“This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies has declared: I have decided to settle accounts with the nation of Amalek for opposing Israel when they came from Egypt. Now go and completely destroy the entire Amalekite nation…”
1 Samuel 15:2-3
The Israelites had finally left years of merciless bondage, only to be attacked in the desert when they were most vulnerable. God was so upset with the Amalekites for such treachery that He vowed to erase their memory from under heaven!
Listen to God’s heartfelt description of the enemy’s cruelty: They attacked when you were exhausted and weary, they struck down those who were straggling behind, and they had no fear of God. (Deut. 25:17) Now, some 400 years later, God still remembered, and told Saul it was time to settle accounts with the enemy that dared to mess with HIS people!
The type of people God defended back then are the same kind for whom HE fights today--those coming out of the bondage of sin, those taking first baby steps toward freedom, those exhausted and weary, and those straggling behind. If ANYONE dares to mess with those special people, they will have GOD to deal with!
How do I treat those new to the freedom journey? If they still look like poor slaves, if they struggle to believe God’s promises, or if they straggle behind, do I attack them with criticism at their most vulnerable time? I need to remember that GOD strongly defends His newest kids!
So, if I'm on God's side, then I better defend my new siblings as well!
