#191 – The Penalty of Not Going to the Battle

THE PENALTY OF NOT GOING TO THE BATTLE

Judges 5:23 "Curse ye Meroz, said the angel of the LORD, curse ye bitterly the inhabitants thereof; because they came not to the help of the LORD, to the help of the LORD against the mighty."

“Meroz is a plain in the north of Palestine, the inhabitants of which were severely condemned because they came not to help Barak against Sisera Judges 5:23 comp. It has been identified with Marassus, on a knoll to the north of Wady Jalud, but nothing certainly is known of it. Like Chorazin, it is only mentioned in Scripture in connection with the curse pronounced upon it.” —Strong’s Hebrew Dictionary

There is a great lesson that is brought out in this incident. I has to do with the sin of omission. They refused to go to the battle and received a curse from the Lord because of it. Note the following points that is illustrated by this incident.

IT IS FOOLISH TO EXPECT A CROP WHEN YOU DON’T SOW THE SEED

Galatians 6:7 8, "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting."

It is foolish to think you can plant corn and expect wheat to come up. It just doesn’t happen that way.

But what about the man who does not sow at all and expects a crop to come up. That won’t happen either.

The fact is that men go to hell because of the sin of omission not the sin of commission. John 3:18, "He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God."

1. “He that believeth on him is not condemned” is the truth proclaimed. It is assurance given. The word “condemned” translates “ krino” and means “to separate, put asunder.” This is a verb and is present passive indicative. It means that the believer is free from condemnation now. The passive voice is where the subject is acted upon and means here that the Judge of the universe has removed condemnation from them at the present time. One does not have to wait until the judgment to discover that he is not condemned.


2. “He that believeth not is condemned already” means that for the unsaved judgment has already been passed. All the unsaved have to do, is to die, to realize how true this is. The Rich Man in Luke 16:19-31 realized the terror of hell and ask Father Abraham to send Lazarus to tell his five brothers not to come to this place of torment. So it is the sin of omission that damns the soul to hell. To neglect one’s salvation and refuse Christ offer of salvation equals eternal hell forever.

3. “Because hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God” puts the sin of omission in concrete. It is that sin that shuts the door to heaven for the unsaved. No matter how big the sin, God in His grace through Christ Jesus can forgive and restore the unbeliever from a child of the Devil to a child of God.

EXPECTING A REWARD WHEN YOU DON’T GO TO THE BATTLE

This was the sin of Meroz. "Curse ye Meroz, said the angel of the LORD, curse ye bitterly the inhabitants thereof; because they came not to the help of the LORD, to the help of the LORD against the mighty."

The angel of the LORD came and delivered the curse personally. Why was this such a sin? Note carefully the words of this text. “Curse ye bitterly the inhabitants thereof, because they came not to the help of the LORD, to the help of the LORD against the mighty.” The angel of the LORD did not say, “Curse ye Meroz because they came not to help their brethren. The battle was the LORDS. The LORD did not curse them for what they did but what they didn’t do.

This principle still exists today. 1 Corinthians 3:9, “For we are laborers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building.”

There is no higher privilege than to labor together with God.