“The LORD is a warrior; The LORD is His name.” (Exodus 15:3) "They will say of Me, 'Only in the LORD are righteousness and strength.'” (Isaiah 45:24) The men of old errored, they trusted in the strength of Egypt; as it says, “Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help And rely on horses, And trust in chariots because they are many And in horsemen because they are very strong, But they do not look to the Holy One of Israel, nor seek the LORD!” (Isaiah 31:1) For they did not look to Him for strength, for they did not believe in Him. Instead they committed harlotry with other nations, trusting in their shadow. They were not saved. As it says, “Now the Egyptians are men and not God, And their horses are flesh and not spirit; So the LORD will stretch out His hand, And he who helps will stumble And he who is helped will fall, And all of them will come to an end together.” (Isaiah 31:3)
As the man of God, David says, “Some boast in chariots and some in horses, But we will boast in the name of the LORD, our God.” (Psalms 20:7) Did he merely say this? No! For with horses did he come to Goliath, or with chariots. No, not even with a sword! In what strength did he come then? "You come to me with a sword, a spear, and a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have taunted.” (1 Samuel 17:45) David came with a sling and a staff in his hand, for he knew the victory belongs to the LORD. As he taught Solomon, “The horse is prepared for the day of battle, But victory belongs to the LORD.” (Proverbs 21:31)
And the son of God, Jesus Christ, did not work victory for the whole world with weapons of war, but in the name of God, He came with a cross, which is wood. As David came with a staff in hand, Christ worked victory for all with wood. And Moses delivered Israel from Egypt with staff in hand, by which God worked acts of power. For David appeared as no threat to Goliath, and Moses as a sport to Pharaoh; and in Christ’s weakness, He was never considered a threat to the enemy, but He nevertheless worked victory for the whole world. In this, God shows His incredible strength; for, “the weakness of God is stronger than men.” (1 Corinthians 1:25) And in His weakness, He gained the victory, not only for Himself, raising from the dead, but for the whole world, for all who put their trust in His name.
God shows forth this victory in His name through the great acts in times past. He worked victory for Israel as they trusted in Him. As Hezekiah king of Judah spoke, "Be strong and courageous, do not fear or be dismayed because of the king of Assyria nor because of all the horde that is with him; for the one with us is greater than the one with him. With him is only an arm of flesh, but with us is the LORD our God to help us and to fight our battles.” (2 Chronicles 32:7-8) And since they trusted in Hezekiah’s words, they trusted in the Lord, and what was the outcome? As it says, “And the LORD sent an angel who destroyed every mighty warrior, commander and officer in the camp of the king of Assyria.” (2 Chronicles 32:21) And what did Israel do but rely upon the LORD their God? And God worked the victory and the deliverance for them. For our hand is not strong to save.
What about what Jehoshaphat said? As he said, “Put your trust in the LORD your God and you will be established. Put your trust in His prophets and succeed." (2 Chronicles 20:20) And then he said, “Give thanks to the LORD, for His lovingkindness is everlasting." (2 Chronicles 20:21) And what was the outcome? As it says, “When they began singing and praising, the LORD set ambushes against the sons of Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; so they were routed.” (2 Chronicles 20:22) For they believed the word of Jehoshaphat which was in accordance with the Psalms and the Prophets which say, “Seek the LORD,” and “Take refuge in God.” For seeking the LORD is faith, and taking refuge in Him is trust.
