Does God Still Speak to Soldiers?

In Old Testament times God spoke regularly to Israel’s military commanders, directing their battles and bringing about the defeat of their enemies. He sent an angel to instruct Joshua about how to conquer Jericho. He told David how to overcome the Philistines. There are many other examples.

But what about today? Can a Christian military leader expect divine intervention? Does God still take sides?

Some Christian officers have spoken openly of their faith, of how they have turned to God in their times of need and of how He has responded.

Here is Major General Tim Cross of the British Army on God at work in the life of a fellow Christian officer:

Major Chris Keeble, when Colonel H Jones was killed at Goose Green in the 1982 Falklands War, was left alone and somewhat lost; others looked to him as the Battalion second-in-command for leadership. His moment had come; so what did he do? 

He moved off alone and knelt in the burning heather; with a prayer taken from his pocket in has hand he sought the Lord. And from there he gathered himself up, and with the command team he went and sought the Argentinean surrender; it was an incredibly bold move, but Keeble is a Christian and it was not by chance that he carried God’s word and a prayer with him, and he was not abandoned by his Lord at this decisive moment.

General Pil Sup Lee, formerly chairman of the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff, has no doubt that God intervened for him at a crucial time:

In August 1979, I was appointed as a regiment commander on the frontline. Back then, there were frequent small-scale infiltrations by enemy soldiers into the South to carry out assassination missions and collect intelligence. It was a very daunting task to search out these enemy soldiers who were infiltrating along the 155-mile military demarcation line and the 3,767-mile coastline. 

Under such circumstances, I thought the best way was to seek God’s help, because “unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain” (Psalm 127:1). I continuously prayed for this daunting mission of safeguarding my nation from enemy infiltration. And when I was about to begin my new mission as a regiment commander, I fasted for three days and prayed to the Lord.

...On March 23, 1980 at 02:45, there was no moonlight and the sky was draped with clouds. Sleet was pouring down making visibility less than 50 meters. I still wonder how a group of three enemy infiltrators, who were highly trained, select agents, risking their lives, walked up to one of our sentry boxes that were set up every 400 meters. 

How could our newly recruited sentries completely suppress those enemy agents without any casualties? Situations unfolded in such a way that defies explanation with conventional tactical assessments.

Many modern Christians will feel uncomfortable with such talk. Yes, they will say, it seems exactly right that God should save lives by arranging for the surrender of Argentinean forces to the British. But does He really answer prayer by helping South Korean soldiers kill three infiltrators from the North?

I don’t have a complete answer. But I do know that God promises to uphold justice and righteousness. I also know that He is sovereign. And when we start placing limits on his sovereignty we dishonor Him.

As we read in Isaiah:

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Liking or Succeeding in Job Not New Testament Priority

 

Nowhere do we see evidence of early church leadership bragging about job success

 We know Mark was a doctor. We have not one word about whether he liked his job or how successful he was.

Several of the disciples were in the fishing business. While we have numerous stories about some of their activities as fishermen, we don't get any idea if they chose the profession or the profession chose them. As with Mark, we don't get any suggestion as to whether any were running twenty boats or barely keeping one tattered old craft in the water.

Paul went from top dog among Centurions to occasional tent maker. We here that he did the former with a certain relish, but don't know if he was happy in his work. Same can be said for Matthew as tax collector.

Of course both Jesus and Joseph were carpenters, but there are no suggestions they were living on the Upper East End.

Contrast the New Testament Heroes with the Old Testament. Abraham, Isaac, David, Solomon, Job, Joseph, Danial, and others were rich and powerful. The only rich and powerful in the New Testament are the bad guys. 

One can tease out the possible reasons. The Beatitudes are all about humility, and a NT theme has to do with rich having difficulty accepting Christ.

Is there a message for us in this? We have very successful preachers, Christian authors and speakers, business owners, actors, athletes, etc., who seem to be doing amazing work for the Kingdom and appear, as best anyone can judge, to be exemplary in their walk.

I am curious to know what you think.

Hebron - A Biblical City

What’s So Special About The City Of Hebron?

Hebron. You may have heard of it before. It might ring some distant memory, but you’re not sure why. This city happens to be rather important. It’s just a little harder to find out the reason s it’s important. There is no concise paragraph in the Bible telling us all about Hebron. You have to dig in and find little snippets to put together a full understanding of its importance.

Allow me to lead you through the Bible to discover Hebron. There will be several references that we will explore.

Gen 13:18 

     After Abraham separated from Lot, he settle in Hebron and built an alter there.

Gen 23:2, 17-20

     Sarah died in Hebron and Abraham purchased a from Ephron. In the field was a cave that Abraham used as a family tomb, and buried Sarah there.

Gen 35:27

     When Abraham died, he was buried in the cave with his wife.

Joshua 14:13

     Joshua gave Hebron to Caleb, the other faithful spy, as his inheritance. It was given to him “because he followed the LORD God of Israel fully.” Before the city was Hebron, it was called Kiriath-arba. Arba was the greatest man among the Anakim. 21:11 says that Arba was the father of the Anak.

Now I find the Anakim fascinating and more than just a little hard to understand. 

Numbers 13:28 Is part of the report given to Israel by the twelve spies. They said that the people are strong and the cities are fortified and large. You can almost hear their exasperation when they exclaim, “We even saw the sons of Anak. They are huge!” (My paraphrase)

It is the origin of the Anakim that I have no idea what to think about. Numbers 13:33 Is still part of the spies report. They said that they saw the Nephilim, whom the sons of Anak are part of. They compared themselves to grasshoppers next to the Nephilim. Seeming to indicate that these were the giants in the land.

Now the Nephilim are mentioned, by that name, only one other place in the Bible. Gen 6:4 I think that this is one of the most bizarre events in the Bible, and I write fantasy.

I’m just going to quote it here: “The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown.” NASB

Go ahead and say it, “What?!” Exactly. When I studied Gen. our group discussed this and came to no conclusion. I mean, how is that even physically possible? We discussed the theories, and I don’t think we can say how it happened. It’s one those things that we may not ever understand. And really when you think about it, do you really want to know? Gives me shivers up my spine. 
Update: If you'd like to find out more about the Nephilim, Emma Right has written two blog posts on it. Click here for Part 1 or Part 2

Joshua 21:8-13

     Here we are told that the actual city was given to Aaron’s sons and one of the families of the Kohathites, all sons of Levi. But the fields of the city and its villages were given to Caleb. Aaron made Hebron a city of refuge. A city of refuge was a safe place to run to if you accidentally killed someone. If you made it to a city of refuge before the victim’s family found and killed you, you would have to state your case to the elders of the city and they would take you in and give you a place to live. If the family tracked you to a city of refuge, the elders would not hand you over to them. Nice to know if you’re ever in a tight spot.

2 Sam. 2:1, 11

     When Saul died, the kingdom of Israel was split. God had chosen David as the next king, but Abner, Saul’s general put Saul’s son, Ish-bosheth, on the throne in Gibeon. However, the tribe of Judah anointed David king and he ruled over them for seven and a half years. David ruled from Hebron.

It helps to know the significance of the city that David ruled from. Hebron was an interesting city to say the least. While it’s not a city we talk about much, it sure played a big role in the establishment of Israel as a nation.



If you are interested in learning more about who God is through the Old Testament, I’ve written The Presence of Shadows. This book is the first in a young adult fantasy series in which I dramatize the lives and event of the Kings and prophets of Israel. Dive into the world of Ta-Val and take a journey with Brehane as he decides who to trust.
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