The Lord Is a Warrior, and That’s a Good Thing

28 May, 202227 May, 2022Marissa

I’ve been revisiting my Spiritual Warfare series of posts as I work on my next study guide about the Armor of God. While most of that series’ focus is on us fighting spiritual battles with God’s help, studying that topic also highlights a role God fills which I don’t think we talk about all that often. We often discuss the Lord as shepherd, priest, savior, king, deliverer, and much more. He’s also a warrior, but when was the last time you heard anyone quote Isaiah 63:1-6, where the Lord is dressed in garments stained red with the blood of those who opposed Him?

I suspect part of the reason we shy away from discussing verses like that is we’re not really sure what to do with them. I’m as much guilty of that as anyone else. Take, for example, God’s command that ancient Israel completely wipe out the inhabitants of the promised land when they went in to claim their inheritance. I understand that God is righteous in all He does and that His perspective is different than mine, and I know this is a command He was within His rights to give. I trust Him, but I still don’t want to think too much about the violence of that.

At the same time, knowing God can and does fight is strangely comforting. I want the Warrior God by my side when I read that “our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens” (Eph. 6:12, NET). I can’t fight that on my own. Maybe knowing what kind of enemy we face and how helpless we’d be against it on our own is why so many Bible writers find the image of God as a warrior something to rejoice about.

Image of four warrior riding toward a sunset, with text from Exodus 15:2-3, NET version: “The Lord is my strength and my song,
and he has become my salvation.
This is my God, and I will praise him,
my father’s God, and I will exalt him.
The Lord is a warrior—
the Lord is his name.” — Image by ha11ok from Pixabay

The Warrior God

It’s a long passage when typed out in verse like this, but I want to quote the first part of Isaiah 63 so we can take a closer look at it together. While the violent imagery is probably the first thing we notice when reading this, I also want to notice the tone. How does the author want us to feel about this picture of God?

Who is this who comes from Edom,
with dyed garments from Bozrah?
Who is this who is glorious in his clothing,
marching in the greatness of his strength?
“It is I who speak in righteousness,
mighty to save.”
Why is your clothing red,
and your garments like him who treads in the wine vat?
“I have trodden the wine press alone.
Of the peoples, no one was with me.
Yes, I trod them in my anger
and trampled them in my wrath.
Their lifeblood is sprinkled on my garments,
and I have stained all my clothing.
For the day of vengeance was in my heart,
and the year of my redeemed has come.
I looked, and there was no one to help;
and I wondered that there was no one to uphold.
Therefore my own arm brought salvation to me.
My own wrath upheld me.
I trod down the peoples in my anger
and made them drunk in my wrath.
I poured their lifeblood out on the earth.”
Isaiah 63:1-6, WEB

Isaiah isn’t startled or horrified by the idea of God trampling His enemies in a winepress. He’s impressed. He uses words like, “glorious,” “greatness,” and “righteousness” to describe the Lord in this passage. When Yahweh is speaking, He talks of His vengeance and wrath as being connected to salvation and redemption.

It might not be the first thing that comes to mind when we think of God, but the Lord as a warrior is a solidly Biblical image. And, like everything else God is, His actions as Warrior are a good thing. There are many other passages that speak to this theme as well, particularly in songs praising the Lord for filling the role of warrior king. For example, after ancient Israel crossed the Red Sea and saw the Egyptian army destroyed, the song they sang started out like this:

“I will sing to Yahweh, for he has triumphed gloriously.
He has thrown the horse and his rider into the sea.
Yah is my strength and song.
He has become my salvation.
This is my God, and I will praise him;
my father’s God, and I will exalt him.
Yahweh is a man of war.
Exodus 15:1-3, WEB

We’re probably far more familiar with “God of peace” as a title for Yahweh, but “man of war” is just as valid a description. That seems contradictory at first, but sometimes peace requires a warrior to maintain it. For example, Paul writes, “The God of peace will quickly crush Satan under your feet” (Rom. 16:20, NET). There’s no disconnect for God to fill both roles.

