After a decade of living primarily in foreign lands for the sake of the Gospel, I often feel a strong desire to come home. It’s an extremely taxing way of life. I want to stay behind and let others go in my place. My wife will tell you, I try to quit about every three months or so (that’s not an exaggeration for effect, that’s the truth). I get discouraged or worn out or realize I’ve gone months without a legitimate prayer life. I’m just being transparent here. Living in the Middle East isn’t easy for those who grew up accustomed to the comforts and amenities of American life. That’s especially true now that I have three kids.
The reason I’m sharing all of this is to drive home the point that I get it. I understand the powerful allure of staying behind during “wartime.” So, when we explore the following passages, you can be certain that I empathize with those who feel the sting of these words.
We’re going to look at two kinds of “staying behind.” One is an account of those who stayed behind but carried the same heart and zeal for their endeavor as the ones who went into battle, and all were rewarded equally. The other is an account of shameful men who abdicated their responsibility, whose only recompense was a reputation stained by cowardice.
In a previously published FAI article titled “Sisterhood of the Serpent Crushers,” Devon Phillips alluded to one of the accounts we’re exploring here:
“In Judges 5:16 and in Psalm 68:13, the shame of the menfolk of the tribes who avoided battle contrary to the summons of the LORD is exposed, saying that they preferred to remain with their livestock in sheepfolds than obey their summons to war.”
Yikes! Let’s take a look at both of those references:
The Lord gives the word; the women who announce the news are a great host: "The kings of the armies—they flee, they flee!" The women at home divide the spoil—though you men lie among the sheepfolds—the wings of a dove covered with silver, its pinions with shimmering gold.”[1]
“Why did you sit still among the sheepfolds, to hear the whistling for the flocks? Among the clans of Reuben there were great searchings of heart.[2]
The shame of the men who stayed behind in this account is forever canonized in the Word of God. As all good grandfathers say to their little ones, “Let that be a lesson to ya.” Among the clans of Reuben, there were great searchings of heart. May it be also for all who read this.
Now let’s take a look at another example of staying behind with a much different outcome:
But David pursued, he and four hundred men. Two hundred stayed behind, who were too exhausted to cross the brook Besor…
Then all the wicked and worthless fellows among the men who had gone with David said, ‘Because they did not go with us, we will not give them any of the spoil that we have recovered, except that each man may lead away his wife and children, and depart.’
But David said, ‘You shall not do so, my brothers, with what the Lord has given us. He has preserved us and given into our hand the band that came against us. Who would listen to you in this matter? For as his share is who goes down into the battle, so shall his share be who stays by the baggage. They shall share alike.’ And he made it a statute and a rule for Israel from that day forward to this day.[3]
David allowed certain exhausted men to stay behind with the baggage. Then he personally saw to it that they were rewarded equally along with those who went into battle. So, what’s the difference between this account and the other where the men stayed back with the sheep? These men had permission from their commander to stay behind. One group stayed back out of fear and self-preservation. The other stayed back with the consent of the one they serve.
Now here is a warning for those who went into battle, or in our case, those who are serving on the frontier of the mission enterprise: do not become those wicked and worthless fellows who criticized, saying that because some didn’t go, they shouldn’t share in the reward. It’s the Lord’s job to delineate and His job to rebuke those who stay with the sheep. He is the Commander. Let’s leave that judgment to Him.
To be clear, I’m not writing this to persuade the cowardly to go to the frontlines. Honestly, I’d prefer you didn’t come if someone had to coerce you. I’m writing this to those who know that they belong in the will of the Lord, at the center of His Great Commission at the close of this age. Those men who want answer the call of their Lord, but have hesitated or delayed. I’m writing to those of you who will offer yourselves freely in the service of your God, for the sake of His Holy name and for the sake of Jerusalem.[4]
Short of avoiding the Lord’s summons to war, two options remain: join the fight on the home-front, or join the fight on the frontlines. There are many vacancies on the frontlines. And currently, most of them are being filled by women. There is an army of unaccompanied women serving the Lord right now in the most difficult and dangerous (especially for women) regions of the world. Why, you ask, would a woman go alone into the mission field? Because good women can’t be expected to wait around for worthy men before they do the great things the Lord has prepared for them.[5] I think it’s high-time for men to join our sisters in the battle.
If you’ve been assigned to “stay behind with the baggage” and support the war from the home-front, then thank you and Godspeed. Just be absolutely certain it was the Lord who gave you permission to stay behind. And if you stay back, do it on purpose. Do it like the Church in Philippi that supported Paul.[6] Do it like Stephen who cared for widows and orphans in the name of the Lord and preached the gospel unto death in his home town.[7] However you do it, just don’t do it like the men who stayed back with the sheep without the consent of their King.
As tempted as I feel to stay behind (which remember is quite often), I know the Lord has not granted me to do so. Until then, we’ll be out here on the frontier if you’d care to join us.
Jordan Scott lives in the Muslim world with his wife and children. He is the host of THE WAY podcast and author of A Call to Compel: The Simplicity, Urgency, and Joy of Making Disciples, available now from FAI Publishing. Jordan can be reached by email at jordan@faimission.org.
[1] Psalm 68:13
[2] Judges 5:16
[3] See 1 Samuel 30:1-25
[4] Isaiah 62:1
[5] Ephesians 2:10
[6] Philippians 4:15
[7] See Acts chapters 6-7
