Thru the Bible - #171-Deuteronomy 20 - Laws of Warfare

Transcript

Welcome And Settle In

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Welcome to Bereen's Corner, the podcast where we go through books of the Bible chapter by chapter and verse by verse. Wherever you are in the world, thank you for joining. Grab a glass of water, a cup of coffee or tea, and let's get into today's lesson. All right, thank you for

Reading Deuteronomy 20 Laws

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joining. Open your Bible to Deuteronomy chapter 20. The title of today's lesson is Laws of Warfare. Deuteronomy 20, and let's read.

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Deuteronomy 20. When you go to war against your enemies and see horses and chariots and an army greater than yours, do not be afraid of them, because the Lord your God who brought you up out of Egypt will be with you. When you are about to go into battle, the priest shall come forward and address the army. He shall say, Hear, O Israel, today you are going into battle against your enemies. Do not be faint-hearted or afraid, do not be terrified or give way to panic before them. For the Lord your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you, against your enemies, to give you victory. The officer shall say to the army, Has anyone built a new house and not dedicated it? Let him go home, or he may die in battle and someone else may dedicate it. Has anyone planted a vineyard and not begun to enjoy it? Let him go home, or he may die in battle and someone else enjoy it. Has anyone become pledged to a woman and not married her? Let him go home, or he may die in battle and someone else may marry her. Then the officers shall add, Is any man afraid or faint-hearted? Let him go home, so that his brothers will not become disheartened too. When the officers have finished speaking to the army, they shall appoint commanders over it. When you march up to attack a city, make its people an offer of peace. If they accept and open their gates, all the people in it shall be subject to forced labor and shall work for you. If they refuse to make peace and they engage you in battle, lay siege to that city. When the Lord your God delivers it into your hand, put to the sword all the men in it. As for the women, the children, the livestock, and everything else in the city, you may take these as plunder for yourselves, and you may use the plunder the Lord your God gives you from your enemies. This is how you are to treat all the cities that are at a distance from you and do not belong to the nations nearby. However, in the cities of the nations the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance, do not leave alive anything that breathes. Completely destroy them, the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, as the Lord your God has commanded you. Otherwise, they will teach you to follow all the detestable things they do in worshiping their gods, and you will sin against the Lord your God. When you lay siege to a city for a long time fighting against it to capture it, do not destroy its trees by putting an axe to them, because you can eat their fruit. Do not cut them down. Are the trees of the field people that you should besiege them? However, you may cut down trees that you know are not fruit trees, and use them to build siege works until the city at war with you falls.

Spiritual Warfare And The Christian Life

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Fight the good fight God's way. That is what we're looking at here in Deuteronomy chapter 20. One of the realities of the Christian life is that, and this is something that's often overlooked, is that we are not simply passing through this world as spectators. We are living in the middle of a spiritual battle. Far too many believers approach life as if they are tourists, simply observing what is happening around them. But the Bible paints a very different picture. Scripture calls us soldiers, it doesn't call us sightseers. The apostle Paul repeatedly reminded believers that they are engaged in spiritual warfare. We are to fight the good fight of faith. We see that in 1 Timothy chapter 6 and verse 12. Be strong in the Lord. He mentions that in Ephesians 6, verses 10 through 18. Endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. We see that in 2 Timothy chapter 2, verses 3 through 4. And remember that the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful. And he mentions that in 2 Corinthians chapter 10, verses 3 through 4. Israel stood on the edge of the promised land. God had promised them victory, but victory would not come by human strength alone. They would need courage, they would need faith, they would need obedience and complete dependence upon the Lord. And that is the way that you and I get through our battles. The Lord wants us to put complete dependence on Him. See, a lot of times we get into these ruts or these habits where we are trying to work in our own strength. But the Lord wants you to put the burden on him and let him fight the battle for you. Now, are there things that you have to do? Absolutely, because you are the hands and the feet that need to move to make some of the things on this uh earth work, work, but the Lord is where He wants the but the Lord wants you to put the burden on Him and let Him lead the way and let Him guide the way. And the central truth of this chapter is this God expects His people to fight the good fight and wage a good war by following His guidelines for victory and blessing. Just as Israel needed God's instructions before entering physical battle, believers today need God's word as we engage in spiritual warfare. See, victory comes when we fight God's battle God's way. And there are a few guidelines I would like to point out here.

