1 Samuel 14:48

And having gathered the army, he struck Amalek, etc. It signifies foreign nations alien to the faith and sacrament of the patriarchs' blood, whom Christ overcomes in two ways as enemies of his peace, so that he might rescue spiritual Israel from the hand of their devastators, either by saving believers through their own faith or by justly condemning unbelievers through his righteous judgment.

Because while He draws sinners of every kind to life, He is recognized as triumphing everywhere. The Lord was indeed commanding His soldiers, His princes, to carry out these triumphs when He said: "Go into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature" (Mark 16:15). He commands the Gospel to be preached to every creature, because He willed that all kinds of men be led to the faith, so that while He displayed the noble triumphs of His kings, He might show them conquering everywhere. Hence it is written: "Who wills all men to be saved, and to come to the knowledge of the truth" (1 Timothy 2:4). Indeed He wills all men to be saved, because from every kind of men He chooses those whom He draws to the joy of eternal salvation. But he sets forth what he accomplished by special fortitude, because it says: "And having gathered an army, he struck Amalek, and delivered Israel from the hand of its plunderers." Amalek is interpreted as "a people licking." What then is designated by Amalek, except the spirits of fornication? For their licking is to soothe the mind toward sinning by the flattery of the flesh. They seek to lick as if by the touch of a tongue when they touch the mind with light suggestions. What does it mean that he is said to have fought and conquered against Moab and Ammon, against Edom and the king of Zobah, yet did not gather an army, but to defeat Amalek he gathered an army? What does it mean that he gathered an army, except that to extinguish the spirit of fornication, a single virtue does not suffice? Abstinence from food is indeed very strong against this vice, but alone it does not prevail; for it is like a soldier who can fight but cannot overcome, because Amalek is not conquered unless an army is gathered. Therefore whoever desires to strike down fornication, let him add to bodily abstinence the virtue of humility. For if the mind disdains to submit humbly to God, it does not suppress the desires of its flesh by mastering and ruling over them. But it is still necessary to gather more, because the army is small. Therefore to the virtue of humility and bodily abstinence let there be added a frequent number of prayers. Indeed the affections of a heart intent on heavenly things are strong soldiers against the war of the flesh. Now therefore in the frequent assiduity of prayers he has a battle line, but an army has not just one battle line…