How Battles are Lost and Victories are Won - Part 1 of 2

Oh, for a thousand tongues to sing my great Redeemer's praise, the worries of my God and King, the triumphs of his grace. This is LeSaire Bradley, Jr., welcoming you to another broadcast of the Baptist Bible Hour. I want to thank all of you who have written us recently expressing your appreciation for the messages from God's Word, and particularly those of you who have helped with the financial support of the program. We are dependent on our listeners to provide that support so that we can continue on all of these stations. Our address is the Baptist Bible Hour, Box 17037, Cincinnati, Ohio 45217.

I hope that you will write us today. Christians are engaged in a warfare. Many seem to have difficulty keeping that constantly in mind, but it is vital that we recognize it. Ephesians, Chapter 6, Verse 11, Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

That clearly indicates that there is a warfare of tremendous magnitude in which we are involved. This involves principalities, powers, the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. And then in the book of 1 Peter, Chapter 5, Verse 8, it says, Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour, whom resist steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. Many other references could be cited, but these too will be sufficient to emphasize the fact that we have a great enemy. Satan is described as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. It's not just his purpose to intimidate, he would like to devour us.

He would like to lead us totally down the wrong path into darkness and evil. I believe that the greatest of the battlefields is right in our own heart, because we have the old nature constantly battling against the new. We have a desire that has given us the divine grace to please God, to obey Him, to honor Him, to live righteously and godly in this present evil world. But the old Adam nature is still the same.

About the time you make the assumption that it is not, that improvement has been made in that department, you soon discover that the same human weaknesses and frailties, the same inclinations toward thinking wrong and acting wrong are still there. But according to this passage in Ephesians chapter 6, the battle is not limited to that conflict that goes on within us. There are principalities and powers.

There are those in positions of high places. There are satanic influences in so many areas of life around us. So in the culture in which we're living, we see a tremendous battle raging today. More and more opposition is voiced against true Christianity.

More and more criticism lodged against those that will hold firmly to the principles of Biblical truth. So considering the fact that we are engaged in warfare, I want to speak to you on the subject, how battles are lost and victories are won. There's much to be learned from looking at the Old Testament Scriptures. These things are written before time for our learning and admonition, we find as Paul writes to the church at Corinth. I want us to turn to the book of 1 Samuel. And in this historical record, we will find first in chapter 4, how battles are lost.

And secondly, in chapter 7, how victories are won. 1 Samuel chapter 4 verse 3, And when the people were come into the camp, the elders of Israel said, Wherefore hath the Lord smitten us today before the Philistines? Let us fetch the ark of the covenant of the Lord out of Shiloh unto us, that when it cometh among us, it may save us out of the hand of our enemies. Now in that one verse, we have some insight into the matter of how battles are lost. This was a dark day in Israel's history. Their enemies were standing in great opposition against them, and they were suffering terrible losses. In the second verse of this fourth chapter, it says, And the Philistines put themselves in array against Israel. And when they joined battle, Israel was smitten before the Philistines, and they slew of the army in the field about four thousand men.

And that's hard to fathom. We are startled when we read of the casualty figures in some of the wars in which our country has been engaged in recent times. But this was one skirmish, this was one battle, and four thousand men died. Israel had a favored place in the plan of God. These are God's chosen people. These are people with whom He has made a covenant.

He has promised to be with them, to protect them, to defend them. Why then would four thousand men be lost in the time of battle? The people were perplexed, but they failed to give attention to some of the teaching that had earlier been presented to them. They failed to consult God's Word when they faced this devastating loss. You would think that it would drive them back to considering some of the things that were on record as to what God had revealed to them through His servants of previous years.

But that was not the case. We turn to the book of Deuteronomy chapter 28, and we can see some of the information that God had provided for them concerning His relationship with them and how they should respond in seeking and desiring His continued help. Deuteronomy chapter 28 verse 14, And thou shalt not go aside from any of the words which I command thee this day to the right hand or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them. God had already given them His law in Exodus chapter 20 and said, Thou shalt have no other gods before thee.

And now here is a reminder, you're not to turn to the left hand or to the right. You're not to go after any other gods to serve them. But it shall come to pass that if thou hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe to do all His commandments and His statutes which I command thee this day, that all these curses shall come upon thee and overtake thee. Here's what's going to befall you. If you reject my word, if you disobey my law, there are curses that are coming your way. Verse 25, The Lord shall cause thee to be smitten before thine enemies.

Here's one of the curses. Here's a result of going after false gods. Here's a result of failing to heed His word and obey His commandments. You're going to be smitten before your enemies.

And that's what we have just read about in 1 Samuel chapter 4. Thou shalt go out one way against them and flee seven ways before them. In other words, you're going to be terribly defeated. You're going to be in a state of confusion. You're going to be running in all directions trying to flee from the enemy. And thou shalt be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth.

You're going to be scattered. So the reason this initial defeat had come to the people was because they had neglected to give attention to God's word, to His law, to His commandments. They were living the way they wanted to live. They were worshipping other gods.

