3-18-2023 – A Word to the Wise – PART 4

Men tend to not take the indebtedness seriously. A woman takes it very seriously, and will extract her price by one means or another, even if it means selling the debt to Satan. How does she do this? One method is bitterness. The other is cursing the man; a curse that is without cause has no effect. However, one that does have cause will bring harm, physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. Examples can be seen in sexually transmitted disease, mental and emotional illness, and spiritual weakness. One should not assume these are the only consequences. Ultimately, immorality utterly destroys the individual.

Proverbs outlines the stages of adultery. The first stage is a state of mind. This state of mind is ignorant of consequences and oblivious to the laws of God; a person looking for a good time bored with the routine of everyday life hoping to hide transgression under the cloak of darkness. This person knows what he is seeking, and the search is observable by others. It is observed in the eye, in the dress, facial expressions, non- verbal language and the dress of the predator. The person does not have to be a prostitute. It can be a bored housewife or a man just looking for a good time.

Often the path to adultery begins with the little things, such as the normal every day kindness of another, which we focus on and compare with the behavior of our spouse. Here are some sample statements given by clients in this initial state.

John, several years ago, was a client who was locked into a marriage with a selfish, self-centered wife, who was consumed with her own attractiveness. In the beginning, John tried to be giving and hold on to the biblical principles his parents had taught him. But the first indication of a breakdown in his moral judgments came when he was observed ‘admiring ‘ every female coming into his line of sight. He talked about how innocent this was and how all men do it. As time pasted, he started talking incessantly about a girl at work, which seemed to be very helpful. She would listen to him talk about his unfulfilling marriage. His complaints about his wife increased, compliments decreased, and his praise of Judy escalated. John, his family, Judy and her family quickly became aware of the high price of this mutual attention.

It takes a considerable amount of energy to engage in the emotional requirements of the pre-adulterous state. On the one hand you have the emotional desires toward the new friend which are somewhat fulfilling while on the other anger and hostility towards one’s spouse grow with accusations of the spouse’s unfitness for not meeting needs. Significant time spent engaging in this new relationship robs one’s family of valuable time, emotional, mental, and physical presence, and ones spiritual involvement. So, from the onset the investment made in the new relationship takes away from the old.

Warning signals from friends are ignored. Soon communication between the two is accomplished in every secret dark conceivable manner, at work or at home, at midday, or midnight. There is no more peace. The person involved in this kind of relationship tends to become highly irritable for no apparent reason. Often their behavior seems irrational or purposeless. Time once spent with family members is now spent with one’s lover. Relationships deteriorate, at home, at work, in the community, and in the church. When the hunt begins it is much like watching a moth flying close to a flame. The attempt is to get as close as possible without being burned. Few escapes unhurt.

The actual attempts at lovemaking create a huge chasm. Notably most experience this as a milestone in life, a dividing point, a great divide. Once the sexual relationship occurs the couple becomes aware that all things are different. The betrayal affects virtually every relationship in life, parents, friends, even enemies, but most importantly, one’s relationship with the Lord changes dramatically. To some, these changes can be very exciting. The excitement even becomes addictive. To others, the guilt is overwhelming, and the trite saying ‘the agony and the ecstasy,’ takes on a whole new personal meaning. Once this chasm has been crossed no one will escape unhurt. Even if a spouse has deliberately pushed the mate into the relationship, just to get rid of them, the consequences for everyone is overpowering.

3-16-2023 – A Word to the Wise – PART 3

Satan knows he cannot duplicate this sense of pleasure and contentment. Thus, he masks the purpose of sex by focusing on the outward appearance of the woman entangling the man in a web of lies. These lies lead to sexual addiction, for the imitation lacks the satisfaction of the real thing. The real thing is fulfilling companionship. Because Satan’s substitute does not work, it is sought many times in hopes of attaining that which it promises, but fails to deliver. Satan perverts good and delivers as a substitute an immoral act incapable of providing a real sense of companionship. Rather it provides just the opposite–a deep sense of emptiness and loneliness making one hunger and yearn even more intensely.

