As you may know, my medieval Christian fiction stories feature battles – both inner fights and physical mêlée. I know I’m not the only one penning these epic scenes of victory and defeat. From time to time, we’re out of ideas for creating a compelling scene that has the effect we want.
Let me share with you some inspiration for those scenes straight from the pages of the Bible!
Let’s learn warfare tactics from the Lord of Armies and triumphant Victor, Jesus!
Summon an Army
Then all the Israelites from Dan to Beersheba and from the land of Gilead came out as one man and assembled before the LORD in Mizpah. The leaders of all the people of the tribes of Israel took their places in the assembly of the people of God, four hundred thousand soldiers armed with swords. (Judges 19:1-2)
The passage in Judges is only one example of an army being summoned in the Bible. Nearly all of the kings of Israel and Judah went to battle at some point and rallied a formidable force to their sides.
While God can win the battle by His mighty hand with a few (think Gideon), or with the faith of one man (think David), God used armies to gain expansive victory. And, as in the case of David, there was often an army behind the lone soldier to press the fight until complete victory came.
Maybe it’s time to summon an army.
Rush Ahead, Do it Your Way, Grab the Plunder, Spare the King
Saul remained at Gilgal, and all the troops with him were quaking with fear. He waited seven days, the time set by Samuel; but Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and Saul’s men began to scatter. So he said, “Bring me the burnt offering and the fellowship offerings.” And Saul offered up the burnt offering… “You acted foolishly,” Samuel said. (1 Samuel 13:7b-9,13a)
“This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘I will punish the Amalekites for what they did to Israel when they waylaid them as they came up from Egypt. Now go, attack the Amalekites and totally destroy everything that belongs to them. Do not spare them…” But Saul and the army spared Agag (the king) and the best of the sheep and cattle, the fat calves and lambs – everything that was good. They were unwilling to destroy completely… (1 Samuel 15:2-3, 9)
This is a terrible plan. Saul’s tactics were some dramatic examples. This kind of rebellious planning always leads to a disaster.
Let’s be honest, though, storybook heroes are not perfect. At times, the battles they fight lead them into experiences that further shape their character.
A New Hero Rises
David left his things with the keeper of the supplies, ran to the battle lines and greeted his brothers. As he was talking with them, Goliath, the Philistine champion from Gath, stepped out from his lines and shouted his usual defiance, and David heard it…
David asked the men standing near him, “What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and removes this disgrace from Israel? Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?” (1 Samuel 17:22-23, 26)
Where did this kid come from? The pastures? And now he’s going to fight?
Unexpected aid, especially someone coming in the power of the Lord, is amazing!
Furthermore, notice the two responses to this new hero: animosity (from his brother) and approval (from Jonathan). See 1 Samuel 17:28 & 18:1-2. This tactic leaves plenty of room for development beyond the battle, both in the characters and circumstances.
Wrestle
So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak. When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man…
Then, the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and men and have overcome.” (Genesis 32:24-25, 28)
While fighting/wrestling with God is not the wisest thing to do, we’ve all experienced it. As weak human beings, we often don’t understand, don’t want, or don’t care about what God has planned. Thankfully, He wrestles with us. We can struggle. He cares and will bless us as we are honest and honor Him.
Jacob’s victory wasn’t over God, that is, God wasn’t defeated by Jacob’s actions. No, Jacob’s win was a personal, inner fight coming to an end because he chose truth and faith.
Wrestling is a spiritual warfare tactic but also a physical one. When a character loses his weapons, let him use all of his strength to fight and overcome.
Pray Earnestly
So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him. (Acts 12:5)
God answers the prayers of His people. It may be “yes,” it may be “no,” or the answer might be different than expected. Like an angel to break Peter out of prison! But, He always answers.
One of the best strategies, for both spiritual and physical warfare, is to cry out to God earnestly.
Set an Ambush
“Listen carefully. You are to set an ambush behind the city. Don’t go very far from it. All of you be on the alert. I and all those with me will advance on the city, and when the men come out against us, as they did before, we will flee from them. They will pursue us until we have lured them away from the city…So when we flee from them, you are to rise up from ambush and take the city. The LORD your God will give it into your hand.” (Joshua 8:4-7)
You’ve got the orders, now go! You can’t get more specific than that.
