When you march up to attack a city, make its people an offer of peace.
Deuteronomy 20:10 (NIV)
A few years ago I found myself at a crossroads having to make a decision about my business. A tremendous opportunity presented itself for me to transform it into something much larger. Larger cashflow, larger staff, larger marketing plan, larger client base, larger revenues, and larger profits. I had been promised the financial support and guidance to go big.
I confess that it was tempting.
There is something innately human—and perhaps especially American—that equates big numbers with success, status, and safety. This thinking even creeps into perceptions of “church.” Mega-churches and celebrity pastors wield wealth, attention, and influence. “Go big or go home,” as the saying goes. Bigger is better. More is better. Big numbers mean triumph.
Today’s chapter stands in contrast to this mentality, even as God through Moses prepares his people for a military campaign of conquest. In fact, God’s tactical commands are downright foolhardy when you consider military strategy that has raised empires throughout history.
God begins with pre-battle instructions.
Deuteronomy 20 is the Hebrews’ theology of war, though it is far more pastoral than brutal.
- Do not be afraid when facing larger, better-armed enemies. God reminds them: You are not alone. I brought you out of Egypt; I’ll walk you into this too.
- The priest speaks before the battle, not the general. Courage is framed as a spiritual matter before it is a tactical one.
- Mercy precedes mobilization:
- Offer peace before siege.
- Protect fruit trees—even in war, tomorrow matters.
- Exemptions abound:
- Just built a house? Go home.
- Just planted a vineyard? Go enjoy its fruit.
- Newly engaged? Go love her well.
- Afraid? Go home—fear is contagious.
- Limits are set:
- Distant cities are treated differently than those within the Promised Land.
- War is not permission for chaos; it is bounded, restrained, and accountable.
This is not a call to bloodlust. It is a leash on it.
Underlying all of these instructions is a subtextual whisper from God—one I heard loud and clear in the quiet.
“Large numbers don’t impress me.”
God is not interested in crowds. He can raise an army from stones.
God is not hoarding wealth. Everything is already His.
God can assure victory. He proved it with Egypt.
God is molding a people with a purpose, and Deuteronomy 20 has me asking myself a few important questions:
What battles am I fighting that God never enlisted me for?
What battles am I facing and have been trying to fight alone?
God’s ancient words to His Hebrew children resonate with clarity for my life and circumstances today:
- Name my fear—because unnamed fear leads armies astray.
- Offer peace first—in conversations, conflicts, and grudges.
- Honor my limits—not every season is for battle.
- Protect the trees—don’t burn relationships, health, or hope just to feel victorious.
- Trust the presence of God more than the size of the problem.
This chapter is not a call to aggression.
It’s an invitation to holy courage—the kind that knows when to stand, when to step back, and when to let God do the fighting while you simply refuse to panic.
As I stood at the crossroads weighing my opportunity to go big with my business, God’s Spirit whispered to my soul in the quiet. Hidden among all of those large numbers that my head desired were two large numbers: large debt and large headaches. What would shrink—and likely get lost in the forest of large numbers—were the very purposes and promises on which the business was founded.
It’s time for me to shift into my work day quietly doing what we do to faithfully serve our clients and follow the purposes to which God continues to lead, one small step at a time.
If you know anyone who might be encouraged by today’s post, please share.
