Posted by Ambassador T. Brikins
Sometimes evil events and bad news capture our attention.
This may happen through the forceful interpretation of
physical happenings around us. This unseen magnetic attraction distracts us
from the track of values and beliefs that define our essence and the race set
before us.
In 2 Chronicles 32:10-21, Sennacherib despised God and
threatened the Israelites. He ridiculed their belief in God. “ Then King
Sennacherib of Assyria, while still besieging the town of Lachish, sent officials
to Jerusalem with this message for Hezekiah and all the people in the city:
“This is what King Sennacherib of Assyria says: What are you
trusting in that makes you think you can survive my siege of Jerusalem?
Hezekiah has said, ‘The LORD our God will rescue us from the
king of Assyria.’
“Surely you must realize that Hezekiah is the very person
who destroyed all the Lord’s shrines and altars. He commanded Judah and Jerusalem
to worship at only the one altar at the Temple
and to make sacrifices on it alone.
Hezekiah is
misleading you, sentencing you to death by famine and thirst!
“Surely you must realize what I and the other kings of Assyria before me have done to all the people of the
earth! Were any of the gods of those nations able to rescue their people from
my power?
”Name just one time when any god, anywhere, was able to
rescue his people from me! What makes you think your God can do any better?
”Don’t let Hezekiah fool you! Don’t let him deceive you like
this! I say it again—no god of any nation has ever yet been able to rescue his
people from me or my ancestors. How much less will your God rescue you from my power?”
”And Sennacherib’s officials further mocked the LORD God and
his servant Hezekiah, heaping insult upon insult.
”The king also sent letters scorning the LORD, the God of
Israel. He wrote, “Just as the gods of all the other nations failed to rescue
their people from my power, so the God of Hezekiah will also fail.”
”The Assyrian officials who brought the letters shouted this
in the Hebrew language to the people gathered on the walls of the city, trying
to terrify them so it would be easier to capture the city.
”These officials talked about the God of Jerusalem as though
he were one of the pagan gods, made by human hands.
”Then King Hezekiah and the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz cried
out in prayer to God in heaven.
”And the LORD sent an
angel who destroyed the Assyrian army with all its commanders and officers.
So Sennacherib returned home in disgrace to his own land. And when he entered
the temple of his god, some of his own sons killed him there with a sword”.
New Living Translation
Victory came because the king despised the threat of war and
enforced his focus on the living God.
In another case King David found
strength in the midst of mutiny.
“David was now in
serious trouble because his men were very bitter about losing their wives and
children, and they began to talk of stoning him. But David found strength in
the LORD his God”. 1 Samuel 30:6.NLT.
We must fight our circumstances and situations by defining
our focus in order to take an appropriate action. Paul said, “can anything ever
separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have
trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or are hungry or cold or in danger or
threatened with death?
” No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours
through Christ, who loved us”. [Romans
8: 35, 37]NLT.
So what may we do in the challenge of
war? 3.
The honest heart gets God's attention
- We should recognize that our victory comes from God.
- We should repent and love God. [Judges 9:2-6, 18-20, 23-25, 27-28, 52].
There are instances were wars were
used to remove undesirable rulers and the wrongs they did were corrected. The
leaders of Shechem made Abimelech king because he was their relation
and gave him idol money to hire reckless troublemakers [mercenaries] to kill
his 70 brothers.
- We should pray to have anointed leaders.
King David was a successful leader because like King Cyrus
in Isaiah 45:1, he was chosen and anointed by God.
“Now is the time! For
the LORD has said, ‘I have chosen David to save my people from the Philistines
and from all their other enemies.’ 2 Samuel 3:18.NLT
”… for a long time, even while Saul was our king, you were
the one who really led Israel.
And the LORD has told you, ‘You will be the shepherd of my people Israel.
You will be their leader.’’ 2 Samuel 5:2.
“Finally, the LORD
said to Samuel, “You have mourned long enough for Saul. I have rejected him as
king of Israel.