It is quite simple. After the sex act, the man is drawn frightenly close to the person. This happens because God created the yearning for companionship in man’s spirit. The strength of these feelings equals that experienced in any addiction. Addiction proceeds from the mind or heart. Addictions diminish the yearning for companionship as found in the marital relationship. The yearning for companionship is sewn into the fabric of mans spirit, and is a kin to the experience of worship. The fear man experiences in the sex act accounts both for the desire for immoral relationships (because closeness is not required) and explains why sex outside of marriage is so different from sex in marriage. For the women the chief fear in sex is that the man will possess her, consume her, own her, and not honor his debt to her.

Outside of marriage, man has sex with a woman for much the same reason a dog urinates on every tree or car in the neighborhood. It enlarges his domain. The woman is promiscuous because she desires to destroy man. She innately knows that promiscuous sex is destructive, destructive physically, in that one may acquire all manner of disease, destructive emotionally because intimacy is impossible and it is destructive spiritually since God’s Word expressly says that adultery will get one the hot place. The foolish man fails to recognize that this behavior robs him of his wealth, health, and heritage.

Moreover, the result of immorality for the man is anger towards the woman. This anger may be displaced to another object, but it is rooted in the sexual relationship. Examples stretch over six or more thousand years of biblical history to name a few as representative; Lamech, Hagar, Lot, Sarah, Isaac, Esau, Samson, David, Judah, Tamar, Moses, Absalom, Hosea, Herod, Herodias, and the list goes on.

Why is illicit sex a source of anger? (Illicit sex as used here means sex outside of marriage, or unpaid or perverse in marriage). Because it is like stealing, and there is no outlet for the emotions experienced. While when one has premarital sex with the future wife, it is problematic, it hardly compares with the devastation of multiple sex partners. The latter leads to each sex partner having a stake or claim on a part of the sinner’s soul which he or she can sell or trade to Satan.

The man owes a debt to the woman he has sex with in marriage or out of marriage. The woman senses this. If the debt is unpaid in marriage then bitterness accrues with the wife. Lack of payment in non -marital circumstances is rarely allowed for any significant period of time.

The debt may be paid at the discretion of the woman in one of the following ways. First, it may be paid physically. One example of this is the man sees that the woman is fulfilled sexually. It may be paid for materialistically, that is through money or gifts. It may be paid for emotionally, that is by meeting needs of affection or other emotional needs of the woman. It can be met spiritually. A positive example of this would be character training. A negative example would be in taking possession of another’s soul.

Now immorality never pays the full debt incurred. The failure to pay the debt in full results in an outstanding unpaid debt. Satan has a stake in that wherever there is an unpaid debt, he may step in, and buy out the debt and become the lien holder.

3-15-2023 – PART 2

CAUSES

Sex gives one a unique knowledge of the other person. Sex is a function that bonds two together. Each time this occurs with a different person the capacity for a deep relationship becomes weaker. Neither male nor female can serve more than one mate. Even when God allowed it (Abraham, Jacob, etc) the consequences were extreme. Jacob took two wives in one week. I doubt he ever had another day of peace. Sarah forced upon her husband a sexual relationship with her handmaid. The children from that union continue to war even today.

One cannot be unfaithful in marriage or, have multiple marriages without paying a heavy price. This is one of the central problems that occur in blended families. They just do not mix. What allows a mixture in a marriage (like adoption) is the correct authority structure. In re-marriages, the authority structure is always confused. Ask any one who has been in a previous marriage to tell you about it, and the first words will usually indicate some of that confusion. For instance, how do they refer to the previous mate? People tend most often say their ‘ex.’ What exactly is an “ex-mate”? Do we refer to prior pregnancies in this manner? Am I ex-pregnant? Thus, even our language suggests the confusion surrounding prior marriages. Confusion leads to anxiety and insecurity, which are rampant killers of new marriages. Or is it more appropriate to say repeat marriage, or perhaps next marriage.

There are other reasons why multiple marriages are a bad idea. The man makes himself very vulnerable to the woman he has sex with. Her knowledge of him has the potential to destroy him. Ironically, by engaging in multiple relationships, the man hopes to weaken his fear, and dilute the strength of the woman’s power over him. I suspect much of the distrust between men and women may be traced back to a man’s subconscious awareness of his vulnerability to the woman. These warnings are spelled out in Proverbs chapters five, six and seven.

