Welcome to another edition of the Morning Devotional. My name is Pastor William Hill, the pastor of Providence Presbyterian Church located in Evansville, Indiana. Today is Friday, January 12th, 2024. This is edition number 20 of season nine. We're looking at the book of Deuteronomy. Today we come to chapter number 20. Let's pray first and then we'll consider this chapter together. Father, as we look at your word again today, we pray that you would give us grace and understanding into these matters that are here in this chapter. We pray that we would apply them to our daily Christian life and that you would give us insight and understanding, that your spirit would teach us. We pray that you'd forgive us for the ways in which we do fall short of your glory and transgress your laws and your word. We would ask that you would help us as your redeemed people to pursue you, to seek first your kingdom and righteousness with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength. We pray for Christ's sake. Amen. Well, Deuteronomy chapter 20, as the heading of the ESV study Bible that I'm using in front of me, says it contains various sundry laws regarding warfare. Now, this is important, of course, as we understand the chronology of events. Moses is preaching here. He's still dealing with the sixth commandment in this chapter. And he is preaching to the second generation of the people of Israel. They are about to cross the Jordan River in which they will then engage in numerous battles, numerous encounters with the people of Canaan. So God gives to them various sundry laws that govern their warfare as they go into the promised land. Let me read the first nine verses of the chapter. I'm going to pause here and there as I do to make some comments about the things that I'm reading, but you really should read the entirety of the chapter. Deuteronomy 20 verse 1, when you go out to war against your enemies and see horses and chariots and an army larger than your own, you shall not be afraid of them for the Lord your God is with you who brought you up out of the land of Egypt. Now this is a reflection, I think, backwards into the book of Numbers in which The people, the twelve spies, the spies went into the land, they came back, ten were afraid, they can't, we can't win, we're going to get creamed, and then two of the spies, Joshua and Caleb of course, were faithful in understanding the promise of God to give them the land. And here God reminds them that he is with them. He is the one who brought them up out of the land of Egypt. He has been with them ever since that point. He's been with them before that point, but he's been with them as they journeyed to Sinai and now as they've made their way to the banks of the Jordan River. The God of heaven has always been for His people. Verse 2, When you draw near to the battle, the priests shall come forward and speak to the people and shall say to them, Hear, O Israel, today you are drawing near for battle against your enemies. Let not your heart faint. Do not fear or panic or be in dread of them. For the Lord your God He who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you the victory." Now we're going to see that and you will see that if you go and read through the book of Joshua. You see this refrain, this idea, this theme is present throughout the book of Joshua. quite frequently. In fact, if memory serves, it's something that you read about in just about every battle that occurs there. Verse 5, Then the officers shall speak to the people, saying, Is there any man who has built a new house and has not dedicated it? Let him go back to his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man dedicate it. And is there any man who has planted a vineyard and has not enjoyed its fruit? Let him go back to his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man enjoy its fruit. And is there any man who has betrothed the wife, and has not taken her? Let him go back to his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man take her. And the officer shall speak further to the people, and say, Is there any man who is fearful and faint-hearted? Let him go back to his house, lest he make the heart of his fellows melt like his own." Now, those other matters about returning to the house and what, I'm just going to skip over that, but I do want to comment on this verse here. Unbelief is contagious. And when we do not truly believe in that which God has promised, and we begin to murmur, complain, and begin to spread our disbelief around, it can be very contagious and it can do great damage to the congregation. And so here, the instruction is to go back to his home, lest he spread his disbelief among the people. And when the officers have finished speaking to the people, then commanders shall be appointed at the head of the people." And then in verse 10 we begin to see various sundry requirements and aspects regarding the engagement of war. Now I want to read from one commentator here. It's from my study Bible that I have here, just commenting on this entire chapter, it says, whereas the Old Testament usually describes war through narrative, this chapter legislates what ought to happen in warfare. This law limits the conduct of warfare and occurs in a section that could be headed, you shall not murder, devoted to ensuring no unnecessary loss of life. The concern is to minimize casualties in war. This law also distinguishes between enemy cities outside the boundaries of the promised land and those within the boundaries. Even the latter case, however, need not result in total annihilation. These laws on warfare create an ethical dilemma for Christians, but three things should be considered. One, the limits and restraint of these laws. Two, their context in securing the promised land. And three, the priority of offering terms of peace to cities before attacking them. And it goes on to say that the New Testament picks up on this whole idea of Christian warfare, but it doesn't do so in the sense of actually taking up arms and taking up guns and swords and spears and so forth, but it speaks more candidly to the warfare that you and I are engaged in every single day as Christians. We are in a spiritual battle. We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities and the powers and the darkness of the air and all these things that you've heard talked about time and time again. Our battle is against the world, the flesh, and the devil. And while, yes, there was actual war in the days of the people of old in the Old Testament, and while there were in the New Testament epoch, in the New Testament era, there were wars. Think of the numerous crusades that occurred under the banner of Christendom. And you can debate and argue and we can discuss the legitimacy of those crusades. One thinks of the Covenanters and Scotland and the battles that they waged during that period. So, regardless of all of that, the fact remains that Every Christian, here in the Old Testament as well as in the New, is engaged in warfare. It's a warfare that is far more tremendous than the warfare that deals with physical matters. And so we must remember some basic principles, even as God has told them. He is with them in this physical battle, this physical war that they will engage. God is with us as we engage in the spiritual battle against the world, the flesh, and the devil. We should watch and pray lest we enter into temptation. We should use that full armor of God in Ephesians chapter 6. We should ready ourselves with the Word of God, the sword of the Lord, the sword of the Spirit. We should be a praying people. We should be laboring daily to do battle against these spiritual forces that continually seek to harm us. We must always remember, as we're doing that, that we are doing it under the banner of the God who loves his people and has redeemed them and is with them and will be with them. And as we think about warfare in this way, then it certainly then applies to every one of us as Christians in this world. Well, I trust these times are helpful for you. If you have any comments or questions, you can leave me a note. The way to reach me is there before you on the screen. And so until the Monday edition, when we consider Deuteronomy chapter 21. May the Lord help you today to walk according to his ways. God bless.