When thou goest out to war against thine enemies, and seest horses, and chariots, [and] a people more numerous than thou, thou shalt not fear them; for Jehovah thy God is with thee, who brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.
Deuteronomy 20 sets out Israel's law of war, and it opens with the heart, not with tactics: do not fear a larger army. The reason is God's presence, not Israel's strength — which raises two questions: why does God send His people to war, and what does this chapter mean for readers who never fight with swords?
Many readers stumble at the picture of God as a warrior. One writer says the problem comes from mixing up two ways God has acted:
How wonderful to think of the Lord as a Warrior! Think of Him fighting against people! Some find that very hard to accept — how could a kind God act in such a way? But the difficulty comes mostly from not telling apart the different ages in which God has dealt with people. It fitted the character of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob to fight against His enemies, just as it fits the character of the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ to forgive them.
He makes the same point in reverse:
Just imagine Joshua treating the Canaanites by the principles of Romans 12! That would have been as glaring a contradiction as it would be for us to act on the principle of Deuteronomy 20. Why? Because in Joshua's day God was carrying out judgement in righteousness. Now He is dealing in grace without conditions.
The verse names what frightens the eye: horses, chariots and numbers. Later God told Israel to destroy captured horses and chariots instead of using them. One writer explains why:
Canaan was full of horses and chariots. When Israel entered it, Jehovah said, "You shall hamstring their horses and burn their chariots with fire" (Joshua 11:6). Israel's God objected to His people using the methods of the nations in HIS work. His people's confidence must be in Himself alone.
One principle governs Israel's whole law of war:
The governing principle here, as elsewhere, is confidence in Jehovah. He had taken His people, brought them out of Egypt into relationship with Himself, and was now placing them in His own land… It was not a question of troops or strategy, of force or skill or trickery, but of Jehovah their God… So faintheartedness would be intolerable. It could only come from one thing: the people were thinking of themselves or of their enemies, and not of Jehovah their God… What secures victory is the certainty that our God calls us to the fight, and that the battle is His, not ours.
The command not to fear rests on a history. God names Himself as the One who had already rescued them:
"The Lord your God is with you," and that in the very character in which He had brought them out of the land of Egypt. He was with them in the power of that sovereign grace which had rescued them from the iron grip of Pharaoh and the iron slavery of Egypt. That same grace had brought them through the sea and led them across "the great and terrible wilderness." This made victory sure.
Notice what the promise leaves out:
Notice that the priest proposes not a single condition in these words… He does not say, "The Lord your God will be with you, if you do so and so." … Grace proposes no conditions, raises no barriers, sets no terms. Its language is, "The Lord your God is with you… He goes with you… to fight for you… to save you."
Commentators differ here. Another writer reads the promise as resting on Israel's obedience:
This assumes their obedience. If they were obedient, they had nothing to fear.
The same writer applies the chapter to Christians:
As Christians we must carry on a constant spiritual warfare. We have to fight for every inch of heavenly ground. What the Canaanites were to Israel, evil spirits in the heavenly places are to us… We are not fighting for eternal life; God gave us that as a free gift before we begin. We are not fighting for salvation; we are saved before we enter the conflict. We fight to make good, maintain, and live out our heavenly position and character.
- Presence — The whole command rests on one fact: God is with His people. The size of the other army never enters the argument.
- Past — He identifies Himself by the Exodus. Yesterday's rescue is the argument against today's fear.
- Promise — The priest's words carry no "if." God goes with them, fights for them, saves them. Some writers add that this assumes obedience.
- Purity — Israel destroyed captured horses and chariots instead of using them, so that trust could rest on God alone.
- Present — Believers still fight, but not for salvation; that is a gift already received. The fight is to hold in daily life the ground God has given.
And it shall be, when ye approach unto the battle, that the priest shall draw near and speak unto the people,
Israel is about to go into battle, and God's first instruction is not about tactics. Before the officers give a single order, a priest steps out in front of the army — so why does a priest speak first?
The order of the two speakers carries the lesson:
The reader will notice the order. As the people came near the battle, the priest was to speak to them first, and the officers after him. This order is very beautiful. The priest came forward to unfold the people's high privileges. The officers came to remind them of their holy responsibilities. Such is the divine order here. Privilege comes first, and then responsibility.
One writer explains why the first voice was a priest's:
The priest was the very expression of the grace of God. His ministry was a stream of most precious comfort. It flowed from the loving heart of the God of Israel to each individual warrior. His loving words were meant to steady the mind and put strength into the weakest arm for the fight. He assures them of the divine presence with them.
Notice what the priest does not say. His message contains no terms for the soldiers to meet first:
Let my reader note that the priest proposes not one single condition. He states, in the most absolute way, the relationship of the Israel of God, and the privilege that comes with it. He does not say, "The Lord your God will be with you, if you do such and such." That is not the language of a man who stood before God's people to set out the privileges grace had given them. Grace proposes no conditions, raises no barriers, makes no stipulations. When Jehovah fights for His people, they are sure of victory. "If God is for us, who can be against us?"
