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To Teach Them War

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• Judges chapter 3 today, Judges chapter 3, and we're going to be looking at the first five verses, Judges chapter 3. The title of the message is "To Teach Them War." I think you'll understand as we read Judges chapter 3, beginning with verse 1: "Now these are the nations which the Lord left, to prove Israel by them, even as many of Israel as had not known all the wars of Canaan; only that the generations of the children of Israel might know, to teach them war, at the least such as before knew nothing thereof; namely, the five lords of the Philistines, and all the Canaanites, and the Sidonians, and the Hivites that dwelt in Mount Lebanon, from Mount Baal-hermon unto the entering in of Hamath. And they were to prove Israel by them, to know whether they would hearken unto the commandments of the Lord, which he commanded their fathers by the hand of Moses. And the children of Israel dwelt among the Canaanites, Hittites, and Amorites, and Perizzites, and Hivites, and Jebusites." Now, to teach them war.

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• When we hear the word "war," we automatically think of death and destruction, and by implication, we automatically think that all war is evil simply because it brings death and destruction. So let me begin this message with a shocker: War is not evil in and of itself, even though it is associated with death and destruction. Moreover, death and destruction are not evil in and of themselves. When you stop and think, death is a part of living.

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• One cannot die unless he has lived. And we understand that the wages of sin is death. Death, therefore, is not evil; it is a form of justice, which is indeed the consequence of sin. Moreover, for the child of God, death cannot be evil, because death is our entrance into the eternal state. Moreover, you have to remember that our Lord died. So death certainly is not evil. It cannot possibly be evil. In 2 Corinthians chapter 5, let me just read verses 1 through 4, and listen carefully as the Apostle Paul talks about death. He says this: "For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven: if so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked. For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life."

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• So the Apostle Paul is saying, by nature, the child of God groans in this tabernacle, and he's waiting for the putting off of this tabernacle, that we might be in the eternal state. So death is not evil and cannot be evil in and of itself. Destruction is not evil in and of itself. You have to remember that God has used various forms of judgments upon the wicked, and moreover, He's also used various forms of judgment to afflict the righteous.

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• In the book of Amos, chapter 3 and verse 6, this question is asked: "Shall a trumpet be blown in the city, and the people not be afraid? Shall there be evil in a city, and the Lord hath not done it?" Now listen to that question: "Shall there be evil in a city, and the Lord hath not done it?" And the word "evil" there refers to affliction, trouble, adversity, distress, misery, and calamity.

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• Now we know that God is holy and just. And therefore when God brings death and destruction upon the wicked, it is not evil, nor is it wicked or wrong. He brings His judgments for various reasons. You remember just recently there have been some, what you and I would call, tragic tornadic activity out in Oklahoma. Just like there's been some down in Florida with the hurricanes and some tornadoes and hurricanes in Louisiana. When you stop and think about the hurricanes and the tornadoes, you have to understand that God is absolutely sovereign, and He is in control.

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• In fact, the Bible says, in Job 37, in verse 13, talking about the weather, the Bible says this: "He causeth it to come for correction, or for his land, or for mercy." So God then can bring judgment even through weather. And God is the one that causes it to come. Sometimes He causes it to come for mercy, sometimes for correction, sometimes just for the benefit of His land. Moreover, Habakkuk is speaking of war in Habakkuk 1 in verse 12. And in this passage, he is referring to the Babylonians who are going to come and attack Judea and Jerusalem. And he asks this question: "Art thou not from everlasting, O Lord my God, mine Holy One? We shall not die." Now listen to what he says about the Babylonians: "O Lord, thou hast ordained them for judgment; and, O mighty God, thou hast established them for correction." So what he said is, the Babylonians are going to come upon us because it is our judgment. And God is going to use that to correct us and to chastise us.

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• So I must point out that death and destruction are not evil in and of themselves. War is not evil in and of itself. Now I might also point out that war can be evil when it is instituted and initiated for evil purposes which are unbiblical and ungodly. In fact, I would venture to say in relationship to man, most wars are unbiblical and ungodly, but it does not necessarily have to be that.

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• The very first time you see the word "war" in the Bible, it is found in Genesis chapter 14 in verse 2, where these five kings are making war with four kings. And the reason they're making war is to conquer and to exercise dominion and to collect more booty and to gain fame and honor for themselves. So it's interesting how the very first time the word "war" is used, it's man against man. The last time the word "war" is used in the Bible, it's found in Revelation 19 in verse 19, where the Bible says, "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." So in the last verse of the Bible, the beast and all of the kings of the earth are warring against Jesus Christ and against His people.

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• Now, let me answer the question I hope is forming in your mind: Does our Lord engage in war? And the answer is yes. He does engage in war. He does fight. And the Bible says in Revelation chapter 19 verse 11, listen: "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." In righteousness he doth judge and make war.

