Don't Fight Alone

"Then Judah said to Simeon his brother, 'Come up with me into the territory allotted me, that we may fight against the Canaanites; and I in turn will go with you into the territory allotted you.' So Simeon went with him." -Judges 1.3

Joshua is dead, and there is still land to take. The people seek God on who is to lead the attack and God says that Judah is to go and He has given the land into their hands. Before the tribe of Judah goes into battle they turn to Simeon and ask them to go up and fight with them. It makes sense for Judah to ask Simeon because Simeon's land was located inside of Judah's so the alliance makes sense, but regardless of the reason we see an important lesson, don't fight alone.

God did not create us to go it alone. From the very beginning He said it was not good for a man to be alone. We were created for relationships. God created us for a relationship with Him, a relationship with a spouse, and relationships with our brothers in arms. Men don't need accountability partners, we need brothers in arms who have our back. We need people who will go into battle with us, who will fight by our side every moment.

The Spartans had the phalanx, each warrior's shield protected the man next to him. The secret to their strength and battlefield success, even Thermopile was a success, was the phalanx. Each individual Spartan was a force to be reckoned with. Each one was taught to ignore pain and trained in the art of war. They were battle hardened and each one could more than hold his own. But no single Spartan was anything compared the strength of the phalanx. They knew that fighting alone meant certain death, that one weak point in the phalanx meant its collapse. They never fought alone.

Men, don't fight alone, you weren't made to. You might be strong, you might be able to hold your own for a while, but no matter how strong you are, you need the phalanx. Your strength, when added to the strength of your brothers, becomes unstoppable. Don't go it alone, add your shield to the ranks and fight side by side with others.

Let us be men who fight together.

"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

To God alone be the Glory!

Strength and Honor