The Conflict Behind All Conflicts - 250404

SPEAKER 1 Hello. Welcome to Let God Speak. I am your host, Uriah St. Juste.The God of the Old Testament is often seen as a warmonger. He sends his armies to fight and to kill. Yet in the New Testament, he is referred to as the God of peace. This week on Let God Speak, we will have a peek at Joshua's war plan to defeat Jericho, as well as examine the very first war to help us understand God's attitude towards war as we study the topic, the conflict behind all conflicts today on Let God Speak. On our panel today, we have Gayl Fong and Rosemary Malkiewycz. Welcome, Gayl and Rosemary. SPEAKER 2 Thank you. SPEAKER 1 Please join us as we pray. Father, we ask very humbly and very kindly that you will help us to understand this Bible lesson. It is such an important lesson, Father. There is so much war happening, so much suffering in this world. We want to understand that you are a God of peace and not a God of war. So we ask, Lord, that this message may come out very clearly in today's study. Bless your word. Be with every viewer today, and may we be blessed by today's study is our humble asking through Jesus Christ, your son. Amen. The story is told of a soldier who was being chased by the enemy. Under orders to put him to death. He saw a cave and rushed in to hide there. He prayed that God would protect him from the enemy soldiers. While he was praying, God sent a spider to build a web across the mouth of the cave. The soldiers arrived sometime later, and as they started to go in, they noticed the spider's web across the cave. They reasoned that no one had gone in there because the spider's web was there across the cave's mouth. Later on, the Christian came out and walked through the spider's web. He realized why the soldiers had not come in and said, with God, a wall is as a spider's web, but without God, a web is as a wall. Gael when we look at the history of the nation of Israel, they participated in quite a bit of warfare. Was it God's intention, his original intention, that Israel would be a nation of war? SPEAKER 3 Well, when they left Egypt, they didn't fight their way out. They were coming out. Actually, they were slaves that God was delivering. And it says in Exodus, chapter 33 and verse it says, then the Lord said to Moses, depart and go up from here, you and the people whom you have brought out of the land of Egypt to the land which I swore to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, saying to your descendants, I will give it and I will send my angel before you, and I will drive out the Canaanite and the Amorite and the Hittite and the Perizzite and the Hivite and the Jebusite. So the same way that God delivered them from Egypt would be the same way that he intended to deliver them from their enemies. And he was going to do the battle on their behalf. SPEAKER 1 He was going to fight out for them and he would drive them out himself, not having them to fight. Now it's interesting. In Exodus, chapter 23, verse 8, 28 Exodus chapter 23, verse 28 it says, God is making this promise, and I will send hornets before you which shall drive out the Hivite, the Canaanite and the Hittites from before you. So as you said, the very same way he delivered them from Egypt. And remember, he used the plagues, frogs and flies and these natural animals in nature to drive to get the Egyptians to Pharaoh, to release the Israelites. He would use the very same methods. That was his intention. Using the animals of nature, hornets to drive out the enemy. Now Rosemary, we know that this did not always happen. They did eventually fight. What went wrong? SPEAKER 2 Well, God's promise to drive out their enemies was conditional. It wasn't that it's going to happen, it's if. And let's look at Exodus 23, verses 20 to 22. Behold, I send an angel a before you to keep you in the way and to bring you into the place which I have prepared. Beware of him and obey his voice. Do not provoke him, for he will not pardon your transgressions, for not my name is in him. But if you indeed obey his voice and do all that I speak, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversary. So, so the condition was that they obey God and do what God has told them to do. And this is where Israel often failed. And we do too. SPEAKER 1 That's very interesting. So we can see here that that wasn't a fault of God. They failed to do their part, keep a part of their promise. Now let's go to Joshua, chapter six and verse one. And it says now Jericho was securely shut up because of the children of Israel. None went out and none came in. And Jericho was a fortified city. It had a very, very mighty wall around the city for security. And they shut all the gates. The people remained in. It seems, Gayl, that they were very intimidated by Israel. Why would that be? What kind of military reputation did Israel have that the people of Jerich so fearful? SPEAKER 3 Well, Israel didn't have any military strength to speak of, but it was all the miracles and wonders that God was doing for the children of Israel. But reading in Exodus 13:17, the Bible says then it came to pass when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God did not lead them by the way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near, for