1 Samuel 24, 26: Respect: The Torn Cape.

Presented to 614 Warehouse afternoon service, 30 July 2017 by Capt. M Ramsay

  

1 Samuel 24:6: He said to his men, “The LORD forbid that I should do such a thing to my master, the LORD’s anointed, or lay my hand on him; for he is the anointed of the LORD.”

1 Samuel 26:9-11: But David said to Abishai, “Don’t destroy him! Who can lay a hand on the Lord’s anointed and be guiltless? 10 As surely as the Lord lives,” he said, “the Lord himself will strike him, or his time will come and he will die, or he will go into battle and perish. 11 But the Lord forbid that I should lay a hand on the Lord’s anointed.

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Have you ever had a bad leader? A politician? A boss? A pastor? Headquarters? What would you about it if you had a chance and some impunity? David was in this spot. Neither would David strike his leader NOR would he let people under his authority act against the Lord's anointed. David wouldn't do or say anything against his boss the king. We believe God still raises up our political leaders and anoints our religious and spiritual leaders to this day. As such, just like David, we need to respect those who God Himself places in authority over us.[1]

            We know about King Saul, the one to whom David needed and did offer respect and to whom he did submit. King Saul was jealous of David: going back to 1 Samuel 17 and the David and Goliath episode – remember the people said that Saul had killed his thousands and David had killed his tens of thousands…Saul didn’t like that much. But David refused to say anything bad about him.

            On another occasion, King Saul, being upset with David tried to trick David into getting killed. He told David that he could marry Saul’s daughter (as he was already promised when he defeated Goliath in battle) if he brought him 100 of their enemies', the Philistines, foreskins (1 Samuel 18:25-27). Saul didn’t think that David would live to pull this off  (or all 100 of these!) But he, and his comrades, did.

            Saul then tried to pin David to the wall with a spear and twice tried to kill his own heir and eldest son in the same manner when Prince Jonathan supported David.

            Now in our stories today, King Saul has taken three thousand chosen and skilled warriors and has headed off in pursuit of David with the express goal of killing him. This is David's boss, whom, David - in full knowledge of this - 1 Samuel 24:6: He said to his men, “The LORD forbid that I should do such a thing to [my boss] my master, the LORD’s anointed, or lay my hand on him; for he is the anointed of the LORD.”

            Have you ever had an enemy? Have you ever had someone who attacked you at every opportunity? Have you ever had someone who hated you? ...who spread lies about you? ...who wanted you dead? What would you do if you had a chance to get them off your back? What would you do if you had a chance to say something bad about them or have someone beat them up or get them arrested or get them banned from some place? Would you let it pass? Now imagine that they are your boss or your pastor or DHQ. This is David’s situation.

            In Samuel 24, David’s friends are telling David to be done with Major, I mean, King Saul. Like the devil in the Gospels, they even quote Scripture to pressure him into it (cf. Matthew 4, Luke 4). Saul, after all, has done all that stuff we’ve talked about: not only turning people against David and choosing 3000 people to attack him but he has actually tried to kill David more than once and is trying to kill him right now. All those who have an axe to grind with Saul are surrounding David (1 Samuel 22:2). All those who owe Saul's supporters money and don't want to pay them back, all those who are grumbling for this or for that. They point out that God has delivered Saul into David's hands.[2] They surround David; he becomes their Captain and they attempt to tempt David (some maybe unwittingly) with the poison chalice of self-righteousness, spite and revenge. David’s friends in Chapter 24 encourage David to betray and even kill Colonel, I mean, King Saul. And in Chapter 26, they even volunteer to finish off Captain, I mean King Saul for him. 1 Samuel 26: 8ff:

Abishai said to David, “Today God has delivered your enemy into your hands. Now let me pin him to the ground with one thrust of the spear; I won’t strike him twice.”9 But David said to Abishai, “Don’t destroy him! Who can lay a hand on the Lord’s anointed and be guiltless? 10 As surely as the Lord lives,” he said, “the Lord himself will strike him, or his time will come and he will die, or he will go into battle and perish. 11 But the Lord forbid that I should lay a hand on the Lord’s anointed.