As startling as it may seem those who misuse, and abuse sex have no real knowledge of sex. Since sex was created by the Lord not Satan, true understanding must flow from the source. Certain things are known about God and may be trusted. God does not reveal his truths to the evil one, nor in the hands of the evil one will one discover the paths of life. One must seek knowledge of sex from its Creator, not its perverter. God is the source of all knowledge. I do not think for a moment that He would trust such knowledge to such wickedness. He would give it to the person who in marriage needs and desires such wisdom.

3-14-2023 – A Word to the Wise – PART 1 OF 10

PART 1

ADULTERY: CAUSES AND CURES

How does the Lord inoculate us against infidelity? Is there an antitoxin that He provides that neutralizes the toxic effects of dissoluteness? What are the long -term effects of immorality?

These are questions that are pertinent and timely given our present society.

The intended audience is Christians who are caught in the web of infidelity and desire to be free. Also in mind are Christians attempting to help individuals or families struggling with adultery. Some observations may be insightful for non-Christians, yet the treatments do not necessarily apply. The information present in the booklet on sex is a prerequisite to this booklet. The information presented will be of no importance to those who consider immorality a great pastime.

Some who have experienced firsthand the betrayal of a spouse wonder why the Lord refuses to intervene, or at the very least strike the offending mate dead. The Lord does not stop the headlong rush into sin. Surely, however the Lord places roadblocks and warnings in one’s path to warn one away from the impending destruction. One must really be serious about sinning in this manner to do it. Adultery is not accidental, nor something you just fall into unless the Lord is angry with you.

A basic understanding of the companionship needs of the man and the wisdom nature of the woman helps to explain some important things about the marital relationship. It also points to problems that occur when others are brought into the relationship. No one can have two sexual relationships without damaging one. Consider that in God’s Word you do not find one example of marriage, which included more than one woman in which peace reigned. The Lord accepted the relationships, but the consequences were always present.

3-10-2023 – A Word to the Wise – CHRONICLING GOD’S BLESSINGS

My mother taught me about prayer. She was the godliest woman I have ever known. Many who knew her would agree and depended heavily on her prayers. Her first lesson: Prayer is a reciprocal conversation.

For years, until I was in my mid-teens, I thought that talking with the Lord was as natural as breathing. One Sunday in Bible class, the teacher mentioned praying about something. Naively I asked, “What did the Lord say?” The teacher’s reply was, “God does not talk to people.” I said, “He talks to me.” The teacher’s response, characteristic of the unbeliever, was that I must be crazy.

I went home and told my mother about the conversation. After hearing what had happened, she gave me a warning. “It is best,” she said “not to talk to people in the church about prayer. Few desires to believe deeply enough in the Lord to want to commune with Him.” She had some very stout words about Christians who pray and yet do not believe.

This incident introduced doubt into my prayer life. I struggled for several years wondering if prayer was a two-way conversation. Then I discovered a little devotional book called Prayers of a Modern Mystic. As I began to read, I was amazed at the author’s descriptions of his prayer life. It was just as my mother had taught me. Thereafter, I believed and practiced what I had been taught. However, I did refuse to talk with other Christians about prayer.

This disdain for speaking to others about prayer reached a peak in graduate school. I was sitting in a class one Wednesday evening, and the topic of prayer came up. One lone individual began to verbalize his experiences with prayer. It was what I had been taught and practiced all my life. Everyone in the class started criticizing and demeaning the person. I sat in silence. My silence reflected my fear of what people thought. Later, I was ashamed of my silence. I felt I had been disloyal to God.

One may believe or disbelieve in this type of communion. Entrance into heaven will not be determined by an individual’s belief on this subject. But after years of study and reflection, I have concluded that those who desire the experience of this type of prayer life should have it. Therefore, I would like to share how one goes about developing a reciprocal prayer life.

Why Differing Levels Of Intimacy In Prayer?

One question I have struggled with over the years is, “Why is it that some people experience reciprocal prayer naturally and others either do not experience it, or find it difficult to develop?” Ten years ago I was asking the Lord about prayer, and why some did not experience prayer as I did. He brought to mind something that happened in my life long ago.

