801_God fights for His people (Ezekiel 38-39)
Ezekiel 38: 17-23 “Thus says the Lord God: Are you he of whom I spoke in former days by my servants the prophets of Israel, who in those days prophesied for years that I would bring you against them? 18 But on that day, the day that Gog shall come against the land of Israel, declares the Lord God, my wrath will be roused in my anger. 19 For in my jealousy and in my blazing wrath I declare, On that day there shall be a great earthquake in the land of Israel. 20 The fish of the sea and the birds of the heavens and the beasts of the field and all creeping things that creep on the ground, and all the people who are on the face of the earth, shall quake at my presence. And the mountains shall be thrown down, and the cliffs shall fall, and every wall shall tumble to the ground. I will summon a sword against Gog on all my mountains, declares the Lord God. Every man’s sword will be against his brother. 22 With pestilence and bloodshed I will enter into judgment with him, and I will rain upon him and his hordes and the many peoples who are with him torrential rains and hailstones, fire and sulfur. 23 So I will show my greatness and my holiness and make myself known in the eyes of many nations. Then they will know that I am the Lord.
Imagine standing on a battlefield with the enemy approaching from every direction. You look at the size of the opposing army, and suddenly you realize that there is no human strategy that can save you. There is nowhere to retreat and no strength of your own that is sufficient. And then you hear the words, “The battle is not yours. It belongs to God.”
Those words are at the heart of Ezekiel 38 and 39. These chapters describe a time when the people of Israel have been restored to their land and are living securely. They have been gathered from many nations and God has restored His relationship with them. And then, suddenly, a great enemy appears. Gog and his armies come against the land to plunder and destroy.
But what makes these chapters so remarkable is not primarily the size of the invading army. It is the repeated declaration of what God Himself will do. Again and again we hear the words, “I will.” God says, “I will turn you about,” “I will bring you out,” “I will bring you against my land,” and “I will summon a sword against Gog.” The armies may appear to be moving according to their own plans, but behind the events stands the sovereign hand of God.
And when we step back and look at the larger section beginning in Ezekiel 33, we see how this final message fits into the whole story. Israel had lost the land because of her disobedience. The people had gone into exile because they had turned away from God. But God promised that this would not be the end of their story. In chapter 34, He promised to become their true Shepherd. In chapters 36 and 37, He promised to restore them, cleanse them, give them new life, and reunite them under one Shepherd and King. And then, in chapters 38 and 39, when the restored people are threatened once again, God Himself intervenes.
In other words, God does not simply restore His people and then leave them to protect themselves. What He begins, He brings to completion. What He promises, He fulfills. What He restores, He defends.
All of scripture reveals this. When Israel stood trapped between the Red Sea and Pharaoh’s army, there seemed to be no escape. Moses told the frightened people in Exodus 14:14, “The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.” Israel did not defeat Egypt through superior military strength. God opened the sea, delivered His people, and destroyed their enemy. And the Egyptians realized that He was the LORD.
Again, in the days of King Jehoshaphat, a vast army came against Judah, too strong to counter. The king prayed, “We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you” (2 Chronicles 20:12). God’s answer was astonishing: “The battle is not yours but God’s” (2 Chronicles 20:15). The people went out as they were commanded, but their confidence was not in their own strength. God Himself gave them the victory.
David expressed the same confidence when he stood before Goliath. Everyone else saw the giant and measured David against him. David saw the giant and measured him against God. He declared, “The battle is the LORD’s” (1 Samuel 17:47). The issue was not how huge Goliath was, but rather, the greatness of God in comparison to Goliath with his puny words of defiance.
And so Ezekiel repeats this truth. The nations may gather, armies may advance, and human beings may imagine that they are in control of history. But they are never outside the sovereignty of God. In Ezekiel 38:23, God declares, “So I will show my greatness and my holiness and make myself known in the eyes of many nations. Then they will know that I am the LORD.”
His purpose is not simply to destroy his enemies, but to reveal himself to the nations. His intervention reveals His greatness, His holiness, His sovereignty and His faithfulness.
And so, in Revelation 19, the nations gather in opposition to Christ. Yet John does not show us two equal powers struggling to determine the outcome. There is only one victor. Christ appears as the rider on the white horse, and His name is “Faithful and True.” On His robe and thigh is written, “King of kings and Lord of lords.” The beast and the kings of the earth are defeated, and the enemies of God cannot prevent the reign of Christ.
Revelation 20 shows us another final rebellion, associated with the name Gog and Magog. Once again the enemies of God gather against His people. But the description of their defeat is remarkably simple: “Fire came down from heaven and consumed them.” The throne of God is never threatened even by Satan’s final rebellion, which ends with God’s decisive judgment.
And so across the ages, the great truth remains unmistakable: the final victory belongs to God. Evil may be permitted to rise for a time, but it will never have the final word.
And it remains true in our personal struggles. We may never be surrounded by the armies of Gog, but the feeling is familiar. There are circumstances in which we don’t know what to do. There are situations in which our own strength seems completely inadequate. There may be opposition, uncertainty, injustice, temptation or fear that makes us wonder how we will get through.
At such moments, the promise is not that we will never have enemies. Rather, scripture assures us that our enemies have no authority over us. Romans 8:31 declares, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” It is not that nobody will oppose us. But with God on our side, nobody can defeat God’s purposes for us.
The greatest demonstration that God fights for His people is at the cross. When Jesus was crucified, it appeared that His enemies had won. Yet the truth was that God had just accomplished his saving purpose. Christ rose from the grave, having conquered death, and, as Colossians 2:15 says, “disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them.”
We do not need to live in fear. Human governments or hostile authorities do not have the final say. Our enemies are not in control, nor is Satan. God rules over all.
And that is why Philippians 2 points us toward the great conclusion of history: “God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name.” And the day will come when “every knee should bow” and “every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
So let us hold to this truth: the battle may be beyond our strength, but it is never beyond God’s power. We may not know what tomorrow holds, but God does. We may see enemies gathering, but we know who sits upon the throne.
Let us therefore do what Jehoshaphat did: when we do not know what to do, let us cry to God. Let him tell us what to do. As Moses told Israel, he may tell us to stand firm and trust the Lord. Or we may be called to live like David, not measuring our God by the size of our problems, but measuring our problems by the greatness of our God.
The God who fought for Israel, the God who delivered His people, the God who raised Christ from the dead, holds His people in His hands. He will accomplish His purposes, and the final victory belongs to Him. God bless.
Take a few moments to reflect on these questions
What circumstances in your life currently make you feel surrounded or powerless, and how does the truth that “the battle is the LORD’s” change the way you should face them?
Why do you think God repeatedly emphasizes in Ezekiel 38–39 that He Himself will act, rather than allowing Israel to claim the victory as their own?
How can you practically demonstrate trust in God’s sovereignty when you do not understand what He is doing or how He will bring about His purposes?
Let us pray
Heavenly Father, you fight for Your people and nothing can frustrate Your purposes. You remind us to see our circumstances in the light of Your greatness rather than measuring Your greatness by our circumstances. I will trust You when I feel surrounded, I will cling to you when I face opposition, and I will trust your sovereign control when I cannot see what You are doing. I surrender my fears, for you are my Lord and in you I have confidence. In Jesus Christ’s name. Amen