War & Peace

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Prayer Meeting - 7:30pm

Friday 7pm - Online

Sunday Morning 11am & 6pm

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Main Prayer

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Reading

Deuteronomy 20 ESV

“When you go out to war against your enemies, and see horses and chariots and an army larger than your own, you shall not be afraid of them, for the Lord your God is with you, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt. And when you draw near to the battle, the priest shall come forward and speak to the people and shall say to them, ‘Hear, O Israel, today you are drawing near for battle against your enemies: let not your heart faint. Do not fear or panic or be in dread of them, for the Lord your God is he who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies, to give you the victory.’ Then the officers shall speak to the people, saying, ‘Is there any man who has built a new house and has not dedicated it? Let him go back to his house, lest he die in the battle and another man dedicate it. And is there any man who has planted a vineyard and has not enjoyed its fruit? Let him go back to his house, lest he die in the battle and another man enjoy its fruit. And is there any man who has betrothed a wife and has not taken her? Let him go back to his house, lest he die in the battle and another man take her.’ And the officers shall speak further to the people, and say, ‘Is there any man who is fearful and fainthearted? Let him go back to his house, lest he make the heart of his fellows melt like his own.’ And when the officers have finished speaking to the people, then commanders shall be appointed at the head of the people. “When you draw near to a city to fight against it, offer terms of peace to it. And if it responds to you peaceably and it opens to you, then all the people who are found in it shall do forced labor for you and shall serve you. But if it makes no peace with you, but makes war against you, then you shall besiege it. And when the Lord your God gives it into your hand, you shall put all its males to the sword, but the women and the little ones, the livestock, and everything else in the city, all its spoil, you shall take as plunder for yourselves. And you shall enjoy the spoil of your enemies, which the Lord your God has given you. Thus you shall do to all the cities that are very far from you, which are not cities of the nations here. But in the cities of these peoples that the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance, you shall save alive nothing that breathes, but you shall devote them to complete destruction, the Hittites and the Amorites, the Canaanites and the Perizzites, the Hivites and the Jebusites, as the Lord your God has commanded, that they may not teach you to do according to all their abominable practices that they have done for their gods, and so you sin against the Lord your God. “When you besiege a city for a long time, making war against it in order to take it, you shall not destroy its trees by wielding an axe against them. You may eat from them, but you shall not cut them down. Are the trees in the field human, that they should be besieged by you? Only the trees that you know are not trees for food you may destroy and cut down, that you may build siegeworks against the city that makes war with you, until it falls.

Sermon

Deuteronomy 17-18 - Worship and Forbidden Worship

Deuteronomy 19 - Manslaughter, Murder & Offences

Fighting in Faith (v 1-9)

Deuteronomy 20:1–4 ESV

“When you go out to war against your enemies, and see horses and chariots and an army larger than your own, you shall not be afraid of them, for the Lord your God is with you, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt. And when you draw near to the battle, the priest shall come forward and speak to the people and shall say to them, ‘Hear, O Israel, today you are drawing near for battle against your enemies: let not your heart faint. Do not fear or panic or be in dread of them, for the Lord your God is he who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies, to give you the victory.’

God’s People are never to fear when they go into battle; because God will be with them and gives them the victory.

War in this chapter is clearly seen as part of Israel’s obedience to God

It was intrinsic to them going into the land that God was giving them

The possibility of Israel going to fight contrary to God’s will, perhaps to enlarge its territory or status is not envisaged at this point

It is noteworthy that the battles following the entry into the land seem to have been defensive from the beggining, rather than offensive and aggressive

Passage starts with the worse case scenario

“Horses & Chariots and an army larger than our own”

This reflects the fear the people had when the spies returned, 38 years prior.

It was God who brought them out of Egypt, demonstrating his power over Pharaoh

Before the battle commenced the priest (high priest) was to address the “army”

general conscription, as they had not formal army

This is God’s Army and everything was to be done in his way with faith in him

The priest is to assure them, that there was no need to fear or panic

God would go with them, would fight for them, and give them the victory

The degree of faith being called for is signficant

To engage a superior force in hand-to-hand combat

This may be only fully appreciated by those engaged in actual warfare

Christian & Church Life

Paul speaks of the warfare Christians are called to...

