All Honor to Our Warrior King of Glory…Alone
The battle belongs to the Lord (1 Sam 17:47), for Yahweh is strong and mighty in battle (Ps 24:8). He is the warrior King of glory, who hardens the hearts of His enemies, to show them no mercy (Jos 11:20). He confuses His adversaries and routs them before His people. These, He delivers with His strong right arm (1 Sam 7:10; 14:23). He is the Lord our God, who helps us to fight our battles (2 Chron 32:8). The victory belongs to the Lord (Prv 21:31).
We live in an age of wars and rumors of wars (Mt 24:6), for our adversary is a destroyer of men’s lives (Jer 4:7; 6:26; 1 Pet 5:8). He is armed with cruel hate, but Satan and his legions are sent from the sovereign Lord (Jer 22:7; 51:1; Is 54:6), to accomplish His sovereign will, for He is a God of recompense (Jer 51:56). He repays those who grumble against Him and resist Him (1 Cor 10:10).
There remains a terrible day of the Lord, in the future (Mal 4:5), for the day of the Lord is coming (Joel 2:1). It will be like no other day the world has ever seen, nor will see again (Mk 13:19). It is a day of vengeance (Is 62:1), a unique day which is only known to the Lord (Zech 14:7).
On this day of war and wrath, God will gather his enemies (Joel 3:2), as one gathers the chaff on the day of harvest. The angels will reap, and the wicked will be gathered and burned with eternal fire at the end of the age (Mt 13:39–42; 18:8; 25:41; Jude 1:7).
Our warrior King, who is Faithful and True (Rev 19:11), will purge the heavens and the earth with fire, intense heat, so that every element will melt (2 Pet 3:10–12). He is the Destroyer of the destroyers (Is 33:1). How then should we live?
In light of our Lord Jesus Christ’s victory over sin, death, the world, and the devil at the cross — we must ascribe all honor and glory to the One who has sat down at the right hand of majesty (Ps 110:1), whom God the Father has crowned with honor and glory (Heb 2:7; 2 Pet 1:17). All the living creatures, in heaven, give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne (Rev 4:9, 11) — the Creator of all things (Col 1:16), that is, the Lamb, who has blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever (Rev 5:12–13).
Surely, the people of the earth will join all of heaven, in praise to the King of glory? No, in truth, the men of war on the earth steal honor and glory, from the only One who leads His people in triumph (2 Cor 2:14), who overcomes the world (Jn 16:33). The men of earth are at enmity with God (Eph 2:16).
Sinful man builds war memorials for himself, to remind him of the earlier days when he and his fathers went out to steal, kill, and destroy. Men accept the praise of men, as if there is any glory in the kind of war they wage. They theorize of their just wars, when they should all be repenting in sackcloth and ashes.
Fighting men are pawns, in the hands of the rich and powerful despots of the earth, who are themselves pawns of the devil (Jn 8:44; 1 Jn 3:10). Special days and special cemeteries are reserved for gratitude. Special ceremonies are set to inspire the next generation of the warrior class, to repeat the exercise, for there is nothing new under the sun (Eccl 1:9). There is always a time for war (Eccl 3:8).
True warriors, however, are those who follow Christ in His triumph (2 Cor 2:14), who fight the good fight of faith (1 Tim 6:12), serving God in the spiritual warfare (Eph 6:10–20), against principalities and powers, against world forces of darkness and wickedness in heavenly places (Eph 6:12).
The equipped man of God, who follows his Victor victorious into battle, has the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God (Eph 6:17). He wields the truth like a double-edged sword (Heb 4:12). He battles to set the captive, elect people of God free from the tyranny of lies.
When the battle is over for the man of God, the servant of our dread Champion (Jer 20:11) — this man will take no honors, nor glory for himself (Lk 17:10; 2 Cor 12:9; Gal 6:14; Heb 3:6). He will not stand in the assembly of the righteous, to pilfer pomp and praise away from His Leader, who is Christ (Mt 23:10). He will deny himself and his pride, exclaiming, “Even after I have done all my duty, I am an unprofitable slave (Lk 17:10).” Instead, he will cast his crown of glory at the feet of the Lamb, saying, “Worthy is the Lamb, to receive all honor and glory! He alone has given us the victory! Hail Him!”
David Norczyk
Spokane Valley, Washington
January 6, 2022
