Deuteronomy 20:1 – 9 “When you go out to war against your enemies and see horses, chariots, and an army larger than yours, do not be afraid of them; for the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, is with you. When you are about to go into battle, the priest is to come forward and address the army, saying to them, “Hear, O Israel, today you are going into battle with your enemies. Do not be fainthearted or afraid; do not be alarmed or terrified because of them. For the LORD your God is He who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies, to give you the victory.”
Furthermore, the officers are to address the army, saying, “Has any man built a new house and not dedicated it? Let him return home, or he may die in battle and another man dedicate it. Has any man planted a vineyard and not begun to enjoy its fruit? Let him return home, or he may die in battle and another man enjoy its fruit. Has any man become pledged to a woman and not married her? Let him return home, or he may die in battle and another man marry her.” Then the officers shall speak further to the army, saying, “Is any man afraid or fainthearted? Let him return home, so that the hearts of his brothers will not melt like his own.”
When the officers have finished addressing the army, they are to appoint commanders to lead it.”
God is preparing the Israelites to go into Canaan and conquer it. But a few things need to be perfectly clear.
1. No matter the size of the enemy army or the kinds of weapons they have, the Israelites must remember that God is with them and will fight alongside them to give them victory.
2. God wants only those whose minds are fully on the battle to fight. Anybody who has just built a house and has not yet dedicated it, or planted a vineyard that is not yet bearing, or who is engaged but not yet married should go home.
3. Anyone who is faint hearted or afraid should go home so that he will not demoralize those around him.
God wants dedicated fighters, not those whose heads and hearts are back with their families, their houses, their lands, or their sweethearts. Any soldier whose mind is not fully concentrated on the battle is a liability to himself and to those around him. If such a person is called upon to defend one of his fellow soldiers who has fallen, he may shy away, thinking only of preserving his own life. Such an action will leave the others in the army fighting on two fronts: fighting the enemy and having to guard themselves against betrayal by one of their own.
Later on in Judges 7, we learn about Gideon. Gideon began with 32,000 men; however, God advised him to allow everyone who was afraid to go home. When Gideon made that announcement, 22,000 men took off in a cloud of dust, leaving 10,000 behind! Next God had Gideon observe the fashion in which these men drank at a nearby stream. Those who cupped water in one hand and remained standing with their weapons belted and ready were only 300, while the rest knelt down by the stream, abandoning their weapons in the process. God selected those men who remained prepared to fight.
Notice that the officers are only to appoint commanders after all those unwilling to commit whole – heartedly to battle have left. Premature selection of commanders might leave the army with leaders who are not totally committed to victory, a highly dangerous situation.
APPLICATION: Although many of us are not in the Armed Services, all of us work in various fields, and all of us can give examples of co-workers whose slackness has created problems. Working in remote areas as I have, I have learned to value good workers and to fear poor ones. In one particularly awful case thirty years ago, a nurse who was supposed to be monitoring a patient with a head injury deliberately went somewhere else to sleep, abandoning the patient to his fate.
As a surgeon, I have trained a number of people to work in the Theater (OR) with me. (I have trained some of these workers personally while in other cases, I have helped sponsor them to training programs.) It is a blessing beyond measure to have dedicated staff whose only concern is the welfare of the patient.
2 Chronicles 16:9 says, “For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.” Is your heart fully committed to the Lord? Who is guiding your life; is it God or are you following patterns you have gotten from others?
One day, a young man came to Jesus, claiming he wanted to become a disciple. Luke 9:61-62 tells the story. “ Still another said, “I will follow You, Lord; but first let me bid farewell to my family.” Then Jesus declared, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and then looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.” What could be more socially acceptable than going home long enough to say farewell to one’s family? This guy probably thought that Jesus was going to pat him on the back and tell him, “That’s great! We’ll see you when you get back.” But Jesus knew that this man wasn’t serious about becoming a disciple; what this fellow wanted was the praise of his family and friends for his dedication. Perhaps the man hadn’t done much with his life to this point and was hoping that by becoming a disciple, his parents would stop bugging him to make something of himself. Perhaps the man was hoping for a big send – off party.
Contrast this guy’s attitude with that of Peter and Andrew and James and John. All four of those men were fishermen with major stakes in successful family fishing ventures. But when Jesus called those four men, they left their nets and followed him. Matthew was a tax collector, making large profits; he paid back everyone whom he had defrauded and left to follow Jesus. And then there was the Apostle Paul, also known as Saul of Tarsus.
Saul described himself as a Pharisee of the Pharisees, a student of Gamaliel, one of the foremost teachers of the time. Saul was fluent in many languages and could quote Greek philosophers readily. But when Saul met Jesus, his whole life and even his name changed. Saul became Paul, a bond servant to Jesus Christ, giving up everything for the sake of the Gospel.
Notice something: God never promises that there will not be casualties. Most of the original twelve disciples died gruesome deaths, and Paul was beheaded. But through their dedication and sacrifices, the Good News of Jesus Christ spread throughout the world.
They cast their nets in Galilee
just off the hills of brown;
such happy, simple fisherfolk,
before the Lord came down.
Contented, peaceful fishermen,
before they ever knew
the peace of God that filled their hearts
brimful, and broke them too.
Young John who trimmed
the flapping sail,
homeless in Patmos died,
Peter, who hauled the teeming net,
head-down was crucified.
The peace of God, it is no peace,
but strife closed in the sod,
Yet let us pray for but one thing—
the marvelous peace of God.
PRAYER: Father God, help us to whole – heartedly follow You all the days of our lives. Thank You for sending Jesus to die for our sins. Thank You that Jesus conquered death and the grave, so that we know that if we trust in that blood sacrifice for our sins, we will have eternal life with You in heaven. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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