Now fill your horn with olive oil and go to Bethlehem. Find a man named Jesse who lives
there, for I have selected one of his sons to be my new king.”
1 Samuel 16:1
NLT.
May we never groan under the leadership of rejected leader.
“And David became more and more powerful, because the LORD
God Almighty was with him”. 2 Samuel 5:10
God’s presence follows the anointed leader {2 Samuel 5; 10].The
secret of David’s success was because God was with him.
Cyrus is another leader who was anointed by God to conquer
nations and fortified cities and release the Israelites from the captivity of Babylonian.
“This is Jehovah’s message to Cyrus; God’s anointed whom He
has chosen to conquer many lands. God shall empower his right hand and he shall
crush the strength of mighty kings.” [Isaiah 44:28; 45:1-14].
- We should know that God is interested in the affairs of His people.
” And David realized that the LORD
had made him king over Israel
and had made his kingdom great for the
sake of his people Israel.” 2Samuel 5:12. NLT.
- We should know that our repentance can turn around a bad social situation.
In Judges 19-20, rape resulted in war. The
Israelites consulted God before going to war. On two occasions [Judges 20: 18,
26], God allowed them to go to war. But they were defeated on both expeditions.
They consulted the third time and the Lord allowed them to go to war. This time
they defeated their enemies. Continue to trust in Him and be faithful inspite
of the odds.
- We should not be self-reliant and unfaithful.
Self reliance could result in
defeat. Though the Philistines were scared of the Israelites [1 Samuel 4:5-8]
because of the victories God had given to them, the Israelite’s departure from
serving God in spirit and truth [faithlessness] by holding unto a “form of
godliness” resulted in their defeat.
- We should be interested in the appointment of leaders.
Leaders who do not respect justice
will cause much trouble. Romans 13:3, 4, 5. “For the authorities do not
frighten people who are doing right, but they frighten those who do wrong. So
do what they say, and you will get along well.
”The authorities are sent by God
to help you. But if you are doing something wrong, of course you should be
afraid, for you will be punished. The authorities are established by God for
that very purpose, to punish those who do wrong.
” So you must obey the government
for two reasons: to keep from being punished and to keep a clear conscience”.NLT.
Unfortunately, the contrary is the
case where many civil authorities are terrors to people of good conduct.
God’s Weapons
for Victory. 4.
Your decision to get involved makes you a weapon in God's hands.
Below are
some war weapons of God.
1. The Voice of
His People.
“Ask me and I will tell you some
remarkable secrets about what is going to happen here.” Jeremiah 33:3. [NLT]
“The Canaanite king of Arad, who lived in the Negev,
heard that the Israelites were approaching on the road to Atharim. So he
attacked the Israelites and took some of them as prisoners.
” Then the people of Israel
made this vow to the LORD: “If you will help us conquer these people, we will
completely destroy all their towns.”
“The LORD heard their request and
gave them victory over the Canaanites. The Israelites completely destroyed them
and their towns, and the place has been called Numbers 21:1, 2, 3. [.NLT].
2. God fights
for His people, by giving them specific Instructions.
Joshua was successful because he
did as the Lord commanded him to do.
“Do not be afraid of them,” the
LORD said to Joshua, “for I will give you victory over them. Not a single one
of them will be able to stand up to you.”
“In a single campaign Joshua
conquered all these kings and their land, for the LORD, the God of Israel, was
fighting for His people”. Joshua 10:8,NLT.
Ahab’s victory over Ben-Hadad was
as a result of definite instructions from God.
1kings 20; 13,14,19,20.
Then a prophet came to see King Ahab and told
him, “This is what the LORD says: Do you see all these enemy forces? Today I
will hand them all over to you. Then you will know that I am the LORD.”
14 Ahab asked, “How will he do it?”
And the prophet replied, “This is
what the LORD says: The troops of the provincial commanders will do it.”
“Should we attack first?” Ahab
asked.
“Yes,” the prophet answered.