When I was twelve, my father died. This was the culmination of a very painful childhood filled with abandonment, rejection, abuse, and neglect. About a month after his death, I was walking home from school one day. The thought came to mind, “Do you want me to be your Father?” The question was a direct statement and came as a thought in my mind. I said that I did.

As God reminded me of this incident, a flood of other thoughts filled my mind, almost faster than I could assimilate them. Pictures of Abraham, Moses, Daniel, Solomon, Ruth, Naomi, Esther, Paul, Timothy, and on and on. All of these individuals had a common experience. They had been abandoned, neglected, abused, fatherless, widowed, orphaned, or had forsaken everything for the Kingdom of God. People in these circumstances tend to naturally desire a more personal relationship with the Lord.

The Lord then brought to mind II Corinthians 1:3-4 which says, “…who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction.” Two groups of people are identified, those who are comforted directly by the Lord and those who are comforted by those whom He has comforted. The people who make up the second category prefer that God comfort them through others. Similarly, they prefer that God speak to them through others. There is nothing wrong or inferior about this prayer method. It is like the situation at Mount Sinai when the people fled from God and insisted that He speak through Moses. Some prefer a little distance between themselves and the Lord. For those who yearn for greater intimacy, another experience is possible.

The Prayer Journal

The easiest way to teach prayer in this manner is to start by keeping a prayer journal. I would not recommend a pre-published journal, which has a lot of categories or praying suggestions. I prefer starting with a blank page. Office supply stores and bookstores have hardbound blank books suitable for use. Loose-leaf notebooks are not very suitable for journals of intimate prayer. The reason for using a bound book is so that it will survive. Loose-leaf notebooks come apart and the pages can be removed added or changed, which can detract from the journal’s credibility. You want your writings to be credible to the reader. Repeatedly, the Bible contains injunctions to write down what the Lord has said. One of the passages most meaningful to me is Malachi 3:16, “Then those who feared the Lord spoke with one another; the Lord heeded and heard them, and a book of remembrance was written before him of those who feared the Lord and thought on His name.” Why not name the prayer journal A Book of Remembrance of God’s Faithfulness?

The reason that the journal needs to be durable and credible is displayed in the purpose the journal plays in the Lord’s scheme of things. The journal is a chronological record of your prayer requests and the answer to those prayers. It is to be passed on to your children and their children as a testimony to God’s faithfulness in your life. Hebrews 11:6 says, “And without faith it is impossible to please Him. For whoever would draw near to God must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who seek Him.” The journal is a record of your faith and the Lord’s intervention in your life.

The writer of Hebrews talks at length about the faith of our fathers, saying, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses…” When you start recording God’s interventions in your life, you add your name to the list of faithful witnesses. When your children are confused, tempted, and afflicted, they open God’s word to find strength and renewal. They pick up your prayer journal, and page after page affirms prayer and answers to prayer, continuing even until the present. They now have a stronger faith and hope rooted in God’s Word and your experience.

Entering Prayer Requests in the Journal

The next step is the composition of the prayer request. On the left side of the page, write the date and time of the prayer. This is to establish a chronological order, where page after page will reflect first the prayer and then the answer. Anyone viewing the journal will be able to see the order and establish the sequence of events. It is important to include the time because God might answer later in the day or even immediately.

It is important to formulate your request in a single simple sentence. If you include more information than the one request, you are faced with the problem of partial answers. The Lord may answer part of the prayer now and another part ten years from now. Therefore, it is not wise to have compound or complex sentences because it makes it difficult to record the answer and show God’s work.

You might wonder whether you should write every prayer in this journal. You should not. The journal should include only the prayers which address issues which may build faith in you, and in those who read it after you. The journal is not a diary of your feelings. It is a journal of God’s work. Some things may be entirely too personal to share with others. Some prayers may address issues in the lives of others, which need not ever be made public.

On the right side of the page, you will record the date, time the prayer was answered, and the method employed. Some of the prayers will be answered immediately, some later in the day, week, or month. Sometimes it may be years. This means you will frequently have to go back and check your prayers for answers. It is not necessary to repeat prayers, but you may if you wish.

