How does the battle change when we have invited the Lord to join us?

A father complained all the way home about the church service. "The sermon was too long, the music was too loud, and the lights were too dim." His eight-year old son, who had seen what his father placed in the offering plate said, "Dad, it didn't seem like a bad show for a dollar."

Sometimes what we say might expose how little we are really thinking! In this next section of Judges we see how the words of the Ephraimites got them into a war and betrayed them in the end. I covered this in my Devo about the tongue, so I want to focus elsewhere, but let’s just remember two items:

Judges Chapter 12:1-15  Then the men of Ephraim were summoned, and they crossed to Zaphon and said to Jephthah, “Why did you cross over to fight against the sons of Ammon without calling us to go with you? We will burn your house down on you.” Jephthah said to them, “I and my people were at great strife with the sons of Ammon; when I called you, you did not deliver me from their hand. “When I saw that you would not deliver me, I took my life in my hands and crossed over against the sons of Ammon, and the Lord gave them into my hand. Why then have you come up to me this day to fight against me?” Then Jephthah gathered all the men of Gilead and fought Ephraim; and the men of Gilead defeated Ephraim, because they said, “You are fugitives of Ephraim, O Gileadites, in the midst of Ephraim and in the midst of Manasseh.” The Gileadites captured the fords of the Jordan opposite Ephraim. And it happened when any of the fugitives of Ephraim said, “Let me cross over,” the men of Gilead would say to him, “Are you an Ephraimite?” If he said, “No,” then they would say to him, “Say now, ‘Shibboleth.’ ” But he said, “Sibboleth,” for he could not pronounce it correctly. Then they seized him and slew him at the fords of the Jordan. Thus there fell at that time 42,000 of Ephraim. Jephthah judged Israel six years. Then Jephthah the Gileadite died and was buried in one of the cities of Gilead. Now Ibzan of Bethlehem judged Israel after him. He had thirty sons, and thirty daughters whom he gave in marriage outside the family, and he brought in thirty daughters from outside for his sons. And he judged Israel seven years. Then Ibzan died and was buried in Bethlehem. Now Elon the Zebulunite judged Israel after him; and he judged Israel ten years. Then Elon the Zebulunite died and was buried at Aijalon in the land of Zebulun. Now Abdon the son of Hillel the Pirathonite judged Israel after him. He had forty sons and thirty grandsons who rode on seventy donkeys; and he judged Israel eight years. Then Abdon the son of Hillel the Pirathonite died and was buried at Pirathon in the land of Ephraim, in the hill country of the Amalekites.

First: Ephriam was sloppy with their words and it began a war:

“Then Jephthah gathered all the men of Gilead and fought Ephraim; and the men of Gilead defeated Ephraim, because they said, “You are fugitives of Ephraim, O Gileadites, in the midst of Ephraim and in the midst of Manasseh.”

Second: The Ephraimites own words betrayed them!

“And it happened when any of the fugitives of Ephraim said, “Let me cross over,” the men of Gilead would say to him, “Are you an Ephraimite?” If he said, “No,” then they would say to him, “Say now, ‘Shibboleth.’ ” But he said, “Sibboleth,” for he could not pronounce it correctly. Then they seized him and slew him at the fords of the Jordan. Thus there fell at that time 42,000 of Ephraim.

There are several other great lessons here also.

·      Lack of confrontation promotes sinful behavior!

It is important that we confront those that are trying to manipulate circumstances for their own agenda. Jephthah confronts the men of Ephraim concerning their hypocrisy. Sadly, Ephraim is too prideful and this brings more judgment, but it is important to try. Saul was confronted and it did make him rethink several times.

1 Samuel 19:4–6 Then Jonathan spoke well of David to Saul his father and said to him, “Do not let the king sin against his servant David, since he has not sinned against you, and since his deeds have been very beneficial to you. “For he took his life in his hand and struck the Philistine, and the Lord brought about a great deliverance for all Israel; you saw it and rejoiced. Why then will you sin against innocent blood by putting David to death without a cause?” Saul listened to the voice of Jonathan, and Saul vowed, “As the Lord lives, he shall not be put to death.”