Image of helmet and sword lying on a stone wall, with text from Psalm 24:7-8, WEB version: “Lift up your heads, you gates!
Be lifted up, you everlasting doors,
and the King of glory will come in.
Who is the King of glory?
Yahweh strong and mighty,
Yahweh mighty in battle.” — Image by ArtCoreStudios from Pixabay

Warrior Messiah

Continuing this theme of exalting God as a Warrior, David praises “the King of glory” who is “Yahweh strong and mighty, Yahweh mighty in battle. … Yahweh of Armies is the King of glory!” (Ps. 24:8, 10, WEB). That’s a Messianic psalm, which means this mighty warrior God is the being we now know as Jesus Christ. This psalm isn’t an isolated passage. The sons of Korah also write a similar Messianic psalm:

My heart overflows with a noble theme.
I recite my verses for the king.
My tongue is like the pen of a skillful writer.
You are the most excellent of the sons of men.
Grace has anointed your lips,
therefore God has blessed you forever.
Strap your sword on your thigh, mighty one:
your splendor and your majesty.
In your majesty ride on victoriously on behalf of truth, humility, and righteousness.
Let your right hand display awesome deeds.
Your arrows are sharp.
The nations fall under you, with arrows in the heart of the king’s enemies.
Your throne, God, is forever and ever.
A scepter of equity is the scepter of your kingdom.
You have loved righteousness, and hated wickedness.
Therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness above your fellows.
Psalm 45:1-7, WEB

Reading these messianic prophecies, it’s easy to understand why so many Jewish people of Jesus’s day were confused about why He wasn’t overthrowing the Romans and restoring the kingdom to Israel right then. Even the 11 apostles thought He might do that (Luke 19:11; Acts 1:6). They didn’t realize until later that Jesus fulfilled the prophecies of a Messiah who would suffer for our sins in His first coming–winning victory in the spiritual battle against the devil–and that He’d return a second time with His warrior role more visible.

Then I saw heaven opened and here came a white horse! The one riding it was called “Faithful” and “True,” and with justice he judges and goes to war. His eyes are like a fiery flame and there are many diadem crowns on his head. He has a name written that no one knows except himself. He is dressed in clothing dipped in blood, and he is called the Word of God. The armies that are in heaven, dressed in white, clean, fine linen, were following him on white horses. From his mouth extends a sharp sword, so that with it he can strike the nations. He will rule them with an iron rod, and he stomps the winepress of the furious wrath of God, the All-Powerful. He has a name written on his clothing and on his thigh: “King of kings and Lord of lords.”
Revelation 19:11-16, NET

This sounds a lot like that passage where we started in Isaiah, doesn’t it? Here’s the King of kings and Lord of lords wearing a garment dipped in blood and treading the winepress of God’s wrath. This shouldn’t surprise us, knowing that “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever!” (Heb. 13:8, NET). He’s just as much a warrior today as He will be in the future and as He was in the past.

Making Warriors of Us

Image of an ancient warrior silhouetted against a sunset with the blog's title text and the words "We often shy away from talking about God as a Warrior but that's who we want on our side when fighting spiritual battles." — Image by mohamed Hassan from Pixabay

As we continue to walk with God, we learn more and more about the spiritual warfare that’s part of our Christian experience. When God called us to join His family, He also revealed our part in a grand metanarrative that spans creation’s history. There’s a battle going on in the spiritual realm between good and evil and we’re right in the thick of it. As a Warrior, God is perfectly capable of defending us. He also equips us to defend ourselves and to fight alongside Him.

Now I, Paul, appeal to you personally by the meekness and gentleness of Christ (I who am meek when present among you, but am full of courage toward you when away!)— now I ask that when I am present I may not have to be bold with the confidence that (I expect) I will dare to use against some who consider us to be behaving according to human standards. For though we live as human beings, we do not wage war according to human standards, for the weapons of our warfare are not human weapons, but are made powerful by God for tearing down strongholds. We tear down arguments and every arrogant obstacle that is raised up against the knowledge of God, and we take every thought captive to make it obey Christ.
2 Corinthians 10:1-5, NET

Here again we have this contrast between peace (in this case meekness and gentleness) and war. Paul is appealing to His readers using Jesus’s meek, gentle character in order to stir them up to fight. I think part of this seeming disconnect has to do with the way God fights. When God goes into battle, He does so from a standpoint of righteousness, justice, and faithfulness (Is. 11:5; 59:17). His warfare is consistent with the rest of His character, and ours should be too.