Consider when Israel and Judah were fighting against one another: Israel’s trust was in two golden calves which Jeroboam made for them, but Judah’s trust was in the LORD. Did Israel conquer their brethren? For they worked abominations and distrusted the LORD their God. Will the strength of wickedness deliver them? Or will the lies which they made for themselves be a goodly foundation? A stronghold in the day of trouble? Of course not! As the truth says, “Then the men of Judah raised a war cry, and when the men of Judah raised the war cry, then it was that God routed Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah. When the sons of Israel fled before Judah, God gave them into their hand.” (2 Chronicles 13:15-16) And for what reason? “The sons of Israel were subdued at that time, and the sons of Judah conquered because they trusted in the LORD, the God of their fathers.” (2 Chronicles 13:18)
And when Samaria was under siege by the king of Aram, how were they delivered? By their own strength? Did they submit themselves to the king? No! But by God’s grace the prophet Elisha gave the promise of God, saying, “Listen to the word of the LORD; thus says the LORD, 'Tomorrow about this time a measure of fine flour will be sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, in the gate of Samaria.'” (2 Kings 7:1) And God worked deliverance; as it says, “For the Lord had caused the army of the Arameans to hear a sound of chariots and a sound of horses, even the sound of a great army; (…) Therefore they arose and fled in the twilight, and left their tents and their horses and their donkeys, even the camp just as it was, and fled for their life.” (2 Kings 7:6-7)
And the man who disbelieved the promise of Elisha perished, for he did not believe God was able to do what He promised. He resembled Israel in the wilderness, for they said in their hearts, “Behold, He struck the rock so that waters gushed out, And streams were overflowing; Can He give bread also? Will He provide meat for His people?" (Psalms 78:20) And likewise the man said, “If the LORD should make windows in heaven, could this things be?” (2 Kings 7:2) And as a result, he was trampled by the feet of them who hurried after the fulfillment of the promise. And he seen God’s power with his own eyes, but he was not able to taste of it. As the LORD says, “Is the LORD'S power limited? Now you shall see whether My word will come true for you or not." (Numbers 11:23)
In a similar way, they who did not believe God in the wilderness perished; they seen the land with their eyes and the signs which God performed, but they did not enter the land. As the LORD testifies about them, "How long will this people spurn Me? And how long will they not believe in Me, despite all the signs which I have performed in their midst?” (Numbers 14:11) For although they saw signs, they did not believe in Him, and in their much seeing, they perished. For “faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.” (Romans 10:17) As the writer writes about us and them, “For indeed we have had good news preached to us, just as they also; but the word they heard did not profit them, because it was not united by faith in those who heard.” (Hebrews 4:2) For the good news we have preached to us is Jesus Christ and Him crucified.
And those spies which gave an ill report, perverting the gospel of the promise of God, and all who believed their corrupted report, disbelieved in God — and all of them perished in their wanderings in the wilderness; they did not inherit the promise because of their unbelief. But Caleb and Joshua trusted in God and believed He was able to give the inhabitants over into their hands, despite the bad report, despite the giants of the land. As the LORD God testified of Caleb, “My servant Caleb, because he has had a different spirit and has followed Me fully, I will bring into the land which he entered, and his descendants shall take possession of it.” (Numbers 14:24)
What about when they were to inherit the promised land? Did they do so by their own strength? Did God promise and leave the fulfillment up to them? Of course not! God fought for them. When five of their kings and their armies of the land came against Israel to fight; He gave the promise, “Do not fear them, for I have given them into your hands; not one of them shall stand before you." (Joshua 10:8) And Joshua believed the promise, for “Joshua came upon them suddenly by marching all night from Gilgal.” (Joshua 10:9) And God fulfilled what He promised; as it says, “The LORD confounded them before Israel, and He slew them with a great slaughter at Gibeon, and pursued them by the way of the ascent of Beth-horon and struck them as far as Azekah and Makkedah. As they fled from before Israel, while they were at the descent of Beth-horon, the LORD threw large stones from heaven on them as far as Azekah, and they died; there were more who died from the hailstones than those whom the sons of Israel killed with the sword.” (Joshua 10:10-11)
Then Israel had rest on every side because God subdued their enemies before them. As Joshua testifies, “The LORD has driven out great and strong nations from before you; and as for you, no man has stood before you to this day. One of your men puts to flight a thousand, for the LORD your God is He who fights for you, just as He promised you.” (Joshua 23:9-10) And the promise given through Moses says, “The LORD your God who goes before you will Himself fight on your behalf, just as He did for you in Egypt before your eyes.” (Deuteronomy 1:30) And the LORD God fought Egypt with plague after plague because they did not let His people go. And He delivered them from Egypt. And when the Egyptians pursued them, “The LORD looked down on the army of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and cloud and brought the army of the Egyptians into confusion. He caused their chariot wheels to swerve, and He made them drive with difficulty; so the Egyptians said, "Let us flee from Israel, for the LORD is fighting for them against the Egyptians." (Exodus 14:24-25)