Guideline One Refuse Fear

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The first is do not fear when the enemy appears stronger than you. Verse 1 says, When you go out to battle against your enemies and see horses and chariots and people more numerous than you, do not be afraid of them, for the Lord your God who brought you up from the land of Egypt is with you. One certainty in the Christian life is this you will have enemies. Sometimes those enemies are spiritual, sometimes those enemies are personal, sometimes they are cultural, sometimes they are financial or emotional. Whatever form that they may take, there will be moments when they seem much stronger than you. Israel was about to face armies with horses, chariots, weapons, train soldiers, and humanly speaking, the odds were against them when you look at it through the eyes of humans. Yet God commands them simply by saying, Do not be afraid. Why? Because the Lord who believed them and delivered them from Egypt was still with them. The same God who had proven himself faithful in the past will remain faithful in the present. See, David understood this principle when he wrote, Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. And that's in Psalm 20, verses 7 through 8. Fear shrinks when our view of God grows. Instead of focusing on the size of the enemy, God calls us to focus on the greatness of the one fighting for us. And that's what I was alluding to earlier. Remember, He is greater, it's greater He who is in us than He who was in the world. He is the one who was going to go forward and lay the way for these battles to be won. See, if you pay attention to a lot of the wars that were fought in the Bible, you will notice that the Lord went ahead and he caused things to happen. Sometimes they were storms, sometimes it was, it could have been animals, it could have been the terrain. The Lord did things to make the path for his people who he wanted to have the victory. So Isaiah reminds us, fear not, for I am with you. I will strengthen you. Yes, I will help you. That's Isaiah chapter 41 and verse 10. Victory begins when God's people fear him more than they feared the opposition. The second is God's spiritual leaders must prepare God's people before the battle. Verses

Priests Prepare Hearts Before Battle

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2 through 4 tell us, Now it shall come about that when you are approaching the battle, the priests shall come near and speak to the people. And he shall say to them, Fear, excuse me, hear, O Israel, you are approaching the battle against your enemies today. Do not be faint-hearted, do not be afraid, or panic, or tremble before them. For the Lord your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to save you. One interesting detail in this chapter is that before the military commanders spoke to the army, God first sent the priest. Now, why is that? Because spiritual preparation always comes before physical action. The priest was not a military expert, he was a man who knew God, he was a man who knew God's promise and he knew God's word. Before the people picked up their weapons, they needed to strengthen their faith. And the priest's message contained six reminders. The first one was, Hear, O Israel. Look at what he said in verse 3. Say to them, Hear, O Israel. This message was directly, specifically to God's covenant people. The next is you are about to face your enemies. He also said in verse 3, you are approaching the battle against your enemies today. God never pretended battles wouldn't come, he prepared his people for them. And it's like that with us, with you and I today. God never said that there's not going to be battles, but what he does is he prepares us for those battles. Also, it's also what the Lord said, do not lose heart. Verse 3 says, Do not be fainthearted. Discouragement often defeats people before the battle ever begins. See, uh, I might have mentioned this to a lot of you before, but you know, I'm I'm a big boxing fan, and that right there reminds me of back when Mike Tyson was in his prime. Mike Tyson used to win a lot of fights back in his prime days, is because his enemies were defeated before they even got in the ring. They were already psyched out, they were already defeated mentally. So the physical part was easy. That's what's happening here with Israel. Uh, when it says that often the defeat comes before the battle ever begins, is because the Lord is already setting the factors in place to intimidate the people against Israel, and that way the battle for Israel would be easy. The next reminder is do not be afraid. Also in verse 3, it says, Do not be afraid. Fear cannot govern God's people. The fifth one is do not panic. Verse 3 says, or panic. Faint and panic cannot occupy the same heart. You have to have a heart that beats on the Lord's accord that you know that the victory is going to be yours. Reminder number six, do not tremble before them. At the end of verse 3, it says, or tremble before them. God's people stand firm because God stands with them. Then the priests give four reasons for confidence. The first thing the priest says, the Lord goes with you. Verse 4 says, For the Lord your God is the one who goes with you. The next thing is that the priest said, The Lord fights for you. We also see that in verse 4, to fight for you. The Lord fights against your enemies, and that's what we need to remember. Number four, the Lord gives you the victory. In verse 4, it also says to save, excuse me, to fight for you against your enemies to save you. See, the minister of faithful pastors today is very simple. Our responsibility is to strengthen God's people with God's word, so they walk by faith instead of fear.

