God is a Man of War (Part 3)

"God is A Man of War" - God Fights for His People and He Fights Beside Them (Part 3)

When facing attack of a siege type, destroy everything around your stronghold that the enemy needs to sustain them in a lengthy siege. And of most importance, make sure you have a very large supply of ordnance at hand (don't want to run out of ammo do you?). Just realize as Hezekiah did, that the enemy is just men and it is God who is on your side to fight your battle. Hezekiah spoke this as comfort to the people and the people "rested" on his words.
“2 Chronicles 32:22 And when Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib was come, and that he was purposed to fight against Jerusalem, 3 He took counsel with his princes and his mighty men to stop the waters of the fountains which were without the city: and they did help him. 4 So there was gathered much people together, who stopped all the fountains, and the brook that ran through the midst of the land, saying, Why should the kings of Assyria come, and find much water? 5 Also he strengthened himself, and built up all the wall that was broken, and raised it up to the towers, and another wall without, and repaired Millo in the city of David, and made darts and shields in abundance. 6 And he set captains of war over the people, and gathered them together to him in the street of the gate of the city, and spake comfortably to them, saying, 7 Be strong and courageous, be not afraid nor dismayed for the king of Assyria, nor for all the multitude that is with him: for there be more with us than with him: 8 With him is an arm of flesh; but with us is the LORD our God to help us, and to fight our battles. And the people rested themselves upon the words of Hezekiah king of Judah."

SOME EXAMPLES OF WARS WON BY GOD'S PEOPLE AND WITH GOD ON THEIR SIDE
God told Moses to go to war against the Midianites. He did not just sending the warriors of the people, he sent Eleazer the priest to fight in the battle as well as God's representative. Eleazer blew the trumpet for the attack and the battle was won.
“Numbers 31:6 And Moses sent them to the war, a thousand of every tribe, them and Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, to the war, with the holy instruments, and the trumpets to blow in his hand. 7 And they warred against the Midianites, as the LORD commanded Moses; and they slew all the males. 8 And they slew the kings of Midian, beside the rest of them that were slain; namely, Evi, and Rekem, and Zur, and Hur, and Reba, five kings of Midian: Balaam also the son of Beor they slew with the sword. 9 And the children of Israel took all the women of Midian captives, and their little ones, and took the spoil of all their cattle, and all their flocks, and all their goods. 10 And they burnt all their cities wherein they dwelt, and all their goodly castles, with fire. 11 And they took all the spoil, and all the prey, both of men and of beasts. 12 And they brought the captives, and the prey, and the spoil, unto Moses, and Eleazar the priest, and unto the congregation of the children of Israel, unto the camp at the plains of Moab, which are by Jordan near Jericho. 13 And Moses, and Eleazar the priest, and all the princes of the congregation, went forth to meet them without the camp. 14 And Moses was wroth with the officers of the host, with the captains over thousands, and captains over hundreds, which came from the battle. 15 And Moses said unto them, Have ye saved all the women alive? 16 Behold, these caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to commit trespass against the LORD in the matter of Peor, and there was a plague among the congregation of the LORD. 17 Now therefore kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman that hath known man by lying with him. 18 But all the women children, that have not known a man by lying with him, keep alive for yourselves."

God told Joshua not to have fear and take all of his soldiers with him and attack Ai, that God had given him the victory over them
“Joshua 8:1; "1 And the LORD said unto Joshua, Fear not, neither be thou dismayed: take all the people of war with thee, and arise, go up to Ai: see, I have given into thy hand the king of Ai, and his people, and his city, and his land:"

The sons of Reuben, the Gadites, and the half tribe Manasseh (44,760 in number) defeated the Hagarites, Jetur, Nephish, and Nodab because they cried to God in the battle, and the record says, that the war was of God.
“1 Chronicles 5:18 The sons of Reuben, and the Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh, of valiant men, men able to bear buckler and sword, and to shoot with bow, and skilful in war, were four and forty thousand seven hundred and threescore, that went out to the war. 19 And they made war with the Hagarites, with Jetur, and Nephish, and Nodab.20 And they were helped against them, and the Hagarites were delivered into their hand, and all that were with them: for they cried to God in the battle, and he was intreated of them; because they put their trust in him. 21 And they took away their cattle; of their camels fifty thousand, and of sheep two hundred and fifty thousand, and of asses two thousand, and of men an hundred thousand. 22 For there fell down many slain, because the war was of God. And they dwelt in their steads until the captivity."

COMING WARS THAT GOD'S PEOPLE WILL HAVE TO FIGHT
The prophet Joel prophesied to the future Gentiles in our time to prepare for war, beat plows into swords, turn pruning hooks into spears, let weak say I am strong, let the men of war draw near, gather round about awaiting the mighty ones of God to come down. God will be the hope of His people and the children of Israel.

