Christ in all the scriptures Preparing for war

 Christ in all the scriptures

Preparing for war  Numbers chapter 1

"Take ye the sum of all the congregation of Israel, after their families, by the house of their fathers, with the number of their names, every male by their polls; from twenty years old and upward, all that are able to go forth to war in Israel, thou and Aaron shall number them by their armies"-Numbers 1v2-3.

A whole year and one month has passed, since they left Egypt.  They have learned to walk with the Lord (accepting His laws and commandments and statutes (Exodus).  They have been instructed in the worship of the Lord (Leviticus).  Now they are introduced to a new phase of the life of faith, that of warfare with the Lord (Numbers).  God's redeemed people are to journey through foreign lands, to enter the promised land, and they will encounter hostilities.    Here God establishes that they must be ready, whatever comes.  Indeed, these three aspects of the life of faith, (walk, worship, and warfare) are prominent in the letter to Ephesians to the Church.  

Worship  Chapter 1v6 "..to the praise of the glory of His grace"; 1v12"...that we should be to the praise of His glory"; 1v14 "...unto the praise of His glory"; 3v21 "unto Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus, throughout all ages, world without end.  Amen".

Walk  Chapter 4v1 "...that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called"; 4v17 "...that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk in the vanity of their mind"; 5v2 "walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us..."; 5v8 "...walk as children of light"; 5v15 "...walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time because the days are evil".

Warfare  Chapter 6v10-17 "Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might.  Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil...take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit which is the (spoken) word of God.

These three cardinal exercises sum up the lives of all who are in association with God.  Our Lord Jesus Christ is said to be "...the captain of our salvation, bringing many sons to glory..."-Hebrews 2v10.  We are on a journey to our eternal home, in the meantime we are in a hostile environment and we must be prepared.  The scripture speaks in military terms to describe the spiritual warfare of the people of God.  We are not of this world, we are strangers here, and some will be peacable toward us, others not.  This was the lot of Israel; it is also the lot of the Church.

Those of faith in Christ, today, must adopt a militant mentality, when faced with evil, as we will be.  God is a man of war (Exodus 15v3), and He opposes evil.  There are many sources of opposition to trouble the faithful, principal among them the following:

Evil from the world around us   Jesus said, "In the world ye shall have tribulation; be of good cheer, I have overcome the world"-John 16v33; If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.  If ye were of the world the world would love his own; but because ye are not of the world..."-John 15v18-19; it was the "Princes of this world that crucified the Lord of glory"-wrote Paul in 1st Corinthians 2v8; his attitude to the world is in Galatians 6v14 "God forbid that I should glory save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world".  The world system is evil and is hostile to the believer, and while we live in it we should not fraternise with it, and, if need be, oppose it.

Evil from within ourselves  Listen to the language of Peter, "Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which WAR AGAINST THE SOUL"-1st Peter 2v11.  Evil resides within us this side of the glory, and there is a battle to be fought there.  Paul wrote in Galatians 5v16-21, "This I say then, walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lusts of the flesh.  For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one too the other...and they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections thereof".  We cannot be complacent, we must meet head on the enemy within passed on from Adam.  

Evil from above from the demonic empire in the stratosphere  Demon spirits who rule the air (including the airwaves) are the avowed enemy of believers.  This reality is expressed by Paul in Ephesians 6v12, "For we wrestle not with flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickednesses in high places".  Peter also says, "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: whom resist steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world"-1st Peter 5v8-9.

From all around us, from within us, from above us, there are enemies seeking our downfall.  It is true with us, it was true with Israel under Moses.  The truth of God in this world is too precious, and must be preserved in the face of opposition.  Also the people of God must be protected.  The language of the New Testament indicates we are in a war situation, spiritually speaking.

Jesus advised His disciples, "Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation"-Matt. 26v41. Paul appealed to Timothy to be a good soldier of Jesus Christ, by enduring hardness-2nd Timothy 2v3.  The word translated "kept" in the New Testament carries the thought of "kept as by a military garrison".  Examples are: 1st Peter 1v5, "Who are kept by the power of God, through faith unto salvation, ready to be revealed in the last time".  "Holy Father, keep  through thine own name those whom thou hast given me...While I was with them in the world I kept them in thy name...keep them from the evil.  They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world"-John 17v11-16.  "For I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day"-2nd Timothy 1v12.   Believers are asked to keep things that are important to God, with a determination to preserve what is of value to Him.

Ephesians 4v2, "Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace"; 1st Timothy 5v22, "Keep thyself pure..."-this in the context of separating from leaders who persist in sin; 1st Timothy 6v20, "O, Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust; 1st John 2v5, "But whoso keepeth His word, in Him verily is the love of God perfected; hereby we know that we are in Him"; 2nd Timothy 4v7, Paul said "I have kept the faith"; Jude wrote 1v3, "...earnestly contend for the faith that was once (for all) delivered unto the saints".

All of these have military connotations, and, in this world where we are strangers, we are to contend without being contentious.  Peter adds to it saying in 1st Peter 4v1, "For as much then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind". 

Like Israel of old we are on a journey.  It could be long or short, smooth or rough.  The end is certain, and God will preserve us, but He wants us prepared for whatever comes.