The psalms are songs written in times of constant war by people who regularly fought battles. So, it is not surprising that just about every psalm make some reference to the threat of enemy armies. Did God like all this warring and killing? No. At best it was a necessary evil. However, in the ancient world there is an inevitability about war, it was part of life in a very chaotic and evil world. And if God was going to reveal himself to his people, and get the message across to them that he wanted to bless them, in the context of the ancient world, it would be incomprehensible for him to then not help them in battle. But throughout the Old Testament there are prophecies pointing to a time when God would call his people to put aside their weapons and win the world in a different way. These promises are often given in the context of the prophecies about the Messiah who would usher in the new age of God’s Kingdom. In this new age God’s Kingdom would come, not as a military force, but as a grassroots movement of peace and grace, winning the world for God by the power of the Holy Spirit. In all these prophecies there is the underlying understanding that the real battle of significance for God’s purpose is not a battle against enemy nations, but a battle against spiritual forces of evil. Paul echoes this understanding in Ephesians 6:10-15. In fact, every challenge that you face could also be understood as part of this spiritual battle. Your struggles are part of something much bigger.
Reflect on the bigger issues behind the challenges you are presently facing.
Read Psalm 9