“Joel 3:9 Proclaim ye this among the Gentiles; Prepare war, wake up the mighty men, let all the men of war draw near; let them come up: 10 Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruninghooks into spears: let the weak say, I am strong. 11 Assemble yourselves, and come, all ye heathen, and gather yourselves together round about: thither cause thy mighty ones to come down, O LORD. 12 Let the heathen be wakened, and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat: for there will I sit to judge all the heathen round about. 13 Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe: come, get you down; for the press is full, the fats overflow; for their wickedness is great. 14 Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision. 15 The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their shining. 16 The LORD also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the LORD will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel. 17 So shall ye know that I am the LORD your God dwelling in Zion, my holy mountain: then shall Jerusalem be holy, and there shall no strangers pass through her any more. 18 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the mountains shall drop down new wine, and the hills shall flow with milk, and all the rivers of Judah shall flow with waters, and a fountain shall come forth of the house of the LORD, and shall water the valley of Shittim. 19 Egypt shall be a desolation, and Edom shall be a desolate wilderness, for the violence against the children of Judah, because they have shed innocent blood in their land. 20 But Judah shall dwell for ever, and Jerusalem from generation to generation. 21 For I will cleanse their blood that I have not cleansed: for the LORD dwelleth in Zion."

Then there is the prophecy of the final battle when all nations will gather against Jerusalem to battle.
“Zechariah 14:1 Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee. 2 For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city. 3 Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle. 4 And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south. 5 And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah: and the LORD my God shall come, and all the saints with thee. 6 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the light shall not be clear, nor dark: 7 But it shall be one day which shall be known to the LORD, not day, nor night: but it shall come to pass, that at evening time it shall be light. 8 And it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the former sea, and half of them toward the hinder sea: in summer and in winter shall it be. 9 And the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one. "

AS A CHRISTIAN SOLDIER, WHAT CAN YOU EXPECT FROM GOD IN BATTLE?
As a Christian soldier, God gives you strength in battle; he gives you victory over your foes. When you stand with God on your side, in a battle He approves you to fight, you are more than a conqueror in more than just battle against spiritual foes.
“Psalms 27:3 Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident.”

God will light your way, He will shield you from harm, He will supply you with strength and power (power of the Holy Spirit - both physical and spiritual power to fight with), He will keep you steady and on safe footing, you will pursue your enemy and destroy them, God has given you strength for battle and you will subdue and destroy the enemy that hates you. Even when the enemy calls to God for help, He will not help them. And after the victory, all the nations around will respect and fear you. When you face an enemy of unbelievers, who worship not the one true God and His Son, Christ Jesus...you already have victory if you are a member of the body of Christ, one of God's people standing for God and His Word.
“2 Samuel 22:29 For thou art my lamp, O LORD: and the LORD will lighten my darkness. 30 For by thee I have run through a troop: by my God have I leaped over a wall. 31 As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler to all them that trust in him. 32 For who is God, save the LORD? and who is a rock, save our God? 33 God is my strength and power: and he maketh my way perfect. 34 He maketh my feet like hinds' feet: and setteth me upon my high places. 35 He teacheth my hands to war; so that a bow of steel is broken by mine arms. 36 Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation: and thy gentleness hath made me great. 37 Thou hast enlarged my steps under me; so that my feet did not slip. 38 I have pursued mine enemies, and destroyed them; and turned not again until I had consumed them. 39 And I have consumed them, and wounded them, that they could not arise: yea, they are fallen under my feet. 40 For thou hast girded me with strength to battle: them that rose up against me hast thou subdued under me. 41 Thou hast also given me the necks of mine enemies, that I might destroy them that hate me. 42 They looked, but there was none to save; even unto the LORD, but he answered them not. 43 Then did I beat them as small as the dust of the earth, I did stamp them as the mire of the street, and did spread them abroad. 44 Thou also hast delivered me from the strivings of my people, thou hast kept me to be head of the heathen: a people which I knew not shall serve me. 45 Strangers shall submit themselves unto me: as soon as they hear, they shall be obedient unto me. 46 Strangers shall fade away, and they shall be afraid out of their close places. 47 The LORD liveth; and blessed be my rock; and exalted be the God of the rock of my salvation."

Let us look at the New Testament and observe the terminology of war used and references to conflict and war. Paul in Romans chapter 8 said as much as possible to live peaceably with all men with connotation that with some peace may not be possible.
“Romans 12:18 If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men."

Paul used the illustration that if you sound the trumpet as a call to battle weakly, softly, no one will know to prepare themselves for battle.
“1 Corinthians 14:7 And even things without life giving sound, whether pipe or harp, except they give a distinction in the sounds, how shall it be known what is piped or harped? 8 For if the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to the battle?"