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• Now you must remember that God is immutable. That means God does not change. God was a man of war in the Old Testament. God is a man of war in the New Testament. In Exodus 15 in verse 3, Scripture says, "The Lord is a man of war: the Lord is his name." So God is immutable. He is still a man of war. So obviously war cannot be evil in and of itself, if number one, God himself is a man of war, and number two, our Lord himself engages in war. You have to remember also Ecclesiastes 3 in verse 8, where God says there is "a time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace." And let me also give you some counsel that God has given concerning war. For instance, in Proverbs 20 in verse 18, the Bible says, "Every purpose is established by counsel: and with good advice make war." And then when you get to Proverbs 24 and verse 6, God says, "For by wise counsel thou shalt make thy war: and in multitude of counsellors there is safety."

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• So in these two passages, God is saying, look, if you're going to make war, you make sure that you have some wise counsel, you make sure that you have some good advice, and by that He would mean godly advice and biblical counsel as well. War is an assumed fact in Scripture. It is absolutely an assumed fact. For instance, in Deuteronomy chapter 20 and verse 19, God tells His people, "When thou shalt besiege a city a long time, in making war against it to take it, thou shalt not destroy the trees thereof by forcing an axe against them: for thou mayest eat of them, and thou shalt not cut them down (for the tree of the field is man's life) to employ them in the siege." And what God says in the next verse is this, that they can cut down any tree that is not good for food. But those trees that are good for food, God said, you shall not cut them down. But notice He said, "...when thou shalt besiege a city a long time."

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• And then he said in Deuteronomy 21 and verse 10, "When thou goest forth to war against thine enemies, and the Lord thy God hath delivered them into thine hands..." Here are two passages that I just quoted. And I want you to note in each of those passages God said "when" and not "if." "When thou goest to war." So war is an assumed fact in Scripture, and war is not evil in and of itself. If war was evil in and of itself, that would mean that defensive wars would be wrong in and of themselves. That would mean that it would be wrong for a people to get together and defend their lives and their families. And if corporate defense would be wrong and evil in and of itself, that would also mean that individual defense would be evil in and of itself. If it is wrong for individuals to defend their lives and for families to defend themselves and for communities and a group of people to defend themselves, that would mean this: that evil would be unchecked.

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• And evil would triumph because good and godly men do nothing to stop it. Augustine, who was one of the early theologians, in the fourth century defended and defined just wars as defensive wars. Now since the time of Augustine there have been many scholars and theologians that said, look, war is not evil in and of itself, especially if it is a just war, and by that they mean a defensive war. While it is true that defensive wars are just and holy, it is equally true that oftentimes offensive wars may be just and holy.

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• Let me show you an example. I want you to turn in your Bibles, holding Judges 3, but turn to the book of Numbers chapter 31. Numbers chapter 31. And let's look here at the first three verses. In this passage, God is telling Moses to avenge themselves of the Midianites. Now, the Midianites have not attacked the children of Israel. It is true that earlier in this book, the Midianites seduced some of the children of Israel into fornication and idolatry. And there was a plague, and about 23,000 Israelites died because of the judgment of God upon them. But the Midianites now have not attacked them. But look in Numbers 31, verse 1: "And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Avenge the children of Israel of the Midianites: afterward shalt thou be gathered unto thy people. And Moses spake unto the people, saying, Arm some of yourselves unto the war, and let them go against the Midianites, and avenge the Lord of Midian." Now I want you to note, in verse 2, God tells Moses to avenge the children of Israel of the Midianites. And in verse 3, when Moses arms the people, he says, "avenge the Lord of the Midianites." So it was a holy and just war. God commanded it. It was an offensive war in this sense of the word, that Israel had not been attacked by the Midianites.

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• Afterwards thou shalt be gathered unto thy people. And Moses spake unto the people, saying, Arm some of yourselves unto the war, and let them go against the Midianites, and avenge the Lord of Midian. Now I want you to note, in verse 2, God tells Moses to avenge the children of Israel of the Midianites. And in verse 3, when Moses arms the people, he says, avenge the Lord of the Midianites. So it was a holy and just war. God commanded it. It was an offensive war in this sense of the word, that Israel had not been attacked by the Midianites.

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• True, they had been seduced earlier. True, they had committed fornication earlier because of the Midianites. But now God says, you go in and wipe them out. Look in your Bibles to 1 Samuel chapter 15. Here's another illustration of an offensive war that is obviously just and holy because it too has been commanded by God. Look in 1 Samuel chapter 15 verse 1: "Samuel also said unto Saul, The Lord sent me to anoint thee to be king over his people, over Israel."

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• Now therefore hearken thou unto the voice of the words of the Lord. Thus saith the Lord of hosts, I remember that which Amalek did to Israel, how he laid wait for him in the way, when he came up from Egypt. Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass. Now, I want you to note, God says, "I remember that which Amalek did to Israel when he came out of Egypt." Now God says, "I want you to go up and utterly wipe out the Amalekites." Do you realize, when God gave the order to wipe out the Amalekites, when He says, "I remember what the Amalekites did to Israel," are you listening? What they did to Israel had been 400 years earlier. And if you read Deuteronomy 25 verses 17 through 19, you'll see their wickedness and their subtlety because they attacked Israel in the hindmost part, they got the weak, they got the faint, they got the weary, and they fought by ambush.

