He Will Flee!

In the Battle at Marathon, the Persian horde had sent their best warriors to confront the Athenian resistance. After a fierce battle, the Athenian warriors lost 192 men in the fight. The Persian army had 6,000 of their men fall! After facing defeat, they retreated. As they retreated, their rear flank was cut down, and many of their ships were captured. This retreat was pivotal in the turning of the tide and the breaking of the army.

Retreat!

I imagine what it would have taken to make the bravest soldiers in a mega army run away from battle. This was perhaps the first time these elite fighters ever had to. It wasn't in their nature.

Neither should it be in ours!

I was reading over two passages. The first being:

"Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you." - James 4:7

The second:

"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." - Ephesians 6:10-17

It was after re-reading the first that the second had added meaning. I can remember attending a women’s self defense class (I was the punching bag), and the instructor told the women that best defense is not getting into a dangerous situation in the first place. However, if you do find yourself there, take no shame in running away from the situation if it preserves your safety. Flee from the danger. In this instance, the scripture reminds us that our best defense is submitting to one whose power can truly defend us, and it will be the ENEMY WHO HAS TO FLEE! In this case running isn't a great exercise to practice.

Now we can reread the Ephesians passage with a bolder eye. Equipment check: Belt (check), breastplate (check), foot wear (check), shield (check), weapon (check), helmet (check), and back protector…ehhh. Strangely, Paul, this Roman citizen who would have seen full officer attire, left out the back piece. The main source of torso protection was the breastplate and a second connecting piece to protect the back. Oddly enough, this complete version of the armor was mostly worn by officers - those not in the battle or on the front lines.

There is protection for us in the battle but none to cover our retreat. Perhaps we aren't a people called to retreat. Perhaps we are to resist the devil so vigorously that he flees the battle like those mighty Athenians who stood firm against the largest fighting force they had ever seen. Proverbs 28:1 says this, "The wicked run away...but the godly are as bold as lions."

Brothers and sisters, let's be as bold as lions. Stand your ground. Defend your faith. Never retreat. The battle is already won!

Written by Lt. Darell Houseton
Newark Ironbound Corps