Taught to Know War

While listening to a sermon the other day, it occurred to me when people face opposition, trials and difficulties they can lean towards identifying these as "attacks of the enemy," evidence the devil is actively seeking to thwart or distract them from good they are doing.  Others tend to see negative situations as God exposing their own sin or teaching them a lesson--and the sooner they "learn the lesson" the problems will resolve quickly.  Because God and His ways are higher than ours, I believe the LORD is at work to redeem our situations for good in countless ways whether we realise it or not.  It may not be possible to reduce the reason we are experiencing a particular trial to one primary reason, and I do not think it necessary to do so.

Case in point:  after the children of Israel did not drive the inhabitants from the land, God allowed their enemies to remain for many reasons which God plainly stated in His word.  Judges 3:1-4 says, "Now these are the nations which the LORD left, that He might test Israel by them, that is, all who had not known any of the wars in Canaan ² (this was only so that the generations of the children of Israel might be taught to know war, at least those who had not formerly known it), ³ namely, five lords of the Philistines, all the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites who dwelt in Mount Lebanon, from Mount Baal Hermon to the entrance of Hamath. ⁴ And they were left, that He might test Israel by them, to know whether they would obey the commandments of the LORD, which He had commanded their fathers by the hand of Moses."

God could have driven out the inhabitants of Canaan without a fight, yet there were several practical reasons for allowing them to remain:  to test Israel, to teach them war because their generation had never known it, to prove His people, and to see if they would keep God's commands or not.  There is a kind of test we can pass or fail, and there are also tests we can practice to knock off rust, that measure our speed or show improvement, that enable us to exercise at our present level with an aim to grow.  "Passing" one test is preparation for facing another test we must practice to pass, so God's testing can take a new form that challenges us in unexpected ways.

Of all these reasons given, it may be a surprise God would have His people who are ignorant of war to learn war.  There is a time for peace, and there is a time for war.  When we choose to be God's people by faith in Him, there is no shortage of conflict even within ourselves because we continue to live in a human body.  God desires His people would be battle-hardened in trusting and obeying Him, even as warriors looked to their superiors for guidance and provision.  Rather than being careless and taking peace for granted, God wanted His people to learn how enemies looked for lapses of defenses and vulnerabilities, and how their own carelessness and lack of obedience to God undermined their own safety and prosperity.  It would take time for the Hebrews to realise it was God who fought their battles, and how their part was to honour Him with obedience and submission to His commands.

Those who have personally observed the horrors of war wish more than anything their children would be spared such suffering and pain, yet like the Hebrews there is no one who fears God who can avoid the war that breaks out after being born again by faith in Jesus and continuing to live in our bodies of flesh in a corrupt world.  As the Lord of the Rings character Aragon said, "Open war is upon you, whether you would risk it or not."  It is not a question if we can avoid conflict and spiritual warfare, but whether we take steps by reliance on God coupled with obedience to undergo testing and refinement through many failures.  We cannot say or know why a particular trial overtakes us, but we can know God remains good and allows it as a tool to accomplish His redemptive purposes.  As much as the devil can trouble us, God's ability to help us and redeem every trial for good is infinitely greater.  What will you do:  curse the devil or glorify God with gratitude for His love, grace and mercies?

Practice Love

"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another."

John 13:34

As Christians, we love God because He first loved us.  Having freely received His love, we are also called and empowered by the Holy Spirit to love others like He loves us.  God's love is not of this world and is not natural to our flesh, so it requires spiritual regeneration by the Gospel, faith in God and obedience to embrace God's will to love one another as Jesus does.

When going through notes penned during a funeral service years ago, I came across an acronym for "love" I had not seen before that I found useful.  While it is not a formula to be followed or a perfect summation of God's love for us in convenient form, it provides practical advice for what form God's love can take in our interactions with others--a sacrificial love that cares deeply for the good of others without thought of self.

The scrap of paper had this written in the middle of it:

• L isten
• O verlook other's faults and offences
• V alue each person
• E njoy everyone

The love of God is deeply personal because it always involves people.  For God so loved the world He gave His only begotten Son, and God's desire is that every single person would receive and respond to His love by freely choosing to love Him back.  God has listened to our cry for love and purpose  in this world, and He has treated us infinitely better than we deserve by His grace.  He values each one of us and enjoys us as we are--though He would have us free from the curse and bondage to sin that brings death.

All who love Jesus Christ are called to love others as He loves us.  God loved us while we were miserable wretches, self-righteous hypocrites and arrogant atheists; He has loved us when we felt entitled to be loved and thought we naturally loved like Him.  Knowing we cannot love as God's loves, how wonderful it is by God's design the fruit of the Spirit is love.  You cannot love as God loves, but are you willing to take a step of faith in God (because you love Him) to give Him the opportunity to love others through you?  Let us be those who choose to put love into practice.

