Discernment in Battle
Matthew 26:51-54
51 At that, one of the men with Yeshua reached for his sword, drew it out and struck at the servant of the cohen hagadol (high priest), cutting off his ear. 52 Yeshua said to him, “Put your sword back where it belongs, for everyone who uses the sword will die by the sword. 53 Don’t you know that I can ask my Father, and he will instantly provide more than a dozen armies of angels to help me? 54 But if I did that, how could the passages in the Tanakh (Bible) be fulfilled that say it has to happen this way?”
These verses are an interesting part of the story and have caused confusion for some over the years. I don't claim to have answers, I simply hope to place some thoughts and ideas for us to ponder.
Some people say that these verses show Jesus is a pacifist because He asks says to put the sword away. Others say that if Jesus was truly a pacifist, His follower would not have had a sword to begin with.
I grew up being taught that war is wrong. Jesus was/is Love, Joy and Peace, not someone Who will fight a battle.
As I have read the Word and grown in my understanding, I recognize that war is not all bad, that war IS going to happen, and that there are God ordained wars. I will say, NOT all wars are God ordained. Man begins wars that they should not.
This simple blog is not a place to get into all of the ins and outs of what wars are just and what are not. What I want us to grasp is, the Word of God teaches us that we are in a battle. I have written about the spiritual battle the past several blogs. The spiritual battles mean we MUST stand up for the TRUTH of the Word of God.
Jesus says that He could call an army of angels. We could do the same. Angels are always there to fight on our behalf. However, Jesus knew that if He fought the battle the wrong way, than the Words of the Bible would not come to pass.
Each battle we face we must ask for discernment. We need to ask God how HE wants us to fight. Does He want us to physically move and take action? Does He want us to "call the angels" and let them fight spiritually on our behalf? Does He want us to "wait before Him" and endure like Jesus?
These are hard questions... And the leading of the Spirit may not be the easiest to follow. What He requires might be the hardest task you have ever done.
Prayers for all of us today as we seek HIM in Spirit and Truth. Prayers that we KNOW His voice and obey.
Love and blessings,
Rose
All donations are tax deductible through TBG. Click the picture below to take you to the TBG homepage and from there you can "Give Online.”
