Deuteronomy 20

Cynicism and despair are not our allies. When we feel their presence, we can turn to our loving Commander and ask for His help. The Man who cast out demons with a word will defeat them and every other enemy.

If we fear the Lord, if we seriously consider that Jesus of Nazareth is the true Son of God and the only powerful Messiah, we will look on difficult adversaries in the right way. We will not be afraid of them.

Cynicism listens to the lies of the devil who would have us doubt that God is good or that the Lord is powerful to save. Despair would have us focus on our own weakness and run away in fear. When we receive the Lord again as our powerful Friend in every trial and as our merciful God who is full of compassion, our hearts are revived and we can go forth in the triumph of the cross.

“Let not your heart faint.... The Lord your God is He who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies, to give you the victory.”

These words were to be the message of the Lord's priest before the assembled armies of Israel. Before leaders were chosen, distracted and fearful warriors were dismissed.

As the Israelites were led in war by God, they were to make a distinction between those enemies that were in the land of conquest and others living in more distant cities who would stand in their way. Those enemies in the land of Canaan were to be destroyed. If they were left alive, there would be great danger that they would entice Israel in pathways of evil. But enemies who were outside the land of Canaan could be given terms of peace, and could surrender to Israel and serve them. If they refused this entreaty, all the males of those cities would be killed, but the women and the little ones would live and would be taken as plunder. These were the uncompromising rules of conquest warfare that Moses gave to Israel.

Imagine what this fighting force had been through. They and their parents had been delivered from slavery in Egypt. God gave them bread from heaven and water from the rock in the wilderness. But their parents did not walk in faith, and that whole generation died as a result of unbelief. Now the next generation was listening to the commands of God through Moses, and was ready to obey the Lord of heaven and earth.

The God of Israel is the one Lord over all. He gave His people instructions about their care even for the fruit trees of the cities they would defeat. He was certainly Lord over every body and soul that the fighting men would encounter both near and far.

We who seek to fight the good fight of faith today have a Captain who is not afraid. He is not lacking in power, authority, sovereignty, and glory.

This Jesus calls us to an uncompromising victory in the light of His cross. He does not lead His church to win heaven with the weapons of this world. We follow Him in the way of suffering love.

There is a strength in our weakness that is more powerful than the sword. We will not compromise with cynicism. We will not follow the lies of those who see our Savior as just one spiritual leader among many. We will honor Jesus as our King, not just with an outward form of religion, but with the power of godliness that is willing to turn away from evil impulses that would quickly destroy us.

We will follow our all-powerful Commander in faith. He is leading us to the Jerusalem that is above via this war-torn earth. His terms of surrender to all are very clear: “Repent and believe, for the kingdom of God is at hand.” Receive this Word and you will be servants of the Lord and even sons of God through Jesus Christ.

Every other choice, no matter how safe, intelligent, sophisticated, or advantageous it may seem, is actually a road that leads to death. Christ and His cross lead to the victory of resurrection life.