God said, lest perhaps the people change their minds when they see war and return to Egypt. So obviously the first sight of an attack from the Philistines, God was concerned that they would be totally unprepared and would want to retreat and return to Egypt. Just reading a little further on In Exodus chapter 17 in verse 11 the Bible says, and so it was when Moses held up his hand that Israel prevailed. And when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. And this was, this was on their journeying. And we find it was the Amalekites that were attacking the Israelites. And the Amalekites, they were from the grandson of Esau and they were holding onto a grudge for the children of Israel. So every time that Moses hands were held up, it's like intercessory prayer. God was giving them the victory. When his hands went down, of course they were failing. So even when they fought the war, it was God's intervention through the prayer and trust in God, not by their military might. So their confidence was in God because they lacked any formal military training. SPEAKER 1 Now Rosemarie, God worked through Joshua to give Israel confidence. What did God do for that to happen? SPEAKER 2 Okay, let me read Joshua, chapter 5, verses 13 and 14. And it came to pass when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked and behold, a man stood opposite him with his sword drawn in his hand. And Joshua went to him and said to him, are you for us or for our adversaries? So he said, the other man, no. But as commander of the army of the Lord, I have now come. So just one man with a sword is not going to do very much for your army when you've already got a lot of other people in it. But when that person is the commander of God's army, you've got the whole of heaven on your side. It makes all the difference. This was obviously Jesus in his pre human form. And if you read the Bible, it's capital M, capital H for his. So this is God that is standing before him. And we know that too, because Joshua worshipped him and this man accepted his worship. If it's an angel, like in the book of Revelation to John, if John went to worship the angel, the angel said, no, I am just one of you I am like you, just a created being. But here this man accepted his worship. And not only that, Joshua said to him, my Lord. So he was the commander of the angels of heaven, the army of heaven, and he brought them with them with him to fight for the people of Israel. SPEAKER 1 Now, Gayl, it must have been comforting for Joshua to know that an army from heaven would come to his help and come to the help of the nation of Israel. Can our viewers today have such comfort that heaven is there to help them fight their own battles? SPEAKER 3 Well, the Bible has many precious promises and that bring us hope and comfort today in every situation. And reading from Psalm 34:7, the Bible says the angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear him and delivers them. And just like Rosemary was sharing before, that angel there could refer to the pre incarnate Son of God. But I may also refer in this instance to angels that God sends to protect us. So we have the promise that God has angels ready to protect us in any time of danger when we call upon him. SPEAKER 1 And I like that, someone who has that faith relationship with God, he has his angels there for protection 24, 7. They're never too busy. Now, Rosemarie, let's look at war. There is war in the Bible. Where does war begin? Not just in the Bible, but the war of all wars, where does it begin? SPEAKER 2 Let's go to Revelation 12 because that's where we'll find the answer. Revelation 12, verse 6. The Bible says, and war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought with the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought. So even though heaven is the dwelling place of God, it is a place of holiness, of purity. War actually broke out there. There was a rebel who chose to fight against God. One of his created beings decided to make war with God himself. And so he had a fight with God. And he had angels that listened to him and fought with him. And God's loyal angels fought with him. It wasn't a physical war with weapons, but it was a war of words. A war of hatred against God. SPEAKER 1 Yes. And a war of ideas. Now, Rosemary, the text you read refers to Michael and it refers to the dragon. SPEAKER 2 Yes. SPEAKER 1 How do we know who these things these titles or these words refer to? SPEAKER 2 Okay, the first one we'll look at is in the same chapter across the page. It's in verse nine, just two verses on. And this one will tell us who the dragon is. So the great dragon was cast out, cast out of heaven. That serpent of old called the devil. And Satan who deceives the whole world. He was cast to the earth and his angels were cast out with him. You'll notice here that it gives us a whole lot of aliases for the dragon. He is called that serpent of old, that is that serpent that was in the Garden of Eden with Eve. And he is called the devil and Satan. So this dragon is Satan, the adversary of God. So that's who he is. And then if we go to Jude, the book of Jude, just before Revelation, it has no chapters, so we go to verse nine and it says to us there, yet Michael the archangel, in contending