19. But by now Ahab’s provincial commanders
had led the army out to fight.
20 .Each Israelite soldier killed
his Aramean opponent, and suddenly the entire Aramean army panicked and fled.
The Israelites chased them, but King Ben-hadad and a few others escaped on
horses.
NLT
4. Prayer of intervention.
We have the privilege as God’s
sons to ask Him to intervene in war situation.
” On the day the LORD gave the
Israelites victory over the Amorites, Joshua prayed to the LORD in front of all
the people of Israel. He said,
Let the sun stand still over Gibeon,
and the moon over the valley of Aijalon.”
”The LORD fought for Israel
that day. Never before or since has there been a day like that one, when the
LORD answered such a request from a human being.
Joshua 24:11, 12, 14. [NLT]
“As the Aramean army advanced
toward them, Elisha prayed, “O LORD, please make them blind.” And the LORD
did as Elisha asked.
“Then Elisha went out and told them, “You have
come the wrong way! This isn’t the right city! Follow me, and I will take you
to the man you are looking for.” And he led them to Samaria.
“As soon as they had entered Samaria, Elisha prayed, “O LORD, now
open their eyes and let them see.” And the LORD did, and they discovered that
they were in Samaria.
2 Kings 6:18. [NLT]
5. The Lord can send confusion in the
midst of your enemies.
” Just as Samuel was sacrificing the
burnt offering, the Philistines arrived for battle. But the LORD spoke with a
mighty voice of thunder from heaven, and the Philistines were thrown into such
confusion that the Israelites defeated them.
1 Samuel 7:10. [NLT].
6. Turn your hearts to God.
Destroy the idols among you and turn your
hearts to God.
“All right then,” Joshua said,
“destroy the idols among you, and turn your hearts to the LORD, the God of
Israel.”
Joshua 24:23. [NLT]
8. Recognize God’s Help.
“Samuel then took a large stone and placed it
between the towns of Mizpah and Jeshanah. He named it Ebenezer—”the stone of
help”—for he said, “Up to this point the LORD has helped us!”
” So the Philistines were subdued
and didn’t invade Israel
again for a long time. And throughout Samuel’s lifetime, the Lord’s powerful
hand was raised against the Philistines”. 1 Samuel 7:12, 13. [NLT]
9. God’s Favor
and Blessing.
1 Samuel 17: 34-37
“But David persisted. “I have been
taking care of my father’s sheep,” he said. “When a lion or a bear comes to
steal a lamb from the flock,
” I go after it with a club and
take the lamb from its mouth. If the animal turns on me, I catch it by the jaw
and club it to death.
” I have done this to both lions
and bears, and I’ll do it to this pagan Philistine, too, for he has defied the
armies of the living God!
” The LORD who saved me from the
claws of the lion and the bear will save me from this Philistine!”
NLT
10.
The Name of the Lord.
1 Samuel 17:45, 50.
“David shouted in reply, “You come
to me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD
Almighty—the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.
” So David triumphed over the
Philistine giant with only a stone and sling. And since he had no sword”
NLT
Goliath was an accomplished warrior.
The Israelite’s army knew his expertise at war and feared him. But as he
approached the untrained teenager David, he revealed the actual secret of his
strength. “Am I a dog,” Goliath roared at David, “that you come at me with a
stick?” And he cursed David by the names
of his gods.
”David shouted in reply, “You come
to me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD
Almighty—the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.
1Samuel 17:43-45. [NLT]
“The religious significance of the
contest is seen in the powerlessness of the Philistine gods to carry out
Goliath’s curse on David and in the battle cry of David”,
11.
Horses and
Chariots of Fire.
2 Kings 6:15.
“When the servant of the man of
God got up early the next morning and went outside, there were troops, horses,
and chariots everywhere. “Ah, my lord, what will we do now?” he cried out to
Elisha.
[NLT]
Ask for the intervention of
heavenly resources. Jesus said He could ask His Father to send Angels while Elijah
prayed that God should open his servant’s eyes to see heavenly forces. Faith is
required to do this.
