The officers shall say to the army: “Has anyone built a new house and not yet begun to live in it? Let him go home, or he may die in battle and someone else may begin to live in it. Has anyone planted a vineyard and not begun to enjoy it? Let him go home, or he may die in battle and someone else enjoy it. Has anyone become pledged to a woman and not married her? Let him go home, or he may die in battle and someone else marry her.” Then the officers shall add, “Is anyone afraid or fainthearted? Let him go home so that his fellow soldiers will not become disheartened too.” (Deut 20:5-8 NIV)
Rules of warfare...
Moses reminds the people that when preparing for a battle that anyone who might have a reason not to go into battle fully engaged, fully focused on the battle, is to stay home. If their minds are going to be wandering back to the wife that they have not yet married or the brand new vineyard that they've planted, they should stay home. If their hearts are full of fear, they should not go to battle. Fear begets fear. Men of faint hearts should not go to battle, because their fears might be passed on to the men who they will stand next to in battle and they both will die.
I've recently had a lot of reminders that we too are engaged in battle. It is not a physical battle against flesh and blood. We are engaged in a spiritual battle against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. (Eph 6:12) We are engaged in battle whether we like it or not, but I fear that we are not always truly prepared to participate in that battle and so the enemy has had the advantage. Our minds and hearts have been focused elsewhere. They have been focused on more worldly battles with our neighbors rather than the spiritual forces that have caused dissensions and divisions among us.
I should probably be using the word I rather than we - maybe you have been much more fully engaged in this battle than I am. It is not that I have given up on being engaged in this spiritual battle. It is more like other things have caused me to focus my time and energy elsewhere and sadly, I have to admit, that I have not been as fully engaged as I should be.
At my last congregation in Michigan, just about every time the lesson regarding the parable that Jesus tells of the great banquet that people refused to attend, the choir sang a song about being invited to the banquet and making excuses that goes something like this: "I cannot come to the banquet. Don't bother me now. I have married a wife. I have bought me a cow..." When we cannot (do not) go to the banquet table that Jesus has prepared for us, when we do not hear his word regularly to be refreshed; renewed; empowered; how can we be prepared for spiritual battle?
Paul gave to the Ephesians (6:13-18) and us guidelines as to how we can be prepared for and enter into for spiritual battle:
Rules of warfare...
Moses reminds the people that when preparing for a battle that anyone who might have a reason not to go into battle fully engaged, fully focused on the battle, is to stay home. If their minds are going to be wandering back to the wife that they have not yet married or the brand new vineyard that they've planted, they should stay home. If their hearts are full of fear, they should not go to battle. Fear begets fear. Men of faint hearts should not go to battle, because their fears might be passed on to the men who they will stand next to in battle and they both will die.
I've recently had a lot of reminders that we too are engaged in battle. It is not a physical battle against flesh and blood. We are engaged in a spiritual battle against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. (Eph 6:12) We are engaged in battle whether we like it or not, but I fear that we are not always truly prepared to participate in that battle and so the enemy has had the advantage. Our minds and hearts have been focused elsewhere. They have been focused on more worldly battles with our neighbors rather than the spiritual forces that have caused dissensions and divisions among us.
I should probably be using the word I rather than we - maybe you have been much more fully engaged in this battle than I am. It is not that I have given up on being engaged in this spiritual battle. It is more like other things have caused me to focus my time and energy elsewhere and sadly, I have to admit, that I have not been as fully engaged as I should be.
At my last congregation in Michigan, just about every time the lesson regarding the parable that Jesus tells of the great banquet that people refused to attend, the choir sang a song about being invited to the banquet and making excuses that goes something like this: "I cannot come to the banquet. Don't bother me now. I have married a wife. I have bought me a cow..." When we cannot (do not) go to the banquet table that Jesus has prepared for us, when we do not hear his word regularly to be refreshed; renewed; empowered; how can we be prepared for spiritual battle?
Paul gave to the Ephesians (6:13-18) and us guidelines as to how we can be prepared for and enter into for spiritual battle:
Therefore take up the whole armour of God, so that you may be able to withstand on that evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand therefore, and fasten the belt of truth around your waist, and put on the breastplate of righteousness. As shoes for your feet put on whatever will make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace. With all of these, take the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Pray in the Spirit at all times in every prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert and always persevere in supplication for all the saints.
The next time you feel like you are in a war with your neighbor or maybe a family member, remember that there is more going on than meets the eye. There is a spiritual battle being waged and if we allow ourselves to be engaged in the war that is before our eyes, we will be distracted from doing battle in the heavenly realms where the real battle is actually taking place. What you see with your eyes may be only a symptom of the spiritual war taking place.
Put on the armor that God has given to you, keep alert and persevere in supplication for all the saints (whether you recognize them as saints or not!).
Put on the armor that God has given to you, keep alert and persevere in supplication for all the saints (whether you recognize them as saints or not!).
God's Peace - Pr. J
No comments:
Post a Comment