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• And God says, "I just remember what they've done." Now, this is an offensive war. Israel starts it. And it is also a just war and a holy war because God has commanded it.

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• Now, as you go back in your Bible to Judges chapter 3, I want you to understand that war is often necessary. So it should not surprise us that one of the reasons that God has allowed some of the enemies of Israel to remain in the land is so that He might teach them war. Now look in Judges chapter 3 verse 1: "Now these are the nations which the Lord left, to prove Israel by them, even as many of Israel as had not known all the wars of Canaan; only that the generations of the children of Israel might know, to teach them war, at the least such as before knew nothing thereof."

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• Namely, the five lords of the Philistines, and all the Canaanites, and the Sidonians, and the Hivites that dwelt in Mount Lebanon, from Mount Baal-hermon unto the entering in of Hamath. Here's just some that God has left. Here's what the Bible is teaching: Those who had conquered the land under Joshua understood the art of war, the necessity of fighting, and reliance upon God, and obedience to His word. Those who were born after the conquest of the land knew nothing of the art of war, they knew nothing of fighting, they knew nothing of relying upon and trusting in the Lord during a time of war or a time of danger.

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• Now, I only have two points today. I want you to watch them very carefully as we expound this passage because I want the Lord to impress this upon your mind and you're going to see there are more applications than you can imagine right now. So first of all, point number one: It is God's design that His people learn the art of war. It is God's design that His people learn the art of war. We're specifically told in verses 1 and 2 that God left some of the enemies in the land to teach them war.

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• Even as many of Israel who had not known all the wars of Canaan. So they did not know how to fight. And God said, "I'm going to leave some there to teach them war." Now interestingly, God had to teach the Israelites who came out of Egypt to fight. They had been slaves for 400 years. They had been kowtowed by their enemies. And the truth is, they were so servile and so cowardly that God could not lead them directly into the promised land. Because to lead them into the promised land, He would have to take them through the land of the Philistines. And God said, "You know, they'd probably turn back when they saw war. They're so servile and so cowardly."

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• I want you to see this. Look in your Bibles, Exodus chapter 13. Hold the book of Judges. But look in Exodus chapter 13, if you would. Beginning there with verse 17. Exodus chapter 13 and verse 17. And I'll tell you something that may surprise you momentarily. Exodus chapter 13, notice if you would please, verses 17 and 18. Exodus chapter 13 verse 17: "And it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God led them not through the way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, Lest peradventure the people repent when they see war, and they return to Egypt: but God led the people about, through the way of the wilderness of the Red sea: and the children of Israel went up harnessed out of the land of Egypt." Now when the Bible says, "the children of Israel went up harnessed out of the land of Egypt," all that means is they went up in a military manner.

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• They walked in ranks of five. Although they went up out of the land in a military manner, they were not prepared to fight, they were not ready to fight, they were weak, they were inexperienced, and they were cowardly.

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• Now, not only did they provoke God oftentimes as He was leading them, but when they got to Kadesh Barnea, in Numbers chapter 13, and God says, "Alright, go in, and conquer the land, I'm giving it to you." They refused to fight. They said, "Man, we saw the people of that land, and those cities are walled up to heaven, and there are giants there, and we are just grasshoppers in their sight. We're just grasshoppers." And so they refused to fight.

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• Let me tell you something that's very interesting. God has led the children of Israel the long way around, lest they see war and get scared and go back into Egypt. When God brought them out of Egypt, if God had taken them directly into the promised land, do you know how long it would have taken them to have gotten from Egypt into the promised land? 11 days. You'll find that in Deuteronomy chapter 1 verse 2. It was an 11 days' journey. An 11 days' journey.

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• And they spent 40 years in the wilderness. Why? Because they refused to fight. They did not want to fight.

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• Now, I can hear people begin to make objections as I'm teaching this message, because it is "to teach them war." And someone's going to come up with this objection and say, "But pastor, you don't understand. The children of Israel had enemies that were seeking to destroy them. And we don't have enemies that seek to destroy us. We don't have enemies that want to take our lives, our liberties, our families, and our freedoms?" Someone will say, "Well, you don't understand. If it meant I would, if I had to." Well, let me tell you something.

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• The sixth commandment, "Thou shalt not kill." The positive is "Thou shalt preserve life." We have a duty. We have an obligation. We have a responsibility to preserve our lives, the lives of our family, the lives of our neighbors. Someone objects and says, "But I'm not in the military and I'm not inclined to be in the armed service. Therefore, I have no experience in fighting, nor do I even have a desire to learn how to fight."

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• Well, let me just tell you something. You don't have to be in the military to learn how to fight. May I remind you that David was a boy and a shepherd. That means he herded sheep. He was not trained militarily, nor was he even able to wear military accoutrements when he went to fight Goliath of Gath. Yes, Saul armed him with his armor. And the Bible said David hesitated to go because he told Saul, "I haven't proved these things."

