What man is there that is fearful?
October 6, 2019 (Bible Devotional)
And the officers shall speak further unto the people, and they shall say, What man is there that is fearful and fainthearted? let him go and return unto his house, lest his brethren’s heart faint as well as his heart. — Deuteronomy 20:8
An officer shall speak to the people
When did God establish the nation of Israel, He gave instructions on how to engage in war. These instructions highlighted how to select each soldier. Every man that was 20 years old and older what’s considered a soldier if they can handle a weapon; however, a soldier is different from a warrior.
The requirements for selecting warriors were pretty simple. Each warrior is supposed to be fully ready for the battle. Nothing is allowed to come between the warriors’ preparation and readiness for war. For this reason, each warrior was allowed to decline to go forward to battle if they so wish.
Some provisions were made to allow new families to stay at home at the time of war. If someone is a newlywed, they purchased a home for at least a year before they can go into battle. If someone has a new business or bought a new piece of land, they were not eligible to become a warrior.
What man is fearful?
Those who engage in battle were to be fearless. The captain in charge of the battle gives us a call to every soldier. And everyone that is not fully engaged mentally and prepared for the war is allowed to retreat. The rationale for this was very simple. It is better to fight with a few dedicated soldiers than with the army of cowards.
What man is fainthearted?
The motto for a soldier was this: be strong and be courageous. Even though a soldier was not fearful he was not qualified to become a warrior if he was timid. War requires courage, not simply the lack of fear. Everyone who was fainthearted was allowed to return.
Let him return
Israel needed to understand that God was the deliverer. When Israel engages in a battle, God is the one that gives victory. This is why soldiers who were not ready were allowed to go back. Everyone that does not have to trust in the Lord should not fight with the army.
Sometimes this principle was not followed. There were times when Israel was engaging in battle and they thought that the army was too few. For this reason, they did not even have a will call to allow people to go back.
One such example is in the time when Gideon had to fight his enemies. The army store at about 30,000 men. And Gideon taught that the soldiers were few in numbers. But God will not allow him to move forward. He gives Gideon a test to help him select those who were ready for battle. And the number came down to 300.
Lest his brethren’s hearts faint as well
There might be strength in numbers, but a group of cowards is a weak link. Those who engage in battle must be physically, mentally, and emotionally strong. They must believe that they can gain the victory. Otherwise, they will simply move forward to defeat.
One can chase a thousand. Two can chase ten thousand. Those who put their trust in the Lord can have great victory with a small number. We are never to trust and our number. But we ought to trust in the Lord who is our strength and our protector. For he can use a fearless shepherd boy to slay a giant.
