It has been said that history is written by the victors. Nations tell stories of wars and the great men who won them. But the Bible’s books of history are different. Joshua to Esther do tell of many great battles and heroes, but the record is more interested in theological truths than national glories.
Unlike with any nation before or after, Yahweh entered into a covenant with the biblical nation of Israel, and her conquests and kings reflect this relationship. Her history records as many defeats as victories, as the first two battles of Joshua show. We all remember the miraculous battle of Jericho, but this is immediately followed by the disastrous defeat at Ai for the sin of Achan (Joshua 6 and 7).
These two battles establish a pattern that persists throughout the Bible’s books of history. Judges tells the story over and over. When Israel is faithful to God, she wins wars. But when she is unfaithful to Him, she loses not only the battle but freedom itself.
However, woven within all these stories is a fundamental truth that Israel must not forget. Found first at the Red Sea, this truth will dominate her national history and identity:
Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord . . . The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace. . . . The Lord is a man of war: the Lord is his name” (Exodus 14:13, 14; 15:3, KJV).
Though always implicit, Joshua cites this extraordinary claim explicitly in the third great battle in the conquest of Canaan. After taking Jericho and Ai, he gains a huge victory in the battle against the five kings (10:42). At the end of his life, Joshua frames the whole conquest of Canaan in this context:
“You have seen all that the Lord your God has done to all these nations because of you, for the Lord your God is He who has fought for you” (Joshua 23:3).
Israel does not boast in armies or arms. As Gideon illustrates, God prefers to save by a few, rather than many (Judges 7:2). Israel should live by the prophet’s maxim: “Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts” (Zechariah 4:6, KJV). As young David told Goliath: It’s not by spears or swords but by the name of the Lord (1 Samuel 17:45).
This truth bookends Israel’s books of history. Second Chronicles 20 records her victory over Ammon and Moab. Israel is told, echoing Exodus:
“Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s. . . . You will not need to fight in this battle. . . . stand still and see the salvation of the Lord . . . for the Lord is with you” (2 Chronicles 20:15, 17).
King Jehoshaphat leads the people out to battle, and they simply sing praises to the Lord. He does the rest. “And the fear of God was on all the kingdoms . . . when they heard that the Lord had fought against the enemies of Israel” (v. 29).
Israel’s history tells who the true conquering King is: the Lord of Hosts. Her story is not a strategy, nor a justification, for nations and wars today, but it is good news for the church to know and trust that the Lord fights for us.
— Jason Overman
*Taken from the Bible Advocate, March-April 2024, copyright 2024. Used by permission.
