Word of Encouragement (01/24/2024)
He trains my hands for war, so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze. 36 You have given me the shield of your salvation, and your gentleness made me great. 37 You gave a wide place for my steps under me, and my feet did not slip; 38 I pursued my enemies and destroyed them, and did not turn back until they were consumed. 39 I consumed them; I thrust them through, so that they did not rise; they fell under my feet. 40 For you equipped me with strength for the battle; you made those who rise against me sink under me. 41 You made my enemies turn their backs to me, those who hated me, and I destroyed them. 42 They looked, but there was none to save; they cried to the LORD, but he did not answer them. 43 I beat them fine as the dust of the earth; I crushed them and stamped them down like the mire of the streets. (2 Sam. 22:35-43)
David praises God for giving him victory over his enemies: “I pursued my enemies and destroyed them, and did not turn back until they were consumed. I consumed them; I thrust them through, so that they did not rise; they fell under my feet” (vv. 38-39). As you can see, the kind of victory David speaks of is a complete victory: the enemies are destroyed to the point that they cannot rise again.
In applying this to our lives, we need to keep in mind that God’s people no longer live in a theocracy like David. Christians don’t have a territory of their own nor a geo-political government of their own nor a military of their own. We belong to the church of Jesus Christ, which is an ecclesiastic institution, not a geo-political one. God has given to the church the Scripture and the keys of the kingdom, not the sword of a political government. Ours is a moral and spiritual authority, not a political and military authority. “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (Eph. 6:12); “For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds..., arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ...” (2 Cor. 10:4-5).
So, we must apply what David says here to our spiritual warfare. The complete victory we seek should be over our sins, not over people. If our victory should be over people, it is not accomplished with violence and hatred but with love and kindness. But when it comes to our sin and Satan, we should not show any mercy or offer any terms of peace. They are the kind of enemies that will not stop until they destroy us completely. If we show any mercy, they will take advantage of it and use it to attack us when we least expect it. If we offer any terms of peace, they will use it only to recoup and launch their attack at a more opportune time. If we give them an inch, they will take a mile and try to grab more of whatever joy and delight we have in the Lord.
Our battle against sin and Satan is indeed a mortal combat—a combat of the most brutal and mortal kind since our defeat means eternal damnation. “For still our ancient foe / Doth seek to work us woe; / His craft and power are great, / And armed with cruel hate, / On earth is not his equal.” How can we ever hope to win this battle on our own? “Did we in our own strength confide, / Our striving would be losing; / Were not the right Man on our side, / The Man of God’s own choosing.” Praise God for Jesus Christ, our Champion.
It was Jesus Christ who pursued our enemies and destroyed them! He did not turn back even though He had to go all the way to the cross! He fought our enemies until they were consumed by shedding His blood of atonement for our sins. He consumed them by being thrust through to pay the penalty of our sins fully. And He rose again from the dead, defeating them completely so that they could not rise again. He will reign until He has put all our enemies under His feet (1 Cor. 15:25). Through faith in Jesus Christ, we share in His victory! We fight against a defeated foe. Let us take heart and fight bravely to the point of shedding blood (Heb. 12:4), knowing that we fight under the victorious banner of Christ and He will finish them off for all eternity!