SPIRITUAL WARFARE IN THE OLD TESTAMENT
The Galatian Church syndrome reworked
One of the areas where the “Galatian Church syndrome” seems to have re-emerged, i.e. that the cross needs our help to be effective, is in the modern world-wide prayer movement in which altars, strongholds and powers over localities and countries are being “identified” and intercessors raised up to deal with these powerful spirits who hold people and nations captive.
There is no denying that such powers exist and that people are held captive to their deception but I question the way that the problem is dealt with by this movement. Is it Biblical?
What is “spiritual warfare”?
Let’s first examine what is meant by “spiritual warfare” in the understanding of today’s church and the way in which it is currently being handled.
In some parts of the church it is assumed that it is the responsibility of believers, and in particular a special group of believers called “intercessors” firstly to identify the “altars”, the idols, the specific powers and strongholds over towns, cities, regions and countries and the spirits operating in those areas that keep people in bondage. It is then their task to pray these demonic powers down, to break their power over towns, regions etc., so that the gospel will be effective. This requires a great deal of effort, denouncing and declaring until they are satisfied that the spiritual warfare has been effective.
It requires time and effort by specialised people who not only have to identify the particular spirits they have to deal with and spend time interceding, but they also have to go around training “ordinary” believers in the art of “spiritual warfare”.
Another area of “spiritual warfare” relates to curses in general and to “generational” curses in particular.
There is a belief among some believers that many of the trials and hardships that we experience are attacks of the devil. People are vulnerable for various reasons, some of which are identified as “curses”. If your father, for example, was involved in witchcraft, ungodly practices or, heaven forbid, Free Masonry, then you are vulnerable and anything that goes wrong in your life means that you are under a curse. You are a victim and you need someone who has a deliverance ministry to rescue you.
You may have sinned and now God is punishing you by allowing you to suffer adversity. You need “powerful prayers” to break the curse and get the devil off your back. “Spiritual warfare” is, therefore, the task of the intercessor or the person with a deliverance ministry to deal with demons or strongholds over people or groups of people by “powerful” prayers invoking the name of Jesus, or carrying out rituals like prayer walks, praying on site, or discerning and pulling down strongholds, principalities and powers or breaking curses over individuals or families.
Examples from the Old Testament
Now let’s examine this model against the backdrop of the Scriptures; first the Old Testament which seems to be the pattern from where some of these practices come, and then the New Testament.
Abraham
As a brand new believer in Elohim, Abraham moved to the land of Canaan at God’s command, a land riddled with idolatry and wickedness. How did he cope with the situation?
As he moved from place to place in the land, he established a network of altars and worshipped the Lord God who had appeared to him in Ur. The writer of Genesis made sure that every reader was aware that the Canaanites were in the land (Genesis 12:6-9; 13:7). What was the implication? In spite of the fact that the Canaanites were evil and in charge, Abraham worshipped God publicly wherever he went.
After he had parted from Lot, God appeared to him with this promise:
“Lift up your eyes from where you are and look north and south, east and west. All the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring forever… Go, walk through the length and breadth of the land, for I am giving it to you. So Abram moved his tents and went to live near the great tree of Mamre at Hebron, where he built an altar to the Lord.” Genesis 13:14-18 (NIV).
How did Abram respond? He believed God’s promise and worshipped Him.
The children of Israel
How did the Israelites respond when they received the report of the ten spies regarding the strength of the Canaanites in the Promised Land? Instead of listening to Joshua and Caleb, believing God’s promise and obeying His instructions, they were afraid of the Canaanites, complained about their leaders and wanted to return to Egypt. Instead of worshipping God, they rebelled because they thought it was up to them to win the battle.
“That night all the people of community raised their voices and wept aloud. All the Israelites grumbled against Moses and Aaron, and whole assembly said to them, ‘If only we had died in Egypt! Or in this desert! Why is the Lord bringing us to this land only to let us fall by the sword? Our wives and children will be taken as plunder. Wouldn’t it be better for us to go back to Egypt?’ And they said to each other, ‘We should choose a leader and go back to Egypt.’” Numbers 14:1-4 (NIV).
