In this message, Pastor Matt proclaims the need to surrender to Jesus Christ, the all-victorious Lord and Saviour, and how to fight the battle of the Christian life.
The Incredible Journey of Yang Kyoungjong
In 1938, an 18-year-old Korean named Yang Kyoungjong was forcibly conscripted into the Japanese Imperial Army. A year later, during the Battle of Khalkhin Gol, his unit was surrounded by Soviet forces. Captured, he was sent to a Siberian labor camp. By 1942, desperate for manpower to fight Nazi Germany, the Soviets pressed Yang into the Red Army and sent him to the Eastern Front.
Just when you think his situation couldn’t get any worse, Yang was captured by the German Wehrmacht in Ukraine in 1943. Also short on manpower, the Nazis conscripted him and deployed him to France. Yang had essentially managed to surrender his way across Asia and Europe.
Before we look at how his story ends, we must turn to Deuteronomy chapter 20, a text that is entirely about warfare.
(Note: We are bypassing chapter 19, which details God’s care for the falsely accused through cities of refuge, the requirement of two or three witnesses in trials, and the protection of poor landowners via the law of ancient landmarks. For more on that last point, look up “GK Chesterton’s Fence.”)
Israel’s Four Rules of Engagement
In Deuteronomy 20, Moses delivers his final speech, outlining the rules for how Israel must engage in warfare. Moses points out four distinct principles:
- The Conquest of Canaan was Unique: The total destruction commanded for the Promised Land was a unique historical judgment, not a blueprint for regular warfare.
- Just Wars are Defensive: Israel was not commanded to start random wars for spoil or plunder.
- Just Wars Care About Life: God implemented strict rules to preserve life and resources.
- Just Wars Begin with an Offer of Peace: Before attacking, terms of peace must always be extended.
When Israel entered the Promised Land, they were commanded to “save nothing alive that breathes.” This was a unique event—Israel acting as God’s instrument of judgment against wickedness after 300 years of divine patience. It points forward to the ultimate judgments detailed in the Book of Revelation.
However, regular wars were meant to be strictly defensive. Because Israel was situated in the Middle East, wars often found them, much like the annual Midianite raids during the time of Gideon. In those cases, defending the land was entirely justified.
God’s Care for Creation and the Rules of Siege
God’s justice even extends to nature. Deuteronomy 20:19 commands:
“When you besiege a city a long time, making war against it in order to take it, you shall not destroy its trees by wielding an axe against them. You may eat from them, but you shall not cut them down. Are the trees in the field human that they should be besieged by you?”
You could fell a poplar tree for siege works, but you could not cut down an apple or olive tree. The trees did nothing wrong. This echoes the end of the Book of Jonah, where God expresses care for the people of Nineveh and “also much cattle.” If God cares for trees and cattle, how much more does He care for people made in His image? By protecting fruit trees, God protected the long-term food supply of the population. Modern war planners should take note.
The Ultimate Offer of Peace
The fourth rule states that when drawing near a city, Israel must first offer terms of peace. If the city accepts, the inhabitants enter into service or tribute, and lives are spared.
While these nation-state rules do not apply to the church directly, they reflect God’s character. Ultimately, we see this character revealed in the Gospel. God comes to us with an offer of peace through Jesus Christ.
Without Christ, we were enemies of God. We ignored His blessings and broke His laws. Yet, instead of coming with fire and brimstone, God sent His Son. As Romans 5:10 reminds us:
“For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his son, much more now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.”
Picture a city under siege. It is only a matter of time before the walls come down. Someday, the walls of wealth and privilege we build in this life will fail, and we will face the judgment seat of God. Being an enemy of God is a precarious position; you cannot win. The only wise response to God’s siege is absolute surrender.
Surrendering to the Right Master
This brings us back to our friend Yang Kyoungjong. On D-Day in 1944, US paratroopers captured Yang on Utah Beach. They were entirely baffled to find a Korean man in a Nazi uniform who spoke neither English nor German.
Yang’s life proves that it matters immensely who you surrender to. Surrendering to the Soviets and the Nazis brought him only more servitude. But when he surrendered to the Americans, he was sent to a POW camp, eventually became a US citizen, and lived peacefully in Illinois until his death in 1992.
If you are fighting against God, surrender today. Simply say, “Lord, I can’t fight You anymore. Forgive me through Jesus.” When you surrender to God, you find true peace, but you also enter a different kind of battle. As Romans 6:22 notes, we become servants of God, walking in sanctification.
The Christian Life is Spiritual Warfare
When you join God’s side, you automatically go to war against His enemy: the devil. As 1 Peter 2:11 urges, we must abstain from the passions of the flesh which wage war against the soul.
We do not fight with steel swords, but with the sword of the Spirit. Spiritual warfare is not a weird, minor subset of Christianity; it is the core of the Christian life. The devil is in the everyday details—like the urge to lie to your spouse about how you spent your time, or the subtle pride that sneaks into your accomplishments.
To quote Patrick Henry’s famous speech: “Gentlemen may cry, ‘Peace, peace’—but there is no peace. The war is actually begun!” —
Facing Fear with Faith
The good news of Deuteronomy 20 is that the Lord fights for us. The real battle for Israel was never truly against giant armies or iron chariots; it was a battle of faith.
Deuteronomy 20:1 commands:
“When you go out to war against your enemies, and see horses and chariots and an army larger than your own, you shall not be afraid of them, for the Lord your God is with you…”
Fear and anxiety constantly creep into our lives. We fear we won’t endure, that a habit won’t be broken, or that a relationship can’t be restored. But whatever enemy we face—whether it is sin, sickness, addiction, or the threat of death itself—we can trust that God will give us the ultimate victory.
This victory is not worldly triumphalism. Christ won His victory through suffering and the cross, and we are conformed to that image.
The Priest’s Charge
In Israel, before the military commanders spoke, the priest would step forward to give the word of God:
“Hear, O Israel, today you are drawing near for battle against your enemies. Let not your heart faint. Do not fear or be in panic or in dread of them, for the Lord your God is he who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies, to give you the victory.”
Church, I give you that same charge today. Christ has promised to be with us always, even to the end of the age. Do not let your hearts melt over the state of the culture or a terrifying diagnosis.
When Israel went to war, the commanders also sent home anyone who was faint-hearted or had unfinished business at home. God does not need massive numbers or human strength; He blesses human weakness and humility, just as He did with Gideon’s 300 men.
Take up the fight of faith, look to Christ every day, and conquer. Amen.