God Our Captain
Today’s Verse:
And, behold, God himself is with us for our captain, and his priests with sounding trumpets to cry alarm against you. O children of Israel, fight ye not against the LORD God of your fathers; for ye shall not prosper. ~2 Chronicles 13:12
When we think about military rank, a general is generally considered the highest-ranking officer. However, the classification of captain was revered and respected as high ranking in the Bible as well. A captain held rank as a leader and decision maker. He possessed great influence and led large numbers of men to battle. A captain was a soldier and warrior himself, but also carried a strategic role in planning and execution. Abijah said, “God himself is with us for our captain.” He was saying that God is the One in charge of us. Let us see how God is our Captain.
He’s the Captain of our salvation.
“For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.” As Captain of our salvation, He is the Originator and Finisher of our faith. There is no salvation apart from Him. He’s the God of salvation. Salvation is all of grace. “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves.” Salvation is the free gift of God. Salvation is through the name of Jesus. “Neither is there salvation in any other….” Without God as the Captain of our salvation, we are without hope.
He’s the Captain in our sojourn.
A sojourn is our travels in this life. It means we are not permanent dwellers in this world: we are just passing through. As our Captain, He is the One in front and leading us. We must trust Him in His leading. Abraham was called out to country he did not know, but he followed. Where ever He leads us, we must follow. We must obey Him in His leading. Abraham was told to offer up his only son Isaac as a sacrifice, and he willingly obeyed without question. Thankfully, God was testing Abraham and did not require Isaac’s life. Our sojourn is the journey God takes us on in His perfect will.
He’s the Captain to Whom we submit.
“And he said, Nay; but as captain of the host of the LORD am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my lord unto his servant?” Joshua had earned his way as the captain of the Lord’s people. However, before Jericho could be conquered, he needed to be in complete submission to the Lord. The test of our faithfulness is in our submission. It is doing what we are supposed to do God’s way and not our way. Abijah acknowledged without any reservation that God Himself is with us for our Captain. He was in submission to the Lord.
He’s the Captain in our struggles.
Abijah had a standoff with Jeroboam. In life, we will face many battles. Satan, the world, and the flesh oppose us constantly. We must realize that we must let God fight for us. Abijah made it clear that God was in charge of Judah and its armies. When conflict ensued, God gave Abijah a decisive victory. It was very clear which side had the right Captain fighting for them. God Himself is with us for our Captain.
Is God with you as your Captain? Will you allow Him to lead you? Will you let Him fight your battles?
Have a victorious God Morning!
Bible Reading Schedule: Esther 6-10