FACING OPPOSITION. Deuteronomy 20 Throughout history, the independent spirit of self-will and the idea of "up with man' have opposed the mind and will of God. Adam demonstrated this first when he deliberately disobeyed God's command. Cain went even further in his self-will by refusing to do what God wanted. Essentially, he expressed, "God, if you won't accept what I want to give you on my terms, then I won't bring anything as a sacrifice." The attitude of "up with man, down with God' has been around for a long time. Recognizing that the Israelites would often face this kind of attitude both in their own minds and among their enemies, God established a protocol for their army to follow in times of war.
We constantly face opposition when we go forward with the Gospel to "make disciples of all nations." God hasn't abandoned His plan for peace on earth, but it will not be a peace made on man-made terms. Human methods of peace-making have been attempted countless times and have failed. There will be a time of peace on earth when the Prince of Peace returns and establishes peace, but not before then. The scriptures of truth are the guidelines for our spiritual warfare. Extremes of force or a lack of aggressiveness are unacceptable in our efforts to win souls for the Lord. The goals of the kingdom of God are love, joy, and peace under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. The battle is the Lord’s, and He directs how we carry out the mission He has given us.
In the meantime, there will be battles over property, battles for political reasons, ideological battles, and spiritual conflicts. Moses gave Israel instructions on how to proceed when the fight was for property. First, before the battle took place, they had to ensure that the action was God's will. The priest would address the army in the name of the Lord and reassure them that when they did what was right, God would be with them, and they would defeat the enemy. We cannot assume that our nation will always win its wars. The wars in Israel were fought under God's direct command. Many wars are fought that are not just.
The personal struggle people face is to maintain assurance that we are on God’s side, not that He is on ours. Personal and spiritual success in this kind of war against the world, the flesh, and the devil happens when God is in control of our lives. Opinions of men regarding interpretations of scripture are not always correct. However, when there are clear scriptural precepts and doctrines that are easy to understand, we are not allowed to give up what is right to show tolerance and achieve an unrighteous peace.
The next step before Israel went to war was for the officers to speak with the soldiers under their command and encourage them practically. If a man had just finished building a house or planting a new vineyard, he was allowed to go home because he would be thinking about what he would miss if he died in battle. God let men enjoy the rewards of their labor before they had to risk their lives for the nation.
Fearful, fainthearted, and unfocused soldiers are dangerous to themselves and their fellow soldiers. Even more so, if he were planning to be married or was newly married, his love and desire for his wife could jeopardize not only his life but also the lives of the soldiers around him because he would be distracted in his mind and heart. That would endanger many soldiers as well as himself because he would be less than wholehearted in his commitment to winning the battle.
When we feel outnumbered by everything happening around us and our cause seems helpless and hopeless, we need to remember the command of the Lord and His promise as we carry out His mission: "Lo, I am with you, even unto the end of the world (age)." It is better to have a few truly committed people working together in fellowship for a common purpose than a bunch of half-hearted individuals dragging their feet. God will receive all the glory when a faithful few understand that it is God alone who wins victories through using available people.
God meant for there to be an offer of surrender to prevent bloodshed when a battle was over property. The offer would state the terms of surrender, in which those who surrendered would serve the conquerors. A peaceful surrender would save lives, and the property would change owners. Sometimes, among God's people, issues arise that can be resolved by coming together and finding ways to reach an agreement without compromising God's Word. Such cooperation is not an attempt to "cross-pollinate" doctrinal views held by different groups. Instead, it aims to strengthen a biblical testimony by uniting those who share the same goal.
Some of the battles Israel fought were spiritual battles of truth against lies, righteousness against unrighteousness, and the kingdom of God against the devil. From Israel's victory over the Amorites and in battles across the promised land to the land of the Jebusites—those ungodly, licentious, idol-worshipping tribes practicing evil—they had to be completely destroyed to preserve the moral standards of the entire Middle East. The land of Canaan was like a deadly tumor eating away at the souls of the people. If the tumor wasn’t removed, no one could survive there. The society of those tribes was so evil that the Lord God wanted them eradicated to save those around them from following their example. Unchecked evil kills people, and they lose their souls forever.
God’s people were not to trust in the size of their army but in the Lord God Himself to bring victory and the desired results. That was Israel's instruction, but they did not follow it. Because of that past disobedience, millions of people have died there—both from other nations and from the Israelites and their descendants. That hostility toward the Jews continues today. We must remember as the people of God that "we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers; against spiritual wickedness in high places." Allowing sin to go unjudged leads to greater problems (more bloodshed in Israel) than if we had followed God's word at the start of "warfare."
Another instruction was given to the Israelites regarding facing opposition. There would be a new kind of warfare they had not yet experienced. They had fought and won by God's power on open terrain and in fields. Urban warfare was something they had not yet faced. This took more time because there were high walls to climb and other obstacles around cities to keep enemies out. They would need trees to build bulwarks and siege engines to get close enough to breach the walls. God had anticipated their victory in advance and knew the Israelites would need the fruit trees for food later. “Scorched earth” policies were not permitted because they left the land unable to support the people who relied on its food. They were not to cut down any fruit trees. Trees and plants do nothing wrong. Respect for God’s creation and nature must be balanced with our needs.
Any subjugated people, such as women and children who surrendered to the Israelites, would serve the conquerors, but they still had rights because God had given them life. Some people today argue that trees and animals have the same rights as humans and try to give a sense of personhood to them. The reason for saving the trees was because they provided fruit for human use or materials that could be used to build shelter. Destroying the land's productivity negatively impacts people for years to come.
There are practices we follow that may differ across various assemblies. Usually, the way work begins and the practices initially followed set the standard for many years. Meeting times, chair arrangements, and meeting order vary from place to place. The teaching of the Word of God, the preaching of the Gospel, and the implementation of the ordinances are established by God and are not ours to alter. Those "fruit trees" are meant to provide ongoing benefits to God's people despite doctrinal opposition from surrounding groups that create their own “statement of faith.”
Other groups occasionally gather to shape their doctrinal beliefs and practices based on what most people want. A scriptural assembly of God's people is not a democracy. The "voice of the people" does not determine the doctrines of an assembly. We are under divine authority and are like a living body, an organism with each part functioning within the body and fulfilling a role assigned by the Holy Spirit for the good of the whole.
When facing opposition, our strength comes from God. Our commands originate from Him, our plan is based on His Word, and He defines our objectives. The results of God's people's united effort are for His glory, the expansion of His kingdom, and the blessing of His followers.