These things testify to the work of Jesus, the Christ, which He worked on our behalf at the cross on Calvary. He saves us apart from works which we have done. He fights for us and delivers us from the slavery of sin through His body. For true slavery is not captivity to nations. No. For if that were so, then Christ would have come to deliver Israel from the Romans; but instead, He came and died to deliver from the slavery of sin by justifying us freely through His blood. He delivers us from Egypt by His work. For our works produce wrath, but the work of Christ, deliverance. By our works, we work sin into slavery, but by the work of the eternal Spirit, He works righteousness unto salvation to everyone who believes. “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.” (1 John 5:4) “Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 15:57)
For if they were not able to prevail against God in times past, how will anyone today? If God justifies us, who then can condemn us? Did they succeed who fought against Israel? Did the rulers succeed who fought against Christ and His apostles? As it says, “The kings of the earth take their stand And the rulers take counsel together Against the LORD and against His Anointed.” (Psalms 2:2) If they succeeded, how is the Message standing today? How is Christ proclaimed throughout the earth? For “If it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them.” (Acts 5:39) And, “O sons of Israel, do not fight against the LORD God of your fathers, for you will not succeed." (2 Chronicles 13:12) For true Israel puts their faith in God, believing in Him; they put no confidence in the flesh, they put their trust in God.
So since we have such great promises, let us submit ourselves to God and learn from Him the righteous warfare; as it says, "He trains my hands for battle, So that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.” (2 Samuel 22:35) And, “Blessed be the LORD, my rock, Who trains my hands for war, And my fingers for battle;” (Psalms 144:1) For David was a man of war. He fought a righteous warfare, for the cause of God: the peace of righteousness and the rest of holiness. For the LORD says, “There is no peace for the wicked.” (Isaiah 48:22) And contention is between the righteous and the wicked. As Jeremiah was called a man of contentions; but he was speaking the word of the LORD in righteousness; as it says, “Woe to me, my mother, that you have borne me As a man of strife and a man of contention to all the land! I have not lent, nor have men lent money to me, Yet everyone curses me.” (Jeremiah 15:10) So he was righteous, but they were wicked.
What fellowship is there between good and evil? As it says, “Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness?” (2 Corinthians 6:14) Furthermore it says, “I am for peace, but when I speak, They are for war.” (Psalms 120:7) For the lips of the righteous are righteousness. If we keep quiet, we will be subdued by the enemy. Where there is no resistance, there is submission and troubles of many kinds; as it says, “If you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then it shall come about that those whom you let remain of them will become as pricks in your eyes and as thorns in your sides, and they will trouble you in the land in which you live.” (Numbers 33:55) As it was with Rebekah, who was troubled by the inhabitants of the land: "I am tired of living because of the daughters of Heth; if Jacob takes a wife from the daughters of Heth, like these, from the daughters of the land, what good will my life be to me?" (Genesis 27:46)
As David says about his commander Joab, “he also shed the blood of war in peace. And he put the blood of war on his belt about his waist, and on his sandals on his feet.” (1 Kings 2:5) For David’s enemies were submitting to him, to righteousness, but Joab slew them; for although Joab was David’s commander, although he was on David’s side, he was fighting against the cause which David was upholding; and Joab fought for the enemy in unrighteousness. “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 6:12) For this is the true warfare, not merely flesh and blood, but against spiritual forces; and the weapons of our warfare are Spirit and truth; as it says, “The sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” (Ephesians 6:17)
For the belt of the wicked are splattered with blood and the feet of the contentious are with blood; but the feet of them who bring good news, “WITH THE PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE;” (Ephesians 6:15) And the belt of them, “GIRDED YOUR LOINS WITH TRUTH.” (Ephesians 6:14) But to the men of unrighteousness, “He has scattered the peoples who delight in war.” (Psalms 68:30) But if the wicked do not repent, Christ’s feet will be shod, with peace? No. Blood. As it says, “And He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty.” (Revelation 19:15) And with what will His garments be? “I also trod them in My anger And trampled them in My wrath; And their lifeblood is sprinkled on My garments, And I stained all My raiment.” (Isaiah 63:3) For in the time of God’s grace and peace, they reject it; instead they delighted in wickedness and wrongdoing. Children of strife! Their judgement comes swiftly; for the children of wrath will inherit wrath in the day of God’s fierce wrath.
