And all this assembly shall know that the Lord saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the Lord's and he will give you into our hands. I Samuel 17:47.

Here are always two ways of handling the same doctrine. The truth in the text may be used as a narcotic or as a stimulant. Some are so wicked as to say that if it be the Lord's battle, we are excused from fighting: as if, seeing the harvest is the Lord's, we might justly refuse to sow or reap, We see how David used this truth: it fired his soul and nerved his arm. We are all battling on one side or the other, and the worst of all are those who boast their neutrality. To the Christian man these words are so true that he may emblazon them on his banner, and write them as the headline of "the book of the wars of the Lord."

I. THE GREAT FACT: "The battle is the Lord's."

1. Inasmuch as it is for truth, right, holiness, love, and all those things which the Lord loves, the battle is the Lord's (Ps. 45:4).

2. His name and glory are the object of it. It is his honor to see righteousness established in the earth. The gospel greatly glorifies God: men strike at the divine honor when they oppose it, and the Lord will vindicate his own name; thus our conflict becomes God's battle (Isa. 40:5).

3. We fight only by his power. The Holy Ghost is our strength; we can do nothing without the Lord: hence the battle is his in the highest degree (2 Chron. 13:12; 20:12).

4. He has bidden us fight. At our monarch's bidding we go upon this warfare. We are not free-lances on our own account, but warriors under his command (1 Tim. 6:12).

5. He has bound himself to fight this battle. The reward promised to his Son, the covenant of grace, and the distinct pledges of his word, make it his battle. His fidelity is engaged to cause the Lord Jesus to divide the spoil with the strong. He must bruise Satan under our feet shortly (Rom. 16:20).

6. When the battle is fully won, the glory will be unto the Lord alone (Ps. 98:1). "He hath triumphed gloriously" (Exod. 15:1).

II. ITS INFLUENCE ON OUR MINDS.

1. We make light of opposition. Who can stand against the Lord?

2. We are not cowed by our weakness. "When I am weak then am I strong" The Lord will make us mighty in his own fight.

3. We throw ourselves into the work heartily. We owe so much to the Lord Jesus that we must fight for him (1 Cor. 16:13).

4. We choose the best weapons. We dare not fire the Lord's cannons with the devil's powder. Love, truth, zeal, prayer, and patience should be at their best in God's battle (2 Cor. 10:4).

5. We are confident of victory. Can the Lord be defeated? He vanquished Pharaoh, and he will do the same with Satan in due season (1 Cor. 15:25).

III. LESSONS IN CONNECTION WITH IT.

Make it God's cause. Never let it sink into a selfish matter.

· By your motive. Aim at his glory only. Keep clear of all sinister designs.

· By your method. Contend for the faith as Jesus would have contended, and not in a way which the Lord would disapprove.

· By your faith. Can you not trust God to fight his own battles? Do not forget that it is the Lord's cause.

· Or you will bring self into it.

· You will begin to judge the conflict; and as it is on too huge a scale for human comprehension, you will fall into many errors, expecting defeat where victory is sure, or hoping for success in ways which lead to disaster.

· You will be enervated by fear, for the battle must end in your destruction if the Lord's hand be not with you.

Since it is his battle:

· Be happy if personally defeated; for Jesus is still highly exalted.

· Be calm and confident always; for there cannot be the smallest cause for fear as to the ultimate issue. "In quietness and in confidence shall be your strength" (Isa. 30:15). This assembly does know that the battle is the Lord's. Does it not? Are all in this assembly on the conquering side? Why not look to him who is himself our salvation? He needs not our sword or spear; but will himself deliver those who trust in him.