The Power of Panic

The Power of Panic
Words of Faith 9-27-24
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2024
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL
www.faithfellowshipweb.com
<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><

1 Samuel 14
[15] Then panic struck the whole army—those in the camp and field, and those in the outposts and raiding parties—and the ground shook. It was a panic sent by God. [16] Saul's lookouts at Gibeah in Benjamin saw the army melting away in all directions. [17] Then Saul said to the men who were with him, "Muster the forces and see who has left us." When they did, it was Jonathan and his armor-bearer who were not there. [18] Saul said to Ahijah, "Bring the ark of God." (At that time it was with the Israelites.) [19] While Saul was talking to the priest, the tumult in the Philistine camp increased more and more. So Saul said to the priest, "Withdraw your hand." [20] Then Saul and all his men assembled and went to the battle. They found the Philistines in total confusion, striking each other with their swords. [21] Those Hebrews who had previously been with the Philistines and had gone up with them to their camp went over to the Israelites who were with Saul and Jonathan. [22] When all the Israelites who had hidden in the hill country of Ephraim heard that the Philistines were on the run, they joined the battle in hot pursuit. [23] So the Lord rescued Israel that day, and the battle moved on beyond Beth Aven.

Word must have quickly spread about the slaughter of twenty Philistines by just one warrior and an armor bearer. Panic broke out among the Philistines and decimated the huge, highly armed force. There was confusion, and this great army turned against one another!
There is a temptation to conclude that the skilled guerilla tactics of Jonathan and his companion struck such fear in the Philistines that their forces disassembled before the eyes of the Israelites. We might even think of Special Ops tactics or snipers whose long-range skills terrify the enemy and paralyze them in the field. These are not bad comparisons, but the truth is that Jonathan, with the strength of the Lord and the support of his armor bearer, won an amazing victory. But they did so with the power of God. God had caused panic, and it was a powerful weapon.
We need to know that the same God that calms a storm or settles a heart in the worst of circumstances is also able to cause panic in the hearts of men that is unequaled. Many of the terrified enemy soldiers scattered in all directions, "melting away." This is a vivid metaphor describing a full retreat. Modern warriors call this "Psy-ops" or psychological operations. God actually invented it.
In Deuteronomy 7:23, God declared-- But the Lord your God will deliver them over to you, throwing them into great confusion until they are destroyed. The best battle is the one you do not have to fight because the enemy fights itself and destroys itself. That is what happened as the Philistines became filled with fear and total "confusion." The result was brother wielding sword against brother.
When this happened, Saul called for a census and discovered that his son Jonathan was missing. Rather than go out in a rescue party, he gathered everyone and sought the blessing of God through the offerings of the priest and the power of the Ark.. Still, Saul apparently changed his mind about the need to make use of the Ark and told the priest to stop the ritual proceedings. Together with his men, he then marched into battle without the benefit of priestly blessing of any kind.
The Hebrew expression translated "So the LORD rescued Israel that day" is a verbatim quotation of Exodus 14:30 in the narrative of the Red Sea. There is a deliberate emphasis on the importance of Saul's victory while also giving all the glory to God.
The big point here is that God is perfectly capable of winning a battle by turning the enemies of God against one another in a panic. But God's Word also tells us that the Lord will allow a similar confusion and panic among the people of God when we fail to honor Him and worship Him. In Deuteronomy 28:20, the Lord declared-- The Lord will send on you curses, confusion and rebuke in everything you put your hand to until you are destroyed and come to sudden ruin because of the evil you have done in forsaking him.
We must take great care not to forsake the way of the Lord.
It is interesting that one of the most prevalent commands from the Lord is "Fear Not." We are called to honor the Lord God and, in doing so, will fear not. We will panic not. We will not turn against our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. The enemy of God loves to divide the people of God against one another in fear. It is a favorite ploy of Satan to divide the Body of Christ and set brother against brother. But the victory of God's people will have nothing of it.

Dear Lord, draw me close to You. Cause peace to reign in my life as I surrender to You and trust in Your ways. Cause my enemy to fear and panic. Bring me into a perfect peace as I rest in Your victory. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< ><> <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><
© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2024
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)
2820 Business Center Blvd.
Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
SUBSCRIPTIONS - To receive the Words of Faith devotion five days a week, send an e-mail message addressed to join-words-of-faith@hub.xc.org. To stop receiving Words of Faith, send an e-mail message addressed to unsubscribe-words-of-faith@hub.xc.org. The daily devotion and archive are posted at https://www.faithfellowshipweb.com/blog
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail, excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2024 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.