Why God Reduces The Army

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That's something we see in Romans chapter 10 and verse 17, which brings us to the third guideline, which is military officers were to reduce the army before the battle. Verses 5 through 9 say, The officers also shall speak to the people, saying, Who is the man that has built a new house and has not dictated it? Let him depart and return to his house lest he die in the battle, and another man dedicated. And who is the man that has planted a vineyard and has not begun to use his fruit? Let him depart and return to his house, lest he die in the battle. And another man began to use his fruit. And who is the man that is engaged to a woman who has not married her? Let him depart and return to his house, lest he die in the battle and another man marry her. Then the officers shall speak further to the people, and they shall say, Who is the man that is afraid and fainthearted? Let him depart and return to his house, so that he might not make his brother's hearts melt like his heart. And it shall come about that when the officers have finished speaking to the people, they shall appoint commanders of armies at the head of the people. From a human standpoint, this strategy it seems backwards. Most generals want larger armies, big, huge armies, but God wanted a smaller one. Why? Because he was not looking for the largest army, he was looking for the right army. The officers announced four categories of men who were excused from military service. And these were the people that were told to go home. The first was anyone who built a new house but had not yet dedicated it. Verse 5 said, The officer who shall speak to the people saying, Who is the man that has built a new house and has not dedicated it? God graciously allowed that man to enjoy the blessing before risking his life. So go home and enjoy your house. The second is anyone who had planted a vineyard but had not enjoyed his fruit. In verse 6, he says, Who is the man that has planted a vineyard and has not begun to use its fruit? Again, God showed kindness by allowing him to enjoy the fruit of his labor. This guy had just planted a vineyard. It's now the season for the grapes to grow. He has not even tasted one. The Lord sent him away. Number three, anyone who was engaged but not yet married. Back to verse 7. Who is the man that is engaged to a woman and has not married her? God cared about the family and allowed the man to establish his home first. So this man was excused. Next is anyone who was fearful or faint-hearted. Verse 8. Who is the man that is afraid and faint-hearted? Fear is contagious. One discouraged soldier can discourage many others. God wanted courageous men on the battlefield. See, God wanted that man to go home because that happens a lot of times. You get ready to go into battle. There's a lot of brave men there, but it just takes a couple of men to start worrying and complaining, and that is going to bring the morale down of the other men there. See, this principle appears again in Gideon's story. One of my favorite stories in scripture. See, God reduced Gideon's army from 32,000 to only 300 so that everyone would know victory belonged to him. And that is in Judges chapter 7, verses 2 through 8. I cannot wait till we get there because as I mentioned, the story of Gideon is one of my favorite stories. God has never depended upon numbers, he delights in using faithful people who trust in him. Sometimes the greatest danger to God's work is placing the wrong people into positions of responsibility. God values faithfulness more than availability.