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• And he took them off. And he went and faced a well-armed giant who was covered from head to toe with military armament and the latest of equipment. And he went to visit this giant with nothing but a sling and five smooth stones. And you know David defeated the giant. He didn't just hit him with a rock in the forehead, he did that. But when he knocked him out, he went up to Goliath, put his foot on his chest, pulled out Goliath's sword, and cut Goliath's head off with Goliath's own sword.

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• That had to be humiliating, Robert. To have your own weapon used against you like that. Well, let me ask you a question. Everybody in this room knows that David became one of the greatest warriors in the Bible. So here's the question: From whence did David learn his military skills and prowess? Let David answer that for you. 2 Samuel 22 verse 35: David said, "He teacheth my hands to war, so that a bow of steel is broken by mine arms." David says, "God taught me to war, and He made me so powerful that a bow of steel is broken in my arms." Then he said in Psalm 144 in verse 1, "Blessed be the Lord my strength, which teacheth my hands to war, and my fingers to fight." Now the same God that taught David to fight is quite capable of teaching us to fight. The problem is not with God, the problem is with us. Now listen carefully. We're not interested in learning the art of war. We're not interested in learning to fight. And the few that are interested in learning the art of war and learning to fight are not interested in learning to fight biblically and scripturally.

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• And make war biblically and scripturally. Now why did God leave these enemies in the land? What He said in Judges chapter 3, "to teach them war." It is true that God could have easily destroyed all of those enemies. He could have wiped them out instantaneously. Yet He did not do so. He left them in the land. He left them in the land so that His people would learn to fight. Now, please do not tell me that you do not have enemies. You do. Even the holy God of heaven and earth has enemies.

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• For instance, look in your Bibles to Psalm 21. I could multiply these verses but look in Psalm 21, this one will be sufficient. Psalm 21 and let's begin reading there with verse 8, and very obviously this refers to God Himself. Psalm 21 verse 8: David writes, "Thine hand shall find out all thine enemies: thy right hand shall find out those that hate thee. Thou shalt make them as a fiery oven in the time of thine anger."

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• "The Lord shall swallow them up in his wrath, and the fire shall devour them. Their fruit shalt thou destroy from the earth, and their seed from among the children of men. For they intended evil against thee: they imagined a mischievous device, which they are not able to perform. Therefore shalt thou make them turn their back, when thou shalt make ready thine arrows upon thy strings against the face of them. Be thou exalted, Lord, in thine own strength: so will we sing and praise thy power."

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• So here God himself has enemies. Now, you say, "But I don't have any." Turn right over to Psalm 139, and the answer is yes, you do. You not only have enemies of your own making, you have enemies who belong, and properly speaking, who are the Lord's enemies. In Psalm 139, let's begin reading there with verse 19. Psalm 139, verse 19. Look what David says. Watch carefully. Psalm 139, verse 19: "Surely thou wilt slay the wicked, O God."

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• "Depart from me therefore, ye bloody men. For they speak against thee wickedly, and thine enemies take thy name in vain." Look what David says: "Do not I hate them, O Lord, that hate thee? and am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee? I hate them with perfect hatred: I count them mine enemies." And then he says, "Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." Now what did David say? David says, "I hate them with perfect hatred." Who is he hating? God's enemies. And then he says, "Search me, O God, and know my heart. Try me, and see if there is any wicked way in me." It is not wicked to hate God's enemies. Because God's enemies are our enemies. And yes, we do have enemies. Do you not remember what our Lord said in John chapter 15? He said, "If the world hates you, you know that it hated me before it hated you."

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• "If they persecuted me, they're going to persecute you." Obviously, we do have enemies.

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• Now, let me just show you. We must know the art of war in order to fight mentally, emotionally, financially, physically, and spiritually. There are many dimensions to the art of war. And we must learn them in order to prepare ourselves so that we can be holy and godly. Let me give you one illustration. Turn in your Bibles to 2 Corinthians 10 and let's begin reading there with verse 3. 2 Corinthians 10 and look at verse 3.

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• Watch what the apostle says. 2 Corinthians 10 and verse 3. 2 Corinthians 10 and verse 3. The apostle Paul says, "For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh." Now, verse 4: "For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds."

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• Now let me just stop right there. When Paul says "the weapons of our warfare are not carnal," he is not denigrating guns and knives and grenades and that kind of thing. All the apostle Paul is saying right here is the warfare that he's talking about, physical or carnal weapons are not going to do you a bit of good.

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• Now go back to verse 4. He says, "For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but they're mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds."

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• Now let me remind you that verses 3 through 5, all of this is a military text. Your stronghold is your place of defense. It is where you hide to protect yourself. So if someone came through that door, blasting away with a .357 Magnum, I'm going to jump behind that chair over there. You say, "Well that's not much protection." No, but it's better than what everybody else has.

