Deuteronomy 20 gives two important principles about warfare:
(1) Make sure you're on God's side. That you're fighting for what is right.
(2) Be enthusiastic about winning. Fight to win.
The same chapter gives four valid excuses for a man not to go into battle.
(1) If the man has built a new house and hasn't had opportunity to live in it yet.
(2) If the man has planted a vinyard and hasn't had opportunity to eat of it yet.
(3) If the man is engaged to be married.
(4) If the man is fearful or fainthearted.
In other words, God recognized that a man cannot be enthusiastic about fighting even a right war if his heart is back at home, or back at his business, or on his fiancee. God recognized that a man cannot be enthusiastic about fighting if he is fearful or fainthearted. Through these four excuses, God is advocating a voluntary military.
In 2 Tim 2:3-4, Paul wrote, "Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier."
Paul is writing to Timothy as one preacher to another to endure hardness as a good soldier, to avoid being entangled with the affairs of this life, to focus instead on pleasing Jesus Christ, his Commander.
Makes me wonder if I'm being a good soldier for Christ? Where's my enthusiasm for fighting the battles against the enemy within - my own sinful nature? Against the enemy without - Satan? Where's my enthusiasm for freeing others from the bondage of sin and eternal damnation by proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ? Have I become so entangled with the affairs of this world that I've no heart to fight?
Our task is enormous - 64 billion people alive on this planet right now. That means there are more people alive today than have lived throughout all of human history. That also means there are more people in bondage than ever before. We live in an extraordinary time - we need to be extraordinarily committed to sharing the Gospel of Christ.
(1) Make sure you're on God's side. That you're fighting for what is right.
(2) Be enthusiastic about winning. Fight to win.
The same chapter gives four valid excuses for a man not to go into battle.
(1) If the man has built a new house and hasn't had opportunity to live in it yet.
(2) If the man has planted a vinyard and hasn't had opportunity to eat of it yet.
(3) If the man is engaged to be married.
(4) If the man is fearful or fainthearted.
In other words, God recognized that a man cannot be enthusiastic about fighting even a right war if his heart is back at home, or back at his business, or on his fiancee. God recognized that a man cannot be enthusiastic about fighting if he is fearful or fainthearted. Through these four excuses, God is advocating a voluntary military.
In 2 Tim 2:3-4, Paul wrote, "Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier."
Paul is writing to Timothy as one preacher to another to endure hardness as a good soldier, to avoid being entangled with the affairs of this life, to focus instead on pleasing Jesus Christ, his Commander.
Makes me wonder if I'm being a good soldier for Christ? Where's my enthusiasm for fighting the battles against the enemy within - my own sinful nature? Against the enemy without - Satan? Where's my enthusiasm for freeing others from the bondage of sin and eternal damnation by proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ? Have I become so entangled with the affairs of this world that I've no heart to fight?
Our task is enormous - 64 billion people alive on this planet right now. That means there are more people alive today than have lived throughout all of human history. That also means there are more people in bondage than ever before. We live in an extraordinary time - we need to be extraordinarily committed to sharing the Gospel of Christ.
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