Thursday, April 21, 2016

The Battle Is The Lord's

1 Samuel 17:47 – All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.”

Jeremiah 39:18 – I will save you; you will not fall by the sword but will escape with your life, because you trust in me, declares the Lord.’”

Exodus 14:14 – The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.”

1 Samuel 2:9-10 – He will guard the feet of his faithful servants, but the wicked will be silenced in the place of darkness. “It is not by strength that one prevails; those who oppose the Lord will be broken. The Most High will thunder from heaven; the Lord will judge the ends of the earth. “He will give strength to his king and exalt the horn of his anointed.”

Ecclesiastes 9:11 – I have seen something else under the sun: The race is not to the swift or the battle to the strong, nor does food come to the wise or wealth to the brilliant or favor to the learned; but time and chance happen to them all.

Zechariah 4:6 – So he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty.

Application:

  • ·         Both the Israelite and the Philistine armies were shown the error of placing trust in human devices for personal or national security.
  • ·         Ebed-Melek had expressed his faith in God by securing Jeremiah’s release from the cistern.
  • ·         “The Lord will fight for you” was a necessary reminder that although Israel was “ready for battle” and “marching out boldly”, the victory would be won by God alone.
  • ·         The Lord placed kings of His choice over His people after they entered the promised land.
  • ·         Success is uncertain—more evidence that humans do not ultimately control events.
  • ·         Zerubbabel did not possess the royal might and power that David and Solomon had enjoyed, and in any event such worldly power was inadequate for the purpose of rebuilding the Lord’s temple.



All Scripture verses taken from NIV

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