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• You know, at least I would have something. But if I got behind that chair, then that chair is my stronghold. I want you to watch. I want to show you where man's stronghold is. Look in verse 4 again: "For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds; casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ." Now what is man's stronghold? It's his mind primarily. And the Apostle Paul says, we have to use some spiritual weapons to assault our minds so that every thought and every imagination would be brought in subjection and captivity to the Lord Jesus Christ. Let me tell you something, folks. It is a constant struggle to keep your mind clean and pure. It is a constant struggle to keep your mind in the book and you think scripturally and biblically on every subject in every area of your life.

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• You have to learn to fight. You have to learn the art of war mentally and emotionally just to fight this fight. That's why the Apostle Paul said, "I die daily." Sometimes we have to die hourly. Sometimes minute by minute.

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• Now, why did God leave these enemies in the land in Judges chapter 3? Why did He leave them there? Wouldn't you say, "I know the answer? You said to teach them war." Yes, that is the answer. But however, there is another truth that is equally obvious in that answer. And I'm going to prove it to you from the Bible just momentarily. The truth is this, that no one really values, appreciates, or esteems that for which he has not worked or fought.

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• Without blood, sweat, and tears, and without a great cost to us, we cannot and will not appreciate anything. When we struggle and sacrifice and suffer, all of a sudden, we begin to realize the value of something, whether it's a prized possession or whether it's liberty or freedom. Let me try to give you a good illustration of this. Let's look at our children. Let's look at the modern-day family. Do you realize when everything is handed to the children and given to them and provided for them from hand to mouth without it costing them anything, they despise it and disregard the sacrifice of the parents. I could give you illustration after illustration how Alice and I many times sacrificed for our children, many times for our grandchildren. Did they appreciate it?

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• Sometimes they did probably, sometimes they did not. But let me tell you something. You take those same children to whom you hand everything, and you let them get out work, sweat, and tears, and let them start buying something, and all of a sudden they put a little more value in it. In other words, it's easy for you to spin off on that car when your dad is buying the tires, but when you start buying them, you know, you kind of take care of that rubber. You don't want to burn rubber anymore after that. All I'm trying to say is this, the same is true with liberty and freedom. It's easy for us to take our liberty and our freedom for granted. Why?

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• Because we really haven't had it taken from us. Now it is being slowly taken from us, I understand that. But no one has just simply walked up to us and said, "From now on, you have no freedom of speech. From now on, you have no freedom of travel. From now on, you have no freedom of worship." No, no, no, no. We can still do that in some degree and in some way.

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• But you don't appreciate some things until you lose it or until you fight for it. D.H. Lawrence said this, listen carefully, this is so true. He said, "Men fight for liberty and win it with hard knocks. Their children, brought up easy, let it slip away again, poor fools. And their grandchildren are once more slaves." Wow.

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• Now let me tell you something. We do not value that for which we have not fought and worked. And when we don't value these things, we turn into another generation which takes everything for granted and we know nothing of sacrifice and suffering. Let me show you. Turn in your Bibles to the book of Judges chapter 2. Judges chapter 2. And look if you would please at verses 10 through 13. Judges chapter 2, verse 10.

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• Now we're talking about the death of Joshua and all of those who fought with Joshua. So Judges chapter 2 verse 10: "And also all that generation were gathered unto their fathers." So that's Joshua and the people who were with him. "And there arose another generation after them, which knew not the Lord, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel. And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, and served Baalim: and they forsook the Lord God of their fathers, which brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods, of the gods of the people that were round about them, and bowed themselves unto them, and provoked the Lord to anger. And they forsook the Lord, and served Baal and Ashtaroth."

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• How could they do that? Well, they never had to fight. They didn't appreciate Canaan land. They knew nothing of war. It was handed to them on a silver platter. And so what do they do? They just forsake it. They forsake God. They know nothing of His miracles. If we do not learn to fight for truth and righteousness and liberty and freedom, we will become just like those people in Judges chapter 2. We'll become rebels against God and His law. We will become another generation, which I might point out, basically in this country we already have become another generation. John Stuart Mill said this: "War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling that thinks that nothing is worth fighting for is much worse."

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• "The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself." We either have to learn to fight or we become a kept people. We're only free and we only have liberty because someone else is better than we are.

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• So it's God's design to teach us to war. I want you to go back to Judges chapter 3. Here's my second point. I want to tie these two together momentarily. It is not only God's design to teach His people to war, it is God's design, secondly, to teach His people the art of worship. Look in verse 4. Judges 3, verse 4: "And they were to prove Israel by them," that is, that's why He left those enemies in the land, not only teach them war, "and they were to prove Israel by them, to know whether they would hearken unto the commandments of the Lord, which he commanded their fathers by the hand of Moses." Now, our enemies, He tells us, are left in the land to challenge us in obedience. Will we compromise? Will we capitulate? Will we conquer? Do you realize our enemies really do not change us? They just reveal us. Which means if we compromise and if we capitulate, we were never real to begin with. And we really did not have any real interest in worshipping and serving the Lord.

