A NOISE OF WAR IN THE CAMP
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A NOISE OF WAR IN THE CAMP
17 And when Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he said to Moses, “There is a noise of war in the camp.”
When Moses went up on Mount Sinai for an extended period of time, God gave him detailed instructions about how to set up the tabernacle.
Down in the valley, the people of Israel, under the leadership of Aaron, decided to fashion a golden calf, which they began to worship.
Angered by their idol worship, God commanded Moses to go down the mountain.
Halfway down, Moses found Joshua waiting for him — he was standing there listening to the people in the valley below.
When Moses descended to the spot where Joshua was waiting, Joshua made a statement that every believer should take note of. He said, “There is a noise of war in the camp.”
15 And Moses turned and went down from the mountain, and the two tablets of the Testimony were in his hand. The tablets were written on both sides; on the one side and on the other they were written.
16 Now the tablets were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God engraved on the tablets.
17 And when Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he said to Moses, “There is a noise of war in the camp.”
18 But he said: “It is not the noise of the shout of victory, Nor the noise of the cry of defeat, But the sound of singing I hear.”
The people in the valley were worshipping an idol. What did their worship entail?
We can get some clues from the nuances of meaning of the word worship itself. The Hebrew word for worship is shachah, and it means to bow down or prostrate oneself.
Apparently while in the Egypt they had learned the worship of an agricultural deity in the form of a golden calf.
The ancient Egyptians would worship it by bowing down before it and by even kissing it on the mouth.
(The Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible, uses a Greek word, proskuneo, which clearly conveys the idea of kissing the statue.
It meant to kiss like a dog licking a man’s hand.)
That may have been what was happening down in the valley in front of the golden calf; the people may have been bowing down in reverence before it and kissing it, possibly on the mouth.
As they took turns giving worship to the golden calf, they were celebrating fervently.
Moses could tell that they were not worshipping God. He exclaimed, “It is not the noise of the shout of victory, nor the noise of the cry of defeat, but the sound of singing I hear (Ex 32:18).
Their clamor expressed no love for God.
Paul described such an outcry as a “sounding brass or a clanging cymbol” (1 Cor 13:1)
It makes me wonder — what does the great God of Heaven think when He listens to our worship?
It makes me wonder — what does the great God of Heaven think when He listens to our worship?
Worship like sounds? - while going through the motions?
True worshippers will be expressing their heartfelt adoration toward Him.
They probably understand the spiritual dynamics of worship, unlike the people who perform the act of worship but who lack the heart of worship.
How many times have you gone to church and went through the motions with your heart never engaging Heaven?
WORSHIP IS WARFARE
Moses and Joshua could hear the sounds of celebration coming from the camp — music, dancing, and shouting — and yet Joshua referred to it as the noise of war.
In their case, the people were about to be corrected severely for following Aaron when he set up the golden calf.
Their idolatrous worship was called “the noise of war” because even faulty worship sets off unseen conflicts.
If that is the case, just think what true heartfelt worship can do!
Seize this spiritual principle, and your life will never be the same.
I believe the reason people do not see the value in being true worshippers is that they do not know the power of praise and worship.
Worship is one of the believers most powerful weapons in the spiritual warfare that occurs out of the sight of our earthbound eyes.
We can see the clear example of worship as a heavenly weapon in the victory song of Deborah and Barak after their successful campaign against Sisera. They sang:
20 They fought from the heavens; The stars from their courses fought against Sisera.
According to the order and direction of the Lord of hosts, the stars somehow fought against Sisera, either by using malignant influences or by causing storm or hail and thunder.
The sun stood still for Joshua....
The whole of creation is at war with those who oppose the God of Heaven.
Event the river of Kishon was released to sweep away the multitudes of the enemy soldiers (Judges 5:21)
15 And he said, “Listen, all you of Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you, King Jehoshaphat! Thus says the Lord to you: ‘Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s.
16 Tomorrow go down against them. They will surely come up by the Ascent of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the brook before the Wilderness of Jeruel.
17 You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem!’ Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the Lord is with you.”
21 And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed those who should sing to the Lord, and who should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army and were saying: “Praise the Lord, For His mercy endures forever.”
22 Now when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushes against the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; and they were defeated.
23 For the people of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of Mount Seir to utterly kill and destroy them. And when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, they helped to destroy one another.
24 So when Judah came to a place overlooking the wilderness, they looked toward the multitude; and there were their dead bodies, fallen on the earth. No one had escaped.
6 Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, And a two-edged sword in their hand,
ANGELS ATTENDING
14 Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation?
8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.
Daniels Prayer and it’s answer resisted by the prince of persia....
Did you know that angels, both fallen and good are attending our worship services....
I believe when we begin to worship, a sound of warfare is released in the heavens.
The sound of worship arouses angels....
therefore also war in the heavenlies....