2 Corinthians 10:4–6 ESV

For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete.

There is a challenge to our faith and requires he same call to faith

A challenge that in the face of we too often show timidity

Exemptions from General Conscription

Deuteronomy 20:5–9 ESV

Then the officers shall speak to the people, saying, ‘Is there any man who has built a new house and has not dedicated it? Let him go back to his house, lest he die in the battle and another man dedicate it. And is there any man who has planted a vineyard and has not enjoyed its fruit? Let him go back to his house, lest he die in the battle and another man enjoy its fruit. And is there any man who has betrothed a wife and has not taken her? Let him go back to his house, lest he die in the battle and another man take her.’ And the officers shall speak further to the people, and say, ‘Is there any man who is fearful and fainthearted? Let him go back to his house, lest he make the heart of his fellows melt like his own.’ And when the officers have finished speaking to the people, then commanders shall be appointed at the head of the people.

Newly built house not moved into, dedicated to God

Newly planted Vineyard, not fully established and bearing fruit

Engaged to be married (different from excemption established in Deut 24 for newly married)

“Fearful and fainthearted”, lacking is physical or emotional/moral strength, whose fear could be easily spread to others

They were not to storng arm every man, whatever his circumstances, to boost army numbers out of fear of the enemy

There was a recognition that some men are timid by temperament or because of some experience

They were not to be pushed into battle by compulsion or accusations of cowardice

The reference to officers and appointment of commanders indicates the necessary division of troops into units with a chain of command

Faith in God did not mean that things need not be ordered properly

Christian & Church Life

The idea that every Christian should in faith try everuthing that others do is a mistake

Each are given their own unique gifts, which are used together in varied forms of service

Some people are shy and fearful

should not be pressed into activitues which they feel incapable of,

nor made to feel a second-class Christian

Rather encouraged into service for which they are adapt

There is always room for spiritual wisdom in doing things decently and in order

The Offer of Peace (v10-18)

Deuteronomy 20:10–18 ESV

“When you draw near to a city to fight against it, offer terms of peace to it. And if it responds to you peaceably and it opens to you, then all the people who are found in it shall do forced labor for you and shall serve you. But if it makes no peace with you, but makes war against you, then you shall besiege it. And when the Lord your God gives it into your hand, you shall put all its males to the sword, but the women and the little ones, the livestock, and everything else in the city, all its spoil, you shall take as plunder for yourselves. And you shall enjoy the spoil of your enemies, which the Lord your God has given you. Thus you shall do to all the cities that are very far from you, which are not cities of the nations here. But in the cities of these peoples that the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance, you shall save alive nothing that breathes, but you shall devote them to complete destruction, the Hittites and the Amorites, the Canaanites and the Perizzites, the Hivites and the Jebusites, as the Lord your God has commanded, that they may not teach you to do according to all their abominable practices that they have done for their gods, and so you sin against the Lord your God.

Israel is to offer every city the opportunity of Peace

This was seen with earlier battles preceeding this point

Cities that accept peace are to be subject to Israel

Cities that reject peace and attack the Israelites are to have all life extinguished

There was not a city that made peace withe Israelites except the Hivites (Inhabitants of Gibeon)

Warefare was usually an awful event in those days and attrocities against women and children were commonplace.

Astoricities committed in the last and current century, provide no case for adopting a superior posture

Reason:

“That they may not teach you to do according to all their abominable practices that they have done for their gods, and so you sin against the Lord your God”

Preservation for the Future (v19-20)

Deuteronomy 20:19–20 ESV

“When you besiege a city for a long time, making war against it in order to take it, you shall not destroy its trees by wielding an axe against them. You may eat from them, but you shall not cut them down. Are the trees in the field human, that they should be besieged by you? Only the trees that you know are not trees for food you may destroy and cut down, that you may build siegeworks against the city that makes war with you, until it falls.

Israel was not to use a “Scorched earth policy”

Fruit trees have been created by God and given to man for food

Non-Fruit Trees can be cut down for making siegeworks (ladders, barriers or rams etc)

Hymn -

Q&A

Hymn -

Closing Prayer

Doxology