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• And if we're so quick to run into idolatry, that's evidence again that we are not real and genuine. Now, I want to point out the main application based upon the context of Judges chapter 3 verses 1 through 5. I know there are many other applications. But I want you to see this one in the context. Here it is: When we fight, and I don't care if we're talking about fighting mentally, emotionally, physically, financially, spiritually—when we learn the art of war, when we fight, we must learn to fight in faith and obedience. That is, we have to learn to fight biblically. We cannot fight as humanists fight. We cannot fight as anarchists fight. We have to fight based upon the Word of God and the principles of war that God has taught us in His Word. I want you to note this. The second point is, it is God's design that His people learn the art of worship. Ah! You must also learn the art of worship in the art of war. I want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of Joshua chapter 5.

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• Joshua, Judges, so go back just one book to Joshua chapter 5 because here Israel is about to fight and conquer Jericho. And so undoubtedly Joshua is out doing some meditating, doing some praying, doing some thinking before the battle for Jericho. And look in Joshua chapter 5 verse 13. Joshua 5 verse 13: "And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand: and Joshua went unto him." Now Joshua had to be a brave man.

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• Somebody had already got the weapon out. Joshua went unto him and said unto him, "Art thou for us, or for our adversaries?" And he said, "Nay; but as captain of the host of the Lord am I now come." And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him, "What saith my Lord unto his servant?" And the captain of the Lord's host said unto Joshua, "Loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereon thou standest is holy." And Joshua did so. This is a Christophany.

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• This is a pre-incarnate appearing of Jesus Christ in the Old Testament before Christ was ever made flesh. So Joshua sees him standing there with a sword in his hand. And Joshua asks, "Are you for us or for our adversary? Whose side are you on?" And our Lord said, "Nay, I haven't come for a side. I came as captain of the host of the Lord. I'm in charge of this war. I'm in charge." And Joshua immediately fell on his face and worshipped.

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• I want to show you how intimately worship is connected with warfare. I want you to turn to 2 Chronicles chapter 20. I want to take the time to read most of this chapter. 2 Chronicles chapter 20. And I want you to see what God did for Jehoshaphat and for Judah. 2 Chronicles chapter 20. And let's begin reading there with verse 1. 2 Chronicles chapter 20 verse 1: "It came to pass after this also, that the children of Moab, and the children of Ammon, and with them other beside the Ammonites, came against Jehoshaphat to battle. Then there came some that told Jehoshaphat, saying, There cometh a great multitude against thee from beyond the sea on this side Syria; and, behold, they be in Hazazon-tamar, which is En-gedi. And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. And Judah gathered themselves together, to ask help of the Lord: even out of all the cities of Judah they came to seek the Lord. And Jehoshaphat stood in the congregation of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the Lord, before the new court, and said, O Lord God of our fathers, art not thou God in heaven? and rulest not thou over all the kingdoms of the heathen?"

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• Stop right there. Note, if you would, that God is sovereign over all of the heathen. He rules over them. They may not acknowledge Him, they may not recognize Him, but He is still sovereign. He says, "Rulest not thou over the kingdoms of the heathen? and in thine hand is there not power and might, so that none is able to withstand thee? Art not thou our God, who didst drive out the inhabitants of this land before thy people Israel, and gavest it to the seed of Abraham thy friend for ever? And they dwelt therein, and have built thee a sanctuary therein for thy name, saying, If, when evil cometh upon us," he's quoting from 1 Kings 8, "as the sword, judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we stand before this house, and in thy presence, (for thy name is in this house,) and cry unto thee in our affliction, then thou wilt hear and help. And now, behold, the children of Ammon and Moab and mount Seir," that is Edom, "whom thou wouldest not let Israel invade, when they came out of the land of Egypt, but they turned from them, and destroyed them not;"

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• "Behold, I say, how they reward us, to come to cast us out of thy possession, which thou hast given us to inherit. O our God, wilt thou not judge them?"

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• Now look what he says: "For we have no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon thee." You know, we don't have wisdom, we don't have discernment. We don't have sense to know what to do. We don't have any might. Watch verse 13: "And all Judah stood before the Lord, with their little ones, their wives, and their children. Then upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, came the Spirit of the Lord in the midst of the congregation; and he said, Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou king Jehoshaphat, Thus saith the Lord unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God's."

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• "To morrow go ye down against them: behold, they come up by the cliff of Ziz; and ye shall find them at the end of the brook, before the wilderness of Jeruel. Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the Lord with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fear not, nor be dismayed; to morrow go out against them: for the Lord will be with you. And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground: and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell before the Lord, worshipping the Lord. And the Levites, of the children of the Kohathites, and of the children of the Korhites, stood up to praise the Lord God of Israel with a loud voice on high. Now watch."