Orderly Leadership And Offering Peace

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Which brings us to the fourth guideline: appoint qualified leaders over the army. Verse 9. It shall come about that when the officers have finished speaking to the people, they shall appoint commanders of armies at the head of the people. After the army had been organized, commanders were appointed over the people. God is a God of order. Even while depending completely upon him, there was still organizational leadership and accountability. Paul reminds the church that God is not the author of confusion but of peace. First Corinthians chapter 14, verses 33 and 40 reminds us of that. God works through orderly leadership. Which brings us to the fifth guideline. Offer peace before going to war. Verses 10 through 12 say, When you approach a city to fight against it, you shall offer it terms of peace. It shall come about if it agrees to make peace with you and opens to you, then it shall be that all the people who are found in it shall become your excuse me, your first labor and shall serve you. However, if it does not make peace with you, but makes war against you, then you shall besiege it. When Israel approached cities outside the land of Canaan, they were first to offer peace. See, God is never eager to bring judgment. Through our scripture, we see this patience and mercy. Peter reminds us that God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. We see that in 2 Peter chapter 3, verse 9. And that is true. The Lord is a God of peace. God is not quick to bring judgment. Some people think that God is sitting on his throne up high, looking down on us, and he's just every day looking to bring judgment on you. The Lord is not, he is looking for your heart to change, which is repentance, for you to turn the opposite way, so he can give you uh mercy and so he can give you love and give you grace. And there were two possible responsibilities. The first response was, if the city surrender peacefully, the people will become servants. Verse 11 said, It shall come about if it agrees to make peace with you and opens up to you, then it shall be that all the people who are found in it shall become your forced labor and shall serve you. The next response was, if the city rejected peace, Israel was to engage in battle. Verse 12 said, However, if it does not make peace with you, but makes war against you, then you shall besiege it. God always offers mercy before judgment. Which brings us to number six.

Judgment Commands And Spiritual Protection

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This guideline says that the Lord's instruction over victory is to be followed. We see this in verses 13 through 18. When the Lord your God gives it into your hand, you shall strike all the men in it with the edge of the sword. Only the women and the children and the animals and all that is in it, all its spoils you shall take as booty for yourself, and you shall use 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 of the cities of these nations nearby. Only in the cities of these people that the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance, you shall not uh leave alive anything that breathes, but you shall utterly destroy them, the Hittite and the Amorite, and the Canaanite, and the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jevusite, just as the Lord your God has commanded you, in order that they may not teach you to do according to all their detestable things which they have done for their gods, so that you would sin against the Lord your God. Once God gave Israel victory over distant cities, they were to follow his specific commands. These instructions applied to Israel under the Mosaic Covenant during God's unique judgment upon the nations occupying the promised land. God commanded Israel to execute his judgment upon nations whose sin had reached its full measure. And we can see an example of that back in Genesis chapter 15, verse 16. And Moses outlined five instructions. The first was the fighting men were to be put to death. In verse 13, going back there, it says that then the Lord your God gives it into your hand, you shall strike all the men in it with the edge of the sword. Number two, women, children, livestock, and spoil became Israel's. Verse 14 says, Only the women and the children and the animals and all that is in it, its uh its uh excuse me, all its spoils you shall take. Rule number three was these instructions apply to distant cities. Verse 15 says, Thus you shall do to all the cities that are very far from you. Number four, the Canaanite nations under God's judgment were not to be spared. We saw that in verses 16 and 17. Only in the cities of these people that the Lord your God is giving you as inheritance, you shall not leave alive anything that breathes. The fifth rule was these nations were to be removed, so they would not lead Israel into idolatry. And that is a big part of this. Verse 18 said, in order that they may not teach you to do according to their detestable things, which they have done for their God, so that you would not sin against the Lord your God. The purpose was not ethnic hatred. Let's let's get that straight. The purpose was spiritual protection. God knew that if Israel embraced idolatry. Of these nations, they would eventually abandon him. Sadly, later generations prove uh that warrant to be true. The Lord didn't say, Well, you know, you're gonna go in there because these people are different than you or they look different than you. The Lord is protecting his people from He's giving them spiritual protection uh protection so they don't fall into those traps with those people. Which brings us to guideline number seven.

Restraint And Stewardship In Conflict

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Exercise discipline even during warfare. Verses 19 through 20 tells us this. When you besiege a city a long time to make war against it in order to capture it, you shall not destroy its trees by swinging an axe against them, for you may eat from them, and you shall not cut them down, for is the tree of the field a man that it should be besieged by you. Only the trees which you know are not fruit trees, you shall destroy and cut down, that you may construct siege works against the sea that is making war with you until it falls. Even in war, God required wisdom and restraint. Fruitbearing trees were not to be destroyed. Why? Because the trees were not the enemy. They would continue providing food after the conflict. That's important to note. Only trees that were not used for food could be cut down for military purposes. God expected his people to exercise discernment, stewardship, and he expected them to have self-control. Even during conflict, they were to avoid unnecessary destruction. It was just no need for it. Which brings us to our conclusion.

