Then Thou Shalt Go Out to Battle; for God Is
The sermon emphasizes the importance of waiting for God's instructions and trusting in the co-operation of the Holy Spirit to deliver us from our enemies and prosper us in our endeavors.
F.B. Meyer emphasizes that the battles we face are not ours alone, but God's, as He goes before us to fight our enemies. He illustrates this through biblical examples of divine intervention, such as God's angelic hosts aiding Israel. Meyer encourages believers to recognize the presence of God's support in their struggles and to wait for His guidance before taking action. He reassures that those who trust in God and wait for His direction will see His power at work against their adversaries. Ultimately, the message is one of hope and assurance in God's sovereignty and assistance in our spiritual battles.
Text
Then thou shalt go out to battle; for God is
gone forth before thee. 1 Chron. xiv. 15.
WHAT was this "going"? It was not merely a fitful breeze stealing through the leaves; it was not the going of the wind; but of angel squadrons who were proceeding against the enemies of Israel. This thought often occurs in Scripture ‑‑ as when Jacob met God's host; and the warrior‑Saviour told Joshua that He was captain of a host whom God had commissioned to take Jericho; so also the horses and chariots of fire surrounded Elisha. Hearken to the measured footfall of God's host, beneath which the mulberry trees sway, though no wind stirs the sultry air.
God's hosts go forth against his foes and ours. Perhaps we should feel less oppressed with the burden of the fight if we realized this. The battle is not ours, but God's. He will deliver the Philistines to us so that we shall have to do little else than fight and spoil. Oh, believe in the co‑operation of the Holy Spirit. Lonely missionary in some distant station of the foreign field, listen for the moving in the tops of the mulberry trees! God is stirring for thy succour. Thou art a co‑worker with Him in making known his salvation; and He will prosper thee.
Let us wait for our instructions. David inquired of the Lord; let us not anticipate Him. It is useless to go up until He has gone out before us. We may as well save ourselves from disappointment by quietly waiting for the salvation of our God. But oh, be sure that those who wait for God shall not be long before the God for whom they wait shall go forth before them to smite the host, whether it be the hosts of temptation that oppress the inner life, or the hosts of spiritual foes that oppose the progress of God's work.
Sermon Outline
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I
- The meaning of 'going forth before thee'
- Examples of God's hosts in Scripture
- The battle is not ours, but God's
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II
- The co-operation of the Holy Spirit
- Waiting for instructions from God
- The importance of waiting for God
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III
- The outcome of waiting for God
- God's hosts will smite the host of temptation
- God's hosts will smite the host of spiritual foes
Key Quotes
“Hearken to the measured footfall of God's host, beneath which the mulberry trees sway, though no wind stirs the sultry air.” — F.B. Meyer
“The battle is not ours, but God's. He will deliver the Philistines to us so that we shall have to do little else than fight and spoil.” — F.B. Meyer
“Oh, believe in the co-operation of the Holy Spirit. Lonely missionary in some distant station of the foreign field, listen for the moving in the tops of the mulberry trees! God is stirring for thy succour.” — F.B. Meyer
Application Points
- We should wait for God's instructions before taking action, as it is useless to go up until He has gone out before us.
- We are co-workers with God in making known His salvation, and He will prosper us in our endeavors.
- When we wait for God, He will go forth before us to smite the host of temptation and the host of spiritual foes that oppose the progress of God's work.