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• "And they rose early in the morning, and went forth into the wilderness of Tekoa: and as they went forth, Jehoshaphat stood and said, Hear me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem; Believe in the Lord your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper. And when he had consulted with the people," boy, this is warfare, now watch it, "he appointed singers unto the Lord, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise the Lord; for his mercy endureth for ever. And when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which were come against Judah; and they were smitten. For the children of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of mount Seir, utterly to slay and destroy them: and when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, every one helped to destroy another. And when Judah came toward the watch tower in the wilderness, they looked unto the multitude, and, behold, they were dead bodies fallen to the earth, and none escaped."

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• "And when Jehoshaphat and his people came to take away the spoil of them, they found among them in abundance both riches with the dead bodies, and precious jewels, which they stripped off for themselves, more than they could carry away: and they were three days in gathering of the spoil, it was so much. And on the fourth day they assembled themselves in the valley of Berachah; for there they blessed the Lord: therefore the name of the same place was called, The valley of Berachah, unto this day. Then they returned, every man of Judah and Jerusalem, and Jehoshaphat in the forefront of them, to go again to Jerusalem with joy; for the Lord had made them to rejoice over their enemies. And they came to Jerusalem with psalteries and harps and trumpets unto the house of the Lord. And the fear of God was on all the kingdoms of those countries, when they had heard that the Lord fought against the enemies of Israel. So the realm of Jehoshaphat was quiet: for his God gave him rest round about."

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• Now I want to call your attention to the latter part of verse 15, where the prophet said, "Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God's." And what did Jehoshaphat do? He appointed singers to lead the army, to praise the Lord. I didn't notice any of that when I was in boot camp. Did you see any, Henry, when you were there? Stanley, did you? No. But what happened when they began to praise the Lord? The Lord set ambushments, and the enemy killed themselves. You see how intimately worship here is tied in with warfare. I want you to turn over to 2 Chronicles 25. And as you turn there, let me tell you just something about this passage.

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• King Amaziah of Judah hired 100,000 Israelites to help him fight the Edomites. For the hire of the 100,000 Israelites, he paid 100 talents of silver.

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• And a prophet of God came to him and said, "Amaziah, don't let the Israelites go with you, for God's not with them." Watch this. 2 Chronicles 25 verse 7: "But there came a man of God to him, saying, O king, let not the army of Israel go with thee; for the Lord is not with Israel, to wit, with all the children of Ephraim. But if thou wilt go, do it."

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• "Be strong for the battle: God shall make thee fall before the enemy: for God hath power to help, and to cast down. And Amaziah said to the man of God, But what shall we do for the hundred talents which I have given to the army of Israel? And the man of God answered, The Lord is able to give thee much more than this. Then Amaziah separated them, to wit, the army that was come to him out of Ephraim, to go home again." Now, notice what God said to Amaziah. He said, "Amaziah, you've got a choice. You can obey me and send the Israelites home and win the battle. Or you can disobey me and carry them with you and lose the battle." It's just that simple. In other words, Amaziah could fight in obedience and he could win. Or he could fight in disobedience and he could lose.

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• Now I want you to listen to me. I don't care what kind of problems we are facing. I don't care what kind of enemies that we are facing. A financial enemy, an emotional enemy, a mental enemy, a physical enemy, a spiritual enemy. The only way to fight is to fight biblically and scripturally and in obedience. If we don't fight in obedience to God, there's no way that we're going to win, period. If you would take the time when you get home just to read Deuteronomy 20, there are regulations and rules for warfare that God has laid down there, principles, which are to be followed if we're going to fight. I want you to turn back to Judges chapter 2. As you're turning to Judges chapter 2, I want you to look at verse 4 of chapter 3 first. Look, if you would, chapter 3, verse 4. We're talking about the enemies.

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• "And they were to prove Israel by them, to know whether they would hearken unto the commandments of the Lord, which he commanded their fathers by the hand of Moses." Go back to verse 1: "Now these are the nations which the Lord left, to prove Israel by them." Now look back to Judges 2 and verse 22, for here the Scripture says, "that through them I may prove Israel, whether they will keep the way of the Lord to walk therein, as their fathers did keep it, or not." So here's the purpose. God not only wanted to teach them war, He wanted to teach them worship, so as they fought, whichever way they fought, they may worship the Lord in obedience. I want you to look at verse 1 of chapter 3 again: "Now these are the nations which the Lord left, to prove Israel by them, even as many of Israel as had not known all the wars of Canaan."

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• Let me ask you a question. How did the fathers gain the victory in Canaan? It is true that they fought. It is true that they used weapons. However, it was not their weapons nor their fighting ability that gave them victory. It was God who gave them victory. I want you to look in Psalm 44. Psalm 44. I love this passage. Psalm 44, beginning there of verse 1.

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• Notice if you would what the psalmist says. He spells this out so clearly, so succinctly. Psalm 44, verse 1: The psalmist said, "We have heard with our ears, O God, our fathers have told us, what work thou didst in their days, in the times of old. How thou didst drive out the heathen with thy hand, and plantedst them; how thou didst afflict the people, and cast them out. For they got not the land in possession by their own sword, neither did their own arm save them: but thy right hand, and thine arm, and the light of thy countenance, because thou hadst a favour unto them. Thou art my King, O God."