Sadly, Saul also went back to pride. However, the confrontation by his son made him that much more accountable, and the Lord dealt with it, which freed David not to have to deal with him.

·      We should be proactive in our help!

Unfortunately many times believers show their insensitivity or even arrogance by the way they wait for an engraved invitation for assistance.

Then the men of Ephraim were summoned…and said to Jephthah, “Why did you cross over to fight against the sons of Ammon without calling us to go with you?... Jephthah said to them, “I and my people were at great strife with the sons of Ammon; when I called you, you did not deliver me from their hand.

When we see our brethren in trouble we should not wait to be invited to help, we should offer. If we were unaware or not paying attention we should not become offended. If on the other hand, we are the one in trouble, when help is offered we should accept it.

Interestingly, I have found that the Christian army not only shoots its own wounded, but also the Christian army is only one where the wounded refuse the medication!

·      In any circumstance – look to the Lord, not men!

When I saw that you wouldn't help, I took my life in my hands and crossed over to fight the Ammonites, and the LORD gave me the victory over them. Now why have you come up today to fight me?"

When we come to the reality that the battles we have are not ours to fight alone, but that our Lord desires to fight for us and alongside us, our entire view of all warfare will change.

Now you will challenge the circumstance based on what God commands and His priorities. When we do that we can be assured we will finish, because God always completes the race. Remember, it is always harder to complete than to start.

Luke 14:28–30  “For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it? “Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who observe it begin to ridicule him,  saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’

One writer said this about this passage: "Jesus said to quit before you start, unless you plan to finish."

When you have God join you in the battle several things happen:

1. It makes you aware of the real battle, it's not against the flesh! 

Ephesians 6:12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

Colossians 1:13 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves,

Ephesians 2:1-2 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins,(2)  in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.

1 Corinthians 9:7-9 Who serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat of its grapes? Who tends a flock and does not drink of the milk?(8)  Do I say this merely from a human point of view? Doesn't the Law say the same thing?(9)  For it is written in the Law of Moses: "Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain." Is it about oxen that God is concerned?

2 Timothy 2:5 Similarly, if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not receive the victor's crown unless he competes according to the rules.

1 Corinthians 9:25 Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.

2. It helps you see things from the real perspective; What is really important

1 Corinthians 2:11 For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the mans spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.

Colossians 1:9 For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding.

Isaiah 55:8-9 "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD.  "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

3. It will change your approach.

Too many times we try to approach the battle thinking that we can just make reality go away, but in the end the reality will catch us.

David Seamands shares a story that illustrates that.

"Perhaps you have heard about the man who was traveling on a dinner flight. When he opened his prepackaged meal, right on top of the salad he saw an enormous roach.  When he got home, he wrote an indignant letter to the president of that airline.  A few days later, a special delivery letter came from the president. He said he was sorry and wrote this: “This was very unusual, but don't worry. I want to assure you that particular airplane has been fumigated. In fact, all the seats and upholstery have been stripped out.  We have taken disciplinary action against the stewardess who served you that meal, and she may even be fired.  It is highly probable that this particular aircraft will be taken out of service. I can assure you that it will never happen again.  And I trust that you will continue to fly with us.”  Well, the man was terrifically impressed by such a letter until he noticed something. Quite by accident, the letter he had written had stuck to the back of the president's letter.  When he looked at his own letter he saw a note at the bottom that said, 'Reply with the regular roach letter.'

When we invite God to join us, our approach changes from how we would handle things, to how God would resolve it and what He wants to accomplish through it. We fight for God’s rights, not ours! God has the right to be glorified in everything we do.

