Moderator
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These are the nations that the LORD left in the land to test those Israelites who had not experienced the wars of Canaan. He did this to teach warfare to generations of Israelites who had no experience in battle. Judges 3:1-2 NLT
Good parents sometimes let their kids struggle—even fail—as an important lesson. God treats His own children similarly.
Though we’ll never perfectly understand God, we occasionally get a biblical explanation of His ways. In Judges, we read that He used enemy nations to train His people in “the art of war.” Previous Israelites had fought battles, but the present generation was untested. They would need toughening to become the enduring nation God intended them to be. Sadly, the Israelites often failed the test, choosing to imitate, rather than dominate, the wicked cultures around them.
Similar challenges and opportunities face us. For His own reasons, God doesn’t take us to heaven as soon as we’re saved. He leaves us in a battle zone, where we’ll need to learn the art of war if we’re to survive. We may not understand His purpose—and even wish it were different—but God calls us to fight the evil attitudes and philosophies of the world around us.
There’s no guarantee that we’ll prevail on his battlefield. But our obedient efforts will certainly be rewarded.
Prayer: Lord, You call me to battle. Equip me with courage and cunning to fight with honor.
Good parents sometimes let their kids struggle—even fail—as an important lesson. God treats His own children similarly.
Though we’ll never perfectly understand God, we occasionally get a biblical explanation of His ways. In Judges, we read that He used enemy nations to train His people in “the art of war.” Previous Israelites had fought battles, but the present generation was untested. They would need toughening to become the enduring nation God intended them to be. Sadly, the Israelites often failed the test, choosing to imitate, rather than dominate, the wicked cultures around them.
Similar challenges and opportunities face us. For His own reasons, God doesn’t take us to heaven as soon as we’re saved. He leaves us in a battle zone, where we’ll need to learn the art of war if we’re to survive. We may not understand His purpose—and even wish it were different—but God calls us to fight the evil attitudes and philosophies of the world around us.
There’s no guarantee that we’ll prevail on his battlefield. But our obedient efforts will certainly be rewarded.
Prayer: Lord, You call me to battle. Equip me with courage and cunning to fight with honor.
