WISDOM FOR LIVING DEVOTIONAL
JANUARY 17, 2021
TOPIC: CONFUSION IN THE ENEMY’S CAMP
BY T. O. BANSO
“When the three hundred Israelites blew their horns, the LORD caused the warriors in the camp to fight against each other with their swords. Those who were not killed fled to places as far away as Beth-shittah near Zererah and to the border of Abel-meholah near Tabbath” (Judges 7:22 New Living Translation).
God is not just omnipresent, He is omniscient and omnipotent. He is everywhere at the same time. He sees everything and can do anything. His power has no limit. Psalm 147:5 says, “How great is our Lord! His power is absolute! His understanding is beyond comprehension!” (New Living Translation).
Whereas God uses His power positively for His children, He uses the same against their enemies. One of the ways God uses His power against the enemies of His children to favour them is by causing confusion in the camp of their enemies.
We see an instance in the book of Exodus when all Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots, and his horsemen pursued the Israelites into the midst of the Red Sea. God, through Moses, divided the sea for the Israelites to pass through on the dry ground.
Exodus 14:24-25 says, “But early in the morning, the LORD looked down on the Egyptian army from the pillar of fire and cloud, and he threw them into confusion. Their chariot wheels began to come off, making their chariots impossible to drive. ‘Let’s get out of here!’ the Egyptians shouted. ‘The LORD is fighting for Israel against us!’” (New Living Translation). Please take note of that phrase “he threw them into confusion.” They were really in trouble. Their thought of fleeing was too late. They must perish in the sea! God will throw your unrepentant enemies into confusion!
After all the Israelites had safely passed through the Red Sea on dry ground, the LORD commanded Moses to stretch out his hand over the sea so that the waters would come back upon the Egyptians, their chariots, and their horsemen. Moses did, and in the morning, the sea returned to its full depth, while the Egyptians were fleeing into it. The Egyptians all drowned in the sea.
This season, the Lord will throw your stubborn enemies into confusion as He threw the Egyptians into confusion. He will confuse your enemies, as He did with the Tower of Babel. The people had rebelled against His plan and sought to build a city for themselves and a tower, the Tower of Babel, whose top is in the heavens to make a name for themselves so that they would not be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth (Genesis 11:4).
The LORD said, “Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech” (verse 7 King James Version). He confused their language and scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth. They couldn’t continue with the project of building the city and the tower. The Lord will confuse the language of those embarking on any project against your interest and your destiny.
In Exodus 23:27, the LORD promised the Israelites, “I will send My fear before you, I will cause confusion among all the people to whom you come, and will make all your enemies turn their backs to you” (New King James Version). Did you see that word, confusion? God promised He would fight the enemies of the Israelites with confusion, and He did.
Also, in Deuteronomy 7:23-24, Moses spoke about the victory the LORD would grant the Israelites over their enemies if they obeyed Him. He said, “But the LORD your God will hand them over to you. He will throw them into complete confusion until they are destroyed. He will put their kings in your power, and you will erase their names from the face of the earth. No one will be able to stand against you, and you will destroy them all” (New Living Translation). The LORD promised to throw their enemies into complete confusion until they are destroyed. If you, too, obey the Lord, He will throw your enemies into complete confusion.
1 Samuel 7 records a war between the Philistines and the Israelites at Mizpah. The Philistines heard that the Israelites were at Mizpah and the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. Verses 10-11 say, “Just as Samuel was sacrificing the burnt offering, the Philistines arrived for battle. But the LORD spoke with a mighty voice of thunder from heaven, and the Philistines were thrown into such confusion that the Israelites defeated them. The men of Israel chased them from Mizpah to Beth-car, slaughtering them all along the way” (New Living Translation). Again, God threw the enemies into confusion and the Israelites defeated them. He will throw all your unrepentant enemies into confusion in Jesus’ name. You’ll defeat them.
We find another instance in the book of Judges in the time of Gideon. God used Gideon, ‘a loaf of barley bread’ (Judges 7:13) with just 300 soldiers to attack the 15,000 soldiers of Midian who had held the Israelites captives for seven years. Initially, Gideon was reluctant to answer God’s call to lead and deliver Israel. He felt he was not qualified (Judges 6:15).
Eventually, when he answered the call, God reduced his initial army of 32,000 soldiers to 10,000 and finally to 300. God did a great thing through him with this small army. Judges 7:22 says, “When the three hundred Israelites blew their horns, the LORD caused the warriors in the camp to fight against each other with their swords. Those who were not killed fled to places as far away as Beth-shittah near Zererah and to the border of Abel-meholah near Tabbath” (New Living Translation).
You may never know how God will defeat your enemies until you begin to obey Him. God is able to cause confusion in the camp of your enemies or throw them into confusion. They will attack each other. They may even kill one another as it was with the enemies of the people of Judah. In 2 Chronicles 20, the Bible records that three nations came against Judah during the reign of Jehoshaphat but the LORD said they would not need to fight; they should position themselves, stand still and see the salvation of the LORD who was with them (verse 17).
Verses 22-23 say, “Now when they began to sing and to praise, the LORD set ambushes against the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; and they were defeated. For the people of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of Mount Seir to utterly kill and destroy them. And when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, they helped to destroy one another” (New King James Version). Certainly, the enemies didn’t come to the battle to fight one another but Judah. However, when the LORD attacked them with confusion, they ended up killing one another.
When the Israelites got to their camp, they found dead bodies and spent the next three days gathering an abundance of valuables on the dead bodies, and precious jewelry, which they stripped from them. The spoil was so much. Confusion in the enemy’s camp!
The Bible says, “Rise up, O LORD! Let Your enemies be scattered, and let those who hate You flee before You” (Numbers 10:35 New King James Version). Psalm 68:1 says a similar thing, “Let God arise, Let His enemies be scattered; let those also who hate Him flee before Him” (New King James Version).
