It’s in the air. The protests and rioting, the cries, the shouts, the yelling, the anger, and tears. All around the world, across different nations battle cries are ringing out. Whether pro or con, so many people are outraged about something, whether it be politics, war, human rights issues, immigration, labor disputes, education … the list goes on.
Here in the United States, we have “No Kings Protests” happening. That caught my attention because, well, we do have a King. Let your battle cry be for Jesus!
“God spoke strongly to me, grabbed me with both hands and warned me
not to go along with this people. He said: “Don’t be like this people,
always afraid somebody is plotting against them. Don’t fear what they fear.
Don’t take on their worries. If you’re going to worry, worry about The Holy.
Fear God-of-the-Angel-Armies.”
Isaiah 8:11-13, The Message
Just remember what Moses dealt with while trying to bring the Hebrew people out of Egypt – the issues that must have been involved in that!
Israel had come to Egypt, approximately seventy people in number by the descendants of Jacob (Exodus 1:5). By the time they left Egypt their population had grown large enough to become a nation (Numbers 1:46), and the Egyptians grew to dread them (Exodus 1:12). By the time Moses was born, the Hebrews had become slaves to the Egyptians, and Pharoah had ordered the Hebrew midwives to kill any sons born to their women (Exodus 1:16, 22). The birth of Moses came during a time of great conflict that lasted for decades.
By the time Moses turned forty the oppression of his people was pressing. He killed an Egyptian man for beating on a Hebrew slave (Exodus 2:11-12) and then fled to Midian (Exodus 2:15; Acts 7:23-29). But the anguish of his people in slavery in Egypt continued until…
“… The Israelites groaned under their slavery and cried out.
Their cries for relief from their hard labor ascended to God:
God listened to their groanings. God remembered his covenant
with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. God saw what was
going on with Israel. God understood.”
Exodus 2:23-25, The Message
God hears the cries of His people! He also taught them to battle cry.
As Moses’ life ended, Joshua, under the guidance of the Lord, took the lead for his people. The Israelites were headed into their first battle for the Promised Land, the battle of Jericho. His people’s entry into Jericho is a story of awe and wonder that Joshua Chapter 6 tells so well. After marching around the city once daily for six days, the seventh day brought a battle cry that brought down Jericho’s city wall – “The priests blew the trumpets. When the people heard the blast of the trumpets, they gave a thunderclap shout. The wall fell at once. The people rushed straight into the city and took it” (Joshua 6:20).
In Acts Chapter 19, Scripture gives the account of some traveling Jewish exorcists who met obstinate evil spirits who “… mastered all of them and overpowered them” (Acts 19:16). This event “… became known to all the residents of Ephesus … and the name of the Lord Jesus was extolled” (vv. 16-17).
Following that experience, the Bible tells next about a riot that happened at Ephesus “… concerning the Way” (v. 23). The Apostle Paul had “… persuaded and turned away a great many people” from worshipping idols (v. 26). In this incident it was the “… silver shrines of Artemis” (v. 24). Paul made his case by “… saying that gods made with hands are not gods” (v. 26).
The riot ensued because the idol silversmiths were up in arms about Christianity hurting their business. The town clerk had to step in to settle things down and remind the people of proper judicial procedure (vv. 35-41).
Romans 13:1 directs, “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exists have been instituted by God.”
First Timothy 2:1-2 urges, “… that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.” Timothy goes on to tell us why in verses 3-4, “This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”
Second Peter 3:17-18 warns us, “… take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability. But grow in grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”
Jesus’ own words in His love letter to us states, “Surely I am coming soon” (Revelation 22:20). To that we should shout, cry out, or sing,
“Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!”
Revelation 22:20
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