army
A Warrior’s Heart
By Linda Rex
Yesterday I took my child to Franklin so she could participate in a career assessment. The event included a rather lengthy presentation by two army recruiters, who were doing their best to inspire the teens who were present to join the Army or one of the branches of the military.
From where I was sitting, I could tell that there were a few of the teens, who with the encouragement of their parents, would probably enlist in the near future. Some of them were from military families, who were well acquainted with the rigors of this life.
I reflected back to that morning when I had read about King David in 1 Chronicles 12. I had had one of those epiphanies the Spirit gives sometimes when we are reading the Scriptures. It was something I had not really put together in that way before. Let me share it with you.
David was a simple shepherd boy, the youngest of eight brothers, when the prophet Samuel anointed him king over Israel. God arranged the circumstances in his life so that he served and trained in the presence of King Saul, in the royal court. He became a close friend to Saul’s son Jonathan, and grew into a powerful warrior and leader of Israel’s army. In time, the blessing of God on his life could not be hidden, and Saul’s jealousy drove him to seek to take David’s life.
So then we see David hiding in the wilderness, running from place to place so that he did not need to engage King Saul in battle. He had a couple opportunities to kill the king, but chose not to, choosing instead to let God take care of removing King Saul from office. Eventually King Saul and his sons died during a war with the Philistines.
But even then, David did not take the kingship to himself. His tribe of Judah declared him to be king, but other men wanted Saul’s son Ishbosheth to be king. That, however, did not last long. In time all of Israel turned to David and he became their ruler.
In the centuries after these events, King David was often used by the prophets as an illustration of the coming Messiah who would restore Israel’s glory. What came to my mind yesterday was that King David’s experience in the wilderness is a good illustration of the ministry of God in the world today.
Just as David was anointed by God in his humility to be king and yet lived in obscurity for many years, our Messiah Jesus Christ was born and raised in humble circumstances, living as the Son of God in our humanity and experiencing all aspects of our lives. The evil one sought to destroy him and his work at every turn—and in many ways, like David, Jesus’ real glory as the king of all was hidden in his humanity. Even though he was tempted by Satan to take the throne of the earth on his own terms, he refused to, trusting his Father to bring it to pass in his good time.
In Jesus’ death, resurrection and ascension, he was anointed by the Father to be king of all. And even though Jesus is the real king, right now we live in a world that is ruled by a dark king who acts as though he is still in charge. He seduces, twists people’s minds and hearts, steals all that we cherish and value, lies and deceives, and somehow continues to keep people enthralled by his reign.
But Jesus is the reality of the kingdom of God here on earth, though we do not fully experience that kingdom in all its fullness right now. Through the gift of the Spirit and the calling of the church to bear witness to Jesus Christ, we see God bringing his kingdom into new places and to new people in new ways all the time.
The scriptures call our God a warrior, who, like King David, is assembling a great army against the darkness and evil that exists in the world today. Each of us is like the warriors who came to David and gave themselves to serve him in battle. We are each participating with Jesus in this battle to bring light into dark places.
The good news is that Satan’s rule is over. It is only a matter of time and he will be gone and righteousness, life, and light will truly reign in every part of the cosmos. At that time there will not be any room left for evil or for those who committed themselves to participating in the darkness. At some point, there will only be room for light and life, and God, with his people, will reign in triumphant glory. We anxiously await that day.
But in the meantime, we are at war. Like the mighty men who were equipped for battle, each of us has been equipped by the Holy Spirit with gifts, talents, abilities, experiences and resources to be used in this divine warfare. We have each been placed in certain circumstances around certain people and given opportunities to participate in God’s work in this world to bring light into dark places.
The picture of Jesus on the white horse with his armies following him, is reminiscence of King David with his warriors and raiding bands and armies. And it also is a good picture of God at work even today through Jesus and in the Spirit as he works through people all over the world who are actively bringing life to dead places, light into darkness, hope to despairing people everywhere. Churches, parachurch organizations, food pantries, caregivers, people working to protect and heal the environment—the list goes on. People in every area of life, in every place, are all participating in God’s work to retake this world for Christ.
That leaves one question: Will you join in? I cannot promise that the benefits are superlative. There is a possibility you may suffer and struggle, be wounded in battle, maybe even die. But I can promise you that in the end, you’ll be a whole lot better off than someone who joins the other side—because they’ve already lost the war.
Lord, you are a Mighty Warrior. We are so proud to be a part of your conquering army. Finish what you have begun in us and in our world. We need your kingdom to be fully earthed so that all of life reflects you and your glory. Even so come, Lord Jesus, in every area of life and fully in each of us. In the name the Father, Son and Spirit. Amen.