- Boldness
You have the spirit of boldness
and a sound mind and love from God.
2 Kings 6:16
“Don’t be afraid!” Elisha told him. “For there
are more on our side than on theirs!”
“Then Elisha prayed, “O LORD, open his
eyes and let him see!” The LORD opened his servant’s eyes, and when he looked
up, he saw that the hillside around Elisha was filled with horses and chariots
of fire.
New Living Translation
God Wins Great Wars With Simple Objects.
Extraordinary feats were also
accomplished by use of ordinary objects.
Though we may exhibit dexterity in technological and conventional
warfare, we should remember that God gives the victory. What we need to do is
dedicate what we have for His use. God does not need weapons to give His people
victory in war.
There was cautious reason why the Israel’s
army was frightened as not to be able to face Goliath’s challenge. “Rabbinic
literature says that Goliath, “…boasted of having slain Eli’s two sons [1Samuel
4:11], and that he had stolen the ark of Israel [1Samuel 4:17]. The
seventeen year old David knew this and attacked the nine feet [2.7meters] tall
Goliath. “And everyone will know that the LORD does not need weapons to rescue
his people. It is his battle, not ours. The LORD will give you to us!”
1Samuel 17:47[NLT]
1. Ram’s Horn
Joshua flattened the walls of Jericho with ram’s horn. Ram’s horn is for worship not a war weapon.
But God said to Joshua,
“Your entire army is to march
around the city once a day for six days.
“Seven priests will walk ahead of the Ark, each carrying a
ram’s horn. On the seventh day you are to march around the city seven times,
with the priests blowing the horns.
“When you hear the priests give one long blast
on the horns, have all the people give a mighty shout. Then the walls of the
city will collapse, and the people can charge straight into the city.”
Joshua 6:3-5[NLT]
2. Horns, Jars and Torches.
Gideon defeated the Midianites
with horns, jars and torches.
“It was just after midnight, after
the changing of the guard, when Gideon and the one hundred men with him reached
the outer edge of the Midianite camp. Suddenly, they blew the horns and broke
their clay jars.
“Then all three groups blew their horns and
broke their jars. They held the blazing torches in their left hands and the
horns in their right hands and shouted, “A sword for the LORD and for Gideon!”
“Each man stood at his position around the
camp and watched as all the Midianites rushed around in a panic, shouting as they
ran.
“When the three hundred Israelites blew their
horns, the LORD caused the warriors in the camp to fight against each other
with their swords. Those who were not killed fled to places as far away as
Beth-shittah near Zererah and to the border of Abel-meholah near Tabbath.”
Judges 7:19-22. [NLT].
This extraordinary victory came
because God was behind it. “The LORD said to Gideon, “You have too many
warriors with you. If I let all of you fight the Midianites, the Israelites
will boast to me that they saved themselves by their own strength.
“Therefore, tell the people,
‘Whoever is timid or afraid may leave and go home.’ Twenty-two thousand of them
went home, leaving only ten thousand who were willing to fight.
“But the LORD told Gideon, “There are still
too many! Bring them down to the spring, and I will sort out who will go with
you and who will not.”
“When Gideon took his warriors down to the
water, the LORD told him, “Divide the men into two groups. In one group put all
those who cup water in their hands and lap it up with their tongues like dogs.
In the other group put all those who kneel down and drink with their mouths in
the stream.”
“Only three hundred of the men
drank from their hands. All the others got down on their knees and drank with
their mouths in the stream.
“The LORD told Gideon, “With these three
hundred men I will rescue you and give you victory over the Midianites. Send
all the others home.”
“So Gideon collected the provisions and rams’
horns of the other warriors and sent them home. But he kept the three hundred
men with him.
Now the Midianite camp was in the
valley just below Gideon.
“During the night, the LORD said, “Get up! Go
down into the Midianite camp, for I have given you victory over them!
“But if you are afraid to attack, go down to
the camp with your servant Purah.