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• "Command deliverances for Jacob. Through thee will we push down our enemies: through thy name will we tread them under that rise up against us. For I will not trust in my bow, neither shall my sword save me. But thou hast saved us from our enemies, and hast put them to shame that hated us. In God we boast all the day long, and praise thy name for ever."

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• Now note what the Bible says. The children of Israel got not the land in possession by their fighting ability, by their weapons. It was God who gave it to them. You know what? The next generation failed to learn not only how to fight, but how to fight trusting and relying upon God. That's what we have lost individually, familially, ecclesiastically, and even nationally. You've got to remember it, and I don't have time to teach this, but if you go back to Joshua chapter 7, you remember the only time that Israel lost was when Achan had sinned and violated God's law. And what did God say to Joshua?

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• "Neither will I be with thee anymore until this sin is dealt with." If we're going to fight, we must fight in obedience.

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• Now, let me make some applications very quickly. First, Israel had to learn one major lesson, one which they had forgotten. And it's the same lesson that you and I have forgotten. We have forgotten that it's not our bravery, it's not our weaponry that saves us, it is God that saves us. We must come to Him and submit to Him and fight in His might and His power and trust Him.

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• Until we do, we do not really know the art of war. We don't know how to fight. If we fight in and of ourselves, if we fight in the flesh, we're going to lose. Victory is always in Jesus Christ. He's the captain of the host. He's the head of the army. He is the one who always wins.

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• Secondly, God wisely leaves enemies in our midst that we may learn to fulfill our covenantal duties. I want you to turn very quickly to the book of Leviticus chapter 26. I may run out of time, but if I do, I'm going to Leviticus 26, then to Deuteronomy 28. I want you to see this. In Leviticus chapter 26, notice if you would, beginning there with verse 6. I said that God wisely leaves us our enemies that we may know how to fulfill our covenantal duties. Leviticus chapter 26, beginning there with verse 6, God says, "And I will give peace in the land, and ye shall lie down, and none shall make you afraid."

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• This is if we obey. "And I will rid evil beasts out of the land, neither shall the sword go through your land. And ye shall chase your enemies, and they shall fall before you by the sword. And five of you shall chase an hundred, and an hundred of you shall put ten thousand to flight: and your enemies shall fall before you by the sword. For I will have respect unto you, and make you fruitful, and multiply you, and establish my covenant with you."

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• Skip down to verse 15. This is when we do not obey. "And if ye shall despise my statutes, or if your soul abhor my judgments, so that ye will not do all my commandments, but that ye break my covenant: I also will do this unto you; I will even appoint over you terror, consumption, and the burning ague, that shall consume the eyes, and cause sorrow of heart."

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• "And ye shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it. And I will set my face against you, and ye shall be slain before your enemies: they that hate you shall reign over you; and ye shall flee when none pursueth you." Turn right over to Deuteronomy chapter 28. Look if you would please at verse 1. Deuteronomy 28 and verse 1. Here, once again, are the blessings for obedience. Deuteronomy 28 verse 1: "And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the Lord thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth: and all these blessings shall come on thee." Skip down to verse 7. Here's one of the blessings: "The Lord shall cause thine enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten before thy face: they shall come out against thee one way, and flee before thee seven ways." Skip down to verse 15.

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• Here are the curses. "But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee." Skip down to verses 25 and 26: "The Lord shall cause thee to be smitten before thine enemies: thou shalt go out one way against them, and flee seven ways before them: and shalt be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth. And thy carcase shall be meat unto all fowls of the air, and unto the beasts of the earth, and no man shall fray them away." What did God say?

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• You can obey Me and have victory. You can obey Me and defeat all of your enemies, or you can disobey Me and die. And your enemies will reign over you. We tend to forget the price of liberty and freedom. Liberty and freedom is only given to us in the blessings of God. We call it freedom, but it is not free. It costs lives and families and fortunes.

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• Thomas Jefferson said to William Stephen Smith in 1787, "The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants. God forbid we should ever be 20 years without such a rebellion. What country can preserve its liberties if their rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance? Let them take arms." And then Benjamin Franklin said, "They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."

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• To teach them the art of war, and in teaching us the art of war, He teaches us the art of worship. It is in God we win. It is through our Lord Jesus Christ that we have the victory. We must learn to fight and fight in faith and obedience in every area of our lives. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow to Thee. We thank You. We know that Thou art indeed a God of war. And Lord, we pray that You would teach us the art of war. Lord, that we may also learn the art of worship, that we may learn obedience and faith. God, give us grace and give us, Lord, Thy divine power and Thy divine might and help us to fight that we may win and glorify the Lord Jesus Christ by trusting in Him and giving Him all the honor and glory. In Thy name we pray, Amen. Amen.

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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-06T03:37:19Z