with the devil, when he disputed about the body of Moses, did not bring against him a reviling accusation, but said the Lord rebuke you. Now, an archangel is actually not an angel. It's the commander, the heavenly host. And back in before with Joshua, the man that came to him was the commander of the heavenly host. And so Michael is actually the same person who appeared to Joshua. It's Jesus in his pre human form who is the one who is fighting for us with the angels of heaven. SPEAKER 1 Great. Now, Gayl, this war in heaven, how did it end? Or has it ended? Or is it still going on? SPEAKER 3 Well, just following on from what Rosemary shared there in Revelation 12, 8 it says, but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. So Satan had already lost the battle in heaven and he was cast out of heaven, or he was thrown out of heaven. Heaven was no longer to be his home. And as Rosemary read, just rereading verse nine there in chapter 12 of Revelation, so the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old called the devil. And Satan, who deceives the whole world, he was cast to the earth and his angels were cast out with him. And reading verse 12 as well in the same chapter, chapter 12, verse 12 of Revelation, therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them. Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea, for the devil has come down to you having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time. So although he's here, he knows that his time will come to an end. So now Satan has turned his attention to those who dwell on the earth. And so the battle now is with each one of us. This battle that began in heaven is brought to earth and is what's called, we call it the great controversy between Christ and Satan, between good and evil. And we actually caught in that battle, who will have our allegiance. So every person, we all need to make an intelligent choice on whose side we will choose to be on. SPEAKER 1 Now, Revelation tells us that there was war. It doesn't really say how the war started. Gayle, I'm interested in knowing how this war could start in Heaven. It's a perfect place without sin. How did Satan decide to fight with God? SPEAKER 3 That is a number one question. But we're just reading in Isaiah 14:12 today, and it says, how you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning, how you are cut down to the ground. So for Satan, he was not always Satan or the devil. Here he's called Lucifer. God never created a dysfunctional being, but he's given us all that freedom to choose. Even angels have that freedom to choose. And this magnificent angel was called Lucifer. Now, that name comes from the Latin vulgate and means light bearer, morning star, bearer of light. In the Hebrew hallel, it's shining one to flash forth light, to be brilliant. So if you just park yourself on that thought, think, wow, what a magnificent, glorious angel he was given so much splendor, so much wisdom, perfect in all his ways. But then we read on in verses 13 and 14 of chapter 14 of Isaiah, for you have said in your heart, I will ascend into heaven. I will exalt my throne above the stars of God. I will sit on the mount of the congregation on the farther sides of the north. I will ascend above the heights of the clouds. I will be like the most high. And as envy entertainment his heart. Obviously, he's looking at God and thinking, hmm, I could, I could do a better job. I don't know exactly what he thought, but there's pride there, there's envy there. And he wanted, unbelievably, to take God's place. So every work of Satan is him trying to take the place of God. I, I, I, Satan's work. He. He's trying to tempt us to follow him rather than follow God. So we must resist him. The Bible says, resist the devil and he will flee from you. So we have to tell him no. SPEAKER 1 Now there's. We go to Exodus 15:3. It says, the Lord is a man of war. The Lord is his name. Rosemary. For people who detest war, this verse poses a challenge. How do we reconcile a holy God and a perfect God indulging in warfare? SPEAKER 2 Okay, for a start, as we've seen with the war in heaven, God is not the instigator. God is not the one who initiates war. God is actually the one who is defending. God knows the results of war, and he doesn't want anyone to get hurt because he always knows that that is the result of it. So he doesn't engage in war because he wants to. He engages in war because it is forced upon him. And one of the things we've got to remember is that Satan attacked God, not that God attacked Satan. Let's read Exodus 12:12. For I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night, and I will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast. And against all the gods of Egypt, I will execute judgment. I am the Lord. See, the gods of Egypt are actually false gods. They're not real. They're man made. And they are actually worshiping things. Satan when they worship those gods. And Satan, of course, as we've already heard, is God's enemy. So when God was working these things against Egypt, he was actually attacking their gods who are the instigators of war against God in the fact that it's Satan that they're worshipping. So that's where it really comes from. SPEAKER 1 Now, Gayl, the night of the