Which really seems an incredible thing. When you think of all that God had done for them, how God had sent the plagues on the Egyptians and brought them out of bondage, sustained them in all their wilderness wanderings, been so graciously good to them, and then they would be influenced by the pagans around them in the land and worship gods of gold and silver and the various gods of men's own imagination, rather than to worship alone the true and living God. Basically these people were willing to do anything to overcome this dark day of adversity except submit to God's will. And how often we may struggle with that very thing in our own nature, since the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. I've had people say sometimes, I will do anything to resolve this difficulty. If I can just change this dark situation that I'm facing, I'll do anything. And then you look at God's Word and see what God says about how to deal with it. And it's as though, well, I'll do anything but that. I'll be glad to try to implement any kind of a plan, devise any kind of a scheme, turn to any resource, but you go to God's Word and here is what God explicitly says we ought to do.

And there is a rebellious attitude. Do everything except what God says. So when we consider the question of how battles are lost, the first thing we observe in looking at the plight of the people here is that they failed to consult the Word of God and to consider it as being the guide that they so desperately needed at this difficult time. So having suffered this defeat, they say we've got to fix it.

We've got to correct the situation. They didn't say we've got to call on God. They didn't say we've got to examine our own hearts. They didn't say we've got to repent of our sins and turn from idolatrous practices.

We've got to come up with a plan. And so it seemed reasonable that if they could just get the ark of God, that everything would be well. The ark of the covenant was that place upon which rested the mercy seat, the two cherubims facing each other.

It was a sacred place. It was representative of the very throne of God. Not that the ark itself was the presence of God, but God was present where the ark was located when at the same time the people were responsive to His commandments. So they said if we could just get the ark, it will save us. And so the people sent to Shiloh that they might bring the ark there. And Eli's two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were the priests that were to carry the ark. But this further indicates the terrible problem that existed. These two men were evil.

Their lives were corrupt. And yet they were carrying the ark of the covenant. When the ark of the covenant of the Lord came into the camp, all Israel shouted with a great shout so that the earth rang again. They were excited.

They decided they had found the solution to the problem. Everything was going to be well. And when the Philistines heard the noise of the shout, they said, What meaneth the noise of this great shout in the camp of the Hebrews? And they understood that the ark of the Lord was coming to the camp. And the Philistines were afraid, for they said, God is come unto the camp. And they said, Woe unto us, for there hath not been such a thing heretofore. Woe unto us, who shall deliver us out of the hand of these mighty gods?

They are the gods that smoke the Egyptians with all the plagues in the wilderness. They had heard the report about what God had done for these people in Egypt. They said, We're in deep trouble. If the presence of this ark means that God is now going to be present in this battle, we're going to be defeated.

Because we've heard how the Egyptians were devastated when those plagues came upon them. So they said, We've got to stand together. We've got to be courageous. We've got to be strong. They said, Be strong, quit yourselves like men, O ye Philistines, that ye be not servants unto the Hebrews as they have been to you.

Quit yourselves like men and fight. And the Philistines fought, and Israel was smitten. And they fled every man into his tent. And there was a very great slaughter for their fell of Israel, 30,000 footmen. Now the first defeat was tragic. 4,000 men died. Now they make the assumption that we have corrected the situation.

We are now prepared. We've brought the Ark of the Covenant back, and it's with us. And now they go out to battle, and 30,000 men die.

That's hard to imagine, isn't it? Such tragic results. Then a man comes to Shiloh and brings the information. Verse 13, And when he came to Eli, Eli was the high priest of this time, he sat upon a seat by the wayside watching, for his heart trembled for the ark of God. And when the man came into the city and told it, all the city cried. And when Eli heard the noise of the crying, he said, What meaneth this noise of this tumult? And the man came in hastily and told Eli. Now Eli was 98 years old. He had served for 40 years. He's now coming down near the inn, even as far as what could be expected, apart from the tragedy that suddenly befalls him.

98 years old. His eyes were dim that he could not see. He was suffering the effects of old age. And the man said unto Eli, I am he that came out of the army, and am fled today out of the army. And he said, What is there done, my son? And the messenger answered and said, Israel fled before the Philistines, and there hath been a great slaughter among the people, and thy two sons also, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God is taken. Brings the sad news to this old priest, and said in the battle, Your two sons, who had also been serving as priests, but were corrupt men, have died. And it came to pass, when he made mention of the ark of God, that he fell off the seat backward by the side of the gate, and his neck break, and he died. For he was an old man and heavy, and he had judged Israel 40 years. He was a very heavy man. Possibility that when he got the news that the ark was taken, and his sons died, that he had a heart attack or a stroke.

But he fell off backwards, probably was already dead when he hit the ground, but it broke his neck. It was a terrible time. Not only has the army been defeated, but now the high priest, the prominent leader of the day, has died. And his daughter-in-law, Phinehas's wife, was with child, near to be delivered. And when she heard the tidings that the ark of God was taken, and that her father-in-law and her husband were dead, she bowed herself and prevailed, for her pains came upon her.