As Christ says, "Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I came to SET A MAN AGAINST HIS FATHER, AND A DAUGHTER AGAINST HER MOTHER, AND A DAUGHTER IN LAW AGAINST HER MOTHER IN LAW; and A MAN'S ENEMIES WILL BE THE MEMBERS OF HIS HOUSEHOLD.” (Matthew 10:34-36) For this is the warfare which Christ fought; and David, and the prophets, and the men of God, and the apostles and believers in the Lord Jesus. As it says, "Contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints.” (Jude 1:3) This is the fight of peace, the fight of righteousness, the fight of the faith of grace and peace in the Lord Christ. As Christ says, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.” (Matthew 5:9) For God is the God of peace.
Now let us look to those before us who fought this fight, which is not by human hands. Do you remember Lot? How he contended with the wicked in Sodom, saying, "Please, my brothers, do not act wickedly.” (Genesis 19:7) As it says of him, he was “oppressed by the sensual conduct of unprincipled men. (for by what he saw and heard that righteous man, while living among them, felt his righteous soul tormented day after day by their lawless deeds)” (2 Peter 2:7-8) And he even sought to hand over his two daughters for the sake of the men he gathered to himself. And for what cause was the contention? He contended for the cause of righteousness, the cause of peace. For if he would not contend, he would become just like them! The evil around him would have subdued him. For when one does not fight, he becomes a prey and is overcome.
Or Abraham, for example, in regard to the same city, he interceded on their behalf, saying, “Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city; will You indeed sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous who are in it?” (Genesis 18:24) For he sought not their condemnation or destruction, but their salvation. And the apostle Paul was saying the same thing when he says, “First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” (1 Timothy 2:1-4) For what is the purpose? As it says, “that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.” So it is for the cause of peace.
Or the man traveling through Gibeah, who found a refuge in an old man’s home; and when the men of that town, the men of darkness, came to the door to work heinous acts of darkness in the dark, the old man said, “No, my fellows, please do not act so wickedly; since this man has come into my house, do not commit this act of folly.” (Judges 19:23) And he even sought to give his virgin daughter. And what was the judgement of Sodom and this town? Did God say, “Peace to you”? But rather, “The work of righteousness will be peace, And the service of righteousness, quietness and confidence forever.” (Isaiah 32:17) And the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel has said, "In repentance and rest you will be saved, In quietness and trust is your strength.” (Isaiah 30:15) But they were unwilling. So judgement came from heaven, from the LORD.
