God Is With You

Mar 7th, 2024 God Is With You

Today’s Passage – Deuteronomy 19 – 22 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

(Second Milers also read – Galatians 4 – 6; Psalms 31 – 35; Proverbs 7)

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – SSMicah 6:8

Read the “0307 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

Read a previous post from this passage – “Feminine and Modest.”

“1 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, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. 2 And it shall be, when ye are come nigh unto the battle, that the priest shall approach and speak unto the people, 3 And shall say unto them, Hear, O Israel, ye approach this day unto battle against your enemies: let not your hearts faint, fear not, and do not tremble, neither be ye terrified because of them; 4 For the LORD your God is he that goeth with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.” (Deuteronomy 20:1-4)

In the reading today from Deuteronomy 19 – 22, Moses is continuing to give various laws that the people of God would be following when they moved into the land of Canaan. Some of these laws make perfect sense to us but others seem strange for us today and some of them come across as very stern, but they were given by God to ensure that Israel was truly a nation set apart by the Lord, very different from the lawless and godless people who lived in the land before Israel. A place where things were done decently and in order; a nation where crime was dealt with severely and where neighbors truly acted in kindness and love toward one another.

One particular passage that drew my attention was Deuteronomy 20:1 – 9 which discusses what the people should do when they were at war with another nation. God wanted Israel to be assured that though an opposing army had more numbers, better weapons, and superior equipment, that did not mean that they would win. Why? Because God promised to fight for Israel. Israel had God on their side. One proverb states:

“The horse is prepared against the day of battle: but safety is of the LORD.” (Proverbs 21:31)

There is a story in 2 Kings 6 that illustrates this principle perfectly. Elisha and his servant were in the city of Dothan when an army from Syria with many horses and chariots surrounded the city intending to attack it and capture Elisha. The servant was very afraid but Elisha told him: “… Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them” (2 Kings 6:16). Then Elisha prayed that God would open the eyes of the servant so that he could see the army of angels that were protecting them:

“16 And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them. 17 And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.” (2 Kings 6:16-17)

The Syrians had that superior earthly army but was powerless against Israel when God and His army of angels was fighting for them. That is exactly the idea that is conveyed in Deuteronomy 20.

Though this promise of superior military power was given to Israel as they were possessing the land that God promised them, I believe it could also be applied today to the nation today that is fighting for righteousness and living for God.

“12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance.” (Psalm 33:12)

America was once a nation like that. However, though we were founded upon biblical principles and framed our constitution with laws that reflected God’s righteousness, we have gradually moving away from where we started, and certainly away from God.

I believe this principle could also be applied to the church or even the individual Christian who is fighting against the world and the Devil (and sometimes even his own flesh) and is trying to fulfill God’s will. If you are doing what God wants you to do in the place that God has called you to, you can be assured that God will be with you; He will help you to do His work.

Before we conclude the discussion of this passage, let’s read a little further and see what God has to say about some within the congregation who may have been excused from the fighting:

“5 And the officers shall speak unto the people, saying, What man is there that hath built a new house, and hath not dedicated it? let him go and return to his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man dedicate it. 6 And what man is he that hath planted a vineyard, and hath not yet eaten of it? let him also go and return unto his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man eat of it. 7 And what man is there that hath betrothed a wife, and hath not taken her? let him go and return unto his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man take her. 8 And the officers shall speak further unto the people, and they shall say, What man is there that is fearful and fainthearted? let him go and return unto his house, lest his brethren’s heart faint as well as his heart. 9 And it shall be, when the officers have made an end of speaking unto the people, that they shall make captains of the armies to lead the people.” (Deuteronomy 20:5-9)

These verses remind us that there are sometimes good reasons for a person to be exempted from fighting or service. It must be emphasized, however, that these were not merely lame excuses like sometimes people might use today to get out of jury duty. They were legitimate hardships that would temporarily prevent someone from serving. There might be some other legitimate reasons for exemption not specifically covered by the four mentioned here as well.

By the way, the last exemption given in this passage regarding being “fearful and fainthearted,” was not for people who were a little apprehensive or nervous about fighting. Any normal person would be at least a little bit fearful when going to war. The passage here is referring to people who were so debilitatingly afraid to the extreme that their fear would potentially endanger the soldiers around them. They were not mentally fit to fight.