GOD’S WORD FOR YOU
1 CHRONICLES 19:10-13
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10 When Joab saw that the battle line was set against him both in front and in the rear, he chose some of the best troops of Israel and arrayed them against the Arameans. 11 He put the rest of his troops under the command of his brother Abishai, and they were placed to encounter the Ammonites. 12 He said, “If the Arameans are too strong for me, then you are there for me to help me. But if the Ammonites are too strong for you, then I will help you. 13 Be strong. We will be courageous for our people and for the cities of our God; and may the LORD do what is good in his sight.”
Joab’s army was fighting at every disadvantage: They were looking into the rising sun, they were fighting uphill, and they were fighting a divided army in such a way that the rear of their army would be exposed to an enemy no matter which way he attacked.
The mercenaries of Aram were deployed to the south, near Medeba, and to Joab’s right. He picked his best warriors (whole companies, not just individuals) to fight there, and he decided to lead them personally. He gave the rest of his army to his brother Abishai to command.
Then Joab made a speech worthy of fame in later times: “If the Arameans are too strong for me, then you are there for me to help me. But if the Ammonites are too strong for you, then I will help you.” In the Hebrew text, this speech is divided for a reader’s pause between the two sentences, to add to the drama of the moment.
Joab’s speech didn’t end there. He added the command, “Be strong,” which harkened back to Moses speaking to Joshua before the conquest (Deuteronomy 31:7, 23) and Joshua encouraging Israel (Joshua 1:6-7,9,18). “We will be courageous” (or “Let us be courageous”) is the talk between two brothers who had fought many times shoulder to shoulder, loyal to David.
Joab acknowledges his faith in the Lord God, and in the Lord’s true ownership of all things. Therefore when he says “our people” he means the people that he and Abishai were chosen to protect. And when he says “our God” he means nothing less than the almighty God, the Creator of all, and that their military service for Israel was truly a service and a form of worship to God. They would pay with their strength and were willing to pay with their blood in their devotion to God the Father and to the coming Christ.
It is good to hear these soldiers expressing their faith outside the sanctuary of the tabernacle. Here they were, lined up for battle, flags unfurled from their bindings, the snorts of the donkeys puffing out in little clouds of steam in the morning air, the men in their lines and ready for action, with danger and disadvantage right before everyone’s eyes. But they trusted in God to help them. The institution of the sword is not merely one of the three classic exceptions to the Fifth Commandment. The sword is there to punish evil, to protect the good, and to preserve peace. Of course, a military calling can be abused, but no more than any other office. My father was a soldier and I am proud of his service, but I do not write this only to justify his skill with a weapon. This is God’s will concerning a soldier’s profession.
1, To fight against one’s own government is forbidden by God under the Fourth Commandment. It is true that any government in any political system can distort, abuse, and bring shame to their office. One doesn’t even need to think of examples, since our news is filled with trials, allegations, and indictments up to the highest office in our country today.
2, In war, self-defense and love for comrades is often the more immediate principal in any private soldier’s heart than broad national policies. A ruler is charged by God to defend and protect his people when they are attacked, and to do this he must employ trained and professional soldiers. In modern times this applies to ground troops (an army), swift-moving light troops (the ancient cavalry now rides helicopters instead of horses), a navy armed for battle and defense with its own ground troops (we call this the Marine Corps) and a Coast Guard, and an air force. But a soldier in any capacity cannot simply rely on the just cause for which he fights. He must put his trust in God above all.
3, When a ruler turns his army, or a part of it, against his own citizens, then he runs the risk of turning his own people into the enemy. Such an act is justified in the case of a rebellion, but the one in command of the soldiers is also subordinate to God, for the Fourth Commandment follows the First, and we must let Romans 13:1 stand in large letters in plain sight: “The authorities that exist have been established by God.” No one is above God or his holy will. Just as Saul was anointed by Samuel at God’s command, so also Saul was rejected by Samuel at God’s command.
4, Superstition is a special temptation for soldiers, sailors, and flyers. There is no room for superstition in the Holy Christian Church; it is nothing but idolatry. Whether a man prays to the saints or rubs a rabbit’s foot or whatever he does, if it is for luck, it is not for the good of his soul. The Christian soldier should simply put himself in God’s hands and trust that his sins are forgiven in Christ. Let the pagans and the heathen in our country and in other nations scratch their heads and wonder how a man can call himself a Christian and yet bear arms for his country. Those head scratchers don’t know Christ at all. They also wonder how sinners can be Christians, when they don’t know that they themselves are sinners who need Christ, for “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). The soldier should pick up his weapon or do his assigned task with confidence that he is carrying out his role and using the gifts God himself has given to him. Ask the Lord’s blessing just as when you eat your meal, and do your task and do your duty.
Luther (whose little book, “Whether Soldiers, Too, Can Be Saved,” I have summarized here) adds this prayer:
“I place myself freely at the service of your will, Father. I believe with all my heart that only the innocent blood of your dear Son, my Lord Jesus Christ, redeems and saves me, which he shed for me in obedience to your holy will. This is the basis on which I stand before you. In this faith I will live and die, fight, and do everything else. Preserve and strengthen this faith in me by your Spirit. Amen.” (LW 46:135-136).
To this our blessed Martin Luther adds: “In so doing commit body and soul into God’s hands, draw your sword, and fight in God’s name.”
In Christ,
Pastor Timothy Smith
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Pastor Smith serves St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, New Ulm, Minnesota
God’s Word for You – 1 Chronicles 19:10-13 Christian soldiers, sailors, and fliers