The Spiritual Battle in Canaan (Deuteronomy 20:1-20)
I hope to share the grace of Deut. 20 with you today. Deut. is God giving them the word again of what they should l do once they get into Canaan. Then, what kind of land is Canaan? What kind of land is America? If you analyze this incorrectly, you’re going to go into the land of Canaan incorrectly, then you’ll crumble. This land we’re walking on right now, this land of America, what kind of land is it? You must know this well in order to receive the Word well.
In Deut. 20:1 it says, “When you go to war against your enemies,” what does it say immediately? It says, “The war against your enemies.” Is this a topic that is relevant to you and me? Do we have enemies? If you think you don’t have enemies, then you’re already seized because it says the enemy of the world, the ruler of the world is Satan, which means we have to fight the enemy and win. But if you don’t even realize this, then you’re in a state of being deceived and seized.
Isn’t it that if you talk about Jesus, that you talk about peace and love, but why do you keep talking about warfare and fighting? You have to be able to fight well in order to enjoy peace. Because there’s an enemy trying to destroy you, you have to fight well in order for you to enjoy peace and joy.
It says that “when you go to war and see horses and chariots and an army greater than yours,” it means there will definitely be formidable horses and chariots and an army greater than yours. When you go out into the world, there are the same formidable objects, these huge obstacles, but even when you look at this, do not be afraid. It means there is a lot ahead of you that is going to seem formidable, it means that you will absolutely be fearful. When you go out into the world, there will be a lot of things hitting against you that you will fear; but despite those things, do not be afraid.
How can we not be afraid? Because the LORD your God Who brought you out of Egypt will be with you.” In Egypt, the Israelites were brought out when they applied the blood of the lamb. He’s saying the LORD upon the cross took your problems of sin, separation, and Satan, and He is with you, so believe in that. What kind of God is that? It is the God Who saved you through the cross. He is with you. It is not just God, but it is the God Who saved you. It is not just any god, but it is the God Who saved you.
Is God with you? It’s not just by theory, the One Who has saved me is with me. You must have this in order for you to not fear the things that are going to be fearsome. What kind of fear is this? If you lose the blessing of the gospel, the blessing of being with God, then I’ll fear whatever I look at, why? Because the moment we leave God, we become god, then absolutely, there are going to be big and formidable things that come to us.
In Genesis 3, the moment Adam sinned and left God, he had fear. Even if there’s nothing to fear, automatically, that fear will come up from inside. So, you think that because you want to get rid of this fear, if you stack your own success or reputation, it will go away, but just like Genesis 6, it doesn’t go away. Just like in Genesis 11, you think that if you gather the strength of many people around you and you work together, that fear will go away, but that fear will never go away. That is why people, for themselves, will start serving idols.
People serve idols for themselves. Why do they serve idols? Because I’m afraid, I’m asking that something bad may not happen. There are many people who serve idols even as they go to church. They don’t hold onto Christ, but they pray in the name of Jesus Christ to get rid of what they’re afraid of, so they serve idols. There are so many people filled like that, and they say they believe in Jesus, and those are people who are unable to come out of their religious lifestyle.
Now, the meditation movement has gone in. The meditation movement is not with God’s Word, but it is based on their own mentality. It has to be the meditation of being with God; however, because of their fear, people have started the meditation movement. And yes, they may see some sort of evidence. Some people listen to music, and to some people, that is meditation. Through music, they’re trying to get rid of their fear and have some sense of security, but they’re continuously doing idol worship. Even though the covenant was given to them, instead of holding to the covenant, they keep going down the path of idol worship.
What is meditation, but to hold onto some kind of thought, to receive some kind of peace in your heart? Think about going out into quiet nature and meditating, so people go and seek these places out, but it doesn’t mean that you’ve spiritually met with God. You have to look at nature in a state of being with God, in a state of having Jesus Christ, in order for anything good to happen. If you have a lot of money and you build a house by the beachside, and you breathe in lots of fresh air, you think it’ll solve your problems, but it will not. It’s only going to make things worse, unless you do it with Jesus Christ.
There are some people who make a lot of money, and through their money and real estate, they do meditation, and when they think about just that, their minds become at peace, but they don’t know it’s a channel for demons. Or, people think about all the things they’ve gathered or built up, and they receive strength from that. For America, the American government is an idol. “The American government is going to protect me,” but what are they going to solve for you? They’re just going to give you a little bit of money, but do you think your fear will go away? That’s the world you’re living in right now.
