Deuteronomy 20:1-20
1 When thou goest out to battle against thine enemies, and seest horses, and chariots, and a people more than thou, be not afraid of them: for the LORD thy God is with thee, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.
2 And it shall be, when ye are come nigh unto the battle, that the priest shall approach and speak unto the people,
3 And shall say unto them, Hear, O Israel, ye approach this day unto battle against your enemies: let not your hearts faint,a fear not, and do not tremble, neither be ye terrified because of them;
4 For the LORD your God is he that goeth with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.
5 And the officers shall speak unto the people, saying, What man is there that hath built a new house, and hath not dedicated it? let him go and return to his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man dedicate it.
6 And what man is he that hath planted a vineyard, and hath not yet eatenb of it? let him also go and return unto his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man eat of it.
7 And what man is there that hath betrothed a wife, and hath not taken her? let him go and return unto his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man take her.
8 And the officers shall speak further unto the people, and they shall say, What man is there that is fearful and fainthearted? let him go and return unto his house, lest his brethren's heart faintc as well as his heart.
9 And it shall be, when the officers have made an end of speaking unto the people, that they shall make captains of the armies to leadd the people.
10 When thou comest nigh unto a city to fight against it, then proclaim peace unto it.
11 And it shall be, if it make thee answer of peace, and open unto thee, then it shall be, that all the people that is found therein shall be tributaries unto thee, and they shall serve thee.
12 And if it will make no peace with thee, but will make war against thee, then thou shalt besiege it:
13 And when the LORD thy God hath delivered it into thine hands, thou shalt smite every male thereof with the edge of the sword:
14 But the women, and the little ones, and the cattle, and all that is in the city, even all the spoil thereof, shalt thou takee unto thyself; and thou shalt eat the spoil of thine enemies, which the LORD thy God hath given thee.
15 Thus shalt thou do unto all the cities which are very far off from thee, which are not of the cities of these nations.
16 But of the cities of these people, which the LORD thy God doth give thee for an inheritance, thou shalt save alive nothing that breatheth:
17 But thou shalt utterly destroy them; namely, the Hittites, and the Amorites, the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites; as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee:
18 That they teach you not to do after all their abominations, which they have done unto their gods; so should ye sin against the LORD your God.
19 When thou shalt besiege a city a long time, in making war against it to take it, thou shalt not destroy the trees thereof by forcing an axe against them: for thou mayest eat of them, and thou shalt not cut them down (for the tree of the field is man's life) to employ them in the siege:
20 Only the trees which thou knowest that they be not trees for meat, thou shalt destroy and cut them down; and thou shalt build bulwarks against the city that maketh war with thee, until it be subdued.
Deuteronomy 20:5. Hath not dedicated it. David composed the xxxth Psalm for the dedication of his new palace. Good men warmed a new house by devotion.
Deuteronomy 20:9. The officers shall make captains. The sense of this verse is difficult to gather. The readings vary; but Le Clerc's translation is to be preferred. “When the heralds have made an end of speaking, the officers in front of the army shall number the troops.” The original word is rendered number in 1 Samuel 13:15; and muster in Isaiah 13:4.
Deuteronomy 20:10. Proclaim peace to it. In the Jugurthine war, Sallust names a city of Africa that had but two hours' notice of the approach of the Roman armies, and they put every soul to the sword. While Sallust blushes to relate this, he palliates the carnage by saying, it was for the good of the Roman people! This cruelty is common enough in many wars; but the Hebrew lawgiver could not endure it. If the city refused the terms, then the war was placed on equal ground. Yet the spirit of the Messiah's kingdom is evidently, according to all the prophets, a spirit of concord and peace. Isaiah 9; Micah 4; Zechariah 9. Its aim is to make the earth one family, and Messiah the universal king.
Deuteronomy 20:19. The tree of the field is man's life, and must not be destroyed. Alexander the Great restrained his army from hurting trees and houses by saying, they are your own property.
REFLECTIONS.
The encouragement afforded to Israel, in this chapter, is equally encouraging to the church of God. They were not to be afraid of their enemies who should exceed them in number, in chariots, and in horses; for the covenant presence of God would ensure success. So if the Lord be for us, what have we to fear from the multitude of our foes? The frowns and smiles of the world, the incitements of the flesh, and the temptations of Satan shall try us in vain, while we retain the Lord on our right hand.
The Israelites, having God for their defence, had no need of severity in raising the levies of war. The heralds, on addressing the army, were to request those to retire who had built a house, and not consecrated it; who had betrothed a wife, as we elsewhere find, and not consummated the marriage; or had planted a vineyard, and had not eaten of its fruits. The fearful and fainthearted were next requested to withdraw; for the man who had not a martial soul was not fit to be intrusted with the defence of his country. In those heralds, ministers of the gospel may learn the duty of exhorting believers to courage and constancy in religion. Let those who love house or land, wife or children more than Christ, keep within the shade of worldly prudence. The man who is not willing, through the strength of grace, to devote his life to God, is not worthy to bear the banner of the cross, and to be intrusted with the honour and glory of the Saviour's cause.
The nation or host assembled in arms, was next to be enlightened concerning the equity of the war; for God is on the side of equity. A nation may indeed allege equity in the cause of war, and yet be deeply guilty in other views; or it may be the design of providence to suffer a weak people to be for awhile oppressed by the mighty. Be that as it may, those who commence a war should be cautious that their claims are just, and that all amicable endeavours to adjust the disputes have failed before recourse is had to arms. War must in all cases be the dernier resort, or it is hateful to God.
However aggravating the aggressions may be which provoke a nation to vengeance, the war must nevertheless be conducted with humanity. The city when approached must be summoned to surrender: then if the armed men preferred a siege to submission, the contest became life for life: and if the city was taken by assault, the casting away of arms, the bending of knees, the most piercing cries for mercy would have no effect on the furious assailants: they would put them all to the sword, and spare only the women and children. Such are the bitter laws of war, when the contest comes to extremities. In like manner, all daring sinners who despise the overtures of grace, may see the sad situation to which they will shortly be reduced. While they are proceeding in a course of dissipation and insolence against heaven, the God of vengeance approaches, and death is in his train. But his ministers first blow the gospel trumpet; they expostulate; they offer pardon and privilege; they pray and beseech the enemy in Christ's stead to be reconciled to God. But all overtures of grace are rejected, religion is hooted, and the terrors of justice are despised. Alas, only a small number listen to the gospel, and imbibe its spirit. Well, God is neither weak in power, nor intimidated by the multitude of his foes. He resolutely besieges the wicked by terror of conscience, by affliction of body, and the menaces of future judgment; and if the longsuffering of God which leadeth to repentance be still despised, his arrows shall strike through the heart of his enemies; and because they despised his counsel, and would have none of his reproof, he also will laugh at their calamity, and mock when their fear cometh. Then, in a spiritual view, shall be realized the horrors of a city taken by assault. God will avenge the quarrel of his covenant, and the dissipation of an ungodly age shall end in tragedy of the most instructive kind.