God's Care for Your Ability Level

When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near. For God said, “Lest the people change their minds when they see war and return to Egypt.” But God led the people around by the way of the wilderness toward the Red Sea.

In Exodus 13:18-19, the scribes record that God was concerned that the new Jewish nation be unprepared for an immediate military campaign against the strongholds of the Philistines. Thus, he lead them through a barren land where they would not immediately encounter fierce opposition. Anyone familiar with the time, training, equipment and logistical support essential to combat operations, will recognize, that yes, humanly speaking, the Israeli nation must have been completely unready to field any competent military units, other than untrained mobs of poorly armed men. A more learned man than I might be able to teach us whether the Philistines possessed a trained citizen or mercenary army, walled cities, or such like, all of which would have been significant obstacles to even an established nation.

A question I would like to ask is, how is God's character revealed in these verses? What are some other verses that might help us to understand God and how he treats his children? Would it be too far of a leap to see that God's mercy and understanding of the infant nation of Israel might help to illustrate how he deals with new 'babes in Christ' in the Christian era?

A verse that seems to shed some light on this might be I Corinthians 10,

Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come...No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

Paul, writing to the Corinthians says that 'these things' referring to the history of the Israelites written in the Old Testament Scriptures, 'were written down for our instruction'. In light of historical illustration of God's character, he states that God will never allow us to be tempted beyond our ability. God will always give a way of escape, so that we will be able to endure it, to be victorious against it.

I am sure that there are many other Scriptures and things that we could find on this subject, but these quick thoughts are a great comfort to me, as I ask the crucial question that makes Bible study important to me: How can I apply the principle that I have learned in a specific and measurable way over the coming week? My family has faced difficult times of illness, stress, and pain over the past few weeks. A great source of comfort is, that God knows us. He will not allow us to be pushed past our limit. He has equipped us for this battle in every way. He has confidence in our ability to handle this. He will provide a way of escape for us, that we can be able to bear it, through friends, family, helpful doctors, nurses, and employers. I can see this now. Indeed, as Jesus himself has stated,

Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life...[l]ook at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they...Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow...But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you...? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For...your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

This last verse, about worrying today about today's problem, I have found to be a key to living a relatively stress free life, in my past troubles. Sometimes, we do not know how we can handle a whole year of trouble, or even a month, or a week, but you know what, you and I absolutely can handle one simple day, whether it be really good or bad. That is all that is required, to handle the problems today, and tomorrow's problems tomorrow.

Posted in draft form.

Bible Study - Warning on the Topical Method

“[T]he Topical Method…is perhaps the most fascinating method of Bible study…Almost any great subject will take a remarkable hold upon the heart of a Christian man, if he will take time to go through the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, and note what it has to say on that topic.

"But the method has its dangers…[a] well-rounded, thorough-going knowledge of the Bible is not possible by this method of study…[because] that every man…[has] some line of topics in which he is especially interested, and if he studies his Bible topically...he is...likely to go over certain topics again and again, and...other topics of equal importance he neglects...become[ing] a one-sided man.

"We never know one truth correctly until we know it in its proper relations to other truths.

"I know of people, for example, who are interested in the great doctrine of the Lord’s Second Coming, and pretty much all their Bible studies are on that line. Now this is a precious doctrine, but there are other doctrines in the Bible which a man needs to know, and it is folly to study this doctrine alone."

This is from How to study the Bible for greatest profit
By Reuben Archer Torrey

When engaging some of my friends in conversation, some of them have stated that they do not like topical sermons so much. I was surprised, and after some thought, began to see what they mean.

Have you ever experienced the benefits or disadvantages of topical study? It can be misused, but at the same time, it seems to me to be an excellent tool if used properly.

Anyways, the quotes above, succinctly state what has been on my mind.

Book Review: Intelligence in War

In Intelligence in War, the acclaimed author, former Sandhurst professor, John Keegan, chronicles Nelson's pursuit of the Napoleonic Naval Fleet in the Mediterranean, Jackson's Shenandoah Valley Campaign, naval pursuit of German cruisers in World War I, the Battle of Midway, the German invasion of Crete, the Battle of the Atlantic, and the intelligence operations against the German secret weapons programs, specifically and most importantly, the Luftwaffe "flying bomb", and the V-2 Rocket.

Crucial to the World War II battles were the cryptoanalysis work that resulted in the breaking of the German Enigma ciphers and the Japanese Naval and War ciphers on a more or less regular basis, and its contributions to Allied victory. Indeed, history written before 1974, and the declassification of the 'Magic' and 'Ultra' programs, leave much untold in the history of the conflict.