Kids say they come out of elite schools, but that cannot get rid of their fears. Of course, you have to go to a good college, because who else is going to give the gospel to elite colleges? But if you’re trying to make that into the background and foundation of your life, that’s the background and foundation of Canaan. You’re going into the land of Canaan, but everyone is suffering; it’s just that they’re packaging themselves. They’re totally suffering both mentally, spiritually, and physically, but they package themselves so you can’t tell from the outside.
God is telling us not to be deceived by that; you have to fight that spiritual battle. It is a fight with yourself first. “God is with me, but the devil is constantly deceiving us into thinking otherwise. I myself have to win with the covenant.” Once you win, that is the beginning.
That means you have to make a platform for which you may have victory, and I want you to make that for yourselves, meaning you should have this content and designate this location. Especially when you go to school or work, you should have an individualized platform. It is a time and place that only I can enjoy. Otherwise, as soon as you go into the world, you’ll be deceived. “Oh, I’m not like that,” but that’s nonsense because fundamentally, by nature, we have Original Sin, and fundamentally we’ll go back to that.
The devil knows that so well and he touches our nature, so only the people who say, “I cannot do this,” can start this. All the people who think they can do this on their own, you’re not going to listen to them anyway, so don’t do it, because only the one who truly knows can do this. But the people who don’t know what Canaan, America, and the world is really about, they’re already deceived so they have no choice but to continue to be deceived.
But for the people who say, “This isn’t working out for me,” do this, because this is the one who knows the gospel. The one who doesn’t see the need to do this is one who has heard the gospel but doesn’t know the gospel. Jesus having to die on the cross means that I myself couldn’t do this. You must acknowledge this in order for the power of the resurrected Christ to come upon you. What is the reason why we fail repeatedly? It is because you believe that you can do this. Satan simply deceives you, saying you can do this with the physical things, which means you cannot see spiritually.
“I cannot do this,” the moment you relinquish this, that is the cross. If you keep saying, “I can do this, I can do that,” that is a person who will crumble. Paul made this decision from the beginning; he says “I cannot do this,” that’s what it means to kneel. The moment that this confession truly comes out from your heart, that is the beginning, and only to these people, I hope you will make this platform. The Christ Who is with me. The Christ through Whom the Triune God is with me. You need to really set aside this location and time for you to really enjoy this. At this time, you’re coming into the church and receiving strength and going back out into the field. So, make a platform so that no matter what circumstance comes your way, you will not be afraid.
Deut. 20:2 says, “When you are about to go into battle, the priest shall come forward and address the army,” it talks about the priest even though they’re about to go to war, what does this mean? It means this is not a physical battle, because if this were a physical battle, the commander and the general would come out; but instead, the priest comes out, why is that? Because the person God anoints and works through is the priest. This is saying that God will do it. You just have to make a platform.
If you hold onto the covenant and determine the time and location, then from that moment, the devil knows. In Deut. 20:3, “He shall say: ‘Hear O Israel, today you are going into battle against your enemies. Do not be fainthearted or afraid; do not be terrified or give way to panic before them.’” No matter what you do, if you’re afraid, then it’s impossible for you to give your 100%. If someone is nervous, then their cells do not operate correctly. Even for athletes, the moment they go out into a game, if they’re nervous, they cannot give their fullest skill, but “Do not be faint hearted.” But you cannot control your heart. Just because you control your mind doesn’t mean your heart changes. There’s definitely a time when we’re going to be fainthearted and terrified and panic, that’s Canaan and that is the world.
That’s why He is saying, “Hear O Israel,” and what this means is that He will give us the Word, because today He is giving us the Word through the priest. In the world, if you say you’re going to fight the spiritual battle, what does that mean? It means you cannot do this. A person like this, once he builds the platform, God is going to give him the strength.
“For the LORD your God is the One Who goes with you,” so you have to set yourself with this Word. This is the first thing you must do, so that the things of heaven come upon you first. This is the one who lives their walk of faith correctly, and even though the world has already been won, this is the one who enjoys the victory. Because if you don’t do this, you’re going to follow the things of the world and there will be fear and panic in your heart. You’re bound to be afraid, you’re bound to be fainthearted, you’re bound to panic, you’re bound to be terrified.