In 2 Kings 7, when the four lepers entered the camp of the Syrians, they didn’t meet anyone. The Syrians had heard the steps of a great army approaching and fled. But there was really no army. Verses 6-8 says, “For the LORD had caused the army of the Syrians to hear the noise of chariots and the noise of horses — the noise of a great army; so they said to one another, ‘Look, the king of Israel has hired against us the kings of the Hittites and the kings of the Egyptians to attack us!’ Therefore, they arose and fled at twilight, and left the camp intact — their tents, their horses, and their donkeys — and they fled for their lives” (New King James Version). God causes confusion in the enemy’s camp.
In 1 Samuel 14, the Bible records what happened when Jonathan and his armour bearer courageously crawled into the camp of the Philistines, killing twenty men. “Suddenly, panic broke out in the Philistine army, both in the camp and in the field, including even the outposts and raiding parties. And just then an earthquake struck, and everyone was terrified” (verse 15 New Living Translation).
Verse 19 says, “But while Saul was talking to the priest, the shouting and confusion in the Philistine camp grew louder and louder. So Saul said to Ahijah, ‘Never mind; let’s get going!’” (New Living Translation). Did you see that phrase “confusion in the Philistine camp”? It grew louder and louder. But that’s no all. Hear verse 20: “Then Saul and his six hundred men rushed out to the battle and found the Philistines killing each other. There was terrible confusion everywhere” (New Living Translation).
The Bible says the LORD saved Israel that day and the battle continued to rage even out beyond Beth-aven. The Lord will throw all your adamant enemies into confusion and save you. Rather than kill you, they’ll kill one another. You shall not die but live, and declare the works of the LORD (Psalm 118:17).
Who killed boastful Sennacherib when he threatened to attack Jerusalem? 2 Chronicles 32:21 says, “And the LORD sent an angel who destroyed the Assyrian army with all its commanders and officers. So Sennacherib returned home in disgrace to his own land. And when he entered the temple of his god, some of his own sons killed him there with a sword” (New Living Translation).
Isaiah 37:36 actually says the angel killed 185,000 Assyrian soldiers one night. Sennacherib, in confusion, fled home and his sons, Adrammelech and Sharezer, struck him down with the sword in the temple of his god, as if telling him that he and his god were a failure and he wasn’t fit to continue to live having lost 185,000 soldiers at once (verse 38).
God is able to frustrate the devices of the crafty so that they don’t prosper in their enterprise (Job 5:12). David prayed in Psalm 35:4b, “Let those be turned back and brought to confusion who plot my hurt” (New King James Version). In verse 26a, he also prayed, “Let them be ashamed and brought to mutual confusion who rejoice at my hurt” (New King James Version). Mutual confusion!
Again, he prayed a similar prayer for mutual confusion for his enemies in Psalm 40:14a: “Let them be ashamed and brought to mutual confusion who seek to destroy my life” (New King James Version). Mutual confusion! Confusion is a weapon in the hand of God to fight the enemies of His children.
David was not the only one who prayed for confusion for his enemies. Jeremiah did too. He said, “But the LORD is with me as a mighty, awesome One. Therefore my persecutors will stumble, and will not prevail. They will be greatly ashamed, for they will not prosper. Their everlasting confusion will never be forgotten” (Jeremiah 20:11 New King James Version). Everlasting confusion! That’s serious. Your enemy, and not you, will be thrown into confusion as the Lord fights for you.
Zechariah 12:4 says, “‘In that day,’ says the LORD, ‘I will strike every horse with confusion, and its rider with madness; I will open My eyes on the house of Judah, and will strike every horse of the peoples with blindness” (New King James Version). Did you see that word confusion again? It is one of God’s weapons to fight His enemies.
This season, the Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace. He will throw your stubborn enemies into confusion and they won’t know what to do. You shall enjoy total victory in Jesus’ name.
Shalom – nothing missing; nothing broken!
TAKE ACTION!
If you are not born again, you need to give your life to Jesus now. I urge you to take the following steps: *Admit you are a sinner and you cannot save yourself and repent of your sins. *Confess Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. *Renounce your past way of life – your relationship with the devil and his works. *Invite Jesus into your life. *As a mark of seriousness to mature in the faith, start attending a Bible-believing and Bible-teaching church. There they will teach you how to grow in the Kingdom of God.
Kindly say this prayer now: O Lord God, I come unto you today. I know I am a sinner and I cannot save myself. I believe that Jesus is the Son of God who died on the cross to save me and resurrected the third day. I repent of my sins and confess Jesus as my Lord and Saviour. I surrender my life to Jesus now and invite Him into my heart. By this prayer, I know I am saved. Thank you, Jesus, for saving me and making me a child of God.
I believe you have said this prayer from your heart. Congratulations! You will need to join a Bible-believing and Bible-teaching church in your area where they will teach you how to live your new life in Christ Jesus. I pray that you flourish like the palm tree and grow like the cedar of Lebanon. May you grow into Christ in all things and become all God wants you to be. I will be glad to hear from you. The Lord be with you.
PRAYER POINTS: Father, throw all my unrepentant enemies into confusion. Let all my stubborn enemies suffer everlasting confusion that will not be forgotten. Strike every horse with confusion, and its rider with madness. Let the horse and its rider be thrown into the sea.
(For over 400 in-depth and powerful messages by T. O. Banso, visit www.cedarministry.org).
T. O. Banso is the President, Cedar Ministry International, Abuja, Nigeria.
Phone No: +2348155744752, +2348033113523
WhatsApp No: +2349081295947
Email: cedarministryintl@yahoo.com,
cedarministryng@gmail.com
Website: www.cedarministry.org
