20:1-4 Let's read these first four verses before delving into them:
1 “When you go out to battle against your enemies, and see horses and chariots and people more numerous than you, do not be afraid of them; for the Lord your God is with you, who brought you up from the land of Egypt. 2 So it shall be, when you are on the verge of battle, that the priest shall approach and speak to the people. 3 And he shall say to them, ‘Hear, O Israel: Today you are on the verge of battle with your enemies. Do not let your heart faint, do not be afraid, and do not tremble or be terrified because of them; 4 for the Lord your God is He who goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.’"
In the moment when you are looking an enemy or situation in the eye and you feel fear, you must lower your gates and let God flood in. We are all familiar with this type of moment: staring out at the army approaching and feeling more deficient than you have ever felt. Well, God has professed to us that when we are weakest, He is strongest, 2 Corinthians 12:10. So the more negativity that gathers and froths around us, the more powerful God becomes on our behalf. Our great fear is assuaged and defended by our Greater God.
I am with you, always. Jesus tells us that we are supported by the strength, love and presence of Him, God and the Holy spirit: Matthew 28:20. If hearing that God is with you is not enough affirmation here in this book of Deuteronomy... keep reading. Start over. It's written throughout. When you choose God, you will never be alone.
On the verge of a battle, do not be afraid. Do not tremble or be terrified. You are so loved. Lay down your fear. Lay down your weapons. Lay yourself down before the feet of God. Give Him the reigns. Our submission to God releases us into freedom and strength. We are wholly unfit for managing our lives but God is perfect for the job. And He's offering to do it. He sees the whole battle and with a figurative flick, He can send it the other way.
20:5 Exempt from the literal battle would be those who had just purchased and settled into a new home. God places a high emphasis on family; the connections of familial love are always prioritized over war.
20:6 Exempt from the literal battle would be farmers who had been working for years to cultivate a harvest. Farmers are a priority as they produce the means on which the tribes live.
20:7 Exempt from the literal battle are those who are about to undergo a wedding. The unification of two, a faithful connected under God, enabled a family to establish itself.
20:8 Whoever was afraid to enter the battle was not required to go. Only those who had complete faith in God were necessary for the battle. God does not need numbers to win a battle. Through our faith, even one individual, can accomplish the impossible.
20:9 The captains of the armies would then continue on in battle without the aforementioned exempt groups of the able-bodied.
20:10-11 As God's children, we are a triumphant army. Under His command, we win every battle. At the beginning of every battle, the children of Israel are told to offer peace. For God does not engage in war for power or selfish reason -- God's end game, end goal is for peace. If a place and people are willing to negotiate peace without warfare, they are encouraged and invited to do so.
20:12-13 Yet if the offer of peace is rejected, the children of Israel (and we) are given the command to proceed. Our mission is to eliminate evil from all aspects of life, with or without permission from the perpetrators.
20:14-15 The women, children and goods of a city are not to be taken down in battle. Yet God has declared that those people become the responsibility (like property) of the children of Israel. They are meant to be treated justly and taught to assimilate to the faith. For if God enters a battle with a nation, it is because of evil.
20:16-18 Moses is clear in this verse, however, that the entire population must be removed from this promised land. Remember that this command comes from God because of the cities evil, rather than because of the children of Israel's goodness, Deuteronomy 9:5. Nothing of their lifestyle can remain because God knows that the children of Israel will begin to participate in their corrupt practices.
20:19-20 The children of Israel are told not to destroy the good, food-giving trees of the lands they are conquering. There is metaphor in this, the good is to be left alone. For good-fruit is life-giving. Yet anything bad, any bad tree which does not bear good fruit, can be cut down.