How God Answers Our Prayers

When we say to record the method of answer, we are referring to how the answer came. One way the Lord answers prayer is by putting a thought in someone’s mind. James 1:5 says, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives to all men generously.” The typical manner in which this is received is in the form of thoughts which He gives us.

How, you may ask, do you tell the difference between your thoughts and the ones He gives you? One of the first characteristics is that you realize, “ I have never thought about that before.” You might also experience a sense of wonderment. Another experience that accompanies the answer is a sense of peace. That does not necessarily mean you like the answers. Some you like, and some you do not. It does not mean you must do or believe something. But you do experience the uniqueness of the answer.

When I counsel, I continually ask the Lord for wisdom, understanding about the person’s root problems, insights, interventions, and I pray for these things even during the sessions. The answers come just as quickly. Most often, the answers include references to biblical characters or events, which reflect something about the situation at hand.

Some prayers are answered in dreams. Job 33:14-17 declares, “For God speaks in one way, and in two, though man does not perceive it. In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls upon men, while they slumber on their beds, then He opens the ears of men, and terrifies them with warnings, that He may turn man aside from his deed, and cut off pride from man.”

Several years ago, I worked with substance abusers at a state mental hospital. I was en-route to work one day, and I had been praying about many things, when suddenly it was as if part of the sky parted, and I walked into a huge room. Scattered all over the floor were golden egg-like objects. I picked one up. It broke apart, and knowledge came out. As this began to occur, I asked the Lord to see that I forgot nothing until I could get it written down. What were some of the bits of pure knowledge? For one thing, I desired to know the root of addiction and how to conquer it. The knowledge escaping from the object indicated that the root sin was idolatry, and the treatment was gratitude. I began to use this information in my therapy classes and was amazed at the results among those who wanted to be released from bondage.

So, prayers may be answered in visions. How else are prayers answered? Often, they come through authority figures. It is not necessary for that authority to be a Christian or even “a good person” for that matter. It becomes our task to distill the Lord’s words for us from what authorities tell us.

Several years ago, I had a client who was greatly distressed because of his father’s verbally abusive manner. This abuse occurred all through childhood and continued even into the present. The father had always criticized the son for being overweight. He was not overweight and was in excellent physical shape. Nevertheless, his father had quoted the scripture to him found in Titus 1:12 “…Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.” This verse is a harsh and cruel thing to say! Now on the surface, the passage did not apply to the son. The father was expressing his own anger. Yet the Lord had used this incident to get the son’s attention about something, He wanted the son to change. When the son put aside the outer clothing of the cruel father and sought God’s message, he found an answer to some spiritual problems he had struggled with for years.

What If You Are Unsure Of Your Answer?

Confusion asserts itself when the will is involved. If we resist the answer, we feel confused. Some may wonder how to know whether an answer might be from Satan. There is a vast difference between a thought from Satan and one from God. With Satan, one feels pleasure or even intense pleasure and guilt at the same time, like what one might experience with pornography. This never happens with prayer. Moreover, Satan is not omniscient. He does not know our thoughts. He can plant thoughts, but he does not know what we think. He knows us by our behavior and by what we say. Jesus said, “Let your yes be yes and no be no.” The more we verbalize, the more Satan knows about us. The verbal prayers he hears, the silent ones he has no awareness of. I cannot say with any degree of certainty, but it would seem that Satan is illiterate. Would that not be a real laugh!

One further bit of direction. I John4 1-4 tells us to test the spirit speaking to us. How one may as? Simply ask the spirits to say that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God who died and was resurrected. Satan cannot affirm that answer.

Often one hears that we should not pray for everything. Frequently some would suggest that material things should never be requested. The Lord wants us to be totally dependent on Him. He asks for absolute surrender. If one surrenders everything to the Lord, he has no choice but to ask for everything from Him. There is nothing too great or too small. Whether something should be asked for is based on its use. Is this going to be used to further God’s Kingdom, His good name or mine?

What do you do if you are unsure of an answer? Simply ask the Lord to verify the answer. Gideon was unsure, so he asked the Lord to verify His word. That was not disbelief. I want to do God’s will, so at times that means making sure my will is not in the way.

