So the Lord saved Israel that day. (I Samuel 14:23 ESV)
“So”
Warfare is always chaotic. Not only, as Military Strategist Helmut von Moltke aptly stated, does “No battle plan survives first contact with the enemy,” the whole cycle of fear, adrenalin, brain-freeze, reaction, over-reaction, panic, and overstimulation makes a battle a place of wild unpredictability.
But even there, God is in control.
Saul’s Israelite army and the Philistines display this obviously.
As newly chosen King Saul attempts to organize his soldiers, as the Philistines attempt to take advantage of Saul’s communication trouble, as both sides become plagued with fleeing and hiding men, as both sides expect they are about to lose…
God somehow brings victory to Saul.
And we read about that conclusion in that brief sentence: So the Lord saved Israel that day.
Israel did not win because Saul was slaying thousands. Israel did not win because the Israelites were learning better weaponry skills. Israel did not win because they were motivated, challenged, taught, or led by Saul.
God won.
He does the same thing in our battles today.
Chaos seems so present.
But God is MORE present.
Stop trying to win on your own.