Hamstrung Horses
What resources do you need during times of war?
I recently visited the Hi-Line Railroad Bridge in Valley City, ND.
In operation since 1908, the bridge is 3,860 feet long and 162 feet above the Sheynne river. It was amazing to watch a train cross it as I stood watching from far below.
“Because the bridge was of vital importance in moving supplies and men,” the state tourism site reads, “it was closely guarded during both World Wars to prevent sabotage.” American Legion volunteers kept the bridge safe until the National Guard could be assembled shortly after the bombing of Pearl Harbor.
You protect your assets during times of war. The bridge had been constructed from 14,000,000 pounds of steel. Not only was it a valuable thoroughfare but it also would be valuable just as a pile of material.
When Joshua led the people of Israel into the Promised Land, he knew that Moses had given the command to devote the Caananites to destruction.
Just as God made a distinction between darkness and light, He asked His people to make a distinction between those who followed Him and those who did not.
So, when Israel defeated a whole cohort of Caananite nations, why did God command Joshua to hamstring the horses and burn the chariots with fire? It doesn’t make sense.
Surely, horses and chariots would have been helpful for the rest of Isrel’s campaign. They could have learned to use them in war. There were plenty of battles left to fight. Why destroy useful resources?
The Lord didn’t give Joshua a reason, but Joshua obeyed. Who needed better or more resources when the Lord was fighting for them? He was the only resource they needed.
The Psalmist later wrote, “Some trust in chariots, and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.”
Looking up at the railroad bridge in Valley City, I wondered what resources I trust instead of the Lord for victory in my spiritual battles.
All Christians fight temptation. We stand against evil. We make a distinction between good and evil based on God’s judgments, and we are opposed when we do.
The Apostle Paul wrote, “For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds.”
The Lord knew that the Israelites would not need those horses or those chariots. He did not want them to be lured into the idolatry of attributing victory to these weapons of the flesh.
Instead, He equipped them with the same weapons that He gives to us: His presence, His power, and His prescience.
He knows that we don’t need anything that helps us cope with spiritual opposition other than Himself. Medicine, music, chocolate, alcohol, drugs, relationships, or any other resources that we are tempted to turn to in the heat of spiritual battle need to be hamstrung and burnt with fire.
When the Lord fights for us, He is the only resource we need.