Throughout the Old Testament, we find mentioned over and over again that God fights or has fought for His people. We witness Him continually defeating their enemies and delivering the people from them. When the Israelites were freaking out because they saw the Egyptians in hot pursuit of them just after leaving the country and were sandwiched between them and the Red Sea, Moses said to them, “Do not fear! Stand by and see the salvation of Yahweh which He will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you will never see then again forever. YAHWEH WILL FIGHT FOR YOU, and you will keep silent” (Exodus 14:13-14). The Egyptians themselves acknowledged this as their chariot wheels were forced to swerve and they wound up having a hard time driving through the opened sea. They said, “Let us flee from Israel, for Yahweh is FIGHTING for them against the Egyptians” (v. 25). In recalling the people’s fear of taking the land initially after the spies returned from Jericho, Moses points out how he reminded them, “Yahweh 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). God literally fought for the people in the battle against the Amorites where He answered Joshua’s prayer to extend the day longer causing the sun to appear to stand still in the sky. We are told that “Yahweh threw them into confusion before Israel, and He struck them with a great slaughter at Gibeon and pursued them by the way of the ascent of Beth-hornon and struck them as far as Azekah and Makkedah” (Joshua 10:10). He also threw down large hail stones upon them killing them. The report is that more died from those hailstones than any of the swords of Israel (v. 11). About that day, it was said, “there was no day like that before it or after it, when Yahweh listened to the voice of a man; for Yahweh FOUGHT for Israel” (v. 14). David rightly recognized that he wasn’t the one ultimately fighting against the giant enemy, Goliath, but that “the battle is Yahweh’s” (1 Samuel 17:47). Likewise, fearful King Jehoshaphat was told when the Moabites and Ammonites teamed up to make war against the people that “the battle is not yours but God’s” (2 Chronicles 20:15). Once again, the people did not have to even lift a sword. God took care of the matter for them setting the enemies against each other (vv. 22-23), causing all the nations to fear upon hearing “that Yahweh had FOUGHT against the enemies of Israel” (v. 29). There certainly are several other passages and examples I could still share but this article would then take up the entire newsletter which I don’t think the secretary would appreciate as much (and you probably would lose interest in reading). It’s clear that throughout Israel’s history, God continually fought on their behalf as He promised to do.
God still fights on behalf of His people just as much today. Not to defeat and rescue us from the Egyptians, Philistines, Amorites, Moabites, Ammonites, Amalekites and any other of the “ites” out there. But the even greater enemies of sin, death, and Satan. These enemies have been defeated like the previous ones just mentioned were for the Israelites. Sin has been defeated with the penalty of such being removed from us since Jesus willingly took it instead in our place. Sin no longer has the power to reign over us (Romans 6:8-14). One day, sin will no longer be present in us (Romans 7:24-25). And, though, currently, we still must deal with temptations to sin and the sinful desires within us, we can rest in the truth that Christ is fighting for us by the power of His Spirit for us to say “no” to that temptation and put such desires to death (Romans 8:13). He works within us so that we can work out our faith in the midst of such (Philippians 2:12-13). It is not our battle ultimately but the Lord’s and we can be assured that He will be victorious in the end.
Jesus has fought the enemy of death and won, having risen from the dead three days after His own death. Removing the sting that it had and ensuring a future resurrection for all who believe on Him, never to die again or face the second death of the lake of fire for all eternity (1 Corinthians 15:54-57; Revelation 2:11; 20:6).
And in the cosmic conflict between Jesus and our enemy, the devil, Jesus has crushed the head of that sinister serpent in defeat as has been promised (Genesis 3:15; Revelation 12:9-10). And He is going to come back to finish the job (Romans 16:20; Revelation 19:11; 20:7-10). The ultimate fulfillment of Zechariah 14:3. “Then Yahweh will go forth and FIGHT against those nations, as the day when He FIGHTS on a day of battle.” The Lord Jesus Christ will win this fight fully and finally against the devil and the nations which belong to him then.
There is one other thing I want to point out to you about this comforting truth that God fights for those who belong to Him by grace. And that is that it is often connected with the command not to fear. This is the case in Exodus 14:13-14; Deuteronomy 1:30; 3:22; 20:4; and 2 Chronicles 20:15, 17. We don’t need to fear sin, death, and the devil because Jesus has fought and continues to fight those enemies for us. Like the Israelites back at the Red Sea, we just need to be still and trust the Lord to show us His great salvation in defeating such and rescuing us from them. He has won the victory and will ensure that we share in it if we belong to Him!
Love in Christ,
Pastor Lee
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