Offer a Reward and See a Valiant Man Arise
And Caleb said, “I will give my daughter Acsah in marriage to the man who attacks and captures Kiriath Sepher.” Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother, took it; so Caleb gave his daughter Acsah to him in marriage. (Judges 1:12-13)
While the kings and men of standing usually offered the hands of their daughters in marriage to these bold warriors, riches, tax-free land, and authority have been offered also. (See 1 Samuel 17:25 and 1 Chronicles 11:6.)
It’s amazing what a young man will do to win the hand of a maiden! (Or rescue her.) The desire to acquire riches, live more easily, or gain authority are also intriguing motives to give to a warrior.
The Miraculous Happens
“You are the God who performs miracles, You display Your power before the peoples.” (Psalm 77:14)
There are more accounts in the Bible of the Lord rescuing and fighting miraculously than there are accolades of King David’s wars. After all, even David said, “the Lord has rescued me!” Just think: plagues, parting the sea, hailstones from the sky, shutting the mouth of lions, stopping the flames from harming, a destroying angel, blinding the foe, even causing kings of nations to hear reports of aid that sent them fleeing in terror.
Our God is the Awesome God!
The most powerful, miraculous, and misunderstood marvel from God’s hand was the Son, Jesus. From the virgin birth to healing the sick and lame to casting out demons and forgiving sins to His perfect sacrifice on the cross and mighty resurrection! Jesus dealt the final stroke to the devil’s schemes, declaring ultimate victory. Although the tempter has reign on earth for a little while longer, when Jesus comes back, Satan is going to cower and perish forever.
God’s miraculous plans are the most triumphant, victorious, exciting, and awesome strategies for any battle!
Take Your Armor-Bearer for an Adventure
Jonathan said to his young armor-bearer, “Come, let’s go over to the outpost of those uncircumcised fellows. Perhaps the LORD will act in our behalf. Nothing can hinder the LORD from saving, whether by many or by few.”
“Do all that you have in mind,” his armor-bearer said. “Go ahead; I am with you heart and soul.”
In that first attack, Jonathan and his armor bearer killed some twenty men in an area of about a half an acre. (1 Samuel 14:6-7,14)
What words of faith led to Jonathan’s actions! And what loyalty from his armor-bearer! It’s amazing what the Lord can do with two who believe in Him and support one another.
Go into a Pit on a Snowy Day
Benaiah son of Jehoiada was a valiant fighter from Kabzeel, who performed great exploits. He struck down two of Moab’s best men. He also went down into a pit on a snowy day and killed a lion. (2 Chronicles 11:22)
If you’re like me, your first thought is, “Um, why?” It’s a very specific account of a fearsome fight that seems like it wouldn’t take place if Benaiah had just walked away. After all, was the lion coming out of the pit?
Yet, the idea here is a full frontal attack, an offensive strike! He kept pursing the enemy until he was defeated. He didn’t give up just because it looked like the foe was trapped.
Another example of this can be seen in Joshua 10:9-28. Speaking of Joshua–
March, Blow Trumpets, Shout
Then the LORD said to Joshua, “See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men. March around the city once with all the armed men. Do this for six days. Have seven priests carry trumpets of rams’ horns in front of the ark. On the seventh day, march around the city seven times, with the priests blowing the trumpets. When you hear them sound a long blast on the trumpets, have all the people give a loud shout; then the wall of the city will collapse and the people will go up, every man straight in.” (Joshua 6:2-5)
You know, it’s fun to create a scene in which it seems like the hero will certainly lose and your readers have no idea where this could possibly be going. While this tactic may be more challenging, it certainly is a delightful surprise! What seemed impossible only seconds ago now bursts into possible reality!
Again, God is the Mighty One; only obedience to Him brought about the great victory.
Stealth Mode
At that time David was in the stronghold, and the Philistine garrison was at Bethlehem. David longed for water and said, “Oh, that someone would get me a drink of water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem!” So the Three broke through the Philistine lines, drew water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem and carried it back to David…” (1 Chronicles 11:16-18a)
Retrieve the significant item with no causalities! Effective and epic.
Now, with stealth mode you can go one of two routes. 1) Mighty Men style; slip in, get the item, slip back out. 2) Mighty mammoth style; slip in, get caught, blast your way out.
Either can work. One is simply more impressive than the other.
Find Strength in the Lord
David was greatly distressed because the men were talking about stoning him; each one was bitter in spirit because of his sons and daughters. But David found strength in the LORD his God. (1 Samuel 30:6)
We need courage and strength to battle well. There’s no better place to find it than in the Lord. (This tactic goes hand-in-hand with pray earnestly, see 1 Samuel 30:7-8.)