“Listen to what the Midianites are saying, and
you will be greatly encouraged. Then you will be eager to attack.”
So Gideon took Purah and went down
to the outposts of the enemy camp.
“The armies of Midian, Amalek, and the people
of the east had settled in the valley like a swarm of locusts. Their camels
were like grains of sand on the seashore—too many to count!
“Gideon crept up just as a man was telling his
friend about a dream. The man said, “I had this dream, and in my dream a loaf
of barley bread came tumbling down into the Midianite camp. It hit a tent,
turned it over, and knocked it flat!”
“His friend said, “Your dream can mean only
one thing—God has given Gideon son of Joash, the Israelite, victory over all
the armies united with Midian!”
Judges 7:2-14. [N
LT].
3. Small Stones
“Reaching into his shepherd’s bag
and taking out a stone, he hurled it from his sling and hit the Philistine in
the forehead. The stone sank in, and Goliath stumbled and fell face downward to
the ground.
“So David triumphed over the Philistine giant
with only a stone and sling. And since he had no sword,
1Samuel 17:49, 50. [NLT].
4. Jaw bone.
Samson killed 1,000 Philistines
with the jawbone of an ass.
“Then he picked up a donkey’s
jawbone that was lying on the ground and killed a thousand Philistines with it.
Joshua 15:15[NLT].
How was he able to do this? He was
anointed of God. ” As Samson arrived at Lehi, the Philistines came shouting in
triumph. But the Spirit of the LORD powerfully took control of Samson, and he
snapped the ropes on his arms as if they were burnt strands of flax, and they
fell from his wrists.
Joshua 15:14, 16, 17. [NLT]
“And Samson said,” With the
jawbone of a donkey, I’ve made heaps on heaps! With the jawbone of a donkey, I’ve
killed a thousand men!”
“When he finished speaking, he threw away the
jawbone; and the place was named Jawbone Hill.”
New Living Translation
5. Wall
‘The two armies camped opposite
each other for seven days, and on the seventh day the battle began. The
Israelites killed 100,000 Aramean foot soldiers in one day.
“The rest fled behind the walls of Aphek, but
the wall fell on them and killed another 27,000. Ben-hadad fled into the city
and hid in a secret room.
1Kings 20; 29.30[NLT]
6. Water
2kings 3; 21-24.
“Meanwhile, when the people of Moab
heard about the three armies marching against them, they mobilized every man
who could fight, young and old, and stationed themselves along their border.
“But when they got up the next morning, the
sun was shining across the water, making it look as red as blood.
”Its blood!” the Moabites
exclaimed. “The three armies have attacked and killed each other! Let’s go and
collect the plunder!”
“When they arrived at the Israelite camp, the
army of Israel
rushed out and attacked the Moabites, who turned and ran. The army of Israel chased them into the land of Moab,
destroying everything as they went.
NLT
7. Revelation of enemy’s plans.
2 Kings 6:8-12
When the king of Aram
was at war with Israel,
he would confer with his officers and say, “We will mobilize our forces at such
and such a place.”
“But immediately Elisha, the man of God, would
warn the king of Israel,
“Do not go near that place, for the Arameans are planning to mobilize their
troops there.”
“So the king of Israel would send word to the place
indicated by the man of God, warning the people there to be on their guard.
This happened several times.
“The king of Aram became very upset over this.
He called in his officers and demanded, “Which of you is the traitor? Who has
been informing the king of Israel
of my plans?”
“It’s not us, my lord,” one of the officers replied. “Elisha, the
prophet in Israel, tells the
king of Israel
even the words you speak in the privacy of your bedroom!”
- Clatter
2 Kings 7:5-7
“So that evening they went out to the camp of
the Arameans, but no one was there!
“For the Lord had caused the whole army of Aram
to hear the clatter of speeding chariots and the galloping of horses and the
sounds of a great army approaching. “The king of Israel has hired the Hittites and
Egyptians to attack us!” they cried out.
