Exploring God’s Creative Battle Plans
Exploring God’s Creative Battle Plans.
“O the depth of the riches and the wisdom and knowledge of God! What a deep wealth of wisdom and knowledge He has! How incomprehensible are His decisions, how unsearchable His judgments! How undiscoverable are His paths, how mysterious His ways, beyond finding out! Who has understood the mind of Yahweh? Who knows how the LORD thinks, or what His thoughts are? Can anyone discern the LORD’s intentions, His motivations? Who knows enough to give Him advice? Is there anyone qualified to be His counselor? Who has given Him so much that He needs to pay it back? Who could ever have a claim against Him? For everything was created by Him, everything lives through Him, and everything exists for Him; So to Him must be given the glory forever! Amen!” (Romans 11:33-36, also Isaiah 40:12-14).
WANTED: Adventurers who want to explore creation’s Final Frontier, the greatest Wonder of the World; must be extremely curious about the nature of God’s Being; motivated to know more about God than you know presently; inspired by the thrill of discovery; need to be challenged and changed in the process of exploration; have the courage to step into a safe unknown; able to invest considerable mental energy to pursue life inside God with a mustard seed of trust in Him; be comfortable with the certainty of endless exploring; have the patience to pursue the quest one step at a time for as long as it takes; must explore with the vision of C. S. Lewis in his Narnia tales, “Further Up and Further In!”
Contemporary Frontiers. What are the most compelling frontiers in our world that we could explore… Outer space with its 100 billion galaxies, each of them having 100 billion stars? Inner space where protons and electrons and all the subatomic particles seeming to be dancing in joy? The ocean floors across the earth, 80% of which are unexplored? Or perhaps land areas such as remote mountain ranges, untraveled deserts, impenetrable jungles and rainforests, the frozen tundra of the Arctic, isolated islands in the middle of nowhere, or virgin caverns and caves that are largely hidden from humanity? These are all worthy frontiers, but there is a final frontier that tops them all… God. And whatever might be discovered about the Person of God, it’s only the tip of the eternal iceberg.
Exploring God’s Creative Battle Plans:
“Yahweh is a warrior! Yahweh is His Name! (Exodus 15:3).
Moses and Miriam in their famous Song at the Red Sea, were the first ones to describe the Lord as a warrior. And throughout Scripture, God was identified as a warrior ever since. The Hebrew word for warrior in this passage is “ish milhamah,” which means man of war, warrior, champion, hero, fighter, mighty man.
God’s stature as a fighter was taken up by the prophets, like David, “Who is the King of glory? Yahweh strong and mighty, Yahweh mighty in battle! Lift up your heads, O gates, and lift them up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in! Who is this King of glory? Yahweh-Sabaoth, the Lord of the Angel Armies, He is the King of glory!” (Psalm 24:8-10). Or Isaiah, “Lord Yahweh goes forth like a warrior; like a fighter He will stir His zeal. With a shout He will raise a battle cry; like a hero, He charges upon His enemies and will triumph over them.” (Isaiah 42:13). Or Jeremiah, “The Lord Yahweh is with me like a dread champion, a violent warrior; therefore my persecutors will stumble, and not prevail. They will be utterly ashamed because they have not acted wisely.” (Jeremiah 20:11). Or Zephaniah, “The Lord your God is living among you. He is a mighty Savior, a warrior who brings triumph. He will rejoice over you, taking delight in you with gladness. He will quiet you with His love, renewing you, soothing you, and calming your fears. He will exult over you, dancing with joyful songs as in the day of festival.” (Zephaniah 3:17).
The Fierce Warrior with a Vivid Imagination. Lord Yahweh, as we would expect, was not just any common fighter. He was a warrior with the divine imagination that created completely unpredictable battle plans for every conflict between an enemy of God and His Chosen People. In Scripture, the Warrior-King was the master of unconventional warfare, unexpected schemes that would leave people scratching their heads in surprise or shaking their heads in amazement. God’s strategies were so diverse that they might appear to be random, but of course they were divinely orchestrated. His battle strategies to victory were well outside the human imagination, in such a way that the faith of His fighters on the ground was tested. It became obvious to His fighting men, though, that God was going about this battle in a completely different way than they would, and they were wise when they trusted in Him.