            This response reminds us of Arc Angel Michael's response to Satan when the devil tries to draw him into an argument. Michael refuses to engage but rather leaves the rebuking to the Lord (Jude); remember too how our Lord Jesus Christ responds when Peter chops the ear off a soldier who is coming to arrest Jesus in order that Jesus can be killed. How does Jesus respond? He heals the soldier's ear and goes with him willingly (John 18). These responses: David's, Michael's, Jesus' should be ours;[3] but have you -like David- ever had a friend who offered revenge on your behalf?

            Have you ever had someone offer to get someone back for you? Have you ever had someone, out of misplaced loyalty, gang up on someone else? Have you ever acted out towards someone because of what you THINK they have done to a someone else? If the person you are provoking or letting others gang up on is in a position of authority then you have committed the sin that David’s friends -and all the grumbling discontent people- are trying to tempt him to do.[4]

            In The Salvation Army, Susan and I are the pastors, the Captains, and the local bosses here at 614 and Warehouse. In some respects we are in the pace of Saul. In other respects we are in the place of David. We have our bosses - AC, DC, TC - and if we have a difference with them, if we have a problem with them; if we encourage you to call headquarters or if we turn a blind eye when you do then we are acting out in a bad way towards our bosses and we are acting in a bad way towards God. When we betray, provoke, or otherwise rebel against our God-appointed leaders, we are committing the sin that David here - who is in a much more pressing situation than any of our corps and any of us have ever been - is refusing to commit.

            David's men have a list of grievances against their current leadership –the leadership is trying to kill David for one; their leader is jealous, envious of David; the leader’s leadership is going in a different direction from God even; David has been anointed! He is chosen to lead his people and his people want David to lead. They know what has to be done – in their opinion - and they want it done now!

            This is not unlike our own experiences, many churches' experiences, many work place experiences, and many Salvation Army experiences. I admit when I was younger I got caught up in this more than once - believing that I was right and those in authority must be complained against and otherwise resisted, evaded, or deceived. I grew up in a church much larger than any in our Salvation Army. I must admit that I sinned more than once by starting a petition or forming a faction or a clique or speaking about someone instead of speaking to them. I have been a part of movements that have tried to force our own agenda opposed to those in authority. That is sin against our Lord.

            There have even been times when I have spoken poorly of Officers or pastors and –because of that- the devil has been able to use me to cause problems. I admit even as an Officer I myself a long time ago may have utter those ill-advised words, "then call DHQ". There was a time and a place when I even knew people were writing to a DHQ and THQ and I at best sat back giving it my tacit approval (reminiscent of Acts 7:58 and Saul watching the coats for people who were killing the Christian, Stephen) or worse I have fanned the flames of rebellion myself. In my recent memory I have even erred by listening to people's rebellious complaints about my bosses and not set people straight. If I have reinforced the grumbling of anyone who is here, I really do apologize. These experiences are equivalent to if David had tried to kill or maim King Saul in the cave or while he slept.[5] That is wrong; that is sin. That is what we do when we disrespect, complain about, or try to undermine those God has raised up as our leaders.

            If we have a problem with those in authority over us we are never supposed to undermine them. If we have a problem with those in authority over us we are never supposed to complain about them secretly to others. If we have a problem with those in authority over us we are never supposed to go over their heads. If we have a problem with those in authority over us we are never supposed to go behind their back. If we have a problem with those in authority over us we are never supposed to gossip, slander, malign, or even THINK bad things about our bosses, pastors, our bosses’ bosses or our pastor’s pastors (remember as well the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5-7). If we have a problem with those in authority we are never supposed to even listen to those who try to undermine them. That is disastrous to a church. If you attack a pastor, a Captain, a Major, a Colonel, a leader in that way; you may actually be a part of the ruin of the whole church. It really is pushing the self-destruct button. If I get drawn into the trap of complaining about my boss to my employees, my parishioners, or as bad or worse – to his or her boss, I am holding a grenade to my soul and that cannot end well. If you get drawn into the trap of complaining about your pastor to our employees, our parishioners, or as bad or worse – to my boss, then you are holding a grenade to all of our souls and that cannot end well for the church or for any of us.