Last year I had a client who started keeping a prayer journal. He was struggling with whether he should go ahead and build a home on some land his father gave him. He felt the Lord had answered yes and had entered it in his prayer journal. But it was such a big endeavor; he wanted to make sure. I had told him when in doubt about an answer, simply ask the Lord to verify the answer. So, he asked the Lord to verify his first answer.

The next day he was walking with his daughter at the base of the hill where he was thinking of building the home. Suddenly, his daughter asked, “When are you going to start building the house?” Now he had never told her of his thoughts about building a house. He immediately knew the Lord had verified his previous answer through the mouth of his daughter. He built the home.

Examples of Intimate Prayer

It is important to date and time one’s prayers. I learned this by reading the prayer journal of George Mueller. In his journal you read where Mueller pours out his needs for the orphanages in England that he established. Frequently, he would tell the Lord of needs for food, clothing, and other needs of the orphans. A knock would come at the door. A person would tell him that he had been prompted to bring a certain gift. Now the amazing thing about this ministry was that Mueller never told anyone about the needs of the orphanage. He never advertised or sought funds. He simply told the Lord his needs. He died at the age of ninety-three, thousands of orphans cared for, and never a public request about a need. The timing of the prayer builds faith. We will return to some examples from George Muller’s prayer journal.

The prayer journal thus presents to others and ourselves a history of the Lord’s saving works. Most of all, the journal becomes the most important part of our heritage which we leave for our children.

2-1-2023 – A Word to the Wise – Submission to God does not stop suffering–Christ suffered. Trust is to sustain us in times of suffering. We doubt our faith at times because we do not know what we should expect it to do for us.

1-30-2023 – A Word to the Wise – The law of God is not “God helps those who help themselves.” rather His word says “God helps those who ask him.”

1-28-2023 – A Word to the Wise – Deborah: Why Women make Excellent Warriors

Children of Israel again did evil in the sight of the LORD, thus the LORD sold them into the hand of Jabin, king of Canaan that reigned in Hazor, the captain of whose host was Sisera, which dwelt in Harosheth of the Gentiles.

Apparently, Israel just could not seem to keep to a Godly course. Thus, the Lord brings adversity upon His people to nudge them onto the right path. This nudge developed into twenty years of oppression by an enemy that Israel had failed to exterminate—the hated Canaanites. This is much like our own propensity to halfheartedly deal with our sins. Our own sins enamor us. Therefore, when they get out of hand, we put them aside for a while.

God had told Joshua to wipe these people off the face of the earth. We should understand that these people were evil. Child sacrifice was an integral part of their worship. They would often murder their firstborn and place them in the doorstep as a form of dedication to their god. There figurines and drawings put today’s pornography to shame, and in addition cult prostitution was an everyday part of life. While only a little is known about the particular tactic used by Deborah much is known about the methods, armament, and equipment utilized.

During this general period, the Egyptians and Hittites in this area fought a major battle. Egyptian scribes and artists have left drawings and scripts as our sources of information.

Apparently, Deborah utilized the same tactics against the Hittites that the Hittites had used against Ramses. In that, battle the Hittites had drawn the Egyptians into a trap whereas here Deborah sets one for Jabin.

The text indicates that the Hittites were in possession of nine hundred chariots of iron. This would have been a formidable enemy. It nearly matches the number utilized in the previous battle with the Egyptians.

These were 3-men, 6-spoke, and two-horse chariots armed with a charioteer, the shield-bearer, and the spearman. This implies close combat as opposed to the more distant archers. The text says that the chariots were further fortified with iron plates for protection. They were heavy and far less maneuverable than the Egyptian chariots, but at the same time, sturdier. Additionally, Sisera, the commander of the Hittite army, probably had an additional 10-to-15-thousand-foot soldiers at his disposal.

The chariots were used as a strike force by the Hittites and would have been incredibly difficult for a foot soldier to outmaneuver. Israel was at a distinct disadvantage. The Hittites were experienced professional soldiers, well-armed with heavy body armor for protection.