So you have to really set yourself with the gospel of the covenant. The One Who has saved me, Jesus Christ, is with me as the Triune God, He is with me with the power to overcome Canaan. He is with me with the power to do America and 237 evangelism. If you don’t do this, then you will not have strength because constantly, what does the world teach you? “You can do it,” but that’s the message of the devil. What can you do? Can you fight against the devil and win? Can you solve your own spiritual problems? If a virus comes into you, can you solve that? If the pandemic keeps hitting a few times, will you solve it? You received this education that you can do this, but there’s nothing you can actually do.
If God calls you today, what are you going to do about that? If your body becomes sick, what are you going to do about that? From when we’re young, the devil puts the message, “You can do it; if you just dream it, you can do it.” Because we keep receiving this education, what happens when we grow up? Even if we stay still, we think we can do it. We think even if we stay still, there are not a lot of problems, why? Because we keep listening to the message of the devil, but it’s not like that. Only when we’re with God are the forces of darkness bound. Only when we’re with God can we overcome ourselves. All of our weaknesses and lackings will not become a problem.
“He is the One Who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies,” so it’s not actually for you. It’s actually for God, because through the Israelites, He is fulfilling the Word of missions. God does not save us for ourselves, God saves us for His glory so we can participate in His glory. But how deeply does Gen. 3 root down into us? They believe that once they receive salvation that the world revolves around them, but that’s how deeply Gen. 3 is. They think if we receive salvation, then the world moves around me, but that’s nonsense because it moves according to God. We are just participating in God’s glory, what can we do for ourselves? We are just fitting into that.
But if we don’t realize this, because of Gen. 3, even with salvation, you’re moving for your own self, that’s not true because everything moves with God as the center. We are just going on top of salvation. How is it that the world revolves around me? It does not. But what kind of words do we like? It’s only Gen. 3 words, like “You are the center,” that’s when we think we receive grace, but that’s’ not grace; that’s the message of the devil.
We must become God-centered because God had the plan of Canaan conquest and He is bringing the Israelites into that. Ultimately through the Israelites, He’s trying to reveal His glory, because God is not one to lose His glory to anybody else. Even before we were created, the Triune God was there in their glory, but why did He make us? He created us so that through us, He may receive the glory. I’m someone who doesn’t need to exist.
Through us, He is going to receive glory, but because we listen to the devil’s message, we became corrupt, and that’s why He sent Jesus. In 2 Cor. 4:4, it says He sent Jesus Who is the image of God. By believing in Jesus, we have also become the image of God. So, we are now fitting into the Triune God, so it’s not whatever we want. We are just going into the will of the Triune God. That is what it means for us. I hope you will come out of this “me-centeredness,” but “me, me,” I hope you will come out of that.
The American ideology of “me, me,” please come out of that, because, because of that, everyone dies, and that’s a message the devil has been rooting and nailing into us since a long time ago. Because this message is so deeply ingrained starting from when we’re children, he can just sit back and watch because the children will just fall on their own. Once he plants this “me-centeredness,” once he steps back and watches, we will just crumble on our own. That is America.
Satan has given all the good things physically, but everyone is crumbling, and everyone is following after the physical things and they are crumbling. They think that there’s something grand in the making, but they all crumble. The one who knows this should be the one who does business; even if you don’t, God will reveal this to you in His time schedule.
He’s going to give you victory. What does that mean? It means you are going to fight the spiritual battle, but He is going to give you victory over it, and it’s not that people are going to help you, so do not rely on people. Only God can save me. We’re not talking about the spiritual salvation here, we’re talking about the physical slavery because when we’re slaves, He brings us out of it, so He can save us financially or save us from our illnesses, so you shouldn’t trust doctors, but through the doctors, God can save you. He is going to save you from illness and even if He does not, it does not matter.
If you enjoy being with God to this extent, then first and foremost, the devil will flee. First, you must destroy the kingdom of Satan before you do anything else. Then, what must you do? You must first restore the covenant.
Starting from Deut. 20:5, it says some people will not participate and they will leave. He is saying, anyone who has a new house and hasn’t even been able to live in it and they’re worried someone will live in it after they die, just leave the war. Do you think God is someone who makes a mistake? No, He is saying that if someone is worried about this, they’re going to have unbelief, so they must leave.
