"The Lord Has Fought For You"

Deut. 1:30-32 "The Lord your God who goes before you will himself fight for you, just as he did for you in Egypt before your eyes, 31 and in the wilderness, where you have seen how the Lord your God carried you, as a man carries his son, all the way that you went until you came to this place.’ 32 Yet in spite of this word you did not believe the Lord your God, 33 who went before you in the way to seek you out a place to pitch your tents, in fire by night and in the cloud by day, to show you by what way you should go."

I remember growing up being told the story of "The little boy who cried wolf." The story of a little boy who told lies in order to draw attention to himself and then when the wolf came no one cared to listen. In today's reading we find Moses receiving instructions and promises from the Lord to speak to Israel. And of the promises Moses received was "The Lord you God who goes before you will himself fight for you, just as he did for you in Egypt before your eyes." What a great promise and reminder for the children of God.

As the child of God we are not alone, God fights for us. We may often feel or think we are alone in our battles in this fallen world, but take courage it is God who fights for us. Notice also, he says, "...just as he did for you in Egypt before your eyes, 31 and in the wilderness, where you have seen how the Lord your God carried you, as a man carries his son, all the way that you went until you came to this place.’ He wants them to remember God's faithfulness to them in the past. One of the greatest blessings of being God's child is being able to look to our past and see how God has fought and delivered us. He has delivered us in two ways:
1) "from Egypt" This is metaphorically speaking of our captivity and bondage of our sin. God delivered us from our sin through the atoning work of His Son Jesus Christ. Thereby, setting us free from the penalty our our sin, which is death.

2) "and in the wilderness" God has fought and delivered His people out of spiritual wondering. God has made Himself known to His people by the fire by night and cloud by day. However, He has revealed Himself to us today by HIs Word, His Son, and the Holy Spirit.

But, Notice verses 32-33. The people of God although they had known and heard the promises of God failed to believe Him. What a tragedy. The people of God whom He had set His affections upon and delivered and provided for them time and time again failed to believe the word of the Lord.

Are we any different today? We have God's revealed Word in sixty-six books of the Bible, but to believe what He says? Do we remember how God has delivered us and fights for us? Do we trust in His promises? Most Christians would say, "yes." However, their lives say, "well, I am not sure." We may not say it audibly, but we don't have to. We say it with our lives. I had lunch yesterday with another brother in Christ and we were sharing our struggles, as it pertains to being Christians. I told him the hardest thing about being a pastor or a Christian is living what we preach and believe.

God told Israel he would fight for them, but they failed to believe Him. Today, God has not only fought the battle with our enemy, but the battle has been won. The victory was sealed when God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to take on flesh, live a perfect life fulfilling the law of God, being betrayed, mocked, ridiculed, insulted, beating, crucified, hung on a tree, buried, and by rising the third day. Your victory today will not be won by you, but the victory has already been won by the finished work of Jesus Christ. Do you believe this today? Are you living this today? May you take encouragement that the Lord has fought and won the battle for you today.

Galatians 2:20 "I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."