Fighting for You
For the Lord has driven out great and powerful nations for
you, and no one has yet been able to defeat you. Each one of you will put to
flight a thousand of the enemy, for the Lord your God fights for you, just as he has promised.
So be very careful to love the Lord your God. (Joshua 23:9-11)
Nadin Khoury was thirteen years old, five foot
two, and weighed, soaking wet, maybe a hundred pounds. His attackers were
teenagers, much larger than Nadin, and outnumbered him seven to one. For thirty
minutes they hit, kicked and beat him. He didn’t stand a chance. Nadin’s mom
had recently moved the family to Philadelphia from Minnesota. She’d lost her
job as a hotel maid and was looking for work. In 2000, she'd escaped war-torn
Liberia. As a result, Nadin Khoury was the new kid in a rough neighborhood with
a mom who was an unemployed immigrant – everything a wolf pack of bullies
needed to justify an attack.
The hazing began weeks earlier. They picked on
him; they called his mother names. They routinely pushed, shoved and ambushed
him. Then came the all-out assault on a January day. They dragged him through
the snow, stuffed him into a tree, and suspended him on a seven-foot
wrought-iron fence. Nadin survived the attack and would have likely faced a few
more except for the foolishness of one of the bullies. He filmed the pile-on
and then posted it on YouTube. A
passerby saw the violence and chased away the bullies. Police saw the video and
got involved. The troublemakers eventually landed in jail, and the story hit
the newspapers.
A staffer at the nationwide morning show, The View, read the account and invited Nadin
to appear on the broadcast. He did. As the video of the assault played on the
screen behind him, he tried to appear brave, but his lower lip was quivering.
"Next time maybe it could be somebody smaller than me," he said.
Unbeknownst to him, however, the producer had invited some other Philadelphians
to appear on the show as well. And just as the YouTube video ended, the curtain opened and three huge men walked
out, all members of the Philadelphia Eagles football team. Nadin, a rabid fan,
turned and smiled. One of the athletes was All-Pro receiver DeSean Jackson,
who’s now a Buccaneer. Jackson took a seat on the couch, as close to the boy as
possible, and promised him, "Anytime you need us, I got two linemen right
here." Nadin’s eyes widened saucer-like as Jackson signed a football
jersey and handed it to him. Then, in full view of every bully in America, DeSean
gave the boy his cell phone number. From that day forward Nadin has been only a
call away from his personal bodyguards. Thugs think twice before they harass
the kid who has an NFL football player's number on speed dial. Pretty good
offer. Who wouldn't want that type of protection? Joshua did.
Brutal and bloodthirsty enemies occupied the
Promised Land. Joshua's men were untested. His leadership was unproven. Yet in
spite of the odds, God guaranteed the conquest. "No man shall be able to
stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses, so I will be
with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you." (Josh. 1:5) It was as if
God told him, "Jericho has its thick, tall walls? True, but you have me.
The Amorites have home-field advantage? They do, but you have the King of
heaven on your side. The enemies have more chariots, experience and artillery?
Yes, they’re strong, but I’m stronger still. And I will not leave you or
forsake you." And God gives you the same promise. In fact, the writer of
Hebrews quoted the words in his epistle: "For [God] has said, 'I will
never leave you or forsake you.' So we can say with confidence, 'The Lord is my
helper; I will not be afraid. What can anyone do to me?'" (Heb. 13:5-6)
That last question is a troubling one, however.
What can anyone do to me? Because you
know the answers. "Lie to me." "Injure me." "Bully
me." But the Scripture asks a different question. If the Lord is your
helper, what can anyone do to you? The Greek word for "helper" in
this passage is boetheia, from boé, which means "a shout," and théō, which means "to run." When
you need help, God runs with a shout, "I'm coming!" He never leaves
you. Ever. He never takes a break, takes a nap or takes time off for vacation.
He never leaves your side. Lost your job? That’s hard, but God’s your helper. Is
your blood cell count down? Difficult for sure, but the One who made you is
with you. A world rife with conflict? Yes it is but, still, the Almighty will
never leave you or forsake you. Consequently, everything changes. Since God is
strong, you can be strong. Since he is able, you’ll be able. Since he has no
limits, you have no limits. With the apostle you can boldly say, "The LORD
is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?" (Heb. 13:6) But there’s
more.
The biggest – and best – news of Joshua is
this: God not only stays with you . . . he fights
for you. Not only does God desire that you live the inheritance life, but he
fights for you so that you can. This was the main point of Joshua's victory
speech. Envision the commander as he stands before his army to deliver one of
his final messages. "I am old," he begins, "advanced in age . .
. [T]his day I am going the way of all the earth." (Josh. 23:2,14) He was
110 years old when he died (24:29), so he must have been nearly that age when
he gave this speech. He has a rush of white hair, and a chest-length beard. His
back is stooped, but his voice is strong. He stands on a rock and looks out
over a valley full of faces. When he lifts his hand to speak, their voices fall
silent. He’d led them out of the wilderness, through the Jordan River, and into
Canaan. When Joshua spoke, they listened. Joshua has seen every significant
moment of the last half century. "You have seen all that the LORD your God
has done," he announces to his soldiers. (23:3) The Jordan River opened,
and the Jericho walls fell. The sun stood still, and the enemies scattered. The
Hebrews inhabited farms they did not plow, and ate from vineyards they did not plant.
