In most wars, it’s all hands on deck. Every able-bodied male (and female, in some circumstances) is called into battle to serve their country. Only those who have valid health reasons are granted a deferral.
This has led to some really heartbreaking scenarios. It’s stated that the average age of a person buried in the American cemetery in Normandy is 22, but that number is skewed wildly by the type of people who are buried there. Generals are buried alongside privates, which means much older men buried there are averaged out by much younger men. Some even as young as sixteen.
The movie Saving Private Ryan is based around this exact principle. Three brothers are killed in World War 2, so a detachment of soldiers is sent out to bring the fourth brother home; that way their mother isn’t bereaved of all of her children.
At the outset, Deuteronomy 20 anticipates this reality and gives three valid reasons why someone is able to be excused from the forthcoming war. If anyone has built a new house, but not lived in it; anyone who has planted a vineyard, but not drunk from it; and anyone who is engaged to be married, but hasn’t consummated that marriage.
If these qualifiers sound somewhat random, they wouldn’t to the average soldier in Israel’s army. Jeremiah 29:5-6 relists these activities and implies that they are the expected pleasures of a normal life.
The fourth deferral mentioned in Deuteronomy 20:8 (if someone is simply afraid to fight) is done for the benefit of the entire army, but these three provisions are done for the benefit of the individual. It would be an unfair life for someone to sacrifice everything for others without getting to experience any of God’s blessings first.
This passage shows that God does have a heart. He’s not a cold-blooded killer bent on world domination, but a benevolent God who cares deeply about individuals. He wants His people to enjoy the land—not exist in a constant state of war.
When that happens, contentment is finally able to grow.