Or do you remember when Abraham who made a covenant with the inhabitants of Canaan? As one spoke to Abraham, "God is with you in all that you do; now therefore, swear to me here by God that you will not deal falsely with me or with my offspring or with my posterity, but according to the kindness that I have shown to you, you shall show to me and to the land in which you have sojourned.” (Genesis 21:22-23) And they made a covenant of peace together; for righteousness walks hand in hand; as it says, “Do two men walk together unless they have made an appointment?” (Amos 3:3) And, “Lovingkindness and truth have met together; Righteousness and peace have kissed each other.” (Psalms 85:10)
For these reasons it says, “the LORD is with you when you are with Him. And if you seek Him, He will let you find Him; but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you.” (2 Chronicles 15:2) For the LORD will never deviate from His right way to pursue us in crooked ways; we must turn to Him and He will turn to us. If He is with us, He will fight for us; but if He is not with us, we will be subdued. As it says to those who were rebelling, who were moving when the LORD God did not move, “Do not go up, or you will be struck down before your enemies, for the LORD is not among you. For the Amalekites and the Canaanites will be there in front of you, and you will fall by the sword, inasmuch as you have turned back from following the LORD. And the LORD will not be with you."” (Numbers 14:42-43) Yes, Jesus ate with sinners, but He wasn’t a friend of them; He did not walk with them in their sin; He called them to Himself through repentance and faith.
And Isaac made a covenant with Abimelech; for he came to him and said, “We see plainly that the LORD has been with you; so we said, 'Let there now be an oath between us, even between you and us, and let us make a covenant with you, that you will do us no harm, just as we have not touched you and have done to you nothing but good and have sent you away in peace. You are now the blessed of the LORD.'" (Genesis 26:28-29) For these sought their favor because they seen God was with them. And they sought for their peace, doing good to them. When a dispute was brought up, they addressed it. And they received a blessing; as the promise says, “I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.” (Genesis 12:3)
Do you remember when David sent consolers to the king of the Ammonites, Hanun, on behalf of his father’s death? David certainly did not seek war at that time, did he? But, “Hanun took David's servants and shaved off half of their beards, and cut off their garments in the middle as far as their hips, and sent them away.” (2 Samuel 10:4) Then they went out to battle against David. And David sent out the hosts against them. Certainly the Ammonites weren’t fighting for peace, were they? For they were opposing David, the man of righteousness. But when they were defeated, they made peace with Israel and served them. For “The wicked flee when no one is pursuing, But the righteous are bold as a lion.” (Proverbs 28:1)
Or when David was cursed by Shimei and threw stones at him, did he fight back? No. But rather it says, "Behold, my son who came out from me seeks my life; how much more now this Benjamite? Let him alone and let him curse, for the LORD has told him.” (2 Samuel 16:11) For he did not fight against God’s will, but he humbly accepted it. For David was being punished by God for his sins with Bathsheba, so he sought for peace with God even though the LORD’s hand was against him; for who can strive against God and succeed? And isn’t it similar when his son, Solomon, sinned against the Lord and the kingdom was split because of it? Solomon’s son, Rehoboam, was going to battle against Israel to restore the kingdom to himself, but the word of the LORD came to the prophet saying, “You shall not go up or fight against your relatives; return every man to his house, for this thing is from Me." So they listened to the words of the LORD and returned from going against Jeroboam.” (2 Chronicles 11:4)
As it says, “For what credit is there if, when you sin and are harshly treated, you endure it with patience?” (1 Peter 2:20) These did not retaliate even though they suffered for wrong-doing; instead they endured it, hoping not to make an evil matter worse. They sought for peace with the LORD by patiently enduring suffering. And through their actions they became a type of Christ, except He was without sin; as it says, “For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, WHO COMMITTED NO SIN, NOR WAS ANY DECEIT FOUND IN HIS MOUTH; and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously; and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.” (1 Peter 2:21-24)
Who knows? Perhaps the Lord would look upon with favor; if there is retaliation, perhaps it would be worse with them. As it says, “Why should any living mortal, or any man, Offer complaint in view of his sins?” (Lamentations 3:39) What peace comes from contending with God? Are we stronger than He? Are we more perfect than He? The LORD is not quick to bring about the day of punishment; but rather, as it says, “The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9) For He extends the days of His grace and delays the day of His judgement for the sake of salvation.
