Boaz as kinsman redeemer and my Saviour Jesus Christ who has redeemed me from sin and death.

After tragedy struck in Moab, bereaved and bitter Naomi returned to Bethlehem with her daughter in law Ruth.  Without husbands to provide for them, Ruth went to glean in the fields.  Under the Law of Moses the poor and foreigner could glean, meaning picking up little bits which fell to the ground during the harvesting process. She "happened" to choose to glean in the field of Boaz who was a relative of Naomi.  Boaz looked favourably upon the young woman who showed great kindness to her mother of law and bid her to not go to glean in any other fields.  He said in Ruth 2:12, "The LORD repay your work, and a full reward be given you by the LORD God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge."

After inviting her to lunch Ruth 2:15-16 says, "And when she rose up to glean, Boaz commanded his young men, saying, "Let her glean even among the sheaves, and do not reproach her. ¹⁶ Also let grain from the bundles fall purposely for her; leave it that she may glean, and do not rebuke her."  Here is where I identify with Ruth in my relationship with Jesus Christ.  I am the foreigner, the one He has been gracious to and invited to draw near to glean sustaining truth from God's Word.  Jesus compared the word of God to good seed which, when planted in prepared hearts, will be fruitful.  When I willingly submit to gleaning from the scripture, it seems God purposely leaves wisdom everywhere for me to find.  Boaz commanded his workers to allow grain to fall from the bundles so Ruth would find them, and it delighted him to watch her find the grain and gather it up.

One important aspect of Ruth's gleaning was it was not for her benefit alone, but to provide food for her aged mother in law Naomi.  Boaz was aware of Ruth and Naomi's perilous situation.  At one stage he loaded Ruth down with 6 measures of barley and said, "Don't return home empty to your mother in law."  The application for me is God provides His good Word not only for my benefit but to the end I would share freely with others.  Gaining knowledge for ourselves should not be our sole aim in gleaning from God's Word but to provide wisdom to share with others for their benefit and God's glory.  This is not to say I am continually instructing or warning others, but in faith to walk according to the Bible.  I am humbled beyond reckoning of God's grace to allow me to read His Word, be granted insights, and help me speak of His goodness.

If we will submit to gleaning from the scripture, God has provided great wisdom purposely for you to find, meditate on, and share with others.  He does not rebuke or reproach people who humble themselves in faith, people who are hungry and thirsty to hear from God so they might know Him and obey.  Men may say we overstep our bounds, but God invites us to draw near into His presence.

Understanding the Covenant

God has provided us brains to reason and think, and it is good to consider carefully the things we read and hear.  Though we all have knowledge, we can come to incorrect conclusions.  Even Christian believers we respect who have taught us much through books, people we knew personally who led exemplary lives of obedience and faithfulness, are not infallible.  It is the scripture, not the teachings of men or even what seems expedient or useful, which keeps us grounded in truth.  Another difficulty is when the reader misunderstands what is meant by the author.  This can happen when the definition or common use of words change over time or are used differently in another culture.

I am reading through a new compilation of A.W. Tozer's sermons and came across a thought which has been on my mind of late.  Having established how obedience to God is a key aspect in our relationship with God, he said this:  "My obedience is based on my commitment to God.  As I understand my commitment to God, I begin to see flowing into my life the attributes of God that protect me from an enemy or an adversary." (Tozer, A. W., and James L. Snyder. A Cloud by Day, a Fire by Night: Finding and Following Gods Will for You. Bethany House Publishers, a Division of Baker Publishing Group, 2019. page 49)

Commitment is a tricky issue I have been thinking about lately.  "Commit" is a word often used in scripture; the word "commitment" never occurs in translations I checked (KJV, NKJV, NIV, NAS).  When a person commits a crime, it means they have done the thing.  When I make a commitment to take out the rubbish, it is a promise or pledge I will do so.  Proverbs 16:3 says, "Commit your works to the LORD, and your thoughts will be established."  We are not told to make a "commitment" but to "commit" our works to the LORD.  In the church I grew up in it was common for backsliders to "re-commit" their lives to the LORD - another term not found in scripture.  You commit your life to the LORD, or you don't.  Making a commitment may only be words.  A backslider is called to repent of sin and start doing what pleases God - not to jump on for another go on the "re-commit-cycle."

If I define Tozer's use of "commitment" to the Oxford dictionary it means, "responsibility, obligation, duty."  But is this why I ought to obey - because I have said I would or because I know God is holding me responsible?  Maybe.  Think about this: a man and woman make a commitment to be married, but their bond is deeper than spoken words because it is a covenant before God He has established.  Understanding God has offered me a covenant for my eternal salvation in His own blood I entered into by grace through faith is far more binding than my commitment.  It was the love of God, God's love demonstrated towards Paul that constrained him to obey God - not primarily a sense of duty or obligation (which I'm sure was part of the equation on some level).

After reading what Tozer said about obedience I believe the opposite rings more true:  "My obedience is based on God's commitment to me."  All kinds of words have come out of my mouth.  I have spoken truth but also during my life there has been boasting, lies, deceit, exaggeration, gossip, and blasphemy.  But when God says something, everything He says is true, righteous, and trustworthy.  When I make a commitment I may or may not follow through, but Jesus already committed Himself into the hands of the Father on Calvary.  He demonstrated His love for me whilst I was a sinner by dying in my place.  God's Word has been proven true again and again so when He speaks, it is the Gospel truth.  When I understand the covenant of grace and love God has given to me, I am learning to obey with thanksgiving.