21. Offense and Defense
We have to think defensively in combat or we suffer the consequences. But sometimes it seems we may concentrate too much on defensive tactics and strategy in our Christian warfare. Defensive thinking is necessary, of course. If you are a warrior you don't want to go into battle without body armor, and a defensive attitude is necessary in many areas of life. We wear seat belts when we drive automobiles and we don't climb a mountain (at least most of us don't!) without anchors and ropes. But if we are not careful, all too often the tactical stress in our spiritual lives is on defense.
If we consider the biblical stories of some of the great men and women of God, we see a frequent theme of being willing and ready to go on the offensive. Take Abraham, for example. We tend to remember many of the stories of the great patriarch, but often forget the details of the narrative telling how he rescued his nephew Lot who was captured and carried away by an invading army (Genesis 14). Abraham pursued Lot's captors with his own group of over three hundred "trained men" (vs. 14). These trained men were not simply shepherds and other workmen hastily handed a sword or other weapon. The Hebrew word hānīk used of them means an "armed servant" and was used of men whose primary function was to provide military protection. These men were essentially a small private security force in full-time service to Abraham. The patriarch had trained his men and did not hesitate to go on the offensive in order to rescue Lot.
We can see this offensive stance in many biblical stories, but how does it apply to us? Consider just a few examples. Generally speaking, how much more time and energy do we put into praying for people (ourselves and others) to be healed than we spend in praying for work being done to wipe out severe and crippling illnesses? Isn't that defensive thinking? How much time do we spend thinking about proactive things we can do to help those who suffer get back aspects of their lives they might not otherwise have?
The economy is bad, but do we respond only defensively, praying for friends who are out of work, or do we pray also for the national and local economic situation? (Read Jeremiah 29:7 if you don't think that's a topic for prayer). Focusing on the broader issues as well as the specifics of which we are aware is focusing on offense as well as defense, and the principle can be applied in dozens of areas of our lives if we think it through.
The main thing is to practice thinking offensively as we go through life, or at least to constantly keep that half of the equation in mind. You can see exactly this duality and the need for offense as well as defense in many of David's psalms. Look carefully at the duality of what the psalmist is saying in psalm 144, for example:
"Praise be to the LORD my Rock, who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle. He is my loving God and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer, my shield, in whom I take refuge, who subdues peoples under me" (Psalm 144:12).
In these verses, God is likened to a Rock, shield, fortress and stronghold or refuge (all defensive). He is also said to be a God who figuratively trains us for war, for battle, to subdue enemies. The active offensive aspect of spiritual life is just as present in these verses as the static defensive aspect. The offense is as necessary as the defense. We need defense to survive combat, but to move toward victory we need to think offense.