“Has anyone planted a vineyard and not begun to enjoy it?” Let him go home. It’s because they’re worried about all these other things, so leave. What happens if my business fails? What happens if this person takes all my benefits? Then just leave and that’s why we must begin from this spiritual platform because if you’re already afraid, what will you win? You’re starting from failure because if you’re afraid, then absolutely the things you’re afraid of will happen.
If you have too much confidence, then because of the confidence, you will get arrogant and you’re going to fail. Isn’t that true? We have to have confidence in God, but if we have confidence in ourselves, you’ll believe in yourself and you’ll eventually crumble, so make your spiritual platform. You must do this first, you must establish God’s kingdom first and you have to destroy the forces of darkness.
Deut. 20:7. “Has anyone become pledged to a woman and not married to her?” If you’re afraid, return home because this is a spiritual battle and you must go forth in faith, but if you’re afraid, then just leave.
Deut. 20:8, “Is any man afraid or faint-hearted? Let him go home,” what does this mean? It means don’t start the day because you’re going to crumble. “So that his brothers will not become disheartened’ because if you’re afraid, that fear is going to spread to the people next to you, because if your heart is afraid, the content that comes out of your mouth are words of fear. I’m sure they speak the correct words, but people get caught up in the correct words. They’re able to discern the incorrect words very quickly, but because they get caught upon the correct words, they get caught up on it and they both crumble.
Deut. 20:9, “When the officers have finished speaking to the army, they shall appoint commanders over it.” They don’t have any kinds of weapons. The enemies have “tanks” of the day, but these people had nothing. So right now, even the war between Ukraine and Russia, the tanks go in first, because if you don’t have tanks, you’ll be pushed back. It’s not just about shooting guns, but if the tanks come in, you have to fall back. Especially Ukraine has a very flat territory, so tanks can just roll by. So, you have to block the tanks with bazookas. You have to defend.
Deut. 20:10, “When you march up to attack a city, make its people an offer of peace.” It means, do not attack first, but give them an offer of peace. “Will you be at peace or will you go to war?” Which means, no matter how much they are the people of Canaan, if they give up and accept an offer of peace, then give them peace.
Deut. 20:11, “If they accept and open their gates, all the people in it shall be subject to forced labor and shall work for you.” He’s not saying to just kill them. In Matthew 12, Jesus sends His disciples out into the field. In Matthew 10, He sends them after giving them authority. Then, He says, “Go into each household and offer them peace.” This peace is one that comes from God because right now, they’re living in a state that is separated from God, so they are asking, “Do you want to be reconciled to God?”
Ultimately they are giving the gospel, so if they want this peace, go into the household and share the gospel with them. But if they reject it, then that peace will come back to you, so brush off the dust on your sandals and come back out. It says in Matthew 10:12, what does it say? They are going to be like Sodom and Gomorrah.
In Deut. 20:12, “If they refuse to make peace and they engage in battle, lay siege to that city and kill everybody.” Don’t let even one person live, because if they do, through their unbelief, they will destroy you. That is the content of Deut. 20:18. “They will teach you to follow all the detestable things they do in worshiping their gods, and you will sin against the LORD your God,” so they will kill everyone, why? Because you must not fail. Where does failure come from? Failure comes from spiritual things. Why do these people have to go into curses? They are going into suffering and the background of hell because they’re far from the covenant and they’re not receiving it.
This is the message God is giving us today. What kind of land is Canaan? What kind of land is America, this world? Do you have the covenant or do you not have the covenant? It’s one of two. Is Jesus the only Savior? Is Christ the solution to all problems? Can you be with the Triune God through only Christ? Peace will come to the ones who make this confession.
So, every day, you have to make this platform in your field, and you must save others with this. There is nothing of yours that is needed because you have to relay the thing they will be able to receive peace from. What did the legalistic people say? “If you believe in this or do that,” but you don’t need that; you just have to believe in Christ. The God Who saved us from Egypt, the God Who saved us by the cross, if you just believe that, you’re saved.
What kind of battle is it? It’s a battle against unbelief and Satan; it is a battle of saving people, and that’s why He is saying, “Raise the watchtower, get the light and shine that light,” because you have to shine that light for people to come to you. Because there’s no such thing as you holding onto the light because if you have the light, you’re bound to shine it, so we’re fighting the battle of shining that light and saving people.