            The Apostle Paul, who writes much the same things about respecting authorities in his letter to the Romans and elsewhere: Romans 13:1-7, Colossians 3:18-4:1, Ephesians 5:21-6:9, 1 Corinthians 15:28, Titus 2:9; likewise Luke in Luke 2:51; 10:17; and James, the brother of Jesus, in James 4:7; 3:1-2. Paul and Peter receive martyrs' crowns via a state execution and en route to their death they still refuse to disrespect the authorities God placed over them (cf. Acts 23:1-5).  Peter writes, 1 Peter 2:13-15, “Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human authority: whether to the emperor, as the supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people.”

            Submit ourselves to the leaders of the places we are citizens -both on earth and in heaven - and in the church where God has called us. If someone gossips or complains to you, refuse to listen to them! By doing this good, as the scriptures say, you will silence the ignorant talk of foolish people. And my friends –if any of us are indulging in complaining, make no mistake, it is ignorant and we need to be silenced.

            However, as we refuse to take part in these behaviours the darkness and troubles around us will really turn into light and life.[6] I promise. Leo Tolstoy, a couple of hundred years before 'pay it forward' wrote a book called 'The Forged Coupon'.[7] This book starts with one person giving into a little temptation and then it spirals way out of control with lots of people down the road creating lots of serious problems -even death -for others. But then at a mid-way point of the book, the story reverses. One lady refuses to partake in selfishness and her act of goodness reverses the trend and is the first in a series of blessed events that sees all the characters,  instead of spreading darkness, shining the light of Christ into the world.

            It is the same with us. If the next time someone complains to you about The Salvation Army of which you by your very presence are a part, if the next time someone complains to you about HQ, if the next time someone complains to you about these Captains or those Majors, if the next time someone complains to you about someone at 614 or the Warehouse, if you refuse to listen to it and counter by saying something good about that person and direct the complainant -with a smile - to speak to the person instead of about him/her; if you pray for him/her and refuse to gossip or even listen to her/him then you can be that turning point which God uses to transform a whole community from darkness to light.

            However, if we choose to complain ourselves or listen to others gossip. grumble and complain then we are feeding the darkness. Today the choice is ours, like Saul (both NT and OT), we can hunt down our enemies on a seemingly righteous campaign and spread darkness and death  or, like David  in today's stories, we can love and support those in authority over us; we can love and support our neighbours, refusing to repay evil with even a bad thought. The choice is ours. We can choose the light of salvation or darkness and death. It is my hope that we will choose the light and love of God, for as we do we will see the whole world changed, our churches changed, and indeed we will see our very own souls transformed.

Let us pray.

www.sheepspeak.com

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[1] Gbile Akanni and Nupanga Weanzana, Africa Bible Commentary, (Nairobi, Kenya: Word Alive Publishers, 2010), ' 1 Samuel 24:3-6: a test for David's heart': God may have done this to test David's heart: Humility is the understanding of the boundaries we need to observe in relation to anyone to whom God has given authority.

[2] Gbile Akanni and Nupanga Weanzana, Africa Bible Commentary, (Nairobi, Kenya: Word Alive Publishers, 2010), '1 Samuel 24:3-6: a test for David's heart': God may have done this to test David's heart

[3] But cf. Ronald F. Youngblood, The Expositor's Bible Commentary, Pradis CD-ROM:1 and 2 Samuel/Exposition of First Samuel/III. Establishment of Monarchy in Israel (16:1-31:13)/A. The Rise of David (16:1-28:2)/12. Sparing Saul's life (24:1-22), Book Version: 4.0.2: David may have sinned in cutting the robe; he did repent publicly.