Meditation Questions: Are you willing to lovingly confront wrong when you see it?  Do you look for those that need help, or do you always wait for an invitation? When you go to battle, do you go alone? If the Lord is with you, what part does He play? What is your number one end goal when you do battle? To win? To protect yourself? To bring God glory?  

Probing Proverbs - Each path has a final destination, know which one you are on.

Proverbs 11:2 Pride leads to disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.

One day I was sitting on a covered porch, the grass had just been mowed. I was studying the Scriptures and the topic I was reading about was “humility.” As I was studying, a thunderstorm broke over the area. Buckets of rain came down, which I loved because I was safe under the cover yet still experienced the noise and smell of the storm. I saw the water coming down off the yard onto the porch. Then I noticed something; the porch was tiled with grout. The blades of grass being washed down onto the porch taught me something. The blades that remained high on top of the tile, would get stuck and not move; the blades of grass that were in the low groove of the grout moved very quickly across the porch and back into the yard. Taking the lower (humble) path moves you to your goal quickly.

Many of the Proverbs sound very much alike, which is the beauty of this book. If you just scan by it quickly you will think it is just repetitive, however if you slow down and allow the Spirit of God to illuminate you, you will find that, though many of the topics are the same, because these are the “topics” of life, each Proverb will bring its own facet, perspective or enrichment to that specific topic.

Here we see two paths offered in the way we live. Each path describes an attitude toward life and each path shares the end destination of that path. Sadly, many look at these Proverbs as negative, instead of what they really are, positive warnings and encouragements about how we choose to live. God could have left us on our own to learn these things the hard way, many still choose to do that, I know I have. Yet, through time and maturity I have found it is far healthier and easier to “learn then live” instead of “live and learn!”

Consider these two paths:

Pride - זָדֹון (zā∙ḏôn) means swelling, pride;  as joined with insolence and arrogance, haughtiness.

This is an attitude where we think “we are all that!” The outward appearance will be a sense of superiority, not easily corrected and “I am right” mentality.

One of my responsibilities over the years has been to help train speakers. One brother, who is really a very decent man, has a pride problem. When I shared with him a challenge about his messages he just blew me off. I had heard him speak quite a few times, so I brought to his attention that I had noticed that 100% of his personal illustrations made him look good. Never had he shared a failure or the struggles he has. Sadly, he has a clear disconnect with his audience, yet wonders why he is not asked to speak as often as he wishes.

Pride is deadly, with this brother it has affected a small area of his life, which could lead to other areas being affected, however if we spend the majority of our life on this path it ends in:

 

קָלוֹן (qālôn) shame, disgrace, personal dishonor

At some point, when you have spent most of your life thinking your right, refusing accountability and holding a “better than you” attitude, the place you will end up will be shame. Whether it be with family and friends who have had enough, or at the Throne of the Lord, when you realize that even God was not allowed to correct you. In both scenarios you will find that your destination is to feel shame and disgrace.   

The other path is:

צָנוַּע (ṣānûaʿ) modest - to be lowly, submissive.

This an attitude where we do not look at ourselves as better than anyone, in fact we firmly believe except for the Grace of our Lord, we could fall into any sin. We realize that even our victories, even though we recognize the effort we applied, were based on our dependence on Him and He blessed us. The outward appearance of this will be a person that can receive correction, understands there is a lot they do not know, and never presumes to be right, instead deferring to Truth which is always right. The destination for this path is:

חָכְמָה (ḥokmâ) wisdom.

Wisdom is the ability to apply the data we have taken in. It is worthless to know what the Truth is, if you do not understand what it means or how it applies. This person’s destination will be viewed by family and friends as a source of comfort, counsel and truth.  
When they stand before God, “saved by grace through faith” as all are, and they will not be ashamed, because wisdom led them to count on Christ, not themselves.

Which path are you spending most of your life on? We all stray, the question is...is it a moment, or a lifestyle? Who in your life can you talk to about your pride? Are you humble enough to talk to someone?