Israel was lightly armed but did have some advantages. Their forces were composed of slingers and archers who were exceptionally well trained with the left hand or right. The slingers used stone about the size of a golf ball or larger. A trained slinger could easily hit a man-size target at about 100 yards. The stone traveled about 80 miles per hour. The tribe of Benjamin provided men exceptionally skilled with the sling. (Judges 20:16)

Israel’s army also included the heavily armed phalanx, which was typical of the armies of that period. In addition, the army included lightly armed soldiers capable of foot pursuit if the opposing army broke ranks and tried to flee from the battlefield. (I Chronicles 12:32)

It is essential to be able to follow up an attack, which breaks the will of the enemy, causing them to turn and run with troops in pursuit. More enemy is destroyed running from the battlefield than those killed in outright attack are. This is why God’s army was to be composed of fearless warriors. Warriors who can withstand the onslaught then follow up with sustained attacks that do not end until the enemy is destroyed.

Sisera’s army was stationed at the Northwest corner of the Jezreel Valley. Deborah moves Barak and her 10,000-man army, made up of men from the tribes of Naphtali and Zebulun to Mount Tabor. Men from Zebulun were trained in all weapons of war (I Chronicles 12:33); those of Naphtali were armed with shield and spear or trained in the phalanx and close combat. Mount Tabor is defensible against the chariot. It was a perfect staging area with visibility in all directions.

Sisera hears of the deployment of Deborah’s troops (probably from Heber the Kenite.) This is likely disinformation employed to draw out Sisera. Deborah’s second force is concentrated on the northern slopes of Mt. Ephraim. Signal mounts at Mt. Gilboa and the Hill of Moreh are used to signal troop movements for Deborah.

Deborah signals for the troops on Mt. Ephraim to move and divert Sisera from Mt. Tabor. This force is then unsuccessfully intercepted by troops from the region around Taanach. Sisera moves to the aid of Taanach upon being informed that his help is needed.

Deborah and Barak then advance from Mt. Tabor on Sisera, driving Sisera into the now flooded swamplands around the river Kishon. The heavy iron chariots are bogged down in the marshy area along with the heavily armed infantry. Sisera and his men flee and are pursued by the Israelites. Sisera, abandoning his useless chariot, escapes on foot to the tent of Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite. Of all places to hide, he expects refuge, but she kills him.

It is here an important principle is learned when engaging the enemy. James 4:7 tells us to resist the devil and he will flee. Peace is not acceptable. No, the Christian pursues and chases the adversary and his army until it ceases to exist.

In every major engagement in the battles of the Bible God expected His army to chase the enemy from the battlefield and to keep on until they were destroyed. God’s harshest criticism is reserved for those who quit. The enemy is to be destroyed. Not bargained with. Not preserved. No treaties made. The battles of Joshua and Judges emphatically teach this principle. Pursue the enemy until you physically drop, until you can no longer lift your weapon. Give no refuge to the enemy. Chase him until he has nowhere to go—then destroy him.

There is another lesson to be discovered in this battle. I have often wondered if more women warriors ought to be invited into combat. The problem is when they are, the tendency is to make them over into the image of men. Women are trained in men tactics, and men weapons.

Women think tactically different from men. Men who play war games find it easy to discern various strategies of an opponent. However, few could predict how a woman would conduct a battle. Sisera made the mistake twice and paid with his life.

In the early part of the 20th century, women began to attack the temperance problem and were highly successful in getting laws passed using tactics that overwhelmed proponents.

I suspect women have skills unused and unrecognized by the enemy, making them a greater threat. Men train women to be prayer warriors, evangelists, missionaries, and preachers, all the things men do. However, the tactics employed are from the minds of men. The purpose for using a woman in these areas should include recognition that tactics change.

Deborah was a judge and a skilled tactician, not an armor bearer, nor an archer, nor a slinger. We tend to forget Genesis 3:15 and God’s promise of enmity between the adversary and women. True, this is a Messianic prophecy, yet it also suggests something else.

Women, wise women, do not like to be fooled. Eve saw immediately how the evil one had tricked her. I suspect since that day the woman has conducted her own private war against the adversary. Deborah out thinks the enemy. Barak was willing to follow this woman into combat—not many men are wise enough to do the same.

1-27-2023 – A Word to the Wise – Lessons of courage: God desires in His warriors faithfulness. Not just when it is convenience but all the time. Asa is a great grandson of David and from the day he began to reign Asa determined to please the Lord. Asa commanded the people to seek the Lord and even deposed his grandmother who was into idolatry.

