Fighting our common enemy TOGETHER
April 28 Bible
Reading: 1 Chronicles Chapters 19-21
Fighting our common enemy TOGETHER
When Joab saw that the battle line was against him before and behind, he
chose some of Israel's best and put them in battle array against the Syrians.
And the rest of the people he put under the command of Abishai his brother, and
they set themselves in battle array against the people of Ammon. Then he said, "If the Syrians are too strong for me,
then you shall help me; but if the people of Ammon are too strong for you, then
I will help you. Be of good courage, and let us be strong for our people and
for the cities of our God. And may the Lord do what is good in His sight." (1 Chron.
19:10-13)
In 1
Chronicles 19:1-9, the people of Ammon hired Syrian mercenaries to fight
against King David and the people of Israel. Joab, the commander of the
Israelite army goes out to fight against the dual forces of the Syrians and the
Ammonites. It is interesting to note the battle strategy that Joab laid out to
his brother Abishai who commanded the other regiment. Joab and his mighty men
would fight against the Syrians, while Abishai and his mighty men would fight
against the Ammonites. In the event that one regiment faces a stronger enemy,
the other regiment will provide them assistance. Moreover, they would put their
trust in the God of Israel who would help them to win the battle as they would
make themselves strong for the people of Israel and for the land that God had
provided for them through His covenant (v. 10-13).
During the
battle, the Syrians first fled before Joab and his army, and as a result
Ammonites also fled before Abishai and his army (v. 14-15). Finally, King David
came with his mighty forces and defeated the Syrians into total submission that
they made peace with David and became his servants (v. 16-19). It was a great
victory for King David and the people of Israel.
There is a
spiritual application through this incident for us today. We are also “fighting the good fight of faith” (1
Tim. 6:12; 2 Tim. 4:7) against a common enemy who is Satan and his forces of
darkness (Eph. 6:12). As children of God (John 1:12-12), we all belong to the
family of God where God is our heavenly Father (Rom. 1:7; 8:15). Together, we
are the body of Christ as well (1 Cor. 12:27). So, how do we fight our common enemy since we are so linked together?
- By staying united with each other (Psalms 133:1; 1 Cor. 1:10)
- By being of same mind with each other (Rom. 12:16; 15:5; Phil. 1:27; 2:2; 3:16; 1 Pet. 3:8)
- By keeping peace and harmony with each another (Eph. 4:3)
- By bearing the burdens of one another during times of need (Gal. 6:1-2)
- By edifying, exhorting and comforting one another through our spiritual gifts (Rom. 14:19; 1 Cor. 14:3)
- By praying and interceding for one another (Eph. 6:18; James 5:16)
Let us help each other sincerely in fighting this battle of faith until our Lord Jesus Christ will one day come and defeat our enemy once and for all. "Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses." (1 Tim. 6:12)
