“The Battle is not Your’s, but God’s.”

THESE words form part of a Spirit inspired address at a critical moment in King Jehoshaphat’s life. The Ammonities, Moabites, and others had set themselves in array against the King of Judah. It was a great host, and the inspired writer has left on record that “Jehoshaphat feared and set himself to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah” (II. Chron. xx. 3). The whole scene as described by the inspired writer is true to the letter—fear and confidence walked side by side—fear of their enemies and confidence in the God of Israel. When Jehoshaphat had finished praying, Jahaziel, a Levite, was moved by the Spirit of the Lord to deliver this message:—“Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not your’s, but God’s. To-morrow go ye down against them: behold, they come up by the cliff of Ziz; and ye shall find them at the end of the brook, before the wilderness of Jeruel. Ye shall not need to fight in this battle; set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the Lord with you, O Judah and Jerusalem; fear not, nor be dismayed; to-morrow go out against them; for the Lord will be with you” (II. Chron. xx. 15-17). The message filled the fear-stricken people with courage. It emphasized the fact that the battle was not their’s, but God’s. It immediately raised the conflict high above the common struggles of men and gave it a divine dignity—this battle was God’s. It was His honour and glory that were at stake, and not theirs. And so with their thoughts fixed on this, the King led forth his army to meet their enemies, with singers going before them, singing the songs of Zion. The whole description of this eventful incident is of the deepest interest, and its lessons are full of instruction, but our purpose is to make use of Jahaziels words—”The battle is not your’s, but God’s,” and to make application of them to our own circumstances. We, too, are confronted by mighty confederate armies, and whatever differences may exist among them, they have a common objective, and are manifestly guided in their plan of campaign by one master mind. The aim of these advancing hosts is the overthrow of the truth of God. The attack may be made in different ways, but there is too clearly a cohesiveness in the plan followed to leave any doubt in an inquiring mind that there is a definite, well-wrought-out plan, and a guiding mind that makes the attack all the more serious.

1. One of the most formidable divisions of this great host is composed of those who are gathered together under the banner of false religion. Time would fail to describe all the battalions of this army and the manner in which those composing the army are armed and fight. We must for the present confine our attention to that section which is attacking Christianity by eliminating from it its distinctive elements. (a) The Christianity of the New Testament recognises a Saviour who is the very Son of God; to use the words of the Apostle—”the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ.” The believer is to wage war against the formidable host that denies the true Deity of the Son of God—Arians, Socinians, Unitarians, Russellites and Modernists. In contending for the Deity of the Son of God the Christian is not contending for his own honour, but for the honour of the Son of God—this battle is not his, but God’s. (2) The New Testament sets before us a religion that is (a) supernatural and (b) altogether of grace. There is a natural religion in the world to-day—the religion of all good men—that begins with nature and ends with nature, but the religion set before us in the New Testament is a religion that has a supernatural origin—it begins with the Spirit, it is carried on by the Spirit, and it is altogether of God from beginning to end. “Except a man be born of water and the Spirit he cannot see the Kingdom of God,” is a truth that remains for ever true, and no attack, however formidable it may be, should influence the believer in the slightest degree to move one step backward from the truth so emphatically and solemnly announced by our Lord. This battle is not our’s, but God’s. (b) The religion of the New Testament is not only supernatural, but it is altogether of grace—it is not partly a work done by God and partly done by man. True, it is, that the Apostle counsels the Philippians believers to work out their own salvation with fear and trembling, but he immediately adds, “for it is God that worketh in you both to will and do of His good pleasure.” The religion of the New Testament is not founded on good works, though it produces them. Believers are saved by grace through faith, and that not of themselves it is the gift of God (Eph. ii. 8). Any religion that asserts anything else, whatever place it may have in the estimation of men, is to be determinedly opposed by every believer, and they are never to forget that in this battle they are not fighting for themselves, but for the honour of the Lord who saved them and whose truth has become precious to them.

2. Another great and powerful division of Satan’s army is composed of those who are calling in question the infallibility of the Word of God. Satan has recruited this army chiefly from the ranks of learned men, professors of theology, ministers, learned men in the sciences, and a multitude who may be classed under the common designation of the camp followers of science. This army has become very aggressive, and has made, and is still making, a great noise in the land. One would think from the confidence with which this army is marching that it feels the battle is won, and that it only remains to divide the spoil. However, let not the believers in God’s Word become despondent. It is not the first time that a small company put to flight a great host, and if the Lord be with us, greater is He than all that can be against us. The battle is not our’s, but God’s.

3. Then there is the great army which has as its main objective the complete removal of the Sabbath. This army has grown immensely in recent years. Satan has gathered into its ranks men of the most diverse opinions. Lovers of pleasure, men who boast in their broad-mindedness, but who nevertheless are intensely narrow-minded on this question, worldlings and a multitude with a lifeless religion are all joined together with the object of removing from the earth the Sabbath Day. The battle is raging fiercely in our own country, and may rage more fiercely still, but let us stand our ground.

The whole campaign is staged by Satan, and while his armies are marching from different directions, yet they have all a common objective. A situation has arisen similar to that in Israel of old so effectively described by the Psalmist :—

For with joint heart they plot, in league
against thee they combine.

The tents of Edom, Ishm’elites,

Moab’s, and Hagar’s line ;

Gebal, and Ammon, Amalek,

Philistines, those of Tyre ;

And Assur join’d with them, to help

Lot’s children they conspire.

—Ps. lxxxii. 5-8 (Metrical Version.)