RPG Adults
THE ATTITUDE OF ISRAEL TOWARDS WAR
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 26
Deuteronomy 20:1-4
Proverbs 10:11-12
“Hatred stirreth up strifes:
but love covereth all sins.”
THE ATTITUDE OF ISRAEL TOWARDS WAR
When there is a need to wage war, due care must be taken to save innocent lives. Israel had to fight to capture the land of Canaan. God guided them in their wars. When the time for battle was near, the priest were to approach and speak to the people. The hearts of the people must remain courageous as the priests spoke these words: “…Hear, O Israel, ye approach this day unto battle against your enemies: let not your hearts faint, fear not, and do not tremble, neither be ye terrified because of them; For the LORD your God is he that goeth with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you” (Deut 20:3-4). God gave them this assurance.
The same principle applied many years after this. Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, also trusted the Lord in battle. He prayed and had the singers to sing praises to the Lord. He was faced with the three armies of Moab, Ammon and Mt Seir. He did not need to fight, for after that the children of Mt Seir fought with Ammon and Moab. In the end, each helped to destroy the other from the invading armies. Jehoshaphat told Judah that the battle was the Lord’s and they could see that victory was theirs without effort (2 Chron 20:16-23). The key to the victory of Israel was their attitude towards the war that was before them. It was their faith in God that would give them advantage over their enemies.
The task that was ahead of them, as Moses was speaking, was very great. They had to capture the land of Canaan by force. The estimated population of Israel at the time was two million; they needed courage to have success. They waged war out of necessity to fulfill God’s will and plan.
THOUGHT: It is God who determines the outcome of any contest.
PRAYER: Father, may I seek peace in every conflict.