Battle Lessons

Deuteronomy 2:36 “From Aroer, which is by the brink of the river of Arnon, and from the city that is by the river, even unto Gilead, there was not one city too strong for us: the LORD our God delivered all unto us:”

Israel could never forget that they were a nation at war. They had a promised land, given to them by God, but it was not going to just fall into their hands. Victory would not come to them by default–they had battles to fight.

When I think of Israel’s battles, I am reminded of the great General George Patton. General Patton was not a nice man, nor a gentle man. He saw his mission as winning at all cost, and he pursued victory without mincing words. He was direct and severe, but he is highly regarded for his victories in war. “History is written by the victors” is certainly true about Patton.

In a similar sense, we are at war. We have an enemy: Satan. Like the city without walls mentioned in Proverbs, a Christian who forgets he is at war will not be able to keep nor defend himself. Satan loves to use strongholds of sin to win the battle. From Israel’s history, we can learn lessons to help us in the war–“there was not one city too strong for us.”

First, we can learn that the only stronghold that matters is the one you leave. The land was Israel’s for the taking; they were to gain complete, total victory in the land. But the one stronghold they left came back to bite them. So it is in our lives. The one stronghold of sin you leave unconquered will be the one you regret. Often it is easy to hate the sins in someone else’s life, but we do not easily see the selfishness and pride in our lives. That is a dangerous stronghold that will cost you victory.  Never forget that you are in a war with Satan.

The second lesson Israel teaches us is that the battle is the Lord’s. Any victory they enjoyed was from the hand of God. He was in control, no matter the odds stacked against them or the enemy before them. Deuteronomy 2:7 says, “For the LORD thy God hath blessed thee in all the works of thy hand . . . the LORD thy God hath been with thee; thou hast lacked nothing.” With you and I, God’s heart and character has not changed–the battle is the Lord’s!

The final lesson we learn from Israel’s history of battle is that victory requires obedience and faith. Those two elements (obedience and faith) were absolutely necessary for the children of Israel, and we need the same two things. In I John 5:4, the Bible says, “For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.” Our hope for victory rests with God, and we can have victory if we trust and obey.

You are in a battle every day. Pride, covetousness, overconfidence, and bitterness are seeking to win the battle today. But God is on your side-you can have the victory if you live in obedience and faith to Him!