Losing the Good Fight

Read 2 Samuel 8:1–10:19

8. The Ammonite troops came out and drew up their battle lines at the entrance of the city gate, while the Arameans from Zobah and Rehob and the men from Tob and Maacah positioned themselves to fight in the open fields.
9. When Joab saw that he would have to fight on both the front and the rear, he chose some of Israel’s elite troops and placed them under his personal command to fight the Arameans in the fields.
10. He left the rest of the army under the command of his brother Abishai, who was to attack the Ammonites.
11. “If the Arameans are too strong for me, then come over and help me,” Joab told his brother. “And if the Ammonites are too strong for you, I will come and help you.
12. Be courageous! Let us fight bravely for our people and the cities of our God. May the Lord’s will be done.” 2 Samuel 10:8-12

You decided to take up a just cause. You knew it was right—that God was for it. But then you lost the fight, and you wonder what happened.

In the process of consolidating his power, David conquers the surrounding nations. His general, Joab, gives advice to David’s men that can teach us a lot about the fights we take up for God.

Watching David in this section of Scripture will also teach us that God keeps his promises, and that we need to show kindness even when it isn’t what other people are doing.

David and his men fought many battles as they established their control over Israel. As they prepared to attack the Ammonites, David’s general, Joab, said, “Let us fight bravely” (2 Samuel 10:12). He was urging the men to do the best they could by using their minds to figure out the best techniques and using their resources strategically. But in the very same breath Joab also said, “May the Lord’s will be done.” Joab knew that God would determine the outcome of the battle.

We need to keep our actions and our faith in God in balance. Some seem to think that all believers need to do is to sit passively and wait for God to act. Others seem to think that everything depends on them, on their cleverness and effort. In reality, God expects us to use our minds and our muscles while we depend on him. We use our resources to obey God, while at the same time trusting him for the outcome.

The next time you have a task to accomplish or a problem to solve, turn it over to God and then do your best. Trust God for the result and then accept what he brings.