To see our Lord as a “mighty warrior.” It seems very...old testament, very old, very antiquated, somewhat distant from how we relate to the Lord in our daily twenty-first century lives.
A MIGHTY warrior. It brings out images of brute strength, of war, of swords and shields, of armour and cavalry.
When reading or watching the atrocities being committed overseas by terrorists in Nairobi or Syria, it is not hard to imagine a righteous and mighty warrior setting things right with the wave of a sword. It appeals to that part of me that craves instant justice but not the part of me that understands that everlasting justice did not come to Earth as a sword but as Jesus. A man who when confronted with the sword chose peace, a man who met death and conquered it. A mighty warrior whose weapon was compassion, whose armour was understanding.
This passage implores Israel, and by proxy all of us, to sing and rejoice because the battle has already been fought for us and won. That can be difficult sometimes when we continue to battle one another and we know there’s so much work left to do. But I count it as a great blessing to know that our faith will be rewarded with a victory of a peace.
- Doug Branson(2013)