The battles of the Bible reveal a combative side of Christianity, however they can also introduce you to the many courageous figures who fought for what they believed in.
If you ever battled through a tough time or struggled to achieve something important to you, you may have turned to the Bible for the inspiration you needed to reach victory.
Such figures include the only two female warriors mentioned in the Bible: Deborah, a judge who led a counterattack against Jabin, and Jael, who killed the fierce warrior, Sisera. In both cases, the quick thinking and unconquerable faith of these women led to unlikely victories. In a time where females rarely played a leading role, these two warriors demonstrated that strength and strategy are not just for the guys.
Battlegrounds
As you may know, the Old Testament is an epic battleground packed with heroes like Moses, who freed the Israelites from slavery after defeating a powerful Pharaoh, and David, a young boy who killed the terrifying giant, Goliath. What many of these heroes have in common is that they were able to defeat forces much larger than themselves, helped along by their faith and convictions.
Take Barak, who was pitted against insurmountable odds when he fought the Canaanites. Though the enemy had numerous and experienced soldiers with superior weapons, Barak’s faith prevailed to help his troops win the battle. Another example is Gideon, who defeated the Midianites with a relatively small army of 300 soldiers. Remembering these underdog stories can be encouraging during times when the odds seem insurmountably stacked against you.
Weaponry
The battles of the Bible are all the more impressive when you consider the resources and weaponry of the time. Typically, soldiers were divided into four groups: spearmen, swordsmen, archers, and slingers. Using primitive handheld weapons, arrows, projectiles, or sometimes little more than their unshakable faith, biblical soldiers waged wars against enemies like kings and giants.
In the case of Samson vs. the Philistines, Samson was said to have killed 1,000 men using only the jawbone of a donkey! Time and again, these battles proved that small groups of people with strong convictions could defeat powerful armies.
The Christian faith has come a long way since the bloody battles of biblical times, but the lessons learned in these conflicts live on for many Christians. If you’re interested in pursuing your knowledge of biblical history, or if you’d like to see where your faith can take you, check out some of the Christian colleges dedicated to spreading the lessons of the Bible while helping you prepare for life’s large and small battles!