In the well known listing of things we are more than conquerors in by Paul in the letter to the Romans, Chapter 8 verse 35 states "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?". Even sword (war) can not separate us from the love of Christ and then the key verse, 36, which says "For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter." Then in the next verse is the answer to the list of perils, the word Ney. Ney in old English is an emphatic tense of the word "no," a sudden and strong NO..."we are more than conquerors through him that loved us." We are not intended by God to be killed all the day long and in no wise are we to be counted as sheep to the slaughter. Couple this with the previous statement that even war can not separate us from the love of Christ and we have a conceptual expression that war is not preferred, but when push comes to shove it is an option.
“Romans 8:31 What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? 32 He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? 33 Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. 34 Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. 37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. 38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

In Hebrews the famous exploits of Gedeon, Barak, Samson, Jephthae, and David who subdued kingdoms, escaped the edge of the sword, waxed valiant in fight, and turned to flight the armies of the aliens. And all of this was done through faith in God who had time and time again proved that He fights beside and for His people.
“Hebrews 11:32 And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets: 33 Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, 34 Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. 35 Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection:"

The verse that is most commonly used to put down the idea of war is found in the book of James. But, if you read the context of the verse you will see that it speaks of conflicts between members of the body of Christ, whether individuals of groups of believers in different areas. We are not to fight with our brothers and sisters in Christ and neither are Christian countries or nations to so fight either. These types of fights are caused by greed and resentment that others have what we do not have. The conclusive statement of the matter is that we can not be a friend of the World because to be so is to be the Enemy of God (The world being the unbelievers and those who refuse to believer, the people who are under the control of our Adversary the Devil).
“James 4:1 From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? 2 Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. 3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts. 4 Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God."

The unbelievers of the Devil went to war with the remnant of the woman’s seed (the end time believers), who kept God's commandments and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
“Revelation 12:17 And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.”

When Christ Jesus returns for the second coming, the army of heaven and all the saints of the body of Christ will accompany him to make war on the Devil and his seed.
“Revelation 19:11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.”

The Beast, the kings of the earth and their armies will gather to make war against the returned Christ and his army (which will include all of the born again believers at this point) which will include you and I.
“Revelation 19:19 And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army.”

From the records in the Word of God we see some pertinent things. With God on our side (as long as we are in fellowship and harmony with His will) we will always be victorious when we fight to defend God's people from attacks from outside the country or nation and defend our brothers and sisters from attacks of oppression from within the land. Christian believers should be supportive of each other and Christian nation should not fight Christian nation (as expressed in James 4:1-4). As Christians and members of the body of Christ, we all have one enemy, the Devil (Satan) and them who choose to be on His side by their rejection of God's Word and His son Christ Jesus as Lord and savior. Since the beginning there have only been two sides, the seed of woman culminating in Jesus Christ, and the seed of the Devil (the heathen and unbelieving). There is no middle way, no grey area to sit comfortably in. As Jesus taught, you are either for him or against him. As stated in James 4, if the world is your friend you are the enemy of God. God has no restrictions on us as believers in protecting ourselves and rescuing fellow believers out of harm and oppression. It is a justifiable cause to go to the defense of Christians anywhere in the world, where it allows the oppression, persecution, and killing of Christians (our brothers and sisters in Christ and fellow members of the body of Christ). In our dealings with the world, it is a matter of white and black, God's light vrs. the Devil's darkness in the world. It is preferable to live at peace with all men and as Paul stated, to be all things to all men in order to save some. Under some unfortunate circumstances though, we can not remain at peace when oppression, severe persecution, or destructive attack of God's people can be avoided in defending them.

At no point did God send Israel on a rescue mission to save the heathen around them from fighting and killing each other. Only when God's people were threatened did God muster Israel to battle, and the out come, as long as God was for the conflict, was victory. When wars are fought out of greed or lust for power, control of material resources, or theft of another's land (which do not meet the approval of God), there is either defeat or indecisive outcome (as in no change, not settled securely and unconditionally). We all know of conflicts in the world that fell into the "show of God's non-approval" in a not too distant time frame.

As to the member of the body of Christ in military service, all of God's promises apply to them in battle. The Christian soldier is equipped to fight both in the spiritual battle and the five senses battle (war). He or she has the upper hand on any attacker of God's people. God does not view a person whose vocation is military as an inferior position in life. And concerning a Christian soldier, "One can truly chase a thousand" with God on their side.

As long as a country or nation honors God and functions according to His Word, it has the protection of God. Only when a country or nation starts to function in opposition to God's will does vulnerability to successful opportunity for attack from enemies happen. As long as God's Word is a living presence in the leaders and the people, victorious and secure living prevails. When a country or nation rejects God, that country or nation had removed itself from under the umbrella of God's protection and favor. God will bless the country that honors Him and His Word abundantly with peace and prosperity.