destruction of the Egyptians, when the Israelites were freed, the firstborn died. Do we see here that God did this because he was bloodthirsty or is there any grace in that part of the story? SPEAKER 3 Well, just reading Exodus 12:13. Now the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you. And the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt. Before God brought the plague, and this was the final plague upon Egypt, God warned them of exactly what was to take place. It didn't happen straight away. There was time to prepare. Secondly, he provided clear instruction of a way of escape from the destruction. And he provided a way of salvation because that blood on the doorpost was to represent the Lamb of God, which was Christ himself, who would take away the sins of the world, who would die for the sins of the world. So if the Egyptians chose, they could enter the homes of the Israelites. Israelites, they had to exercise faith though, and, and do that. And as they did, and they obeyed, staying under the banner of that home where the blood had been applied. There was no death in that Egyptian family. So that is grace and a representation of the gospel right there in the Old Testament. SPEAKER 1 Wonderful. Now Rosemary, we've said that the way God would have taken Israel out of Egypt was the same way he would get them into the promised land. How was the Exodus similar to the entry into the promised land? SPEAKER 2 Okay, let's look at Exodus 13:14. 13:14 and Moses said to the people, do not be afraid. Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see no more forever. The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace. So God was assuring Israel that he would take care of it, which he did. He had to do it because he was defending the oppressed people of the Israelites against the Egyptian army who were coming to destroy them. SPEAKER 1 Now we need to move on to the actual fight with Jericho. Rosemary, let's examine how an untrained nation defeated such a well fortified city. What was Israel's strategy to defeat Jericho? SPEAKER 2 Okay, let's have a look at Joshua, chapter 6, verses 2 and 3. And the Lord said to Joshua, see, I have given Jericho into your hand, its king. And the mighty men of valor, you shall march around the city, all your men of war. You shall go all around the city once. This you should, you shall do for six days. There's a lot more there that I could talk about, but this tells us they were to March around for six days, once every day. They were not. In verse 10, it tells us Joshua said, don't make a noise, do not utter a sound. So they were not allowed to speak. But then in verses four and five, it tells us more about it, that on the seventh day, they were to march seven times around. Each time when they were marching, the priests were blowing the rams horns. But at this stage, seven times around on the last day, no talking except at the end when there was a long blast. They were to shout as loudly as they can and the walls fell down. SPEAKER 1 Now, Gayl, what kind of military strategy is this to defeat such a powerful city? SPEAKER 3 Weird. The same kind that saw the raising of a rod that provided escape to Israel from Pharaoh. And defeat for the Amalekites was an act of faith in the power of God alone. So we notice that they bore the Ark of the Covenant in at the front of them. And it was the law of God that was in that ark, that which was to remind them to obey God, to put him first. He is their God. The ark represented God's presence with them. And as long as God was with them and they obeyed his word, their victory was assured. SPEAKER 1 So it was an act of faith that that first challenge, it was not through warfare or killing, it was through faith and obedience to God, which is what was his plan to get them there. SPEAKER 2 They had to obey God to be saved. SPEAKER 1 That's all the time we have for ladies. Thank you very much. For today's lesson. The New York Times reported in 2003 that humans had been entirely at peace for just 268 of the past 3,400 years, or an estimated 8% of time in the last 5,000 years. The many peace treaties that have been signed have not solved the problem of war on earth. An even bigger problem may be that you do not have peace in your heart. The solution to both problems is in Jesus Christ. The prophet Isaiah wrote, for unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given and the government will be on his shoulders and he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His promise to you today is to give you peace in your heart. If you are struggling to find this peace, Jesus says to you, peace, I live with you. My peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. We are glad that you have joined us today on Let God Speak. Remember, all past programs plus teacher's notes are available on our website 3abnaustralia.org.au. That's the number three and the letters abnaustralia.org.au or you can email us if you wish on [email protected]. join us again next time. God bless. SPEAKER B You have been listening to let God speak, a production of 3ABN Australia television. To catch up on past programmes, please visit 3abnaustralia.org.au. Call us in Australia on 02 4973 3456. Or email [email protected]. we'd love to hear from you.