Then the officers shall speak to the people, saying: ’What man is there who has built a new house and has not dedicated it? Let him go and return to his house, lest he die in the battle and another man dedicate it. Also what man is there who has planted a vineyard and has not eaten of it? Let him go and return to his house, lest he die in the battle and another man eat of it. And what man is there who is betrothed to a woman and has not married her? Let him go and return to his house, lest he die in the battle and another man marry her.’ The officers shall speak further to the people, and say, ’What man is there who is fearful and fainthearted? Let him go and return to his house, lest the heart of his brethren faint like his heart.’ And so it shall be, when the officers have finished speaking to the people, that they shall make captains of the armies to lead the people. Deuteronomy 19:5-9
Attending to Jesus
Do not be confused by the passage. While it is true that our Father is instructing those with distractions to go take care of those things, He is not asserting that any of these things take priority over Him. If we are not focused on the spiritual battles before us; if our primary focus is on our home, our work, or our family, someone is going to get hurt. In other words, God is saying that if we cannot put Him first and trust Him to provide in all these areas, then go home—you are of no use on the battle field.
But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Matthew 6:33
But make no mistake about it, God does not want us to go home. In establishing the policy in this manner, the Father attempts to provoke us to jealousy; after all, who wouldn’t want to go and serve the Lord–it is His hope that we might see, understand, and believe that Christ alone is number one and it is He who sets our priorities. By faith, when we can trust this certainty of God, then we are best suited to take up our spiritual battle stations.
If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself. 2 Timothy 2:13
Faith is the criteria by which spiritual leaders are made and fear is the cancer that seeks to destroy that which we believe. The therapy for the fainthearted is to make use of the lingering faith that remains. Having little faith is no disadvantage, not using what we already have is what leads to weakness. The faith muscle is strengthened by exercise and cannot be overused. Its potency is enhanced by trusting in the One who provided it to you in the first place. This trust is founded in memory; the remembrance of that which God has done, is doing, and will continue to do.
Remember His marvelous works which He has done, His wonders, and the judgments of His mouth… 1 Chronicles 16:12
