#DailyDevotion We Have A Promise. God Will Fight Our Enemies For Us.
October 2nd
Read Deut 3:1–29
Deu 3:18-22 “And I commanded you at that time, saying, ‘The LORD your God has given you this land to possess. All your men of valor shall cross over armed before your brothers, the people of Israel. (19) Only your wives, your little ones, and your livestock (I know that you have much livestock) shall remain in the cities that I have given you, (20) until the LORD gives rest to your brothers, as to you, and they also occupy the land that the LORD your God gives them beyond the Jordan. Then each of you may return to his possession which I have given you.’ (21) And I commanded Joshua at that time, ‘Your eyes have seen all that the LORD your God has done to these two kings. So will the LORD do to all the kingdoms into which you are crossing. (22) You shall not fear them, for it is the LORD your God who fights for you.’
The Lord is giving directions to the Israelites on how they are to enter the promised-land. He assigns land to various tribes and the like. Some of the tribes have already settled on the West-Bank but they have pledged themselves to continue to fight with their brother Israelites till they take all the land.
The Israelites get their courage to fight against those who possess the land because Lord God has given his promise: The LORD your God has given you this land to possess. It is an old promise. The Lord made this promise some 450 years earlier to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Now they are on the verge of receiving that which He had promised. He has built them up by having them defeat previous kings and armies along the way. Now the Lord promises as you have seen Me do to the previous kings, so the Lord will do to all the kingdoms into which they are crossing.
They have another promise as they cross the Jordan, “You shall not fear them, for it is the LORD your God who fights for you.” And so the Lord does fight for the Israelites and He fights for them through their hands and their weapons. Occasionally He may send a plague or angels to do His bidding, but the Lord normally uses the Israelites’ hands to accomplish His good will.
So too today, we need not fear our enemies. Eph 6:12 … we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. These are our enemies. They are trying to prevent us from entering into the promised-land which is above. But we don’t fight them with our own weapons but with the Word of God. We hear the Word of God. We study the Word of God. We pray the Word of God. We see to it the Word of God is proclaimed. Yes we are doing all these things to fight the enemies. But we must remember one thing, one thing we must not forget, it is the Lord who fights for us. In Ephesians it is God’s Armor which protects us and it is God’s Sword, which is the Word of God which attacks and defeats the enemy. Indeed, on the cross, Jesus has won for us the victory already. We’re in mop up operations like soldiers in foreign countries which have been defeated. They may be defeated but they haven’t given up. We too must remain vigilant, be in the Word and let it fight for us.
Lord Jesus Christ, you are the little Word which defeats all our foes. Grant us faith in your victory that as you have enjoined us in the battle with you, we may not lose heart but hold to your promises. Amen.