“For day by day men came to David to help him, until there was a great army alike the army of God.” 1 Chronicles 12:22
“The LORD your God is in your midst, a victorious warrior. He will exult over you with joy, He will be quiet in His love, he will rejoice over you with shouts of joy. Zephaniah 3:17
When We’d Rather Make Them Pay
by Linda Rex
Often we read the sermons of Jesus in which he advocates doing good to our enemies rather than giving them what they deserve (Matt. 5:39). Our natural response may be to say how ridiculous it is to even think of trying to do this in real life. What we experience in the normal course of events is most often the exact opposite.
A story I came across the other day in the Old Testament popped out at me, because it actually illustrated this specific principle at work. Of course, it was many millenia ago, and involved two kings who were at war with one another, and a prophet who was diligently doing the will of God.
The story goes like this. The nation of Aram was at war with the nation of Israel. Every time the king of Aram went to attack the nation of Israel, the prophet Elisha would warn the king of Israel about the ambush. This kept the Israelites safe from attack.
After a while, the king of Aram got ticked off, and began searching for a traitor among his officers. Apparently their military intelligence was working properly this time, because one of the officers told him about the prophet Elisha and what he was doing to inform the king of Israel about their plans of attack.
So early the next morning, Elisha’s servant woke up to find his beloved city of Dothan surrounded by the Aramean army with its soldiers, horses and chariots. Needless to say, he was terrified, and anxiously asked Elisha what they should do.
Elisha first asked God to give his servant an assurance of his presence in the midst of this terrifying situation. So God enabled Elisha’s servant to see that God’s army with its horses and chariots covered the hills around the city. They were perfectly safe in the midst of this danger.
Then Elisha asked God to cause the soldiers of Aram to be blinded so they couldn’t see where they were or where they would be going. Then he proceeded to tell the commander that he would lead them to the city and person they were looking for. And off they went to Israel’s capital city of Samaria.
There in the middle of Samaria with the Israelite army surrounding them, Elisha asked God to give the Arameans back their sight. Now they saw that they were totally at the mercy of the Israelites, their enemies! At that point the king of Israel asked if he should kill them.
How simple it would have been to kill all of those enemy soldiers! They had no hope of escaping, and they were guilty of harassing the Israelites with their constant attacks. It certainly would have been just, if looked at from that point of view.
But Elisha pulled out the “do good to your enemies” principle and told the king of Israel he should give them food and water and send them back to their master. So the king held a great feast, made sure they were all well supplied and then sent them home.
What’s interesting is the small statement at the end of this story—the soldiers from Aram quit raiding the Israelite territory. Now if the king of Israel had gone ahead and killed all those soldiers from Aram, it would have probably been the “just” thing to do, but it would have only escalated the tension between the two countries. It would have initiated real war. But in doing good to their enemies, the Israelites, guided by God through Elisha the prophet, invoked the power of grace and service. And hearts were changed, at least, for the time being. So how is it possible to really do this in real life?
First, we see that Elisha was living in a relationship with God in which he was in tune with God’s heart and mind, and he was trusting in God’s love, grace and protection. He was living in obedience to God, doing as God asked, even when it was difficult or dangerous.
Secondly, we need to see beyond the physical into the realm of God’s kingdom life. There is a spiritual reality that exists beyond our humanity. We participate in the spiritual realm through Jesus Christ and in the Holy Spirit. God is with us, in us and for us. We have no reason to be afraid.
Thirdly, we need to follow God’s lead, and allow him to take us wherever he wishes us to go. He will give us the ability to see what’s really going on when the time is right. He will help us to know what to do to best resolve the situation without revenge or violence.
Lastly, we need to choose grace and service rather than revenge or cold justice. Looking at the situation through the eyes of Christ, we can ask, what would be the most gracious, hospitable thing to do? How can I offer this person God’s love in the midst of this?
The reality is that even our efforts to do good in response to evil may end in suffering, loss and abuse. Christ called us to be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. There is a need for caution, wisdom, and seeking counsel and help from others in the midst of dangerous or potentially harmful circumstances. But at the same time we can apply God’s principle of grace and service in the midst of it all, and experience God’s blessings as a result.
Father, thank you that you are faithful in the midst of difficult and dangerous circumstances. Grant us the heart, wisdom and strength to do good to others, no matter their response to us. Grant us courage, faith, and obedience so we will follow you wherever you lead. Show us how best to love others with Christ’s love through the Spirit in the midst of adversity. In Jesus’ name, by your precious Spirit. Amen.
“But if your enemy is hungry, feed him, and if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap burning coals on his head. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” Romans 12:20–21 NASB
(You can find the story in 2 Kings 6:8-23.)
Our Life in the Trinity 