Turns out better when God does the fighting
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Faith Fitness
Bro. Sam Kaufman
The children of Israel learned the lesson the hard way.
They simply couldn’t show up to the battle in just any old condition and expect to be victorious. If they were in wrong standing with God through disobedience or following false gods, they couldn’t stand in battle.
It was God who fought their battles. So, if they strayed away from God and the commandments He delivered to them, they found themselves between a rock and a hard place when it came to defeating their enemies.
They couldn’t be successful through their own strength.
One prime example was their first battle in the Promised Land. God specifically commanded them not to take of the spoil in Jericho. Sure, the walls came tumbling down, but one Israelite disobeyed God’s commandment and took some silver and gold, and Babylonish garments.
That disobedience led to Israel’s defeat in the battle against Ai.
It wasn’t until Achan was properly dealt with that Isarel could become victorious again in battle.
Though Sampson was likely big and strong, he lost to the Philistines when his hair was cut and God’s Spirit departed from him.
Another case in which Israel was initially defeated can be found in I Samuel.
At that time, Israel was smitten before the Philistines: and they slew of the army in the field about four thousand men.
It caused the children of Israel to examine why they lost in battle. They felt that if they could bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord to them, it would save them from the hand of their enemies.
They fetched the ark of the covenant of the Lord of hosts out of Shiloh and brought it into the camp. I Samuel 4:5 states, “And when the ark of the covenant of the Lord came into the camp, all Israel shouted with a great shout, so that the earth rang again.”
When the Philistines understood the ark of the covenant was in Israel’s camp, a great fear came upon them.
Surely, Israel would be victorious now.
Though the ark of the covenant was in place, the children of Israel’s lives were not aligned to the Word of God.
Because of that, there was a great slaughter of Israel, during which 30,000 footmen of Israel fell.
The reason for the defeat was sin within Israel’s leadership and people.
It had nothing to do with the ark of the covenant, which no doubt could stand for itself. God showed Himself strong after the Philistines took the ark of the covenant and placed it in the same area of their god known as Dagon.
They came the next morning and Dagon had fallen flat on his face. The next morning, Dagon’s head and palms were cut off.
Then, many of the Philistines were killed by a plague, and others were smitten with emerods and mice. They quickly figured out they needed to send the ark of the covenant back to where it belonged.
After the ark was returned, the Prophet Samuel pinpointed Israel’s cause of defeat. He explained it in I Samuel 7:3, “And Samuel spake unto all the house of Israel saying, If ye do return unto the Lord with all your hearts, then put away the strange gods and Ashtaroth from among you, and prepare your hearts unto the LORD, and serve him only: and he will delver you out of the hand of the Philistines.”
“Then the children of Israel did put away Baalim and Ashtaroth, and served the LORD only.” (I Samuel 7:4).
The children of Israel then confessed their sin and fasted.
Then came the battle and different results. The Philistines went up against Israel at Mizpeh.
The Israelites were afraid and asked Samuel to cry out to God. Samuel did just that and offered a suckling lamb as a burnt offering wholly unto the Lord.
Verses 10 and 11 state, “And as Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to battle against Israel: but the Lord thundered with a great thunder on that day upon the Philistines, and discomfited them; and they were smitten before Israel. And the men of Israel went out of Mizpeh, and pursued the Philistines, and smote them, until they came under Bethcar.”
The tide had turned with God’s people. They found what they needed to be successful in battle.
It required putting away false gods and wholly serving the true God.
That allowed God to have His rightful place in His people and to do the fighting for them. It always turns out better when God does the fighting.
We are no match for the enemy in our own strength. He’ll lick us every time. But when God is in our corner, we can ask Him to go out when the bell rings for another round, and He will defeat the devil every time.
Many times, the verse that states “resist the devil, and he will flee from you” is used. But we have to look at the first part of the verse to make it work.
James 4:7 states, “Submit yourselves to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”
The submission to God is required for the rest of it.
