I was fascinated by the instructions Moses gave in Deuteronomy 20:1-9 for preparing an army when going to war. Let’s do a 4 S study of this.
First, spread the information on the subject before you: eg. War is not for the faint hearted. War is for men of faith who believe God will fight for them.
War is not for men of divided interests or commitments. If someone has built a house and not dedicated it, they should stay home, lest they get killed and someone else will dedicate it and live in it. The same is true for one who has planted a vineyard and not enjoyed its fruit. If they die in battle someone else will enjoy it. If you’ve been pledged to a woman and not been married yet, stay home lest you die and someone else marries her.
If you’re fainthearted, stay home–you will only cause others to become disheartened. Be ready to march and fight under authority.
Now, sort this information into groups, such as; faith in God, freedom from entanglements and commitment to the cause. When you’ve done this structure these groups into an outline.
The Title I determined is this: Being ready for battle. The main points supporting this title are:
1. Spiritual commitment in our devotion to God and dependence upon God.
2. Be un-entangled from material, social or romantic attachments.
3. Be Courageous in mind and loyalty.
Once you’ve structured the information into an outline then summarize what you’ve learned. I thought the guidelines Paul shared in his second letter to Timothy 2:1-4 would be a good summary statement. Apply what you’ve learned to your live.