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The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.”
All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.”
Then you replied, “We have sinned against the Lord. We will go up and fight, as the Lord our God commanded us.” So every one of you put on his weapons, thinking it easy to go up into the hill country.
But the Lord said to me, “Tell them, ‘Do not go up and fight, because I will not be with you. You will be defeated by your enemies.’ ”
So I told you, but you would not listen. You rebelled against the Lord’s command and in your arrogance you marched up into the hill country.
But the Israelites were unfaithful in regard to the devoted things; Achan son of Karmi, the son of Zimri, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took some of them. So the Lord’s anger burned against Israel.
The Lord said to Joshua, “Stand up! What are you doing down on your face? Israel has sinned; they have violated my covenant, which I commanded them to keep. They have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen, they have lied, they have put them with their own possessions. That is why the Israelites cannot stand against their enemies; they turn their backs and run because they have been made liable to destruction. I will not be with you anymore unless you destroy whatever among you is devoted to destruction.
“Go, consecrate the people. Tell them, ‘Consecrate yourselves in preparation for tomorrow; for this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: There are devoted things among you, Israel. You cannot stand against your enemies until you remove them.
“This is what the Sovereign Lord says: ‘Because the Philistines acted in vengeance and took revenge with malice in their hearts, and with ancient hostility sought to destroy Judah, therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am about to stretch out my hand against the Philistines, and I will wipe out the Kerethites and destroy those remaining along the coast. I will carry out great vengeance on them and punish them in my wrath. Then they will know that I am the Lord, when I take vengeance on them.’ ”
When I have brought them back from the nations and have gathered them from the countries of their enemies, I will be proved holy through them in the sight of many nations. Then they will know that I am the Lord their God, for though I sent them into exile among the nations, I will gather them to their own land, not leaving any behind. I will no longer hide my face from them, for I will pour out my Spirit on the people of Israel, declares the Sovereign Lord.”
God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging.
There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy place where the Most High dwells.
God is within her, she will not fall;
God will help her at break of day.
Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;
he lifts his voice, the earth melts.
The Lord Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Come and see what the Lord has done,
the desolations he has brought on the earth.
He makes wars cease
to the ends of the earth.
He breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
he burns the shields with fire.
He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.”
The Lord Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
One simple assertion captures the entire range of biblical teaching on ‘victory’: victory ultimately belongs to the Lord, and is entirely within his gift. As the concept of ‘victory’ undergoes a significant shift in meaning as the message of the Bible unfolds, this central contention remains constant.1
1 Millar, J. G. (2000). Victory. In T. D. Alexander & B. S. Rosner (Eds.), New dictionary of biblical theology (electronic ed., p. 830). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
From the time of the Exodus, Israel’s primary concern in facing military aggression was their attitude to Yahweh, rather than the threat of their enemies. When Israel sought Yahweh and obeyed, Yahweh engineered victory on their behalf (see e.g. ; , in contrast to ; ). 1
1 Millar, J. G. (2000). Victory. In T. D. Alexander & B. S. Rosner (Eds.), New dictionary of biblical theology (electronic ed., pp. 830–831). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
As the OT progresses, however, it becomes clear that Israel is intrinsically disobedient.1
1 Millar, J. G. (2000). Victory. In T. D. Alexander & B. S. Rosner (Eds.), New dictionary of biblical theology (electronic ed., p. 831). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
more appeals petition Yahweh to act, on account not of Israel’s obedience, but of his own mercy, and in order to uphold the honour of his reputation (see e.g. ; ; ).1
1 Millar, J. G. (2000). Victory. In T. D. Alexander & B. S. Rosner (Eds.), New dictionary of biblical theology (electronic ed., p. 831). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
The ‘Zion theology’ of some of the psalms claimed that Yahweh had conquered the cosmological forces of chaos (see e.g. ; ; ).1
1 Millar, J. G. (2000). Victory. In T. D. Alexander & B. S. Rosner (Eds.), New dictionary of biblical theology (electronic ed., p. 831). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
Old Testament teachings:
Victory ultimately belongs to the Lord. Its a central theme throughout the bible. When facing their enemies, their primary focus was on Yahweh rather than the threat of the enemy. Obedience and victory go hand in hand. By nature we are prone to disobedience but sometimes God will act on our behalf because of his mercy alone, for his name sake. Also the psalms claim Yahweh had conquered the cosmic forces of chaos which lends me to believe He can calm any and all chaos raging inside and around us.