Why? Because people are living in the darkness, not knowing what the truth is; they’re being dragged around by lies. They are just seeped in the words of Genesis 3 where they are their own gods, and that is why you have to shine the light of Christ. Even the people who have a religious lifestyle, they don’t know, so you have to shine the light of Christ. Because through only Christ, through the Triune God, I can come to life. There’s nothing else we have to rely on, because He is everything. He is with me, you have to shine this light and be the watch tower. You have to be the antenna that communicates with God. You must enjoy these three things in your field every day.
What happens if you don’t enjoy it? Then you’ll be seized by Satan. It’s not that Satan is something else, but there’s a longstanding thing that has been planted in me and must come out of me. Satn doesn’ trifle with you, because Satan is the highest of all evil spirits; do you think he’s just messing with you? He just uses the Original Sin that is already there, because even if he lets you be, they’re going to naturally go back to being “me-centered.”
Satan has already made a culture and system of the world and we’re bound to follow after that. Thenb, the underling demons that follow after Satan plow into our thoughts and touch this nature. So, what does the devil do? He controls these demons. He seizes the world through the culture and has already made the Gen. 3, 6, and 11 as the settings of the world. If you go into that, you’re going to be dragged around by the culture, and that’s what it means to be a battle.
Eph. 2:3 says, “You do whatever you want,” but by nature, we were objects of wrath. That’s why we have wrath coming within us. We have to believe the Triune God Who has the power to do America Evangelism is with us. You must pray so that everywhere that is related to you, the light of the gospel of Christ will come upon it. I myself must receive that power realistically.
If you have this, God will move and God will move your work through that person. Even the students who are studying, God will use those kinds of students. But if you don’t have this state, you’re going to become self-centered and you’ll be dragged around by Satan.
Shine the light into your field, it is the believer who saves the people in their fields, that is how the work you do will work out. You’re going to get dragged around by the thought that you’re going to do some kind of grand work, because it already means you do not have the covenant, but you’re going to save people. Because only then will the glory of Christ be revealed.
How do people come to life? You have to proclaim the name of Jesus Christ. Because through your diligence and hard work, people cannot come to life, so what is the spiritual battle? It is to save people. How do you save? By shining the light of Christ, but before that, you need to save yourself.
Prayer
I hope you and I will enjoy this kind of victory this week. Let us pray holding onto the Word together. The Triune God is with me in power. At this time, every field I’m in, may the Holy Spirit pour His power into me. May the filling of the power of the Holy Spirit come upon me.
Let us pray for the field together because God is with you with the power to give influence to the 70 disciples in the 70 regions of your file.d If you say you can do it, you cannot God is going to be with me,” I want you to believe that because that’s what we call a Platform. Relaitslally relaying this is what it means to be a Watch Tower. That power realistically coming upon me is called the Antenna. The God Who is with me with the power to influence the 70 disciples, the 70 regions, the 70 tribes, and 70 nations.
We’re going to pray about Temple Construction. The people who don’t believe this will be at a loss. We don’t need your power because God is going to do this by His power, so you shouldn’t make assumptions. I hope you shall pray this covenantal prayer. What kind of Temple Construction is this? The One to influence and save the 237 nations. It is the Temple that heals the spiritually, mentally, and physically sick people. It is the Temple that raises the disciples so they can go out as the summit of the fields.
This is something promised from the Bible. In John 22, it says, “Feed my lambs,” in Mark 16, “heal the sick,” and in Matthew 28, “Go and make disciples of all nations,” the 237 nations. The Old Testament, the courtyard for the Gentiles, the sick, and the children, it’s the same thing. God has prepared this kind of church and according to His covenantal faith, He is going to work. “God, may I be someone like this and may this church see the covenantal promise.” Let us pray.
Next week, RCA is going to begin. There is a Word God prepared to do America Evangelism. I want you to listen to the Word and pray with this kind of expectation. I hope you will pray for the remnants. If you cannot do it yourself, then your role is to raise the future generations. Raising the Temple is how you will continue to do missions and evangelism. If you cannot do it yourself, I hope you will do that, because God, according to our different roles, is going to work. Let us pray.
Let us pray for the multiethnic remnants who are here at church because this is your missions. There’s no reason for you to go far. They are here so do the work of healing and raising them to the summit. That is your missions. Let us pray for our missions fields.
Benediction
Now may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the unending love of God, and the indwelling, working, guidance, and communion of the Holy Spirit, be upon all the heads of the people of God, the multiethnics, and the remnants who want to save people by being the spiritual platform, the spiritual watchtower, and spiritual antenna, be with us from now until forevermore always, amen.