Victory begats victory: Dt 3:21-22

“I commanded Joshua at that time, saying, ‘Your eyes have seen all that the Lord your God has done to these two kings; so the Lord shall do to all the kingdoms into which you are about to cross. Do not fear them, for the Lord your God is the one fighting for you.’” (Deuteronomy 3:21-22)

During their time in the wilderness, the nation of Israel lost an entire generation of men trained for war. “Now the time that it took for us to come from Kadesh-barnea until we crossed over the brook Zered was thirty-eight years, until all the generation of the men of war perished from within the camp, as the Lord had sworn to them.” (Deuteronomy 2:14) The younger generation that grew up to take their place was not experienced in the art of war. They lacked the experience and training necessary for battle. If they were going to possess the Promised Land they would need to know how to fight and how to win a battle. God knew that warfare was learned from war; that victory begat further victory. The battles they had won on the east side of the Jordan would serve to teach them how to win the battles they were about to encounter once they crossed over to the Promised Land. Their victories not only give them confidence but also served as a tutor to them, training them for war. Sometimes God leads us into battles to train us for future battles. “Now these are the nations which the Lord left, to test Israel by them (that is, all who had not experienced any of the wars of Canaan; only in order that the generations of the sons of Israel might be taught war, those who had not experienced it formerly).” (Judges 3:1-2)

David understood this principle. As he stood before King Saul, ready to face Goliath, King Saul expressed his doubts that David could win against Goliath. “Then Saul said to David, ‘You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are but a youth while he has been a warrior from his youth.’” (1 Samuel 17:33) Yet David was confident is his answer. “But David said to Saul, ‘Your servant was tending his father's sheep. When a lion or a bear came and took a lamb from the flock, I went out after him and attacked him, and rescued it from his mouth; and when he rose up against me, I seized him by his beard and struck him and killed him. Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, since he has taunted the armies of the living God.’” (1 Samuel 17:34-36) Long before David ever faced Goliath he had faced the lion and the bear and had emerged victorious. His battles with the lion and the bear gave him confidence and had trained him in battle so that, when he had to face Goliath, he was ready. David knew he could defeat Goliath because he knew how to win.

The same is true for us. As we go through our lives we face many battles. When facing a battle it can be tempting to flee, but if we engage the battle, the battle will strengthen us and train us to fight the battles yet to come. If we learn to fight victoriously in everyday battles then we will have confidence and the skill to be victorious even in life’s greater battles. The challenges we face today are training us for the challenges of tomorrow. Therefore, let us not run, let us not flee, but let us engage our battles and learn from the Lord to be victorious.

David Robison

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