And Joshua, in his final words, wants to make sure they’ve gotten the message:
"The LORD your God is He who has fought for you." (v. 3)
The Hebrews took the land not because of their
skill, but God's. Throughout the book of Joshua, God does the fighting. In his
call to battle Joshua told his men, "Go in to possess the land which the
LORD your God is giving you to possess." (Josh. 1:11) Then again,
"The LORD your God is giving you rest and is giving you this land." (v:13)
On the eve of the Jordan crossing, Joshua declared, "The LORD will do
wonders among you." (3:5) As they stood on the western side of the river,
Joshua deduced, "The LORD your God dried up the waters of the Jordan."
(4:23) On the outskirts of Jericho "Joshua said to the people: 'Shout, for
the LORD has given you the city!'" (6:16) The entire narrative reads like
this: God claiming; God giving; God defending. Joshua summarized the victory by
saying, "For the LORD has driven out from before you great and strong
nations; but as for you, no one has been able to stand against you to this day.
One man of you shall chase a thousand, for the LORD your God is He who fights
for you, as He promised you." (23:9-10)
Don't you love that image? One man of you shall chase a thousand. I
envision a single Hebrew soldier with drawn sword racing after an entire
battalion of enemies. He’s outnumbered a thousand to one, but since God fights
for him they scatter like scared seagulls. So, picture the same. The Amorites
of your life – fears, dread, hatred and hurt – come at you like a legion of
hoodlums. Yet rather than run away, you turn and face them. You unsheathe the
promise of God's Word and defy the enemies of God's cause. You’re a lion and they’re
the rats. "Get out of here, shame. Goodbye, guilt. Fear of death, regrets
of the past – take your puny attacks somewhere else." That’s inheritance living.
You weren’t made to quake in fear. You weren’t made to be beholden to your
past. You weren’t made to limp through life like a wimp. You are a living,
breathing expression of God. What's more, he fights for you.
Is that a new thought? You've heard about the
God who made you, watches you, directs you and knows you . . . but the God who
fights for you? Who blazes the trail ahead of you? Who defends you? Who
collapses walls, stills the sun and rains hail on the devil and all his forces?
Did you know that God is fighting for you? That "with us is the LORD our
God, to help us and to fight our battles" (2 Chron. 32:8)? That "our
God will fight for us" (Neh. 4:20)? That the Lord will "fight against
those who fight against [you]" (Ps. 35:1)? God fights for you. Let those four words sink in for just a moment.
God. The CEO, President, King, Supreme Ruler,
Absolute Monarch, Czar, Emperor, and Raja of all history. He runs interference,
and provides cover. He is impeccably perfect, tirelessly strong and
unquestionably capable. He is endlessly joyful, wise and willing. And he . . . Fights. He deploys angels and commands
weather. He stands down Goliaths and vacates cemeteries. He fights . . . For. For your health, for your family, for
your faith, and for your restoration. Are the odds against you? Is the teacher
against you? Is your boss against you? Difficult to be sure. But God fights for
. . . You. Yes, you. You with the
sordid past. You with the receding hairline. You with the absentee dad. You
with the bad back, bad credit or bad job. He fights not just for the rich,
pretty or religious. He fights for the you’s of the world. And aren’t you a you?
The big news of the Bible is not that you
fight for God, but that God fights for you. And to know this – to know that
your Father fights for you – is an unparalleled source of empowerment. You'd love
for someone to rush to your defense. To stand up on your behalf. Well, God has.
And, God does. When God became flesh, he fought for your soul. When Jesus faced
the devil in the wilderness, he fought for your peace. When he stood up for the
neglected, was he not standing up for you? When he died on the cross for your
sins, he fought for your salvation. When he left the Holy Spirit to guide,
strengthen and comfort you, he was fighting for your life. Miss this truth and
you might as well plant a mailbox in the wilderness because you’ll be there a very
long time. But believe this truth, and watch the clouds begin to clear. Believe
this: “[God] won't let you stumble, your Guardian God won't fall asleep. Not on
your life! Israel's Guardian will never doze or sleep. GOD's your Guardian,
right at your side to protect you – shielding you from sunstroke, sheltering
you from moonstroke. GOD guards you from every evil, he guards your very life.
He guards you when you leave and when you return, he guards you now, he guards
you always.” (Ps. 121:3-8 – MSG)
Toward the end of the invasion, the narrator
of Joshua's story itemizes all the kings that the people of Israel defeated. He
does so in an interesting way. “The king of Jericho – one. The king of Ai –
one. The king of Jerusalem – one. The king of Hebron – one.” (Josh. 12:9-10)
The list goes on for thirty-one lines. Each line has a name and the word one. It's as if the victors were placing
a check mark on their list of their enemies and announcing the score: Joshua –
31 vs. Canaanites – 0. Imagine your list. Envision the day you stand before
Jesus, your Jeshua, and look back over your life. "God will give to each
one whatever praise is due." (1 Cor. 4:5) And your Commander will declare:
"With my help, John Doe took on the enemies of his inheritance and drove
them out. Greed - one! Explosive temper – one! Envy – one! Abused as a child
yet stable as an adult. Tempted with drugs yet sober and steady. Strayed off
course yet returned with vigor. One! One! One!"
One by one the conquests will be read and
celebrated. Every witness will rejoice at the work God did. This is God's goal
for you, and this is your inheritance: more victory than defeat, more joy than
sadness, more hope than despair. These are your inheritance days, and God
fights for you – always.
Grace,
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