Following World War II, Keegan notes Cold War efforts and the Falklands War, briefly noting intelligence operations in many other conflicts and operations.

In this book, Keegan picks and chooses battles as case studies to illustrate how some are won or lost despite of, because of, or even without intelligence. He also illustrates the fact that the most useful intelligence is gleaned from intercepted communications, whether letters, radio signals, or messengers.

Nelson's battle with the Napoleonic Fleet in the Mediterranean following the French Egyptian Campaign, is an example of how a superior force can prevail despite a lack of good intelligence. The rise and fall of Von Spee's battlecruisers and their anti-shipping efforts illustrate how, again, British forces were able to sink the German cruisers despite very poor intelligence, relying instead upon educated guesswork of the commander, and superior naval strength. The U-boat battles in the Atlantic exemplify how intercepted radio communications pinpointed the German location and intent in order to avoid or intercept them.

The Battle of Midway is a perfect example of an intelligence victory, said by Keegan to be one of the single most important Naval battles in history, where an inferior American fleet was able to mass in space and time with the critical force necessary to deliver a fatal blow to the Imperial Japanese Fleet.

Crete, on the other hand, is an example of how excellent intelligence on who, what, where, how and when the German airborne invasion would occur, resulted in a British loss, because of battlefield miscalculations, despite numerical superiority.

Indeed, one of the crucial observations that Keegan makes is that intelligence, while often crucial in setting the favorable conditions for battle is of secondary importance to the proper execution of force on force engagements. The Poles had broken the German ciphers, but due to their weakness, were easily overrun at the outset of WWII, the British failed to stop the Crete invasion, because of a failure to properly utilize their resources. Indeed, as Keegan notes, intelligence is most useful when acted upon from a position of strength, with Jackson being an example of the opposite, by his actions during the Shenandoah Campaign, where his superior generalship and local intelligence ability allowed an inferior force to avoid pitched battles of attrition, but instead fall at the right place and time to engage a stronger enemy with excellent results.

One key insight is Keegans proposition that human intelligence, i.e., agents or spies, in the field, are of much lesser importance to the conduct of conventional warfare than re intercepted signals intelligence, as illustrated by the minimal effect 'humint' had on the outcomes of the wars in the past centuries. Perhaps the war on terrorism or Cold War could be different, but due to the dubiosity of information, insecurity of communication, and despite of the glamorization of novels, movies and folklore about the significance of the 'secret agent', these have proven to have a negligible effect on the outcome of a war.

The final reckoning in human warfare is the strength, bravery and tactical skill of the men engaged in face to face combat. Force of arms ultimately carries the day, but intelligence can greatly increase its effect and application. Such concludes my brief review of Intelligence in War, by John Keegan, a very engaging and well written 349 page book.

Bible Reading Methodology

Approximately every year, I attempt to read the Bible all the way through. In the past, I have either read three chapters a day and five on Sunday or four chapters a day. These easily quantifiable methods have the advantage of being simple to track on a daily basis. The downside is that you can become overwhelmed reading through some of the Jewish genealogical data or intricate rules and regulations of the old testament.

Through recent influence of the Navigators Bible Study group I am a part of, I now read in four different places. Starting in Genesis, Job, Matthew and Galatians. Job 29 is the center chapter of the Old Testament, and by starting in Job and Genesis, I should finish the Old Testament at the same time by reading all the way to the middle and to the end simultaneously. You may immediately point out that there are 929 chapters in the Old Testament so that will not result in a one year read through, but if I accelerate my reading program through the short Psalms, I am sure that it will work out eventually.

Even if I do not read through the entire Old Testament in one year, by reading two chapters per day in the New Testament, I should read it through three times per year. Anyways, this is the first time I have changed my 'straight through the book' method.

Do any of you use any other methods?

Apprehension versus Paranoia

Please note that "apprehension" and "paranoia" are not synonyms. Paranoia is a mental affliction. Apprehension is reasonable awareness of hazard.

~Colonel Jeff Cooper

The End of the Matter

He went on patrol tonight. It was his last. He shot the rest of the ammo he had left. Now, all he has is a dirty pistol, a rucksack and a flight bag under his cot. His tent is warm. He sleeps. Soon he will be home. He is happy.

Specialization is for Insects

A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects.

-Robert A. Heinlein