9. False Report/the Angel of the Lord
2 Kings 19; 5- 16, 35, 36
“After King Hezekiah’s officials
delivered the king’s message to Isaiah,
The prophet replied, “Say to your master, ‘this is what the LORD says:
Do not be disturbed by this blasphemous speech against me from the Assyrian
king’s messengers.
“Listen! I myself will move against him, and
the king will receive a report from Assyria
telling him that he is needed at home. Then I will make him want to return to
his land, where I will have him killed with a sword.’”
” Meanwhile, the Assyrian
representative left Jerusalem and went to
consult his king, who had left Lachish
and was attacking Libnah.
“Soon afterward King Sennacherib received word
that King Tirhakah of Ethiopia
was leading an army to fight against him. Before leaving to meet the attack, he
sent this message back to Hezekiah in Jerusalem:
“This message is for King Hezekiah of Judah.
Don’t let this God you trust deceive you with promises that Jerusalem
will not be captured by the king of Assyria.
“You know perfectly well what the kings of Assyria have done wherever they have gone. They have
crushed everyone who stood in their way! Why should you be any different?
“Have the gods of other nations rescued
them—such nations as Gozan, Haran, Rezeph, and
the people of Eden
who were in Tel-assar? The former kings of Assyria
destroyed them all!
” What happened to the king of
Hamath and the king of Arpad? What happened to the kings of Sepharvaim, Hena,
and Ivvah?”
“After Hezekiah received the letter and read
it, he went up to the Lord’s Temple
and spread it out before the LORD.
“And Hezekiah prayed this prayer before the
LORD: “O LORD, God of Israel, you are enthroned between the mighty
cherubim! You alone are God of all the kingdoms of the earth. You alone created
the heavens and the earth.
“Listen to me, O LORD, and hear! Open
your eyes, O LORD, and see! Listen to Sennacherib’s words of defiance
against the living God.
35.” That night the angel of the
LORD went out to the Assyrian camp and killed 185,000 Assyrian troops. When the
surviving Assyrians woke up the next morning, they found corpses everywhere.
36.”Then King Sennacherib of Assyria
broke camp and returned to his own land. He went home to his capital of Nineveh and stayed there.
NLT
10.
Praise
2 Chronicle 2:21-24
“Early the next morning the army
of Judah
went out into the wilderness of Tekoa. On the way Jehoshaphat stopped and said,
“Listen to me, all you people of Judah
and Jerusalem!
Believe in the LORD your God, and you will be able to stand firm. Believe in
his prophets, and you will succeed.”
“After consulting the leaders of
the people, the king appointed singers to walk ahead of the army, singing to
the LORD and praising him for his holy splendor. This is what they sang:
“Give thanks to the LORD;
his faithful love endures forever!”
“At the moment they began to sing and give
praise, the LORD caused the armies of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir
to start fighting among them.
“The armies of Moab
and Ammon turned against their allies from Mount Seir
and killed every one of them. After they had finished off the army of Seir,
they turned on each other.
“So when the army of Judah arrived at the lookout point
in the wilderness, there were dead bodies lying on the ground for as far as
they could see. Not a single one of the enemy had escaped.
NLT
11.
Infighting
among allies
2 Chronicles 20:22
“At the moment they began to sing
and give praise, the LORD caused the armies of Ammon,
Moab, and Mount Seir
to start fighting among them.
“The armies of Moab and Ammon turned against their allies from Mount Seir
and killed every one of them. After they had finished off the army of Seir,
they turned on each other.
NLT
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REGARD. THAT MAY BE YOUR BLESSING TO THE MANY BRETHREN WHO ARE UNDERGOING
HORENDOUS WARS ACROSS THE WORLD NOW. THEY NEED YOUR VICTORY TO HAVE THEIR
VICTORIES.
YOU MAY ALSO SEND THIS POST TO EVERY SOLDIER IN THE WAR FRONT. GOD BLESS YOU AS YOU THIS.
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