Final Takeaways And David’s Reminder

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Deuteronomy 20 reminds us that God's people are engaged in a battle. For Israel, it involved physical warfare as they entered the promised land. For believers today, our battle is spiritual. You see that in Ephesians chapter 6 and verse 12. As God's people, we are called to trust God instead of fearing the enemy. Put your faith all in the Lord. We are to listen to God's word before entering the battle. That's why you want to stay in that word of God every day. Let it strengthen you, let it refresh you. And before you go into any battle, let it lead and guide you. Depend on God's strength instead of human numbers. Remember, it doesn't matter the numbers that are stacked against you. You are going in it with God's strength. As I mentioned with Gideon, he started with 32,000, he ended up winning with 300. Next, follow godly leadership. That's very important that the people you're following is godly leadership. Extend mercy whenever possible. And that is something that we need to remember and do. Vengeance belongs to the Lord. Always remember that. Obey God's instructions completely. As I mentioned several times in this Old Testament, in this old covenant, you are to rem Israel was to do everything God said completely. Those instructions were to be followed to the T. And the same applies to us today. Even for the church, there are instructions the Lord gives us to follow completely. Also, exercise wisdom and discipline in every conflict. Don't go into it hot-headed, go into it disciplined. See, Paul closed his life by saying this I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 2 Timothy chapter 4 and verse 7. Now, may that be true of us as well. As we walk through life's battles, let us remember that victory never belongs to the strongest army. It belongs to the Lord. And I will just give you the chapter. I will just give you this next one real quick, but I'm just going to swing over there. Or you can follow me over there if you want. Go right in your Bible a little bit to 1 Samuel 17. And we'll read my uh my last point about how this uh how victory doesn't belong to the strongest armies, but it belongs to the Lord. 1 Samuel 17 and verse 47 reminds us, and it says, that all this assembly may know that the Lord does not deliver by sword or by spear. For the battle is the Lord's, and he will give you into our hands. This is David when uh when he was talking to Goliath. When God's people fight God's battle, God's way, they can move forward with confidence, knowing that the Lord Himself goes before them. Always remember this. The Lord Himself goes before them, and he fights for them and us, and he ultimately gives the victory. He did it for Israel, and he does it and we'll continue to do it for you and I today. All right, that brings us to the end of Deuteronomy chapter 20. As

Prayer Requests And Closing Callouts

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always, I hope that you got something out of this lesson. I hope that it strengthened you and it encouraged you. As always, I ask you to pray for me to stay steadfast in the scripture. I pray that I stay on the straight, narrow path, straight at pray that the Lord is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. I also ask you to always pray for me uh physically, mentally, and spiritually. And as always, I am praying for you. I am very grateful that you take time out of your afternoon, your morning, your evening to go through the word of God with me. I am praying the same for you that the Lord keeps you on the straight and narrow paths, that you are steadfast, that you never ever turn away from the scriptures, that you stay in the Lord, and that you stay strong in his grace. Okay, that brings us to the end of Deuteronomy chapter 20. Until next time. God bless. Thank you for listening to Berean's Corner. We appreciate you joining us as we dive into God's word and seek biblical truth together. If this episode encouraged or challenged you, be sure to subscribe, share, and leave a review on your favorite podcast platform. You can find Bereen's Corner on Buzz Sprout, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart, Amazon Music, and more. Let's stay connected. If you have questions, comments, or prayer requests, reach out to us at Bereans Corner.buzzprout.com where you can follow along with show transcripts and leave a message in the fan mail slot. Also follow us on YouTube at Berean's Corner and don't forget to subscribe. We'd love to hear from you. Until next time, keep searching the scriptures like a Berean. Stay discerning, stay faithful, and God bless.