Commentators differ here. Another writer reads the same threefold promise as resting on Israel's obedience:
The divine assurance was threefold: Jehovah goes with you, to fight for you, to save you. This presupposes their obedience. If they were obedient, they had nothing to fear. Victory was on their side.
One commentator names the principle running through these laws of battle:
The governing principle here, as elsewhere, is confidence in Jehovah. He is the God who had taken His people, brought them out of Egypt into relationship with Himself, and was now placing them in His own land… It was not a question of soldiery or strategy, of force or skill or fraud, but of Jehovah their God… The heavenly land is for us the scene of conflict with the enemy. There are no such laws of war in the other books of Moses; they are here only. The wilderness is the scene of temptation. Canaan is the place where the enemy must be fought and beaten. But there is no power by which he can be overcome except the power of God.
Fear, then, is not a small weakness. It shows where a man is looking:
So faintheartedness could not be tolerated. It could only come from this — that the people were thinking not of Jehovah their God, but of themselves or their enemies. What secures victory is the certainty that our God calls us to the fight, and that the battle is His, not ours. Where that is so, we are as sure of the end as of the beginning.
One writer moves from that scene straight to the fight believers are in now:
When a battle was about to take place, the priest (the high priest) was to speak to the people first. He told them to have no fear of the enemy. The Lord was with them to fight for them and save them from defeat. Let us remember that believers today are called to fight. The fight is not against flesh and blood. It is against the deceit of satanic hostility that seeks to keep us from enjoying our heavenly inheritance (Eph. 6:12). This conflict means learning the truth of the Word of God and standing for it, while many try to undermine or degrade it.
- Priest first. The priest speaks before the officers do. Privilege comes first, then responsibility.
- Grace speaks. The priest was the expression of God's grace. His words carried comfort from God's heart to each soldier.
- No "if." He sets no terms and raises no barriers; grace makes no stipulations. Commentators differ: one reads the threefold promise — He goes with you, fights for you, saves you — as assuming obedience.
- Not strategy. The principle is confidence in the God who brought them out of Egypt — not force, skill, or cunning. A fainting heart only comes from looking at self or the enemy instead of Him. The battle is His, so the end is as sure as the beginning.
- Still true. Our conflict is not against flesh and blood. It is against satanic hostility that would rob us of our heavenly inheritance. We stand by holding to the truth of God's Word.
and shall say unto them, Hear, Israel, ye are approaching this day unto battle against your enemies let not your hearts faint, fear not, and do not tremble, neither be afraid of them;
Israel stands in battle order, the enemy in sight, with more horses and chariots on the other side. Before anyone draws a sword, a priest steps out and speaks to their hearts — which raises the question of why a priest, and not a general, goes first.
Two voices address the army in this chapter, and the order matters. The priest comes first with what God is to them; the officers follow with what God asks of them. One writer asks what would happen if the order were flipped.
There is rare moral beauty in the order in which this passage brings in the priest and the officer. The first speaks for Israel's privileges; the second, for Israel's responsibilities... Now imagine it the other way round. Suppose the people had heard the officer's voice first. What would the result have been? Fear, depression and discouragement! Press responsibility on me before I know where I stand. Ask for my affections before I am in the relationship. That lays an unbearable yoke on my neck. Search from Genesis to Revelation. Without one exception, God's order is privilege first and responsibility second.
The priest offers nothing in exchange. He does not tell them what to do so that God will come; he tells them God is already with them.
Notice that the priest sets out not one single condition. He states, in the most absolute way, the relationship of the Israel of God and the privilege that comes with it. He does not say, "The Lord your God will be with you, if you do such and such."... Grace sets no conditions, raises no barriers, makes no demands.
Commentators differ here. Another writer finds obedience assumed behind the promise, and counts three guarantees in the priest's closing words.
The priest's commission was to encourage them: do not fear, do not tremble, do not let the horses and chariots terrify you. God's assurance was threefold: Jehovah goes with you, to fight for you, to save you. This assumes they would obey. If they obeyed, they had nothing to fear. Victory was on their side.
A priest represents God to the people. That is why he is sent to a frightened army: the comfort he brings comes from God's own heart, and it reaches every single soldier.
The priest was the very expression of the grace of God. His service was a stream of precious comfort, flowing from the loving heart of the God of Israel to each single soldier. His loving words aimed to brace the mind for action and to put strength into the weakest arm for the fight. He assures them that God Himself is with them. There is no question, no condition, no "if," no "but."
A sinking heart is not just a mood to pity. It is a symptom: the soldier's eye has moved off God and onto the size of the problem.
The governing principle here, as everywhere else, is confidence in Jehovah. He had taken His people and brought them out of Egypt into relationship with Himself. Now He was putting them in His own land... It was not a question of soldiers or strategy, of force or skill or trickery, but of Jehovah their God... So a fainting heart would be unbearable. It could only come from one thing: the people were thinking not of Jehovah their God, but of themselves or their enemies... What secures victory is knowing that our God calls us to the fight, and that the battle is His, not ours.
This command is not a one-off for one battlefield. The same two words follow God's people through every stage of their history.
