Our study today comes from Deuteronomy 2:24-3:11. Please read this passage of Scripture.
Based on these verses, who fought the battles for the nation of Israel? Choose one.
The people of Israel Soldiers
Moses The Lord their God
In previous posts, we discovered that God uses various means to protect His children. Whether it is a wall, a shield, or His wings, our God promises to protect His beloved ones from harm.
Today, we will look at one last way God protected His people—by fighting their battles. Because there were no actual walls surrounding their residence in the desert, the people of Israel became open targets for the enemy’s attack. The Israelites were placed in a vulnerable position. Basically, they were sitting ducks. Therefore, God served as both defense and offense when His people came face to face with the enemy. Thus, God became their warrior.
Read Exodus 14:13-14.
In this particular battle, what was God’s role?
What were the people commanded to do during this battle?
You and I are embattled in war every day. It’s called spiritual warfare. Choosing to let God fight our battles often goes against our flesh, our needs, and our instincts. Humanly speaking, we have this innate defense mechanism to protect ourselves and fight the war (all alone) if need be. We want to win. We want to see the enemy throw up his hands in defeat. However, in my study of God’s Word, I have found that the greatest victories for God’s people have come when they have stepped back and allowed God the privilege of fighting for them.
This scenario is played out marvelously in one particular Old Testament chapter. It would be to our advantage to read this story and pull out key information pertaining to our topic at hand.
Read 2 Chronicles 20:1-30 and summarize briefly.
Skim through the following verses from 2 Chronicles 20, and write what you learn about King Jehoshaphat.
Verse 3:
Verses 5-6:
Verse 12:
Verse 18:
Verse 20:
Verse 21:
In your own words, how would you describe this king of Israel?
Think of how Jehoshaphat is an example to you. What principles from his story can you apply to your life right now?
Write out the last sentence of 2 Chronicles 20:15.
I can’t tell you how often I’ve referred back to this Old Testament story. More times than I can count, I found myself at the edge of the battlefield staring into the enemy’s eyes. Scared and timid, I would leaf through my Bible until 2 Chronicles 20 came into full view. This story about an extraordinary king’s bravery and his faith in his awesome God—in the midst of such a huge battle—would often help me to examine my own battle. The conflict I was in usually never measured up to the massive battle Jehoshaphat faced. But as I witnessed a king’s unshakable faith, and as I watched the True Victor in action; it wasn’t hard to let God go before me. Standing my ground against my powerful enemy, I would recite out loud the words, “For the battle is not yours, but God’s.”
The nation of Israel watched many kings rise and fall in leadership. When they led with faith in God, the nation flourished under their leadership. But biblical history also shows us that not all kings who reigned over Israel followed God. As one reads through the Old Testament, there are stories about leaders who practiced every form of evil. Their hatred of God often led the majority of the people down the same destructive road. It was under these depraved governors that the nation of Israel suffered much misery, and fell repeatedly in battle.
The questions then become: When did Israel confront victory? When did this nation encounter God’s ultimate protection? The answer? Only when they let Him go before them— when they stood back and let God fight their battles. When they allowed God access onto the front lines of the battlefield, victorious conquest was theirs.
Look up 2 Corinthians 10:4 and answer the following questions:
What kinds of weapons give us victory in extreme battles?
When used, what do these weapons accomplish?
According to 1 Samuel 17:45, what weapon did David fight with to win the battle with Goliath?
Write out the specific words that describe the Word of God in Hebrews 4:12.
Some years ago, I was under great spiritual attack. One day, while teaching a Bible study to a group of ladies, I felt a tugging in my spirit, kind of like I was involved in a tug of war game. As I pondered it, I realized that something was happening in the spiritual realm, but I could not visibly see it. As I spoke, I lost concentration; thus, delivering the message became challenging. Troubled by this, I later questioned God and asked Him what I could do the following week to prevent the same scenario from happening again. He led me to use His Word to fight this battle.
So the following week, I arrived earlier than usual. My goal was to cover every intricate part of the room with God’s Word, His weapon. With the Bible in my hands, I laid the open book on every table, on the podium, and at each doorway and windowsill. I prayed again and again, “That we may be delivered from wicked and evil men, for not everyone has faith. But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen and protect you from the evil one” (2 Thessalonians 3:2-3). By utilizing these weapons, the battle became God’s, not mine. Consequently, God restored peace and freedom in the Bible study class.
Perhaps you are in a heated battle right now. Maybe in a conflict with another person. Your heart might be feeling the deep wound of betrayal, or a stabbing pang because someone has wronged you. Fear has crept in or hopelessness has captured your mind. These are all battles. Let’s strive together to allow God to fight for us. Let God become your warrior. Using the weapons at our disposal will most certainly give us victory in each battle.
Find verses dealing with your situation, write them out, and say them over and over. We need not worry about the vulnerability of the desert. God has promised to surround us with His mighty protection.
In closing, please review our topic this week. You may want to look back at each week’s lesson, and write out important truths you learned. How can you walk in these truths this week?
I trust today’s lesson has given you hope in the midst of your battle and help to get through. Please pass this on to someone else and write your comments below. Tell us how you’ve fought in this raging war and how you’ve seen God come to your rescue.
Blessings,