God honored Asa’s faithfulness and provided the wealth for Asa to continue to fortify the cities of Judah. “Let us build up these towns,” he said to Judah, “and put walls around them, with towers, gates and bars. The land is still ours, because we have sought the LORD our God; we sought him and he has given us rest on every side.” So they built and prospered. Asa had an army of three hundred thousand men from Judah, equipped with large shields and with spears, and two hundred and eighty thousand from Benjamin, armed with small shields and with bows. All these were brave fighting men. (II Chronicles 14:7-8).

Apparently, with the loss of the northern tribes Judah no longer have available some of the skilled fighters available in David’s time. Asa does have the heavy phalanx armed with large protective shields and sporting the long spears. This army is further supported with the lighter armed men from Benjamin who use the bow. The army has an effective strength of about 580,000 men.

Asa has great foresight in preparing the inhabitants for coming warfare. The main area of fortification in the early period of Asa’s rule is the Kadesh-Barnea and the area south. These fortifications originally built by David and refortified by Solomon had been over run by the Egyptians during the rule of Rehoboam, Asa’s grandfather. Now Asa rebuilds and strengthens the area.

There is a spiritual lesson in this for us. See weakness demands during times of peace that areas of our lives be fortified. Acquiring skills to overcome anger, immoral impurity, pride, weak marriages, vocational ineptness all the areas which the enemy uses to destroy us are open to fortification.

Asa’s building projects in the south are completed and the army trained now the enemy attacks.

The enemy usually attempts to overwhelm and frighten the godly. Zerah the Cushite leads thousands and thousands North in an invasion of Israelite territory. The tactics utilized have all the earmarks of an Egyptians backing. Observing Asa’s strengthening of the border probably motivated the Egyptians to back the Cushite attack..

The first battles must have occurred just south of Kadesh-Barnea at the fortified positions just described. Moving north Gerar, Ziklag, Eglon, and Lachish must have fallen to the invaders. Zerah utilizes the Philistines and the smaller towns around Gerar as staging areas in preparation for the main battle at Mareshah.

Asa’s army proceeds to Mareshah, to the Valley of Zarathah. The sight was terrifying. Stretched out in the valley was an armed force approaching one million armed intruders. The sight must have struck terror in the heart of Asa.

This chariot force was probably fashioned after the Egyptian chariots and the tactics were the same. It is probable that the Egyptian themselves may have provide the entire force of men and chariots since the control of the Palestinian land mass was a top priority.

The Egyptian chariot was capable of 24 to 27 miles per hour, with a fire power of 8-10 arrows on target per minute, or about 3000 per minute from the three hundred chariots. It is unlikely that Asa had anything to counter the chariot since none was listed in his force. The chariot force was lightning fast and known for its ability to quickly overwhelm a foe.

Asa calls upon God. The God he had been serving faithfully. Asa’s prayer acknowledges that there is no one like the Lord God Almighty. Asa in his prayer reminds the Lord that His faithful people are gathered against this vast army. Defend your People O Lord.

The initial blow is struck by the Lord. The text does not say how. But whatever it causes the army of Zerah to flee in mass confusion. God’s warriors have been taught to never flee the battlefield because more are killed when fleeing than those who stand and fight.

Fearlessness is the character quality at work. Between the fearless Israelites and the power of God Almighty the enemy is crushed.

The amount of plunder is tremendous. Calculations based on the usual amount dedicated to the Lord yields just in animals at 7000 head of cattle and 70,000 sheep and goats! The weapons and other material goods would have been overwhelming. God generously rewards faithfulness. “And without faith is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6).

Often the Lord turns hardship, trial, and the impossible into supreme blessings when we obey and trust the Lord to provide, guide correct, and direct our steps.

“For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. (II Chronicles 16:9).

1-17-2023 – A Word to the Wise – What is possessiveness? Human possessiveness is a misguided sense of ownership. No one in any relationship owns another person. Husband denotes relationship, not ownership. Wife denotes relationship not ownership, mother, brother, sister, friend. These are relationships not ownerships.

The deepest yearning in every human being is for a ‘sense of belonging’ but it must be fulfilled in God. If it is to a person it brings many forms of unhappiness most importantly it ultimately destroys the relationship.