This word reaches the ears of God's people every time they face the enemy: in Egypt (Ex. 14:13), in the wilderness (Num. 14:9; Num. 21:34; Deut. 1:21; Deut. 3:2, 22; Deut. 7:18; Deut. 20:3; Deut. 31:6, 8), or in Canaan under Joshua (Joshua 8:1; Joshua 10:8, 25; Joshua 11:6)... And when Israel lay in the "lowest pit" and cried to God in their distress, the Lord answered, "Fear not" (Lam. 3:57).
The enemy has changed. The call to fight has not.
Let us remember that believers today are called to fight. The fight is not against flesh and blood. It is against the deceit of a hostile Satan, who wants to keep us from enjoying our heavenly inheritance (Eph. 6:12). This conflict means learning the truth of God's Word and standing for it, against the many attempts to undermine or degrade it.
- Order. The priest speaks first, then the officers: privilege first, responsibility second. Reverse it and you get fear and discouragement.
- Gift. His message carries no "if" and no "but." God does not negotiate His presence; grace makes no demands.
- Ground. A fainting heart means the eye has moved from Jehovah to self or to the enemy. The fight was never about strategy or numbers.
- Reach. "Fear not" is God's standing word to His people — in Egypt, in the wilderness, in Canaan, and in the lowest pit.
- Result. Three promises hold the line: He goes with you, He fights for you, He saves you. The same fight is ours today, against spiritual enemies who would rob us of our inheritance.
for Jehovah your God is he that goeth with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.
Israel faced a land held by stronger armies. The priest's answer to their fear was not a better strategy but a Person going with them.
Two voices spoke to Israel before the fighting, and the order matters.
The reader will notice that as the people came near the battle, the priest was to speak to them first, and the officers second. This order is very beautiful. The priest came forward to unfold to the people their high privileges; the officers came to remind them of their holy responsibilities. Such is the divine order here. Privilege comes first, and then responsibility.
Read the priest's words and you find nothing that Israel must first supply.
Notice that the priest proposes not a single condition here. He states in the most absolute way the relationship, and the privilege that flows from it, belonging to the Israel of God. He does not say, "The Lord your God will be with you, if you do such and such." … Grace proposes no conditions, raises no barriers, makes no stipulations. Its language is, "The Lord your God is with you … He goes with you … to fight for you … to save you." When the Lord fights for His people they are sure of victory.
The quotations here follow an older translation, which ends the verse "to save you." The ESV reads "to give you the victory." Commentators also differ on the promise itself. One reads the same threefold assurance as resting on the people's obedience:
The divine assurance was threefold: the Lord goes with you, to fight for you, to save you. This presupposes their obedience. If they were obedient, they had nothing to fear. Victory was on their side. And we too need to fear nothing in our warfare with the wicked spirits (Eph. 6). The Lord is on our side, and if we resist the devil he will flee from us. But if Israel was disobedient and departed from the Lord, He fought against them and their enemies overcame them.
The enemy's strength was real. What the priest sets against it is not a count of soldiers but the presence of God.
He assures them of the divine presence with them. The Lord God was with them. This surely was enough. It did not matter in the smallest degree how many, how powerful, or how formidable their enemies were. Before the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, they would all prove to be like chaff before the whirlwind.
If everything hangs on God's presence, then fear shows where a soldier's mind has gone.
The governing principle here, as elsewhere, is confidence in the Lord. He had taken His people, brought them out of Egypt into relationship with Himself, and was now placing them in His own land. … It was not a question of soldiery or strategy, of force or skill or trickery, but of the Lord their God. … So faintheartedness would be intolerable. It could only come from one thing: the people were thinking not of the Lord their God, but of themselves or of their enemies. … What secures victory is the certainty that our God calls us to the fight, that it is His battle, not ours. Where that is so, we are as sure of the end as of the beginning.
Should Christians fight as Israel fought? Mackintosh answers with a comparison.
Only imagine Joshua treating the Canaanites on the principles of Romans 12! It would have been as glaring an inconsistency as it would be for us to act on the principle of Deuteronomy 20. Why is this? Simply because in Joshua's day God was executing judgment in righteousness, whereas now He is dealing in unqualified grace.
A fight remains for Christians, but it is not a fight to get saved.
We are not called to fight for eternal life; we have that as God's free gift before we begin. We are not called to fight for salvation; we are saved before we enter the conflict. … The object we fight for is to make good, maintain, and carry out in practice our heavenly position and character, in the middle of the scenes and circumstances of ordinary human life, day by day.
- Presence. The one reason given against fear is that God Himself goes with them — not a bigger army, not better tactics.
- Privilege first. The priest announces what grace has given before the officers ever mention duty — comfort precedes demand.
- No "if." Mackintosh stresses that the priest attaches no condition. Gaebelein reads the same promise as assuming obedience.
- Fear diagnosed. A fainting heart is not weakness of nerve but a mind occupied with self and the enemy instead of God.
- Transferred, not repeated. Christians do not take up Israel's sword. The fight now is with spiritual foes, to live out day by day the heavenly position we already have.