THE DANGER OF AN UNPREPARED HORSE; THE FOLLY OF TRUSTING A PREPARED HORSE.

Our life in this planet is a daily struggle to survive. Day after day, life is becoming more difficult. There are people suffering of extreme poverty, lacking of food, of lodging. There are countries suffering of wars, social conflicts or violence. There are people fighting for their social achievement and adaptation. But above all these battles, there is the spiritual one; in fact all the battles according to the Bible find their origin in the spiritual one. James 4: 1 “What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you? Is not the source your pleasures that wage war in your members?” It is clear that to solve most of the problems in our planet we should start by solving the spiritual one.

Many will wonder why we talk of horses when we evoke the challenges of life. The fact is simple; the study horses in the Bible can help us grasp the meaning of our battles and lead us to the true way of becoming overcomers.

Horses and their usefulness

The story of horses in the Bible is not so much different with what we know in secular history. Before they become domesticated, horses were wild animals in prehistory. With the process of domestication, they were used to carry loads or in agriculture. With the progress of industry, people started to use bits to guide horses and control their speed; the saddles and the stirrups made the seat easier and iron was used as horseshoe.

Thus equipped, to have a horse became a determining advantage in the battle field. The horse was no more an occasional means for transport or agriculture but an instrument for the conquest of power. Then, the idea of horses was soon associated with that of war. We see Egypt, for example, overruling all the battles in the Middle-East for many centuries because of their horses.

The Hebrews also associated horses with war. During the deliverance of Israel, it is mentioned that Pharaoh had “horses”, “chariots and his horsemen” (Exodus 14:9, 15.19). Their Canaanite enemies met them with many horses and chariots, but they still fell before the Israelites (Josh. 11:4–9). Since horses are associated with battles, our purpose is to analyze some principles outlined by God concerning the use of horses.

The danger of an unprepared horse

There are interesting Bible verses about horses in the Bible but the leading one in our actual reflection is Proverb 21:31. “The horse is prepared for the day of battle, but victory belongs to the LORD.”

Every battle necessitates a preparation and a planning. Try to imagine yourself in a battle zone, on a non prepared horse: no equipment, no bits and stirrups, no training etc. Despite your own strength and your ability to fight, that horse will be a serious disadvantage.

The same is true in our daily struggles. If we want to be victorious in our personal battles we should prepare ourselves. Preparing means we must start by planning. But how can we plan without a clear vision of what we expect? The Bible says “Where there is no vision, the people perish” (Prov. 29:18). Most of the failures in our life come from the fact that we don’t have a clear vision of what we expect in our life. Thomas Watson, the assistant of Bell A. Graham, who invented the telephone, said “To start thinking, start with the goal and work back. Picture what you want, define the purpose, the need, the goal—the objective that is desired.”

Jesus said: "Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, saying, 'This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.'” (Luke 14:28-30).

A call to plan is also a call to work. There are three categories of people: people who work all the time without planning; people who plan all the time without working and the blessed category of people who plan and work. We have many references calling to labour and warning against laziness in the Bible:

Proverbs 20:4 “The lazy person does not plow in season; harvest comes, and there is nothing to be found.”

Ecclesiastes 10:18 “Because of laziness the roof caves in, and because of idle hands the house leaks” ;  Proverbs 10:4 “Lazy hands make a man poor, but diligent hands bring wealth.”

And the wise man says: “Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest. How long will you lie there, you sluggard? When will you get up from your sleep?  A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest—“ (Prov. 6:6-9).

The Greek fabulist Aesop wrote about laziness. He said: The Ants were spending a fine winter’s day drying grain collected in the summertime. A grasshopper, perishing with famine, passed by and earnestly begged for a little food. The Ants inquired of him, “Why did you not treasure up food during the summer?’ He replied, “I had not leisure enough. I passed the days in singing.” They then said in derision: “If you were foolish enough to sing all the summer, you must dance supperless to bed in the winter.”

To sum this idea we can say there will never be any success without hard work, well planned and well prepared activity. Statistics prove that most people in our country work less than 10 hours a day. Unfortunately, there is no possibility of change and development, whatever the area, without hard work.

Now we should be cautious about overemphasizing hard work. Hard work alone, even well planned, will never solve all our problems. There is a need of supernatural power to solve supernatural problems. This reminds us the words of Francis Cardinal Spellman who said: “pray as if everything depended on God and work as if everything depended upon man.”

The folly of trusting a prepared horse

The text of Proverb 21:31 is a strong indication to the balance we should reach in matter of work and trust to God. Though this verse admits that the horse is prepared for the day of battle, it leaves no room of doubt that only God gives the victory. This verse is similar to many others in the Old Testament.

In fact the primary force of Hebrews in war was the power of Yahweh, not the power of their army. Early in their history, the Israelites did not have horses and chariots and without divine aid they were at a disadvantage in meeting their enemies (Jos 17:16; Jgs 4:3; 1 Sam 13:5; 2 Sam 8:4). Yet, repeatedly God warned the Hebrews not to place their faith in the strength and speed of horses (Ps. 20:7) or to “multiply” horses (Deut. 17:16) and they were refrained from introducing horses and chariots into their armed forces (cf. Deut 17:16).

Psalm 33:17 “A horse is a false hope for victory; Nor does it deliver anyone by its great strength.” ; Psalm 20:7 Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.

In spite of these warnings, David and Solomon did multiply horses, even importing them from other countries. Solomon had a sizeable cavalry as well as horses to draw war chariots. To come up with the saying that the victory comes only from the Lord he certainly had realized, after his experience of accumulation, that the security of his kingdom depended not upon his horses but on God.

Ultimate success comes from the LORD and not from human efforts. Faithful people have acknowledged this down through the ages, even though they have been responsible and have prepared for the wars. Without this belief there would have been no prayer before the battle.

The White Horseman of the End of Time.

The main lesson of our reflection is that we should not trust in human efforts, skills and abilities, nor should we trust more in human strategies or technologies than we trust in God.

But we cannot finish our study without talking about the “Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse,” who ride out to ravage the earth in the end times (Rev. 6:1–8).  This reference makes us realize that the issue of horses is full of meaning and it reminds us that year after year we are coming close to the end of this world.

Revelation 19:11-14: And I saw heaven opened; and behold, a white horse, and He who sat upon it is called Faithful and True; and in righteousness He judges and wages war. ¹² And His eyes are a flame of fire, and upon His head are many diadems; and He has a name written upon Him which no one knows except Himself. ¹³ And He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood; and His name is called The Word of God. ¹⁴ And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses.

This is a symbolic description of Jesus Christ, with his faithful followers, represented here by an army of people riding white horses. He leads them to the final victory over the evil forces of this world at his second coming.

As we go through our daily battles, we should be aware that God can help us to overcome all the challenges of this world; we should commit our lives to him by faith and he will save us. But we must know that above all the battles of this world, there is the ultimate battle for eternal life, and Jesus is also willing to lead us into victory for that battle.

The big question is now yours: do you decide to trust God and face all the battles with him? This is the due time to renew your commitment with Jesus Christ. This is the time to turn to your Creator and Savior. Trust in Him and your life will change.

May God bless you and give you victory and success in your life!