“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or dismayed before the enemy and his hordes that are with him, for there are more with us than with him. With him is only an arm of flesh, but with us is the Lord our God, to help us and fight our battles.” (Hezekiah, 2 Chronicles 32:7-8).
Surrounded ( Fight My Battles ) – UPPERROOM
God’s Creative Battle Plans. God’s ways are not our ways, His thoughts are not our thought, so it follows that His battle plans do not even remotely resemble our battle plans. His unconventional battle strategies included everything from His instructions to picking up the sword, to telling the people to stand still and do nothing; from using natural means at His disposal such as thunder, hailstones and hornets, to simply marching around an impregnable walled city and blowing the shofar; from creating mud to impede the enemies chariot, to making the sun stand still in order to finish off the enemy; from blowing strong wind to part a sea, to putting priests on the front lines to worship their way to victory; from sitting on a rock and holding up a staff, to an undersized troop of soldiers holding up torches and yelling a battle cry; from using His angels to do the dirty work, to creating sounds on the tops of mulberry trees; from using a brash young boy with a sling to slay an experienced giant of an enemy, to placing a woman prophet to command the battle; from renewing the strength of a rebellious strong man, to assigning some heavenly horses and chariots to intimidate the enemy; from causing an enemy to hear a frightful heavenly army, to causing an enemy troop to go completely blind. Gods battle plans were effective, impossible to predict, and can only be explained as divine intervention. Time and again we read phrases such as, “God routed the enemies,” “God handed the enemies over,” and “God gave His enemies over to Israel.” One way or the other, Lord Yahweh was invested in each battle to protect and defend His people and assure their survival. And through it all, the Lord did the strategizing and heavy lifting.
Stand Still and Watch God Fight! “But Moses said to the people, ‘Do not fear! Stand by and see the salvation of the Lord which He will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians whom you see today, you will never see them again forever. The Lord Yahweh will fight for you while you keep silent’… And the Angel of God who has been going before the camp of Israel, moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud moved from before them and stood behind them. So it came between the camp of Egypt and the camp of Israel; and there was the cloud along with the darkness, and yet it gave light at night. Thus the one did not come near the other all night there at the shore of the Red Sea.” (Exodus 4:13-20).
The Wind and the Sea! “Moses told the people, ‘Don’t be afraid! Just stand still and watch the Lord rescue you today. The Egyptians you see today will never be seen again. The Lord Himself will fight for you. Just stay calm.’ Moses then reached out over the Sea, and Yahweh caused the Sea to go back before a strong east wind all night. He made the sea become dry land, and its water was divided in two. Then the people of Israel went into the sea on the dry ground, with the water walled up for them on their right and on their left.” (Exodus 14:13-22).
The Klezmatics and Joshua Nelson – Brother Moses Smote the water live in Berlin 2024
Horse and Rider Thrown into the Sea. “The Egyptians continued their pursuit, going after them into the Sea – all Pharaoh’s horses, chariots and cavalry. Just before dawn, Yahweh looked out on the Egyptian army through the column of fire and cloud and threw them into panic. He caused the wheels of their chariots to break off, so that they could move only with difficulty. The Lord then said to Moses, ‘Reach out your hand over the Sea, and the water will return and cover the Egyptians with their chariots and their troops…the Egyptians tried to flee, but Yahweh swept them into the Sea. The water came back and covered all the chariots and soldiers of Pharaoh’s army who had followed them into the Sea – not even one of them was left.” (Ex. 14:23-28).
PASSOVER SEDER: HORSE AND RIDER by Netzerim
The Battle-Pole of Moses. “Then Amalek came and fought with Israel at Rephidim. So Moses said to Joshua, ‘Choose for us fighting men, and go out and fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand.’ So Joshua did as Moses told him, and fought with Amalek, while Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. Whenever Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed, and whenever he lowered his hand, Amalek prevailed. But Moses’ hands grew weary, so they took a stone and put it under him, and Moses sat on it, while Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side. So his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. And Joshua overwhelmed Amalek and his people with the sword.” (Exodus 17:8-13).
Swarms of Hornets! “I will send my terror ahead of you, and throw into confusion all the people among whom you come, and I will make all your enemies turn their backs to you and run away. And I will send hornets ahead of you, that they may drive out the Canaanites before you. For I will deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand, and you will drive them out before you.” (Exodus 23:27-28, 31); “The Lord your God will send hornets among them until those who are left and those who hide themselves perish ahead of you. You are not to be frightened of them, because Yahweh is there with you, a God great and fearsome.” (Deuteronomy 7:17-21).