They did not believe God’s promise, they grumbled and rebelled and eventually died in the desert. Their offspring were the ones who conquered the land through the power of God.
Elijah
Elijah was God’s prophet in Israel at a time when Ahab and Jezebel reigned in the northern kingdom. Jezebel was the daughter of Ethbaal, king of the Sidonians. She brought with her the worship of Baal with its evil practices. God judged the nation with a severe famine. Elijah emerged from hiding from the murderous intention of King Ahab to challenge the prophets of Baal to a contest to determine who was God in Israel.
The story is well-known but what interests me is how Elijah handled his part in the contest. It was not his responsibility to deal with the power of Baal. He repaired the broken altar of the Lord, and created an impossible situation by dousing the sacrifice, the altar and the surrounding ground with water. Then he worshipped the Lord and prayed that God would reveal His power. The fire fell from heaven and consumed everything including the water. There was no contest because the power claimed by the prophets of Baal was a lie.
Conclusion
Even in the Old Testament the way in which spiritual warfare was conducted was to unmask the devil’s deception by believing God, obeying His word and worshipping Him.
This pattern is repeated over and over again in the Old Testament. Whenever Israel as a nation received God’s promise and worshipped Him, acting in obedience to His instruction, they were victorious. Three examples come to mind;
- The conquest of Jericho:
“Then the Lord said to Joshua, ‘See I have delivered Jericho into your hands along with its king and its fighting men. March around the city once with all the armed men…Have seven priests carry trumpets of rams horns in front to the ark…On the seventh day, march around the city seven times, with the priests blowing the trumpets. When you hear them sound a long blast, have all the people give a loud shout; then the wall of the city will collapse…’” Joshua 6: 1-5. (NIV).
They obeyed and Jericho fell.
- Victory of Judah and King Jehoshaphat over Moab and Ammon:
Jehoshaphat was faced with a coalition of fighting men from Moab and Ammon. He prayed to God in the presence of the people at the temple in Jerusalem. One of the Levites, Jahaziel, prophesied:
“You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions, stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you, O Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid. Go out and face them tomorrow, and the Lord will be with you.” 2 Chronicles 20:17.
Jehoshaphat and all the people bowed in worship before the Lord. The next day, as the people went out to meet the enemy, Jehoshaphat encouraged them:
“’Listen to me, Judah and people of Jerusalem! Have faith in God and you will be upheld; have faith in His prophets and you will be successful.’ After consulting the people, Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the Lord and to praise Him for the splendour of His holiness as they went out at the head of the army, saying:
‘Give thanks to the Lord,
For His love endures forever.’”
2 Chronicles 20:20b-21.
We know the end of the story very well. God defeated the enemy and all they did was to gather the spoils. The outcome was amazing.
“The fear of God came upon all the kingdoms of the countries when they heard how the Lord had fought against the enemies of Israel. And the kingdom of Jehoshaphat was at peace, for the Lord had given him rest on every side.” 2 Chronicles 20:29-30 (NIV).
- Hezekiah and the Assyrian threat
Sennacherib, king of Assyria, was on the march. His predecessor, Shalmaneser, had already overrun Samaria and carried the Israelites into captivity. Now it was Judah’s turn. Hezekiah paid the tribute Sennacherib demanded but Sennacherib was bent on capturing Jerusalem. He sent officials to intimidate the king and the people of Jerusalem. He sent a threatening letter to Hezekiah via his messengers which Hezekiah took into the temple and spread out before the Lord. He worshipped the Lord and laid his case before Him.
God spoke through the prophet Isaiah in response, promising His miraculous deliverance without an arrow being shot. That night the angel of death passed over the Assyrian army camp and wiped out the entire army of 186,000 soldiers. Sennacherib withdrew and returned to Assyria where he was murdered by his two sons.
The common denominator in these victories was twofold; obedience to God and worship, the essence of spiritual warfare! They did what God told them to do and there was no contest.
To be continued…