Friday, April 27, 2018
Siege warfare

Luke 11:21,22
When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are in peace. But when a stronger than he comes upon him and overcomes him, he takes from him all his armour in which he trusted, and divides his spoils.

Jesus makes this comment about a strong man when He was defending Himself against that attacks and charges of the Pharisees that He has a demon. However, in so doing He made a point about how a fortified or defended property in not simply overrun by an enemy. The protector or defender of that property has to be first disarmed and defeated.

Christians in deliverance ministry often use this construct in casting demons out of someone who is possessed. If it is believed that if there are several demons in the person then the “strong man” or the principal demon among them must be identified and cast out first before the others are dealt with.

Disarming the one who is guarding a property is a basic act of robbing someone of what is theirs. This is true whether individuals, families, business or even countries are being attacked and robbed.

In the old days, when cities were fortified with walls around then, this was often achieved by a siege. A siege took place when the opposing army surrounded the city and built siege works around it. Siege works include mud ramps along the walls and at the gates which the soldiers use to try and create holes in the wall. Soldiers from both sides fight for control of the wall. The fighting is often fierce and many lives were usually lost.

In those days a siege was the most frightening thing that could happen to a city. When an opposing army lays siege to a city they effectively cut off supplies.  If the water source is outside of the city they cut it off by damming or divert the river. If it’s a well they secure or fill in the well. Those laying siege also stopped all trade so no supplies could come in, then they cut off access to farmlands outside of the city, and bring an end to hunting for meat.

Siege warfare was pivotal in many of the more significant battles of the Old Testament – the fall of Samaria bringing an end to the northern Kingdom of Israel was after a siege, the Babylonian attacks on Jerusalem leading to the end of Judah and the exile to Babylon was after a siege, and in between we had these Assyrian attacks, many led by Sennacherib, where they defeated and plundered fortified cities by laying siege against them.

In 2 Kings 19 the Assyrians, led by Sennacherib, was headed to set up a siege against Jerusalem and dared them to trust in God for deliverance. “Thus you shall speak to Hezekiah king of Judah, saying: ‘Do not let your God in whom you trust deceive you, saying, “Jerusalem shall not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.” Look! You have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands by utterly destroying them; and shall you be delivered? Have the gods of the nations delivered those whom my fathers have destroyed, Gozan and Haran and Rezeph, and the people of Eden who were in Telassar? Where is the king of Hamath, the king of Arpad, and the king of the city of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivah?’” 2 Kings 19:10-13

Sometimes the enemy lays siege works up against our lives, our families, our businesses, our church, and dares us to trust in God for deliverance.

We need to be looking for the signs of the possible siege. Sometimes we see our resources or supply being cut off. Recurring illness in an individual or among members of a family. Sometimes a series of deaths in the family. Other times a string of unfortunate events that people just refer to as “bad luck.” The siege might also be experienced through the difficulties holding down jobs or getting jobs, or through repeated failure. Other times the resources come but, as we say, ‘you get paid under the fan’ for the money quickly goes. Look for the gloom, look for that feeling that all I can do now is give up, look for the feeling that I cannot try anymore.

The enemy has this way of seeking to cut off our flow, our resources, our joy, our freedom, our progress, our dreams, and our visions. He seeks to cut them off and bring us down slowly until we start looking back at the ruins and regrets. If he could succeed at us, that everything that we have worked for is gone. We’d be like the strong man bound.

Let’s go back to Hezekiah who is in fear for his life, his family, his city, and his nation. 46 cities in Judah have fallen to the Assyrians led by Sennacherib and now Jerusalem is the last bastion and the messengers of darkness have come to announce that this is the end for them.

Hezekiah went into the presence of God while the armies of Assyria were arrayed in the battlefield. They were moving their weapon systems and their soldiers towards Jerusalem. They had weakened the nation, Judah was ripe for the picking the demons of hell were celebrating as their pawns were doing their bidding, and then Hezekiah responded to them in the temple.

Jesus said that the strong man is undone when he trusts in his own resources which are inadequate in the face of someone stronger. Hezekiah shows us that success, in the war and the breaking of the siege, is a function of God’s intervention in the face of the threat.

Think on these things:

1. Do you feel like your family, or business, or church is under siege and that every effort to push forward is being thwarted?
2. Do you observe a pattern in which resources are being depleted and you cannot easily account for what is taking place?
3. Do you feel so defeated that you have thought of giving up and not trying anymore?

Prayer focus:

Let us pray today that we would trust God for our deliverance despite any negative things we have observed or we are being told.

In His Grace
Pastor Alex