God the Warrior King

How do I know whether to act now or wait on the Lord?

Jonathan stands at the bottom of a cliff between two crags and does not move until he gets a signal. His father Saul starts to seek the Lord and then drops it the moment the battle noise rises. Both men want to win. Only one of them waits to hear from the commander.

Then Jonathan said, “Behold, we will pass over to the men, and we will reveal ourselves to them. If they say this to us, ‘Wait until we come to you!’ then we will stand still in our place and will not go up to them. But if they say this, ‘Come up to us!’ then we will go up, for Yahweh has delivered them into our hand. This shall be the sign to us.”

1 Samuel 14:8–10

While Saul talked to the priest, the tumult that was in the camp of the Philistines went on and increased; and Saul said to the priest, “Withdraw your hand!” Saul and all the people who were with him were gathered together, and came to the battle; and behold, they were all striking each other with their swords in very great confusion.

1 Samuel 14:19–20

David inquired of Yahweh, saying, “Shall I go up against the Philistines? Will you deliver them into my hand?” Yahweh said to David, “Go up; for I will certainly deliver the Philistines into your hand.” David came to Baal Perazim, and David struck them there. Then he said, “Yahweh has broken my enemies before me, like the breach of waters.” Therefore he called the name of that place Baal Perazim. They left their images there, and David and his men took them away. The Philistines came up yet again and spread themselves in the valley of Rephaim. When David inquired of Yahweh, he said, “You shall not go up. Circle around behind them, and attack them in front of the mulberry trees. When you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the mulberry trees, then stir yourself up; for then Yahweh has gone out before you to strike the army of the Philistines.” David did so, as Yahweh commanded him, and struck the Philistines all the way from Geba to Gezer.

2 Samuel 5:19–25

Don’t go up, for Yahweh isn’t among you; that way you won’t be struck down before your enemies. For there the Amalekite and the Canaanite are before you, and you will fall by the sword because you turned back from following Yahweh; therefore Yahweh will not be with you.” But they presumed to go up to the top of the mountain. Nevertheless, the ark of Yahweh’s covenant and Moses didn’t depart out of the camp. Then the Amalekites came down, and the Canaanites who lived in that mountain, and struck them and beat them down even to Hormah.

Numbers 14:42–45

Trust in Yahweh with all your heart, and don’t lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

Proverbs 3:5–6

Is God really fighting for me, or do I have to fight alone?

Saul has six hundred men, a handful of swords, and a Philistine garrison that holds the high ground. Jonathan has one armor bearer and a sentence about God saving by few. The story turns on whose strength the day actually rests on.

Jonathan said to the young man who bore his armor, “Come! Let’s go over to the garrison of these uncircumcised. It may be that Yahweh will work for us, for there is no restraint on Yahweh to save by many or by few.”

1 Samuel 14:6

There was a trembling in the camp, in the field, and among all the people; the garrison and the raiders also trembled; and the earth quaked, so there was an exceedingly great trembling.

1 Samuel 14:15

So Yahweh saved Israel that day; and the battle passed over by Beth Aven.

1 Samuel 14:23

Yahweh said to Gideon, “The people who are with you are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hand, lest Israel brag against me, saying, ‘My own hand has saved me.’ Now therefore proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, ‘Whoever is fearful and trembling, let him return and depart from Mount Gilead.’” So twenty-two thousand of the people returned, and ten thousand remained. Yahweh said to Gideon, “There are still too many people. Bring them down to the water, and I will test them for you there. It shall be, that those whom I tell you, ‘This shall go with you,’ shall go with you; and whoever I tell you, ‘This shall not go with you,’ shall not go.” So he brought down the people to the water; and Yahweh said to Gideon, “Everyone who laps of the water with his tongue, like a dog laps, you shall set him by himself; likewise everyone who bows down on his knees to drink.” The number of those who lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, was three hundred men; but all the rest of the people bowed down on their knees to drink water. Yahweh said to Gideon, “I will save you by the three hundred men who lapped, and deliver the Midianites into your hand. Let all the other people go, each to his own place.” So the people took food in their hand, and their trumpets; and he sent all the rest of the men of Israel to their own tents, but retained the three hundred men; and the camp of Midian was beneath him in the valley.

Judges 7:2–8

Who is the King of glory? Yahweh strong and mighty, Yahweh mighty in battle.

Psalms 24:8

Yahweh your God, who goes before you, he will fight for you, according to all that he did for you in Egypt before your eyes,…

Deuteronomy 1:30

What about the God who kills the Philistines? How is that good?

This is not a polite question and the sermon does not dodge it. A Slav theologian who watched his own cities shelled said he could not imagine a God who was not angry at that. The judgment on the Philistines is the bully stopped in the act, and the same judge turns his hand against Israel when they are the ones doing wrong.

Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne. Loving kindness and truth go before your face.

Psalms 89:14

May it be far from you to do things like that, to kill the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be like the wicked. May that be far from you. Shouldn’t the Judge of all the earth do right?”

Genesis 18:25

The Rock: his work is perfect, for all his ways are just. A God of faithfulness who does no wrong, just and right is he.

Deuteronomy 32:4

But let justice roll on like rivers, and righteousness like a mighty stream.

Amos 5:24

I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and he who sat on it is called Faithful and True. In righteousness he judges and makes war. His eyes are a flame of fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has names written and a name written which no one knows but he himself. He is clothed in a garment sprinkled with blood. His name is called “The Word of God.” The armies which are in heaven, clothed in white, pure, fine linen, followed him on white horses. Out of his mouth proceeds a sharp, double-edged sword that with it he should strike the nations. He will rule them with an iron rod. He treads the wine press of the fierceness of the wrath of God, the Almighty. He has on his garment and on his thigh a name written, “KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.”

Revelation 19:11–16

If God is the warrior and I am not, how do I stand up to the people who hurt the church?

Peter tells believers who are suffering to entrust themselves to a faithful Creator and keep doing good. The sermon turns the Philistine sword into almost everything except a command for churches to swing it. Instead it sends people to share the gospel, serve their enemies, and pray for a few believers to land in places of influence like Joseph and Esther.

Therefore let them also who suffer according to the will of God in doing good entrust their souls to him, as to a faithful Creator.

1 Peter 4:19

But I tell you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who mistreat you and persecute you,…

Matthew 5:44

Repay no one evil for evil. Respect what is honorable in the sight of all men. If it is possible, as much as it is up to you, be at peace with all men. Don’t seek revenge yourselves, beloved, but give place to God’s wrath. For it is written, “Vengeance belongs to me; I will repay, says the Lord.” Therefore “If your enemy is hungry, feed him. If he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in doing so, you will heap coals of fire on his head.” Don’t be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Romans 12:17–21

For if I have done wrong and have committed anything worthy of death, I don’t refuse to die; but if none of those things is true that they accuse me of, no one can give me up to them. I appeal to Caesar!” Then Festus, when he had conferred with the council, answered, “You have appealed to Caesar. To Caesar you shall go.”

Acts 25:11–12

For if you remain silent now, then relief and deliverance will come to the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Who knows if you haven’t come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” Then Esther asked them to answer Mordecai, “Go, gather together all the Jews who are present in Susa, and fast for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day. I and my maidens will also fast the same way. Then I will go in to the king, which is against the law; and if I perish, I perish.”

Esther 4:14–16