Be
Brave or Go Home!
by Lieutenant Matthew
Kean
Then
the officers shall add, "Is anyone afraid or fainthearted? Let
him go home so that the others will not become disheartened
too." (Deuteronomy 20:8)
In time of war there is dire need for hearts
of iron. In other words, the person who cowers at the thought
of fierce combat has volunteered themselves for the wrong
vocation. No soldier can successfully stand against an
adversary with a fearful heart. They become the weakness of
the lot. Fear and timidity is as dangerous as the enemy simply
because it paralyses, as well as disarms, the soldier... and
it's not long before disarmed soldiers create a disarmed army.
When God gave instructions to the Israelites
in regards to them engaging in warfare, His instructions begin
with "Do not be fainthearted or afraid" (v. 3). This was not
simply a suggestion, but an insistence that the nation of
Israel ought to trust in His faithfulness. After all, their
God was YHWH - the Great I AM, the All-Consuming Fire, the
Almighty, the Most High! He had proven Himself so many times
before and His power and glory were unmatched. There was
simply no need to fear or become weak at heart... victory was
certain because the God of Israel was certain! Interestingly,
although His instructions begin sternly with telling the
soldiers not to fear, He also gives clear instruction to not
allow anyone who is fearful to fight (v. 8). The reason is
explained: A soldier that is afraid or disheartened before war
is a detriment to the whole army.
Now, at first glance, this seems a little
unfair. What soldier is comfortable with war? But, in light of
the first order, "Do not be fainthearted or afraid", allowing
a soldier to enter the ferocities of battle with such a sickly
condition of heart would be blatant disobedience. Basically,
it didn't just convey fear, but also a complete lack of trust
in the faithfulness of God.
Then came the second order... ringing clear as a
bell... "Any soldier that does not trust ME should go home!"
They could be of no good use to an army of the faithful.
Already, I suspect it’s not difficult to
discern who I am writing to – Of course I’m writing to the
soldiery of The Salvation Army; to every individual who claims
to be covenanted to God within these ranks.
I’ve wanted to say these few things for quite some
time, and admittedly, they are born out of some frustration
and disappointment.
In truth, I am tired of trying to muster up some kind
of spiritual gumption within too many of the Salvation
Soldiers I come across. I find many to be a sleepy, groggy lot
who quiver and quake at the thought of battle, and I am
certain God is calling us to change – He must be!
As a soldier of the gospel of Christ, I take
very seriously the fact that I am in the middle of a massive
war against sin and evil. The devil is MY enemy because he is
the enemy of God.
Jesus went so far as to describe him as a strong man who is
fully armed, but assuring as well that He is indeed much
stronger and able to disarm this clever snake (see Luke
11:21-22). Without a doubt, Christians are in the midst of a
war, but even more so are us Salvationists! We, like the
Israelites, have only one assurance – the certainty of our
God! If then we have the same assurance as they, it is equally
certain that we have been given the same instructions.
They are the words of God and they will forever remain
unchanged! They were an army, as are we.
They had a very real, very persistent enemy, as do we.
We must heed the same orders because they come from the
same King!
Any soldier that attempts to fight against
an adversary as sinister and vicious as ours with a faint or
fearful heart is only able to weaken the rest of the army. Too
often, people who call themsleves soldiers - men and women who
are supposed to be brave and true - come to the field with a
faint heart and it cracks the morale of the faithful. Within
only moments their concern turns to carnal things (the lack of
provision or resources, loss of comfort and luxury, worry
about failure, a poor worldly image or reputation, and the
like). Christians
who will not open their mouths and be a witness for their
Saviour, but yet assume they are a benefit to the army, should
go home! I realize my words are frank, but the war is too
great! Souls are too precious and they continue to die in
darkness! Unless we are an army made up of ones who will
boldly carry The Light we are useless in this war.
Our army ought not to be recognized by our
uniforms! Any
civilian can play dress up.
No! Our
army ought to be recognized firstly by the ruthlessness and
ferocity of our fight!
We should be seen by the people of this world as being
vicious in our pursuit of the enemy of God, and known very
well for it! We
should be known by our Christian siblings in the church as a
mighty throng of Christ-slaves mesmerized with spilling
demon-blood. We should be known in hell because we are masters
in Sword combat and our leader is the Right Hand of God.
We are soldiers, with an unstoppable Source of Power,
who has an undying love for the people who have no love for
Him. His desire
is for them, but the enemy has claimed them with tricks. This
father of lies must be defeated, and already is defeated,
simply because Jesus Christ lives and has sworn a terrible
vengeance.
Because of Him, dear Soldiers, because of our victorious
Saviour, fear and a faint heart have no place in the breast of
a Salvation Soldier.
Please... my Comrades!
For the sake of Jesus... forget your fear, cast off
your faint heart, trust the faithfulness of our Mighty God,
and fight... or go home!
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