The Supremacy of Christ

God's grace, mercy and love has no equivalent in this world.  All this world can offer are lesser, cheaper substitutes that may have a similar appearance but lack the good motivation God always has.  It struck me today that world aims low (compared to God) and preaches "tolerance" as ethical when Jesus preached and lived according to God's love.  The world is fine when we tolerate people who are different from us while Jesus demonstrated loving His enemies.  God does not merely "put up with" those who malign and falsely accuse Him of wickedness, but He truly loves them and proved it by Jesus dying on the cross for sinners.

People are quite skilled to learn what things to say or do to have their way, to get what they want.  Children learn from a young age the doors good manners can open for them, how by saying "please" and "thank you" they find favour from parents, teachers and even strangers.  Good manners are a far cry from humility, and cultured behaviour is no indicator of the heart.  God's desire is for us to live righteously and godly in this present age, and this is only possible by being transformed from within, born again by faith in Jesus Christ.  There are no shortage of self-righteous people in this world, yet doing good is no substitute for calling on the LORD out of a pure heart (2 Tim. 2:22).

The wisdom of the world has great fleshly appeal because it makes sense to us, yet God's ways and wisdom are infinitely beyond ours.  God's wisdom appears foolish to people who do not know Him, and despite man's wisdom he remained completely ignorant of God who created him.  So God revealed Himself to the world through Jesus Christ.  1 Corinthians 1:22-25 says, "For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; ²³ but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, ²⁴ but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. ²⁵ Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men."  Paul does not infer God is foolish but showed how man's wisdom is pathetic when compared with the weak and foolish things God uses in His wisdom to confound the wise.

Some pursue what they call the "good life" when all this world can offer will fade away into obscurity forever.  Jesus is both good (because He is God) and the Life who alone offers eternal life by the Gospel.  Jesus asked in Mark 8:36, "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?"  Jesus was asked many questions, and often Jesus answered questions of those who sought to entrap Him with questions of His own His enemies could not answer without self-incrimination.  God has the incredible ability to say things a child can easily understand while at the same time the most learned dare not answer.  Isn't His love, righteousness and wisdom awesome?

God's Service

We can view deliverance as all or nothing, yet God was intentional to grant His people some deliverance.  Because His people humbled themselves before the LORD, He decided not to pour out His wrath on Jerusalem by Shishak, king of Egypt.  But He said in 2 Chronicles 12:8, "Nevertheless they will be his servants, that they may distinguish My service from the service of the kingdoms of the nations."  This made me consider:  how is the service of God distinguished from the service of the kingdoms of the nations?  Only after personally experiencing the two options the wise of God's people would come to appreciate and love God more because His yoke is easy and His burden light by comparison.

When God appeared to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and later revealed Himself to the Hebrews on Sinai, God made a covenant with them.  He made promises to make them great and prosperous, to provide for their needs, protect them from enemies and establish them in their own land as an inheritance.  He chose them, not because Abraham or the Jewish people were the mightiest people, but because He is a gracious, merciful and awesome God who chose them.  In the Law of Moses God gave His people statutes to keep and sins to avoid, and He did all this for their good and to enable privileged fellowship with Himself.  God gave His people a covenant and precious promises He would be faithful to keep, and they were beneficiaries of His goodness and generosity.

Shishak, on the other hand, was all about taking anything he wanted from the Jewish people.  He only sought to enrich himself from their labours.  He was not interested in helping or giving them anything.  There was absolutely no love, kindness or relationship to be enjoyed.  The children of Israel found themselves impoverished and lacking with no promise of prosperity or protection.  They were slaves to a cruel master who did not care about them, their children or future.  Compared to God Shishak had no power at all, yet the power he had was never inclined to be used for their good.  There was no satisfaction of a job well done but a fear of reprisal if Shishak was ever displeased--and it is doubtful he was ever pleased with them.

The children of Israel experienced the difference between serving to be blessed and serving because they were blessed.  They could never earn the favour or approval of Shishak, for this was never an option on the table.  They worked to placate an adversarial ruler, avoid punishment and grimly hang onto survival.  The service of God was completely different, for the LORD loved His people as the apple of His eye.  He cared for them like a good shepherd who led his flock, provided for their needs and protected them from harm.  Shishak would suddenly come with demands and leave, but the LORD dwelt among His people as their God who fought their battles, was faithful to bless and gave them peace.  The children of Israel had no idea how good life was under God, so God gave partial deliverance so they could compare serving God or Shishak.

To people weary and burdened by the cares of life under Roman occupation and the demands of lifeless religion, Jesus called in Matthew 11:29-30:  "Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."  How blessed we are to serve alongside Jesus Christ because of His humility, gentleness and generosity.  He truly loves us like no one else would or could.