Jeremiah 46

A few days ago on this blog, we explored the idea of being still, of stopping and waiting to hear the word of the Lord before rushing ahead. And, in light of this chapter, it seems that in no situation is this more true than when you are contemplating war.

There is a lot of war in our world today. There is, of course, the war on Covid-19, which we’ve been hearing about now for more than a year. And then there is the kind of war which, prior to March 2020, we heard about most often—the wars that are fought between nations. But there are also civil wars, which are fought within nations. And then there are the more overlooked, entirely more common wars—individual, daily wars between family members, co-workers, church members, etc. War is not just something that one nation declares on another. It’s a condition of the sinful human heart.

At one time or another, we are all at war.

What should we do about that? When we sense that war—in any form—is imminent, what should we do? How should we prepare to fight? In today’s chapter, God had some advice for the Egyptians about that very subject: “‘Prepare your shields, and advance into battle! Harness the horses, and mount the stallions. Take your positions. Put on your helmets. Sharpen your spears, and prepare your armor. But what do I see? The Egyptian army flees in terror. The bravest of its fighting men run without a backward glance. They are terrorized at every turn,’ says the Lord.” (vs 3-5)

Man, I don’t know about you, but by the time I got to the prediction that the Egyptian army would flee in terror, I was already tired. They had a lot to do to get ready! Prepare shields, strategically advance, harness and mount their horses, put soldiers into formation, don their fighting gear, sharpen weapons, and try to protect themselves with armor in the process.

But… what a bummer. It’s all for nothing. The bravest men in the army still run away afraid. All their fretting and stewing and preparing didn’t help them win anything. Maybe that’s because this is a picture of what happens when we try to go to war without God. Look at all the things we have to try to do in our strength to simply be able to stand against the enemy! And, at the end of the day, if God is not with us (or rather, if we’re not with Him), we will turn and run like girls. (Sorry, girls.)

Now, let’s contrast this with the picture of what it means to go to war with God: “As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up, and there were the Egyptians, marching after them. They were terrified and cried out to the Lord. Moses answered the people, ‘Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.’” (Ex 14:10, 13-14)

What a drastically different picture! When the Israelites sensed war was imminent and they cried out for help, God told them to do only two things:

Stand still.
Watch Him work.

People, what if we would actually do that?! What would happen in this world if, instead of flying off the handle with our neighbor, we would stand still and expect God to fight for us? What would happen if, instead of yelling at our children or siblings or parents, we would stand still and watch God work? What would happen if, instead of allowing fear to take over, we would stand still and allow God to take over?

What if we were willing to just give up the fight?

For it is only when we give up the fight that God is able to fight for us. That’s right. Don’t mistake God for a pacifist. He is a fighter, and He has promised to fight for you. He doesn’t want you to go to war. He wants you to relax and take it easy while He handles the fighting. Just ask those Egyptians, and they’ll tell you: There is nothing we can do in our human strength to rival the power of our Almighty God on the battlefield.

So, if you’re headed for a battlefield today, there are only two things you need to do: Be still, and look up.

Lift up your heads, you gates;
be lifted up, you ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in.
Who is this King of glory?
The Lord strong and mighty,
the Lord mighty in battle. (Ps 24:7-8)