Psalm 78:9 “The children of Ephraim, being armed, and carrying bows, turned back in the day of battle.”
Often around the Fourth of July, my mind is drawn to the sacrifices people have made and are making for our freedoms. I recently listened to Ronald Reagan’s speech on the fortieth anniversary of the D-Day invasion, and I could not help but be stirred by his words about the men who would not quit taking the cliffs of Omaha Beach. One man would be shot, and another would take his place; one rope would be cut, and another grappling hook would be tossed onto the cliffs. What discipline and sacrifice by men who did not turn back in the day of battle!
However, Psalm 78 gives us a different picture. Verses 9-16 describe numerous things God had done but His people had forgotten; thus they “turned back in the day of battle.” I don’t know what the battle will be today in your life; but as Proverbs 24:10 says, “If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small.” The truth is, all of us have small strength; and that fact is highlighted when things are not going well. These folks in Ephraim were armed and prepared; but when trouble came, they turned back.
The bravery which we herald on the Fourth of July was, to some extent, a product of the discipline that was ingrained into the soldiers. For example, when their commander said, “Take that cliff!”, no one had the luxury of analyzing the safety and intelligence of such a move! Their discipline to follow commands resulted in courage.
Courage in the day of battle boils down to “trust and obey.” You can summarize much of Psalm 78 with the words they forgot. Because they forgot, they turned back in the day of battle. Amazingly, the Bible says in verse 41, “Yea, they turned back and tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel.” How in the world do you limit a limitless God? It makes no sense! But is it really possible to limit God? If I turn back when things get tough by forgetting and by failing to trust and obey, then I certainly can limit God–I limit His working in my life!
Did you know that God does not have to use us? On the other hand, God can and wants to use us. Don’t limit God to what you can provide (verse 19), and don’t limit God to your power. This psalm ends with God’s shifting His focus from Ephraim to Judah (verse 68) and to a poor little shepherd named David. The Bible indicates that David knew how to lead people because he knew how to lead sheep; and he knew how to lead sheep because he trusted and obeyed one step at a time.
The courage of the greatest people we honor for defending our freedom is a courage that came by learning to obey automatically and instinctively. In my Christian life, I need not depend on my own provision, power, or plans because there is a God; and I should not limit Him today. Armed with trust and obedience, I can take every cliff I find today. Will you trust and obey?