Sunday March 31: 26 Adar II
It was on this day in 1948 that Operation Nachshon, Haggadah’s first large-scale offensive began. This was a military operation designed to break the Arab siege of Jerusalem by opening the road that ran between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. Furthermore, it was intended to conquer and possess the land that had been allotted to Israel by the U.N. partition of November 1947. This operation was an integral part of the fight for Israeli Independence.
It’s pretty common that God’s people have to fight for what He has promised them. When Israel left Egypt, the Scripture says, they left in marching ranks, or “orderly ranks” (Ex. 13:18). In other words, they went out as an army, equipped for battle. Actually, they were referred to as armies, in Exodus 12:41. Why would they need to be an army? Because when they got into the wilderness, they had to face and fight the Amalekites. When they entered the land of Canaan, they had to face and fight the inhabitants of the land.
For some, it’s hard to fathom that the “God of love” calls upon His people to fight. In fact, on most occasions, Christ urged His disciples and those who followed Him to use constraint, to “turn the other cheek, and “put away your sword.” But there is one time that He said this:
“When I sent you without money bag, knapsack, and sandals, did you lack anything? So they said, “Nothing.” Then He said to them, “But now, he who has a money bag, let him take it, and likewise a knapsack; and he who has no sword, let him sell his garment and buy one.”
What did He mean by that? Perhaps it’s debatable as to what He truly meant, but allow me to offer a suggestion. Sometimes, we must fight for what has been promised to us. I’m suggesting any kind of armed struggle aggression as the world would fight but, seeing that you and I are in a spiritual war, we had better arm ourselves and learn how to fight. If we are to overcome, we had better have our sword in hand. The adversary is not threatened by our religious trappings and position in the congregation. But when we know the Word – when the Word is in us – and we live by that Word, our prayers will touch the heart of God and we will see the enemy flee. For the sake of our families, our communities and our nation, we must learn to fight in order to possess God’s promises.
When we move out in faith, believing that victory is already ours, that’s an expression of confidence in the fact that God has already fought the battle for us, and has prevailed. When we have that level of faith and confidence in Him, we could be like David who, standing before Goliath, said this:
“This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you. And this day I will give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. Then all this assembly shall know that the Lord does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord’s, and He will give you into our hands.” (1 Samuel 17:46-47)
We do have to fight, but the battle has already been won. Maybe He requires that we fight just to see who actually believes it.
Siku ya Jumapili, Machi 31, mwaka wa 1948 ilikuwa siku ya kwanza kwa jeshi la Israeli kuanza operesheni ya Nahshon, ambayo ilifanyika katika mji wa Haggadah. Utaratibu huo ulifanywa ili kuvunja kuzingirwa kwa Yerusalemu na Waarabu kwa kufungua barabara iliyokuwa kati ya Tel Aviv na Yerusalemu. Kwa kuongezea, ilikuwa na kusudi la kushinda na kumiliki nchi iliyokuwa imegawanywa kwa Israeli na mgawanyiko wa Umoja wa Mataifa wa Novemba 1947. Operesheni hiyo ilikuwa sehemu muhimu ya mapambano ya uhuru wa Israeli. Ni jambo la kawaida sana kwamba watu wa Mungu wanapaswa kupigana kwa ajili ya yale ambayo Mungu amewaahidi. Wakati Waisraeli walipoondoka Misri, Maandiko yanasema, waliondoka katika safu za maandamano, au "safu zilizoamriwa" (Kutoka 1:8). 13:18) Ni nini? Kwa maneno mengine, waliondoka wakiwa jeshi, wakiwa wamepangwa vita. "Kwa kweli, ""majeshi"" ni neno linalotumiwa katika Kutoka 12:4." Kwa nini wahitaji kuwa jeshi? Walipokuwa jangwani, walilazimika kupigana na Waamaleki. Walipoingia katika nchi ya Kanaani, walipaswa kukabiliana na wakazi wa nchi hiyo na kupigana nao. Kwa wengine, ni vigumu kufahamu kwamba "Mungu wa upendo" anawaita watu wake wapigane. "Kwa kweli, mara nyingi Kristo aliwahimiza wanafunzi wake na wale waliomfuata kutumia nguvu, ""kuelekeza shavu lingine"" na ""kuweka kinga upanga wako."" 11 Lakini mara moja alisema hivi: ""Nilipowatuma bila mfuko wa pesa, mkoba, wala viatu, je, mlikosa chochote?" "Wakasema, ""Hakuna."" 21 Basi akawaambia, ""Lakini sasa, mwenye mfuko wa pesa, na amchukue, na vilevile mkoba; na asiye na upanga, na auze vazi lake, na kununua upanga.""" Labda ni jambo la kubishaniwa kuhusu kile alichomaanisha kwa kweli, lakini niruhusu nitoe pendekezo. Nyakati nyingine, ni lazima tupigane kwa ajili ya kile ambacho kimehakikishwa kwetu. """Ninaonyesha aina yoyote ya mapambano ya silaha kama ulimwengu ungepigana, lakini, kwa kuona kwamba wewe na mimi tuko katika vita vya kiroho, ni bora tujiunge na silaha na kujifunza jinsi ya kupigana." Kama tunataka kushinda, ni afadhali tuwe na upanga wetu mkononi. "Mshambuliaji hatatishwa na mavazi yetu ya kidini na cheo chetu katika kutaniko.""" Lakini tunapolijua Neno - wakati Neno likiwa ndani yetu - na tunaishi kwa Neno hilo, sala zetu zitagusa moyo wa Mungu na tutaona adui akikimbia. Kwa ajili ya familia zetu, jamii zetu na taifa letu, ni lazima tujifunze kupigana ili kupata ahadi za Mungu. Tunapokimbia kwa imani, tukiamini kwamba ushindi tayari ni wetu, hiyo ni usemi wa imani katika ukweli kwamba Mungu tayari amepigana vita kwa ajili yetu, na ameshinda. "Tunapokuwa na imani na imani katika Mungu, tunaweza kuwa kama Daudi, ambaye alisimama mbele ya Goliathi na kusema, ""Siku hii Bwana atakutia mkononi mwangu, nami nitakupiga na kukutenganisha na kichwa chako.""" "16 ""Siku hii nitawapa ndege wa angani na wanyama wa porini maiti za kambi ya Wafilisti, ili dunia yote ijue kwamba kuna Mungu katika Israeli." "Kisha mkutano huu wote utajua ya kuwa Bwana haokoi kwa upanga wala mkuki; kwa kuwa vita ni vya Bwana, naye atakutia mikononi mwetu."" (1 Samweli 17:46-47) Ni lazima tupigane, lakini vita vimeshindwa." Labda anahitaji tupigane ili tuone ni nani anayemwamini.