Topical Bible: God: Fighting the Battles of Israel

◄ God: Fighting the Battles of Israel ►

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Throughout the Old Testament, God is depicted as the divine warrior who fights on behalf of Israel, His chosen people. This theme underscores God's sovereignty, faithfulness, and power, as He intervenes in the affairs of nations to fulfill His covenant promises to Israel. The concept of God as a warrior is integral to understanding the relationship between God and Israel, as well as the unfolding of redemptive history.

Divine Warrior Imagery

The imagery of God as a warrior is vividly portrayed in several passages. In Exodus 15:3, following the miraculous deliverance of the Israelites from Egypt, Moses and the Israelites sing, "The LORD is a warrior; the LORD is His name." This declaration comes after God parts the Red Sea, allowing the Israelites to escape Pharaoh's army, and then causes the waters to return, drowning the Egyptian forces. This event marks a foundational moment in Israel's history, demonstrating God's power and commitment to His people.

Conquest of Canaan

The conquest of Canaan is another significant period where God fights for Israel. In Joshua 10:42, it is recorded, "Joshua captured all these kings and their lands in one campaign, because the LORD, the God of Israel, fought for Israel." The victories in Canaan are attributed not to Israel's military prowess but to God's intervention. The fall of Jericho, where the walls collapsed after the Israelites marched around the city as instructed by God (Joshua 6), exemplifies divine intervention in battle.

Divine Strategy and Guidance

God's involvement in Israel's battles often includes providing strategic guidance. In Judges 7, God instructs Gideon to reduce his army to 300 men to defeat the Midianites, ensuring that the victory is clearly attributed to divine power rather than human strength. Judges 7:2 states, "The LORD said to Gideon, 'You have too many men for Me to deliver Midian into their hands. Israel might boast against Me, saying, ‘My own hand has saved me.’"

Protection and Deliverance

God's role as protector is evident in numerous instances where He delivers Israel from overwhelming odds. In 2 Chronicles 20, King Jehoshaphat faces a vast coalition of enemies. He prays for divine intervention, and God responds through a prophet, saying, "Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God's" (2 Chronicles 20:15). The subsequent victory, achieved without Israel needing to fight, highlights God's ability to protect and deliver His people.

Covenant Faithfulness

God's actions in fighting for Israel are deeply rooted in His covenant promises. In Deuteronomy 20:4, Moses assures the Israelites, "For the LORD your God is the One who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies, to give you victory." This assurance is based on God's covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, promising to make their descendants a great nation and to give them the land of Canaan.

Moral and Spiritual Dimensions

The battles fought by God on behalf of Israel also carry moral and spiritual dimensions. They are not merely military campaigns but are often acts of divine judgment against nations whose practices are abhorrent to God. In Deuteronomy 9:4-5, God warns Israel not to attribute their success to their own righteousness but to recognize it as a judgment against the wickedness of the nations they are displacing.

Conclusion

The theme of God fighting the battles of Israel is a testament to His power, faithfulness, and commitment to His covenant people. It serves as a reminder of God's sovereignty over the nations and His ability to accomplish His purposes through His chosen people.

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2 Chronicles 13:12,18
And, behold, God himself is with us for our captain, and his priests with sounding trumpets to cry alarm against you. O children of Israel, fight you not against the LORD God of your fathers; for you shall not prosper.
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2 Chronicles 14:9-14
And there came out against them Zerah the Ethiopian with an host of a thousand thousand, and three hundred chariots; and came to Mareshah.
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2 Chronicles 16:9
For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. Herein you have done foolishly: therefore from now on you shall have wars.
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2 Chronicles 20:15,17,22,23
And he said, Listen you, all Judah, and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you king Jehoshaphat, Thus said the LORD to you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God's.
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2 Chronicles 32:21,22
And the LORD sent an angel, which cut off all the mighty men of valor, and the leaders and captains in the camp of the king of Assyria. So he returned with shame of face to his own land. And when he was come into the house of his god, they that came forth of his own bowels slew him there with the sword.
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Library

Joshua
... sense of the importance of a grateful and uncompromising fidelity to God. ... a noble
imagination, fitted to remind those who are fighting the battles of the ...
//christianbookshelf.org/mcfadyen/introduction to the old testament/joshua.htm

War! War! War!
... "Fight the Lord's battles." You can ... thy sword out, and worn thine arm out in fighting
against Christ. ... O that God would give you the earnest money of free grace ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 5 1859/war war war.htm

Twenty-Ninth Day. Love of Unity.
... Hear His reply""If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that ... livery, but let
us stand side by side, and rank by rank, fighting the battles of our ...
/.../macduff/the mind of jesus/twenty-ninth day love of unity.htm

Hazael Makes an Expedition against the People of Israel and the ...
... his own adversaries by his prophecies, without fighting; and that ... it was fit a person
so beloved of God should have ... he had beaten him in three battles, he took ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/chapter 8 hazael makes an.htm

Amaziah
... hands with idolaters and paid them to fight his battles. ... and he believed, moreover,
that if God should turn ... to send that goodly array of fighting men away and ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/milligan/men of the bible some lesser-known/amaziah.htm

The Birthnight of Freedom
... to whether sixty or six hundred thousand fighting men came ... Israel"ay, among all
mankind"when God himself stooped ... men, however wise; or in the battles of men ...
/.../kingsley/the gospel of the pentateuch/sermon xii the birthnight of.htm

Jehovah
... to use all the strength we have in fighting our enemies ... too weak to resist any longer,
he prevailed with God. ... to be our Banner, and commit all our battles to Him ...
//christianbookshelf.org/smith/the god of all comfort/chapter 6 jehovah.htm

How David Brought under the Philistines, and the Moabites, and the ...
... and tried his fortune in many battles, and particularly ... curious lavers, when he built
the temple for God. ... that he owed him thanks for fighting against Hadadezer ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/chapter 5 how david brought.htm

The Being of God
... All creatures obey him, the stars fight his battles, the wind ... their forces against
God; they are said to fight against God. ... But what will this fighting avail? ...
//christianbookshelf.org/watson/a body of divinity/1 the being of god.htm

How Christ is to be Made Use Of, in Reference to the Killing and ...
... 3. That God is faithful, and therefore the promised victory shall be had ... his duty,
carrying as a good soldier of Jesus Christ, fighting the battles of the ...
/.../brown/christ the way the truth and the life/chapter vi how christ is.htm