In Deuteronomy 7, the Bible talks about how God handed over powerful nations to be destroyed by the people that he loved, the Israelites. God had chosen them to be his own special treasure. He called them a holy people and claimed them as his own. In essence, he had adopted the people of Israel from one generation onward as his sons and daughters. They were the smallest of all nations when the Lord set his heart upon them, and yet it says in Scripture that he lavished his unfailing love upon those who love him and obey his commands. The Bible says that God created a covenant for a thousand generations, and he does not hold back his love, his protection, and his blessings to those who love him and obey his commands. BUT… it also says that he does not hesitate to punish and destroy those who reject him.
God promised to love them, bless them, and protect them from diseases that the enemies would be inflicted with. All they had to do on their end was to listen to the regulations given and faithfully obey them. The rules weren’t easy, but they were specific. They were to destroy completely the seven nations that God would hand over to them, show them no mercy, make no treaties with them, avoid intermarrying with them, break down the things the other nations worshiped, burn their idols and not keep any of it as a treasure, as well as not worshiping their gods. They were also told not to fear the people regardless of their strength or numbers.
I found it interesting how God didn’t drive the nations out ahead of them in an instant, even though he could have. Instead, he threw the people of the nations, from the king to the peasants, into complete confusion until they were destroyed little by little.
Why did God take his time to allow the destruction of these corrupt nations by his chosen people rather than destroy them quickly? In Deuteronomy 7:22, it says that if they cleared them away all at once, the wild animals would multiply too quickly for them. God slowed down the process of destroying the evil nations to protect them from the wild animals taking over and overwhelming them, but in his mighty power and infinite wisdom, he threw the larger and stronger nations into such a panic and confusion that they were unable to battle effectively.
In the corrupt nations’ panic and confusion, they were each completely annihilated by the weaker and smaller group. The panic and confusion didn’t seem to be sudden according to the Scriptures, but rather took place over a longer period of time so that the wild animals didn’t multiply too fast. Does that strike anyone else as an incredibly specific way for God to protect his small remnant of chosen adopted children? AMAZING!
MY THOUGHTS: One of the best survival skills we can develop is to learn how to remain calm and to not make any rash decisions. Learning how to respond to our situation rather than to react can literally save your life. Also, while confusion impacts our ability to make reasonable choices because of uncertainty, doubt and a lack of direction or purpose, having a level of panic amplifies it further, resulting in an overwhelming desire to respond with a fight- or flight- type of reaction.
Sometimes, panic and confusion can exist over a long period of time, with seemingly no way out in our own human understanding. Most recently, people across the globe experienced this long-lasting panic and confusion as everyone learned how to deal with the global COVID-19 pandemic. Frantically reacting to the impending nationwide shutdowns in March 2020, Americans faced shortages of toilet paper, water, bread, and other things as people stocked their homes with an excess of necessities just in case they became unavailable long-term. No one knew how long they would have to remain in our homes to avoid the spread of the devastating disease, and people reacted and responded based on past experiences and ability to cope with stress.
Everyone learns coping and survival skills throughout their lifetime that either equip them well and contribute to their resiliency, or contribute to their own inner prison of feeling trapped and confused. In extreme situations, the focus must first be on surviving, and then the individual can move toward thriving in adversity. I believe that the ability to learn how to survive during times of crisis comes from understanding how to keep calm and remain focused on what is real and present rather than getting stuck in the past or playing out future scenarios.
Now I’m talking to you, adopted and chosen child of God… TRUST THAT HE IS WITH YOU, regardless of what the situation looks like in the natural realm. Be obedient to his commandments and remember that he wants to help you win the battle over whatever fierce enemies that may be facing you right now.
Let’s take it step by step:
Take a deep breath. This slows the heart rate and gives your body time to ground itself.
Evaluate your surroundings. Discern what is true, real and within your control. Dismiss the lies and thoughts in your mind that are based on the past or what you imagine can happen in the future, and only focus on what you can do right now to improve the situation. Pay no attention to what others are doing around you.
Dig deep into your faith and recall the blessings that have already been given to you. Think about what God has done in your life that show that he loves you, and that he has always loved you.
There is a precious treasure within you that no one can take away from you. This treasure is HOPE, and it is powerful. Biblical hope gives us Christians an unsurpassed confidence and boldness that is NO MATCH for the rest of the world. This hope that will always remain in us if we simply believe and accept as the complete truth, which is based on the fact that God sent his only beloved son, Jesus, to be born as a baby who would grow into a boy and then a man.
Jesus Christ’s purpose was to die instead of those who were given to him, who he chose and adopted into his family, because he was the only sinless one who could be a pure sacrifice that would wash away every one of our sins that we offer to him, realizing how wrong we were and vowing to not do that sinful act again. We simply believe, accept as truth and receive as his gift of love to us… that by Jesus rising from the dead as the Bible had said beforehand, he DEFEATED DEATH for all of us forever. For those that believe all of this to be true and in turn follow his commandments in reverence and respect of him, we are chosen, blessed and loved as members of the Kingdom of God.
Jesus is the King of Kings, Lord of Lords, and he reigns over the entire world as OUR KING. Anyone is welcome into this Kingdom that will be the only Kingdom that will rule for eternity, and all others will be defeated.
We are all humans who have the DNA of Adam, so we are all born with a sinful nature that never fully goes away until we are completely transformed into the image of God in heaven, so we must continually repent of our sins and turn to God for the strength to overcome temptations. We do not have the strength within ourselves, because all that we are comes from God.
SIDE NOTE: If you’re in an abusive relationship, it’s vital that you remain calm, trust in God for his timing, and keep your head clear. Journal daily and keep it someplace safe. Journaling helps you see patterns of behaviors more clearly as well as provides evidence that validates your sanity, and it gives you something to look back to for healing and moving forward on a different path. Stay focused on God and ask him to show you the way out, stay sober, and don’t panic. Create a safety plan, have a bag packed, and write down what you will not tolerate as well as a consequence if the boundary is crossed.