And that's the word that goes into labor. And about the time of her death, the women that stood by her said unto her, Fear not, for thou hast borne a son. They're trying to cheer her up moments before she actually died, saying, at least you can be relieved, you've got a lot of bad news today, but you have given birth to a son. And that meant a lot to Jewish women. Something very special to have a son.

But she answered not, neither did she regard it. And she named the child Ichabod. So the last thing she did before departing this life was to give the child a name. Name the child Ichabod, saying, The glory is departed from Israel.

And that indeed was indicative of the dark scene that prevailed in this time. The glory is departed, because the ark of God was taken and because her father-in-law and her husband. And she said, The glory is departed from Israel, for the ark of God is taken. So when we look at the entire picture before us, and ponder the question, How is it that battles are lost? The first thing which we've already noted is that there was failure to consider God's word. To have gone back to those words in the book of Deuteronomy, they could have quickly been reminded, the problem was not a lack of courage on the part of our soldiers, not a lack of military strategy, but the problem is we have become idolaters. And God has indicated that when that is the case, He will no longer sustain us and bless us in our enemies, but we'll be driven from before them. The second thing, they were trusting the ark of God, instead of the God of the ark.

They said, If we can just get the ark, if we can just bring this sacred box back into our midst, everything is going to be well. This points to the great error of trusting form and tradition, rather than trusting God Himself. How easily one can fall into that error. In your own personal battle, you may feel from time to time that you are losing ground. You may feel in some instances that you've been really defeated, just wiped out. And you start searching, Why have I lost the battle? Well, it may be as it was in this case, but first of all, you have not considered God's word to get the real answer that's necessary.

Secondly, you may have done what they did. You may be trusting in religious form, the outward show of religion. I still go to church regularly. I still read my Bible. Like most people, I don't read it as much as I ought to, but I read my Bible and I pray.

Why am I not successful? Well, just going through the form. Just going to church is a part of our weekly routine. Just praying, even on a daily basis, as though this is my daily obligation, but there's not any real communion and fellowship with God.

It can be just a form. A person has some strong preferences about the particular order of service, about some of the concepts of how religious service ought to be carried on and about what really pertains to that which is a part of divine worship and may be so committed to that particular tradition and that particular form that the assumption is made, as long as I hold tenaciously to this, as long as I have not compromised on this issue and that, then all is well between me and God. But you can be very firm in your conviction about certain matters and sometimes those that take prominence in people's minds are not really biblical issues after all.

Just a matter of what they're accustomed to and say, I like it this way, that or the other, and there's no biblical foundation for it. But if you're looking to those outward forms rather than to God Himself, there's a problem. Trusting orthodoxy rather than the God of whom the truth speaks. Make the assumption, well, I've come to the knowledge of the truth.

I know the truth. What's that mean to you? I think too many times we get in our mind, as long as I have seen the error of free willism and I now have seen and understand the truth of grace, I'm solid.

I'm in a position to win all the victory that I may ever desire because I stand for the truth. I oppose the concept of salvation by free will and good works. I believe salvation by grace. Certainly we ought to believe salvation by grace. That's what the Bible teaches. But if the assumption is I'm where I need to be, I'm strong because I hold the fundamental doctrine can be a problem. See, these people had the idea that if we got the ark, we're okay. Brought to feet. The psalmist talked about those that trust in horses and chariots rather than trusting in the Lord.

It doesn't matter what it might be. There wasn't anything wrong with the ark of the covenant. It was indeed the ark that God had commanded them to make.

It was the ark where God's presence had been manifest at other times. But the problem was that now they'd gotten their eyes off of God and onto this piece of furniture, sacred as it was, which had no innate power of its own. And could it not well be that sometimes not only when individuals fail to win the battle in their own life, but churches suffer defeat. Could it not be that even though we're looking at those things that of themselves may be worthy and good in their place, they have taken the place of God Himself. If you look at the church instead of Christ, the head of the church, you look at the doctrine instead of Christ of whom the doctrine speaks.

You look at the form and the ritual rather than looking to the one who is to be esteemed in it all. I pray that the message has been a blessing to you today and I hope you'll be back with us next time as we continue this subject, How Battles Are Lost and Victories Are Won. If you would like to get the complete message on CD, request it when writing us at the Baptist Bible Hour, Box 17037, Cincinnati, Ohio 45217.

Till we meet you next time, this is LeSaire Bradley, Jr. bidding you goodbye and may God bless you. The rapture now burst on my side, angels descending, ring from above, there comes a mercy, whispers of love. This is my story, this is my song, praising my Savior all my day long. This is my story, this is my song, praising my Savior all the day long. Perfect submission, all is at rest, I in my Savior am happy and blessed, watching and waiting, looking above, filled with this goodness, lost in His love. This is my story, this is my song, praising my Savior all the day long. This is my story, this is my song, praising my Savior, praising my Savior, praising my Savior all the day long.