And the apostle Paul with wisdom says, “Though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses.” (2 Corinthians 10:3-4) For he casted down every refuge which men find themselves in, which are not Christ through the Word of truth. And he continues, “We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ, and we are ready to punish all disobedience, whenever your obedience is complete.” (2 Corinthians 10:4-6) For our warfare is spiritual, our enemies are erroneous thoughts, lies, lofty imaginations, and everything which is contrary to the true knowledge of God in Christ Jesus. And he says, “By the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and the left.” (2 Corinthians 6:7) For only one hand is dominant, but God helps both hands for righteousness by which we may “overcome evil with good.” (Romans 12:21) “Who is there to harm you if you prove zealous for what is good?” (1 Peter 3:13)
So let us think seriously of the fight of faith; for those who fought in times past and lost, their bodies died, but the faithful fight is for eternity, for the soul and the body. For the men of God also slew men. If those who disobeyed back then suffered death, how much more those who disobey Christ suffer eternal death? For fire flashed forth from heaven by the word of Elijah; as it says, “The fire of God came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty.” (2 Kings 1:12) And furthermore, he slew 450 of Baal’s prophets in the name of the LORD; as it says, “and Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon, and slew them there.” (1 Kings 18:40) And Elisha, his successor, bore the sword as well; as it says, "It shall come about, the one who escapes from the sword of Hazael, Jehu shall put to death, and the one who escapes from the sword of Jehu, Elisha shall put to death.” (1 Kings 19:17) So if these prophets were men of war in the flesh, how much more when they come with raging fire with Christ Jesus?
And the same Elijah stood against 450 prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel according to the Word of the Lord. He is one prophet, but he stood against 450 in the name of the LORD. As he said, "I alone am left a prophet of the LORD, but Baal's prophets are 450 men.” (1 Kings 18:22) Yet he stood against them and the LORD God flashed forth fire from heaven; and Elijah gave the command to slay all the prophets of Baal; as it says, “Then Elijah said to them, "Seize the prophets of Baal; do not let one of them escape." So they seized them; and Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon, and slew them there.” (1 Kings 18:40) For he was one man, yet he was strong in the Lord, defeating many in the name of the LORD; through weakness, he was made strong.
And Joshua as a man of God, a man of war, killed the men and women of Jericho and Ai, and burnt the city with fire. The Israelites did other such things to the people of Canaan, all according to the Word of the Lord; for He was patient with them; as He said of them to Abraham, “Then in the fourth generation they will return here, for the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet complete.” (Genesis 15:16) For He did not send Israel into the land until the wickedness of the land was made full; as Moses also says of this, “It is not for your righteousness or for the uprightness of your heart that you are going to possess their land, but it is because of the wickedness of these nations that the LORD your God is driving them out before you, in order to confirm the oath which the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.” (Deuteronomy 9:5) For God does not slay the innocent.
And the prophet Samuel was a man of God who slew; as it says, “Samuel said, "As your sword has made women childless, so shall your mother be childless among women." And Samuel hewed Agag to pieces before the LORD at Gilgal.” (1 Samuel 15:33) He did not slay him in unrighteousness, but it was according to the Lord’s judgement. And the tribe of Judah fought against his enemies, and mutilated the king of his enemies; as it says, “But the king fled; and they pursued him and caught him and cut off his thumbs and big toes. The king said, "Seventy kings with their thumbs and their big toes cut off used to gather up scraps under my table; as I have done, so God has repaid me." So they brought him to Jerusalem and he died there.” (Judges 1:6-7) For as these did to others, it was done to them according to the righteous judgement of God.
