Fighting Fights, Ignoring the Enemy

Scripture: But Josiah did not turn away from him; instead, in order to fight with him he disguised himself. He did not listen to Neco’s words from the mouth of God, but went to the Valley of Megiddo to fight. The archers shot King Josiah, and he said to his servants, "Take me away, for I am severely wounded!" 2 Chronicles 35:22-23

Observation: Josiah, the last good king of Judah who had attempted to turn around their fate, restored the temple, reinitiated Passover, and again banished all other idols, dies in this way ... fighting an enemy that hadn't been a threat to them for years (Egypt), in a place that wasn't part of Judah (Megiddo), without cause or provocation (they hadn't attacked Judah), and against God's own instructions (God inspired Neco to tell Josiah to not do it).

Josiah attacked Neco for reasons that aren't explicitly clear, but probably due to pride. Neco did in fact march through Judah and was now in the geography of Israel. Egypt was an ancient foe. Josiah felt he needed to act. As a result, in a time when he should have known that Babylon was a major threat and in fact had recently defeated Assyria, Josiah dies fighting a fight, but ignoring the real enemy.

Application: Our culture has a lot of fights that seem like they need fighting, and that many proud - righteous - individuals in the Church are fighting. Every time we do, the rest of society believes we hate them, and it creates a chasm between the message of the love of Jesus, and those who need to hear that message.

It's like we are looking to fight all the fights while ignoring the enemy. We want to take on racial tension, gender confusion, school shootings, economic strife, political disagreements, mental health issues ... and we ignore satan, the liar and deceiver who is causing it all. He tricks people into adopting all these elements as their identity, then tells them the most divisive lie ... 'when those Jesus-freaks are opposed to your identity, it is because they hate you personally.'

Satan and his lies are the only enemy that matters. Jesus, armed with his truth and love, is the supreme allied commander. It is by him we can and will succeed in defeating the actual enemy and bringing his gospel into the world. Let's not just fight fights. And the next time there is a major battle at Megiddo ... we won't be the ones who lose.

Prayer: Lord, may we keep your word in our heart, and may we speak Christ crucified to others. Telling of your love is our true mission, and doing so in a manner that overcomes evil is the only battle to be waged. Please give us all your wisdom to do so. Amen.