Paul told Timothy that in order to “fight the good fight,” he “must hold firmly to faith and a good conscience” (1 Tim. 1:18-19). God equips us with weapons that are effective against spiritual enemies and even for taking our own thoughts captive as we wage war inside our own minds (Rom. 7:23). As we draw nearer to Him and learn more and more about who He truly is, we’ll be better equipped to face spiritual battles with the Warrior God at our side.

–

Featured image by azboomer from Pixabay

Song Recommendation: “Out of Bozrah” by The Lumbrosos (this video also shows a dance that goes with the song; I always loved dancing this one)

Click here to learn more about these books or to order a copy.

God Won’t Let You Fight Alone

16 September, 201713 September, 2017Marissa

It’s easy to talk about trusting God when things in our lives are going well. It’s harder to recognize His presence when it feels like life is falling apart all around us. In times like that, we need reminders that God will not abandon us in our fights and that He will fight for us.

Several weeks ago, we talked about claiming God’s promises. There’s quite a few made in the pages of our Bibles, and that post only covered His promise to give the holy spirit, to be friends with those who love Him, and to hear when we call on Him. And even after adding another post about the promises in Psalm 91 we just barely scratched the surface of this topic.

One of the promises in Psalm 91 is about God’s protection in the midst of trials. Sometimes He doesn’t take us out of a dangerous or uncomfortable situation, but rather brings us through it. God doesn’t intend to coddle us. He wants us to be thriving and growing and overcoming. He knows we need a shelter and provides that, but He also wants to give us courage to keep going as well.

He Won’t Let You Down

When Moses addressed the Israelites before appointing Joshua as his successor, he reminded them that their human leader isn’t really the one who takes care of them. The Lord God is the one who fights for them and who they must obey. He then shares a promise from God:

Be strong and courageous. Don’t be afraid or scared of them; for Yahweh your God himself is who goes with you. He will not fail you nor forsake you. (Deut. 31:6, WEB)

Later, the Lord personally reiterates this promise to Joshua (Josh. 1:5). And we know the promise extends beyond Joshua and the Israelites because the writer of Hebrews tells us we can be emboldened by the Lord’s promise, “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee” (Heb. 13:5, KJV).

Though “leave” and “fail” seem quite different in English, the Greek word used in Hebrews is actually a perfect translation for the Hebrew word used in Deuteronomy. Both words mean “to let sink,” as if you’d been holding something up and then let it go (H7503, raphah and G447, aniemi). In modern terminology, we would say that God promises not to let you down. Read more →

The Lord of Hosts

13 February, 20162 January, 2022Marissa

Our study last week reminded me of something else that caught my eye while writing the minor prophets series last year. When I was copying verses over into my handwritten notes, I realized I was writing “the Lord of hosts” quite a lot — sometimes more than once in a single verse.

You’ll often see this name of God written as “Jehovah Sabaoth.” Yahweh Sebaot/Tsebaoth are other ways to transliterate the name, and Elohim Sebaot is used as well. The variations of this name occur some 285 times, mostly in the books of prophecy. In the New Testament, it’s transliterated as “Lord of Sabaoth” (Rom. 9:29; James 5:4).

The Lord of Hosts | marissabaker.wordpress.com — Photo by Juraj Kubica

Seeing the name “Lord of hosts” again and again in the prophets made me wonder about the significance of this name. Each name of God tells us something important about His character. What does “the Lord of Hosts” teach us? Read more →

The Lord Will Fight

21 March, 201531 July, 2016Marissa

I recently read Wild At Heart by John Eldredge. In chapter 2, titled “The Wild One Whose Image We bear,” he talks about God as a warrior. We often like to think of God as safe, loving, and gentle — and He is all those things. But He is also more than that, which is one of the most interesting points I took away from reading this book.

Christ draws the enemy out, exposes him for what he is, and shames him in front of everyone. The Lord is a gentleman??? Not if you’re in the service of His enemy. God has a battle to fight, and the battle is for our freedom. As Temper Longman says, ‘Virtually every book of the Bible — Old and New Testaments — and almost every page tells us about God’s warring activity.’ I wonder if the Egyptians who kept Israel under the whip would describe Yahweh as a Really Nice Guy?” – John Eldgredge

God isn’t distant, uninterested, or emotionless in His dealings with people. Often, His interest in us means going to battle on our behalf. He is fiercely committed to fighting for us against the enemy, and fighting to win our hearts.