And do you not remember what David did to his enemies? As it says, “He also brought out the people who were in it, and set them under saws, sharp iron instruments, and iron axes, and made them pass through the brickkiln. And thus he did to all the cities of the sons of Ammon.” (2 Samuel 12:31) And look what he did to the men who killed the innocent: “David commanded the young men, and they killed them and cut off their hands and feet and hung them up beside the pool in Hebron.” (2 Samuel 4:12) He also hamstrung horses in war. For if these men were prophets of God and did these things, how much more terrifying will Christ’s coming be, when He comes as a Warrior in strength to reign with His saints, to recompense His enemies who fight against Him in unrighteousness?
And David, a man of war, as one man, defeating Goliath, a giant; David fought against him with no weapon at all; he only had a staff and a sling and stones. Yet, he trusted in God and fought the good fight, overtaking his enemy. He stood alone against the giant; but he was not alone, for the LORD God was with him; he trusted in the LORD and He delivered Israel. As it says, “The LORD is not restrained to save by many or by few." (1 Samuel 14:6) For “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them." (2 Kings 6:16) David’s mighty men imitated him; as it says of Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, “He killed an Egyptian, a man of great stature five cubits tall. Now in the Egyptian's hand was a spear like a weaver's beam, but he went down to him with a club and snatched the spear from the Egyptian's hand and killed him with his own spear.” (1 Chronicles 11:23)
And Samson, who slayed a thousand men with a jawbone of a donkey; he had no weapon at all, but fought in the strength of God. A sword is a weapon, and so is a spear; but God works through the weak things, and shows His strength. Samson as one man killing a thousand. How is it so, except by His God? For the LORD brought about that great victory. As it was with Adino the Eznite, who “slain eight hundred at one time;” (2 Samuel 23:8) And this might man slayed 800 with a sword; who could imagine killing a thousand without a sword, but a jawbone of a donkey? So it is, these are mighty men of God. They held down fortresses alone, and fought against multitudes; their hands clung to the spear and did not let go. They were made strong in God and fought against unrighteousness in the flesh.
For all these took up the sword, pointing to the time of Christ’s return when they will also rule with Him; all these look toward to the future reign of the righteous. Christ Jesus is coming. And it says of Him, “You shall break them with a rod of iron, You shall shatter them like earthenware.” (Psalms 2:9) And, "I trod down the peoples in My anger And made them drunk in My wrath, And I poured out their lifeblood on the earth." (Isaiah 63:6) And regarding the saints it says, "Arise and thresh, daughter of Zion, For your horn I will make iron And your hoofs I will make bronze, That you may pulverize many peoples, That you may devote to the LORD their unjust gain And their wealth to the Lord of all the earth.” (Micah 4:13)
And all of these look to Christ, for they are types of Christ. For Christ Jesus is the ultimate Warrior. He is one and He stood up against a host of enemies. He stood up against the religious Pharisees and Sadducees. He stood in the truth, fighting against them with the truth. Yes, He is one, yet he withstood them all. There was not a righteous man on earth to help Him, but He entrusted Himself to God. As it says, “Jesus, on His part, was not entrusting Himself to them, for He knew all men, and because He did not need anyone to testify concerning man, for He Himself knew what was in man.” (John 2:24-25) And so, He clung to the Father; as it says of the warriors in times past, “He arose and struck the Philistines until his hand was weary and clung to the sword.” (2 Samuel 23:10) So God’s grace is our strength.
And Christ did not fight against His enemies with a sword or a spear; no, He fought against them with a weapon which is no weapon at all. He fought with “a staff”, a piece of wood: the cross. And with it, even in His death, He subdued more of His enemies than He did in His life. As it says, “The dead whom he killed at his death were more than those whom he killed in his life.” (Judges 16:30) For, “When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him.” (Colossians 2:15) And He, being one man, with no weapon at all, subdued the powers and principalities which govern this world by freely justifying us through the cross. He fought against them, and worked the victory on our behalf; being one, He wins justification for the whole world. “The LORD is a warrior; The LORD is His name.” (Exodus 15:3)