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Luke 14:31
ESV Or what king, going out to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and deliberate whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand?
NIV "Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Won’t he first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand?
NASB Or what king, when he sets out to meet another king in battle, will not first sit down and consider whether he is strong enough with ten thousand men to face the one coming against him with twenty thousand?
CSB "Or what king, going to war against another king, will not first sit down and decide if he is able with ten thousand to oppose the one who comes against him with twenty thousand?
NLT Or what king would go to war against another king without first sitting down with his counselors to discuss whether his army of 10,000 could defeat the 20,000 soldiers marching against him?
KJV Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand?
NKJV Or what king, going to make war against another king, does not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand?

What does Luke 14:31 mean?

Jesus provides another metaphor for a lifetime of following Him. He is teaching a crowd about the sacrifices they must make if they are to call themselves His disciples. They must be so faithful to Him that their love of family looks like hate in comparison. They must be willing to lay down their lives in humiliation. And they must be willing to give up everything they have: possessions, reputation, power, and position (Luke 14:25–27, 33).

In the first example, Jesus talked about the public shame a man will receive if he starts to build a tower without first considering if he has enough money to finish it (Luke 14:28–30). Now, He talks about a king who is faced with war against a force twice his size. He is a fool to barge forward without analyzing the situation and determining if he has any chance of winning. If his army can't survive, he should seek terms of peace (Luke 14:32).

The Old Testament provides two different examples of this situation.

As the Israelites entered the Promised Land and began their attacks against the Canaanites, the Gibeonites compared the size and power of the Israelite army to their own and realized they were about to face extinction. Straightforward terms of peace seemed impossible, so they resorted to deceit. They approached Joshua as if they were travelers from beyond Canaan and asked for peace. Joshua agreed, not knowing until after that their city was in the middle of the territory God gave the Israelites. The cleverness of the Gibeonites saved their people, although they had to provide servants for the tabernacle in perpetuity (Joshua 9).

A counter example is that of Josiah and Pharaoh Neco. King Josiah of Judah was generally a godly king, but he had a moment of foolishness. Pharaoh Neco was leading his army through Judah to attack the Assyrians in the north. For some unknown reason, Josiah challenged Neco to a battle. Neco tried to decline, telling him that the Jewish God had ordered him against Assyria and he had nothing against the Jews. Josiah persisted. Not only did Judah lose, but Josiah was killed in battle (2 Chronicles 35:20–27).
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