Take a census of all
the congregation of the people of Israel, by clans, by fathers' houses, according
to the number of names, every male, head by head. From twenty years old and
upward, all in Israel who are able to go to war, you and Aaron shall list them,
company by company. (Bemidbar / Numbers 1:2-3; ESV)
When God
directed Moses to take a census of the nation of Israel, it was not simply a
statistical analysis of the people. Not everyone was numbered. Only the males
age 20 and up of every tribe but Levi. Levi was to be counted separately due to
their special priestly function. The purpose of counting the other tribes was
to determine those "who are able to go to war."
Israel's
call to war may sound distasteful to some, but that's because most of us don't
know that just as Israel of old, we have been born to fight. There's a war
going on and whether we like it or not, whether we are aware of it or not, we
are on one side or the other.
Since the
beginning of creation evil has sought to overthrow the purposes of God. The
forces of darkness have conscripted people to do their bidding, often quite successfully.
Those on God's side have been in the minority, but the victories substantial
and far reaching. Through the Messiah and his triumph over evil's greatest
weapon, death, God has guaranteed final and total victory. As we wait for
Yeshua's return to judge the world, we have been commissioned to extend his
victory to every corner of the globe.
Every human
being has a place in this cosmic battle. To quote Bob Dylan, "You’re gonna
have to serve somebody. Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord. But
you’re gonna have to serve somebody." There is no neutral ground in this
battle. No sidelines. No time outs. No vacations. No maternity or paternity
leave. No disability list. Only active duty. You are either serving one side or
the other. [Reality check #1: I am aware that there are people who for one
valid reason or another cannot actively engage the battle, but I am making a
point here. But don't let this statement too quickly count you out.]
As for each
individual's precise duties, that's another matter. Different people have
different functions. Still, everyone, regardless of age and ability is a part
of this war. The better we understand this, the more effective we will be.
There is a
tendency among spiritually minded people to think that true godliness is found
in disengaging the battle. In this way of thinking, finding peace in the midst
of a troubled world is a high value. Finding peace is a good thing, however we
were not born to strive for serenity, but rather to confront the gates of Hell!
[Reality check #2: I am also aware that there are times when we are not
engaging life as we think we should and can easily be discouraged. It is at
these times we need to remember that our identity as children of God must be
central to everything else. But those of us who tend towards being passive need
to heed this wake-up call.]
The nature
of the battle we are in is primarily cultural and ideological. As Paul wrote in
the New Covenant Scriptures, "For we do not wrestle against flesh and
blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic
powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the
heavenly places" (Ephesians 6:12; ESV). This doesn't mean that the
struggle in our age never takes on physical dimensions, but that the forces of
evil are first and foremost unseen and express themselves in nonmaterial ways.
As Paul says elsewhere:
For
although we do live in the world, we do not wage war in a worldly way; because
the weapons we use to wage war are not worldly. On the contrary, they have
God’s power for demolishing strongholds. We demolish arguments and every
arrogance that raises itself up against the knowledge of God; we take every
thought captive and make it obey the Messiah. (2 Corinthians 10:3-5; CJB)
This is why
it is so very important to engage our culture. Every time we express a value
through what we say or do (or not say and do) we take sides. We either
represent God's values or the Evil One's. That is why we need to carefully
critique all forms and expressions of media, including movies, songs, books,
and so on. Every thought, every word, every political comment, every marketing
plan, every fashion statement carries with it the pursuit of either good or
evil.
Let's not
miss our opportunity to be counted for God.
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