The Adventist Vocal Ensemble – Joshua Fit The Battle of Jericho
Marching, Sounding, Shouting. “See, I have given Jericho into your hand, with its king and mighty men of valor. You shall march around the city, all the men of war going around the city once. Thus shall you do for six days. Seven priests shall bear seven trumpets of rams horns before the Ark. On the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow their shofars. And when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, when you hear the sound of the trumpet, then all the people shall shout with a great shout, and the wall of the city will fall down flat.” (Joshua 6:1-20).
Panic and Hailstones. “So Joshua went up from Gilgal, he and all the people of war with him, and all the mighty men of valor. And the Lord said to Joshua, ‘Do not feat them, for I have given them into your hands. Not a man of them shall stand before you.’ So Joshua came upon them suddenly, having marched all night. And the Lord threw the enemy into a panic before Israel, who struck them with a great blow, and gave chase to them as they ran away. And as they fled before Israel, the Lord threw down large stones from heaven on them, and they died. There were more men who died because of the hailstones than the men of Israel killed with the sword.” (Joshua 10:7-11).
Stopping the Sun. “Then Joshua spoke to the Lord Yahweh in the day when the Lord delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, ‘Sun, stand still over Gibeon; and moon, in the valley of Ayalon.’ So the sun stood still and the moon stopped, until the people had revenge upon their enemies. So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and did not hasten to go down for about a whole day. And there has been no day like that, before or after it, that the Lord Yahweh heeded the voice of a man.” (Joshua 10:12-14).
Heaven-Sent Floods. “When Sisera the commander of the Canaanites was told that Barak general of the Israelites had gone up to Mount Tabor, Sisera called out all his chariots, 900 chariots of iron, and all the men who were with him. And the prophetess Deborah said to Barak: ‘Up! For this is the day in which the Lord Yahweh has given Sisera into your hand. Does not the Lord go out before you?’ And the Lord routed Sisera and all his chariots and all his army… The torrent of River Kishon swept them away, the ancient torrent.” (Judges 4:12-16, 5:21-22).
Trumpets, Jars and Torches. “So Gideon and the hundred men who were with him came to the outskirts of the camp. And they blew the trumpets and smashed the jars that were in their hands. Then the three companies blew the trumpets and broke the jars. They held in their left hands the torches, and the in their right hands the trumpets to blow. And they cried out, ‘A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!’ Every man stood in his place around the enemy camp, and all the enemy cried out and fled. Then Gideon’s army blew the 300 trumpets… the army fled.” (Judges 7:19-23).
Miraculous Strength. “Then Samson called to the Lord and said, ‘O Lord God remember me I pray you, and strengthen me, I pray you, only this once, O God. With one blow let me pay back the Philistines for the loss of my two eyes!” And Samson cried, ‘Let me die with the Philistines!’” (Judges 16:28-30).
The Voice of Thunder. “When the Philistine rulers heard that Israel had gathered at Mizpah, they mobilized their army and advanced. The Israelites were badly frightened when they learned that the Philistines were approaching. ‘Don’t stop pleading with the Lord our God to save us from the Philistines!’ they begged Samuel. So Samuel took a young lamb and offered it to Lord Yahweh as a whole burnt offering. He pleaded with the Lord to help Israel, and the Lord answered him. Just as Samuel was sacrificing the burnt offering, the Philistines arrived to attack Israel. But the Lord spoke with a violent, mighty voice of thunder from heaven that day, and the Philistines were thrown into such a panic and confusion that the Israelites defeated them.” (1 Samuel 7:7-10).