Fighting For Us

We often teach that God saving Israel from slavery and leading them out of Egypt is a picture of our redemption from sin. With that in mind, let’s take a look at what Israel was told as they stood on the banks of the Red Sea, apparently trapped with the Egyptian armies closing in.

And Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever. The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace. (Ex. 14:13-14)

When you feel trapped and threatened, do you believe the Lord will actually fight for you? It’s so tempting to try to take things into our own hands instead of “holding our peace,” especially if we can’t picture God actually going into battle for us. The image of a long-haired Jesus cradling a lamb in His arms has saturated our culture. That gentleness is an aspect of God’s nature, but if that’s all we think of then we have a very narrow view of Him. He is also “the Lord of hosts,” the God of angel armies.

Who is this who comes from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah, this One who is glorious in His apparel, traveling in the greatness of His strength? “I who speak in righteousness, mighty to save.” Why is Your apparel red, and Your garments like one who treads in the winepress? “I have trodden the winepress alone, and from the peoples no one was with Me. For I have trodden them in My anger, and trampled them in My fury; their blood is sprinkled upon My garments, and I have stained all My robes. For the day of vengeance is in My heart, and the year of My redeemed has come. (Is. 63:1-4)

This isn’t how most of us picture God. It’s not how I usually picture God. But this image is just as valid as “the Lord is my Shepherd” (Ps. 23:1). In both cases, He is acting for our good. He gently leads and guides us, and He will fight as hard as necessary to redeem us.

Fighting With Us

We find verses that promise God’s protection, strength and aid comforting, but perhaps we don’t often realize those promises involve Him actively fighting on our behalf. There is a very real battle going on for us. In this battle, or God not only fights for us — He also equips us to defend ourselves with His strength.

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. (Eph. 6:10-13)

Reading this description of our enemy, I have no delusions that I could fight them alone. Rulers of darkness? Wicked spirits in high places? I’m running the other direction! Even with the armor of God — described in detail in verses 14-17 — I don’t want to face this by myself. In Deuteronomy, the nation of Israel was given how-to instructions for waging war. Since the church today is spiritual Israel, I think it’s safe to say these directions are applicable for us on a spiritual level.

When you go out to battle against your enemies, and see horses and chariots and people more numerous than you, do not be afraid of them; for the Lord your God is with you, who brought you up from the land of Egypt. So it shall be, when you are on the verge of battle, that the priest shall approach and speak to the people. And he shall say to them, ‘Hear, O Israel: Today you are on the verge of battle with your enemies. Do not let your heart faint, do not be afraid, and do not tremble or be terrified because of them; for the Lord your God is He who goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.’ (Deut. 20:1-4)

We are called to do battle against overwhelming odds in a fight we have no hope of winning on our own. But because we are not alone, we have no reason to be timid. God Himself is giving us His armor, fighting at our side, and carrying us through with His strength.

Fighting To Win Us

God is love. Now, that word agape can refer to an active benevolence that doesn’t necessarily involve emotion, but not when talking about God. God’s love is passionate, consuming, relentless.

For Zion’s sake I will not hold My peace, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest, until her righteousness goes forth as brightness, and her salvation as a lamp that burns. The Gentiles shall see your righteousness, and all kings your glory. You shall be called by a new name, which the mouth of the Lord will name. You shall also be a crown of glory in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of your God. You shall no longer be termed Forsaken, nor shall your land any more be termed Desolate; but you shall be called Hephzibah, and your land Beulah; for the Lord delights in you, and your land shall be married. For as a young man marries a virgin, so shall your sons marry you; and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you. (Is. 62:1-5)

This is the end God is working toward. We are affianced to Jesus now (2 Cor. 11:2) and will become “the Lamb’s wife” in the future (Rev. 19:7-9). This doesn’t just happen, though. First there is a battle. One of the reasons Jesus came as a human being to live and die was so “that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil” (Heb. 2:14). Jesus’s sacrifice was part of a battle plan, and since He accomplished that, victory is assured.

“O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?” The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Cor. 15:55-57)

The outcome of the this fight is already decided — God wins. What the Father and Son are fighting for now is to save as many of Their people as possible. The Captain of our salvation wants to bring many children into glory (Heb. 2:10). When He is victorious, our Leader wants His family to be there with Him. He will fight to accomplish His goals, including the goal of winning your heart.