No one can give time and energy to every cause, good though it may be. No one can possibly enter every single battle, let alone win them all. As noble a goal as it is, no one person is going to be able to help right every wrong. It's important, then, for us to discern in which causes and battles we should be engaged.
A story in the Old Testament can give us some instruction. (II Samuel 2:18-23) Joab, Abishai, and Asahel were King David's nephews, sons of his sister Zeruiah. All three were engaged in the war being fought against the house of Saul. Asahel was known for being an especially swift runner; he was like a gazelle. Fueled by anger or pride, he began chasing Abner, the commander of Saul's forces. What a trophy this would be to take back to his fellow soldiers: Abner, either dead or alive! He might be credited with winning the war, securing the kingdom for David, practically single-handed! Although Asahel was one of David's special group of thirty "mighty men," his fighting skill was undoubtedly less than that of the experienced soldier he was pursuing. Along the way, he paid no attention to opportunities to take other prisoners; his eyes were on Abner only. He chased after the officer relentlessly, not stopping for anything.
Abner looked back and saw someone coming after him. He called out, "Is that you, Asahel?"
"Yes, it is!"
"Go fight someone else!" Abner warned. "Take on one of the younger men to your right or left and strip him of his weapons." Knowing the young soldier was no match for his own experience, he offered an alternate action of safety and honor. He did not ask the young man to disgrace himself by dropping his pursuit entirely, but only to take on a cause more suited to his strength. It would appear to anyone watching that he had chased some other person, not Abner himself.
Asahel perhaps thought Abner's suggestion was made from fear, as they were now close enough to call back and forth to one another. This may even have fired his determination to disarm the general and take him prisoner, or else to kill him in hand-to-hand combat. Asahel continued his chase.
Abner shouted to him again. "Get away from here!" he begged. "I don't want to kill you! Don't make me do that! How could I face your brother Joab again?" Whether he respected Joab or feared him, he did not want to anger him. If Asahel did not turn aside, Abner would have to kill or be killed.
Asahel refused to turn back, and Abner thrust backward with the butt end of his spear, a move so powerful that the spear was driven all the way through the young soldier's body. He stumbled to the ground and died on the spot. Everyone that came by stopped and stood still when they saw Asahel, the ambitious young soldier lying there.
He was brave. He was determined. He was fighting a noble cause. And he was dead.
It is poor strategy for us to take on causes just because we are eager to do so. Fighting battles just to show our strength or ability—like who is "boss" here or who is "right"—are seldom effective in the long run. A "death-blow" can come from the direction we least expect it if we engage in conflict that we were not meant to enter.
When facing their enemies, kings and commanders in the Scripture would ask of the Lord, "Shall we enter the battle?" And God would tell them that they should and He would give victory, or He would tell then not to for they would meet with defeat. We are confronted on all sides with issues: family relationships, church decisions, community actions, political questions, social problems. We cannot possibly be involved in all of them. God will help us to choose the battles where we will be most effective for the cause of Christ, and to have a clear conscience concerning the rest.
Marjorie
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