Boy against Giant. “The Philistine, preceded by his shield-bearer, came nearer and nearer to David. When the Philistine looked David up and down, what he saw filled him with scorn, because David was only a lad, with ruddy cheeks and an attractive appearance. The Philistine said to David, ‘Am I a dog for you to come after me with sticks?’ And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. David retorted to the Philistine, ‘You come to me with sword, spear and scimitar, but I come to you in the name of Yahweh-sabaoth, the LORD of the Angel Armies, and the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have challenged. Today, Yahweh will deliver you into my hand; and the whole assembly shall know that Yahweh does not give victory by means of sword and spear – for Yahweh is Lord of the Battle and He will deliver you into our power… As Goliath moved closer to attack, David quickly ran out to meet him. Reaching into his shepherd’s bag and taking out a stone, he hurled it with his sling and hit the Philistine in the forehead. The stone sunk in, and Goliath stumbled and fell face down on the ground. So David triumphed over the Philistine with only a sling and a stone, for he had no sword. Then David ran over and pulled Goliath’s sword from its sheath. David used it to kill him and cut off his head. When the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they turned and ran.” (1 Samuel 17:41-51).
Angel Warriors on the Mulberry Trees. “Then the Philistines went up once again and deployed themselves in the Valley of Rephaim. Therefore David inquired of the Lord, and Yahweh said, ‘You shall not go up; circle around behind them, and come upon them in front of the mulberry trees. And it shall be, when you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the mulberry trees, then you shall advance quickly. For then the Lord will go in front of you to strike the camp of the Philistines.’ And David so, as the Lord commanded him; and David drove back the Philistines…” (2 Samuel 5:22-25).
The Angel of Death. “This is what the Lord says, ‘Do not be disturbed by this blasphemous speech against Me from the Assyrian king. Listen! I myself will move against him… ”O Lord, God of Israel, you are enthroned between the mighty cherubim! You alone are God of all the kingdoms of the earth. You alone created the heavens and the earth. Bend down, O Lord, and listen! Open your eyes, O Lord, and see!… Now, O Lord our God, rescue us from the Assyrian king’s power. Then all the kingdoms of the earth will know that you alone, O Lord, are God! ”The passionate commitment of Lord-sabaoth, the Lord of the Angel Armies, will make this happen! For My own honor, says the Lord, and for the sake of My servant David, I will defend my city and protect it. “And that night the Angel of the Lord went out and struck down 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians. And when the people arose early in the morning, behold, these were all dead bodies.” (2 Kings 19).
Invisible Army from Heaven. “And when the servant of Elisha, the man of God, arose early and went out, there was an army surrounding the city with horses and chariots. And his servant said to him, ‘Alas, my master! What shall we do?” So Elisha answered, ‘Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.’ And Elisha prayed and said, ‘Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.’ Then the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw. And behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.” (2 Kings 6:15-17).
Blinding the Enemy. “And when the Syrians came down against him, Elisha prayed to the Lord and said, ‘Please strike these people with blindness.’ So the Lord struck the enemy with blindness in accordance with the prayer of Elisha.” (2 Kings 6:18).
Amazing Sound Effects. “So at twilight the four lepers set out for the camp of Arameans for food during the famine. But when they came to the edge of the camp, no one was there! For the Lord Yahweh had caused the Aramean army to hear the clatter of speeding chariots and the galloping of horses and the sounds of a great army approaching. ‘The king of Israel has hired the Hittites and Egyptians to attack us!’ they cried to one another. So they panicked and ran into the night, abandoning their tents, horses, donkeys, and everything else as they fled for their lives.” (2 Kings 7:5-7).
Singing Priests on the Front Lines. “And when he had taken counsel with the people, Jehoshaphat appointed those who were to sing to Yahweh and praise Him in the splendor of holiness, in holy attire. As they went to the front lines they sang, ‘Give thanks to the Lord, for His steadfast love, His mercy, endures forever!’ And when they began to sing and praise, the Lord set an ambush against the Canaanites who had come against Judah, so that the enemy was routed. When the army of Judah arrived at the lookout point, all they saw were dead bodies lying on the ground as far as they could see.” (2 Chronicles 20:20-24).
Panic, Terror and Dread. “The peoples have heard, and they tremble; anguish takes hold of those living in ; the chiefs of Edom are dismayed; trepidation seizes the heads of Moab; all those living in Canaan are melted away. Terror and dread fall on them, and by the might of your arm they are still as stone…” (Ex. 15:13-16). “A panic from the Lord seized all the kingdoms in the lands surrounding Judah, so that they did not make war against King Jehoshaphat.” (2 Chronicles 17:10).
The Bottom Line. “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or dismayed before the enemy and his hordes that are with him, for there are more with us than with him. With him is only an arm of flesh, but with us is the Lord our God, to help us and fight our battles.” (Hezekiah, 2 Chronicles 32:7-8).