Question
In Joshua the LORD goes to battle on Israel’s behalf, but also withholds when Israel lacked faith or disobeys. Exactly how did the LORD battle for Israel? Was it through the sword of each individual Israelite (based upon the individual’s faith)?
Response
Once God had victoriously brought Israel out of Egypt by single-handedly destroying Pharaoh’s armies for them; and also once He had provided Israel with their basic education in the issue of His “Jehovah-ness” for them, (especially including what He taught them about the military aspect of His “Jehovah-ness” when they went to battle with Amalek as related in Exodus 17:8-16); this meant that Israel’s success in their battles with their enemies was going to depend upon their confidence in God’s “Jehovah-ness” when He told them about how He would go with them to fight.
Hence, as per what God taught them in their battle with Amalek, if in their battles they upheld His “Jehovah-ness” by depending upon it, then individually and collectively they would be successful in the battles. For the LORD would fight with them and for them on an individual basis in connection with the individual soldiers that they were, and He would do the same collectively with them as the army that they were, to save them and to enable them to prevail. But if in their battles they either individually or collectively did not uphold His “Jehovah-ness,” then they would not succeed.
Therefore, for this reason every battle was to be preceded by what is described in Deuteronomy 20. And in connection with this it is especially significant to take note of what “the officers” were to say to every man under his command, after “the priest” had publicly addressed the army as a whole and in doing so had underscored and extolled the issue of God’s “Jehovah-ness.” By what “the officers” said to every man the provision was made to eliminate from the battle any man whose heart may be distracted from completely relying upon God’s “Jehovah-ness.”
So then according to the application of the military aspect of God’s “Jehovah-ness,” when the LORD said that He would ‘go with them’ into their battles and ‘fight for them against their enemies’ He did this through each individual man; and accordingly each one of them would benefit from God’s “Jehovah-ness” as he confidently depended upon the LORD doing what He said that He would do.
Keith Blades
Enjoy The Bible Ministries
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