When no one was around to speak an encouraging word, David had to remember the truth, take hold of God’s promises, and trust. That gave him renewed strength.
Send a Report
“Listen! I (the LORD) am going to put such a spirit in him that when he hears a certain report, he will return to his own country, and there I will have him cut down with the sword.”
Now Sennacherib received a report that Tirhakah, the Cushite king of Egypt, was marching out to fight against him… (2 Kings 19:7,9a).
Let the enemy know the ally is coming. The hero’s might is about to double. Let him think twice. Maybe, the foe has been defeated by that ally before and will flee in terror once he hears the report.
Or, as is the case in 2 Kings, maybe the report needs to be strengthened by a miraculous display of God’s power (2 Kings 19:35-36).
Have Each Other’s Backs
Joab saw that there were battle lines in front of him and behind him; so he selected some of the best troops in Israel and deployed them against the Arameans. He put the rest of the men under the command of Abishai his brother and deployed them against the Ammonites. Joab said, “If the Arameans are too strong for me, then you are to come to my rescue; but if the Ammonites are too strong for you, then I will come to rescue you.” (2 Samuel 10:9-11)
I love this! It’s a great picture of loyalty and wise friendship that leads to victorious battling. This stratagem is fitting for either spiritual or physical warfare.
Praise the Lord!
After consulting the people, Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the LORD and to praise Him for the splendor of His holiness as they went out at the head of the army, saying, “Give thanks to the LORD, He is good; His love endures forever.” As they began to sing and praise, the LORD set ambushes against the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir who were invading Judah, and they were defeated. (2 Chronicles 20:21-22)
Why were the people singing? Because the Lord had promised that they would not fight this battle; He would save Judah by His might. They praised and God fought. It’s absolutely incredible!
This passage also shows the set an ambush and the miraculous happens taking place. Which brings up an excellent point!
A single battle scene can include a combination of these tactics. Here’s a few more combination battle strategies in the Bible!
Once more the Philistines came up and spread out in the Valley of Rephaim; so David inquired of the LORD, and He answered, “Do not go straight up, but circle around behind them and attack them in front of the basalm trees. As soon as you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the basalm trees, move quickly, because that will mean the LORD has gone out in front of your to strike the Philistine army. So David did as the LORD commanded him, and he struck down the Philistines all the way from Gibeon to Geber. (2 Samuel 5:22-25)
You can see 1) the miraculous happens and 2) set an ambush.
So Joshua fought the Amalekites as Moses had ordered, and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went to the top of the hill. As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning. When Moses’ hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up – one on one side, one on the other – so that his hands remained steady till sunset. So Joshua overcome the Amalekite army with the sword. (Exodus 17:10-13)
Here we see 1) have each other’s backs and 2) pray earnestly.
Now, don’t forget that the hero and the enemy will have countering strategies. While your hero’s tactic may be well done, the enemy’s counter may be stronger. Or vice versa. There are two primary ways to show this.
First, mirroring.
The hero’s and enemy’s words or tactics may be exact copies of each other, yet be diametrically opposed. For instance, David came against Goliath “in the name of the LORD” to defend God’s people from their enemies. Sennacherib king of Assyria came against Israel “in the name of the LORD” to destroy God’s people. David’s motive was jealousy for God’s fame. Sennacherib’s motive was pride, destroying Jerusalem would defame God
See? Their words reflect each other, but their purposes are completely different. And one is clearly false.
Second, directly opposed.
Nehemiah’s fight against the enemies of his day was one of wit and words. He encouraged and led the nation of Israel to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. Tobias and others discouraged the Israelites at every turn. Nehemiah gained favor from the king. Tobias and his comrades stripped it away from them.
Each move was a counter, but they didn’t mirror the tactics – they directly opposed.
Every single one these battle scenes had consequences, either beneficial or detrimental. Some usher the hero and his people into great victory, rest, or recovery of desired persons, places, and objects. Some force the hero into dilemmas of error or outright disaster.
Each battle put faith in God in a crucible, to test it. For some, it strengthened their faith in the Lord of Armies (think Jehoshaphat or David). For others, it was the ultimate test that proved their disbelief or pride and destroyed them (think Saul).
What outcome does your plot need? How will your character’s faith be strengthened or weakened by this battle scene? Which battle strategy will you pick? Let me know in the comments!
Blessed battle scene writing, friend!