[4] Gbile Akanni and Nupanga Weanzana, Africa Bible Commentary, (Nairobi, Kenya: Word Alive Publishers, 2010), '1 Samuel 24:7-16: The Power of the Spoken Word', 367

[5] Gbile Akanni and Nupanga Weanzana, Africa Bible Commentary, (Nairobi, Kenya: Word Alive Publishers, 2010), '1 Samuel 24:7-16: The Power of the Spoken Word', 367

[6] cf. Bruce C. Birch, 'The First and Second Books of Samuel' in The New Interpreter’s Bible, Vol. 2, ed. Leander E. Keck, et el. (Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 1998), 1160.

[7] cf. Leo Tolstoy, The Forged Coupon

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FURTHER QUESTIONS:

David honours God and Saul (1 Sam 23-26) July 30,2017

“The Lord forbid that I should do such a thing to my master, the Lord’s anointed, or lay my hand on him; for he is the anointed of the Lord.” - 1 Samuel 24:6

Group 1

I. Life

1. What is something you noticed about God this week?

II. Text

Re-read 1 Samuel 24

1. What happened in this story?

2. Who raised up and anointed King Saul? Who raise up our leaders in church and society (both those better than Saul and, if possible, those who aren’t)?

3. King Saul, David’s boss, was trying to kill him; the spirit of the Lord had left him; people who hated David’s boss surrounded him and told him that God had given him this opportunity to be rid of his boss. David would not strike King Saul nor would he let anyone else; why?

4. Theologians GbileAkanni and Nupanga Weanzana write, "Are we not called to work for righteousness in the church and society? We are, but we must not speak so much of the evils with the leadership of the church and society that leaders become objects of scorn. Those who listen to such talk will come to despise all leadership and will not grow in holiness and humility. The Lord must teach us how to use words that can restore the church and society"
a. David did not allow anyone to attack his leader. Why must we avoid the temptation to speak of the evils of the leadership in the church and society? What is a better way to affect change?

b. Gossip and speaking bad about our leaders and others is one of the most destructive things to the church and we Christians; words are powerful: what should we do if someone attacks another in our hearing? How can we use words to build each other up instead of tearing each other down?

5. How can we each replace a spirit of discord in our own society or church community? Are you willing to commit to not listen to things about our leaders (pastors, bosses, etc) and others?


6. This week when you hear someone say something negative about someone, I invite you to say something nice about them instead. Please take turns saying something nice about your pastor (and/or HQ), your boss and then someone else in the circle; then pray for them.


Group 2

I. Life

1. What is something you noticed about God this week?

II. Text

Re-read 1 Samuel 26

1. What happened in this story?

2. Who raised up and anointed King Saul? Who raises up our leaders in church and society (both those better than Saul and those who aren’t)?

3. 1 Samuel 26:9-11: "…David said to Abishai, 'Don’t destroy him! Who can lay a hand on the LORD’s anointed and be guiltless? 10 As surely as the LORD lives,' he said, 'the LORD himself will strike him, or his time will come and he will die, or he will go into battle and perish. 11 But the LORD forbid that I should lay a hand on the LORD’s anointed. Now get the spear and water jug that are near his head, and let’s go.”David would not strike King Saul nor would he let anyone else; why?

4. James 3:5,9&10: “…the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark....With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. 10 Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. Words are power." David did not allow anyone to attack his leader. Why must we avoid the temptation to speak evil of our leaders in the church and society? What is a better way to affect change?

5. Gossip and speaking bad about our leaders and others is one of the most destructive things to the church and Christians; words are powerful: what should we do if someone attacks another in our hearing? How can we use words to build each other up instead of tearing each other down?

6. How can we each replace a spirit of discord in our own society or church community? Are you willing to commit to not listen to things about our leaders (pastors, bosses, etc) and others?

7. This week when you hear someone say something negative about someone, I invite you to say something nice about them instead. Please take turns saying something nice about your pastor (and/or HQ), your boss and then someone else in the circle; then pray for them.

Devotion 2.56/108: 1 Samuel 16:7: Inside

Presented to River Street Cafe, 17 July 2017

Read 1 Samuel 16:1-7

1 Samuel 24 (NIV): 1 After Saul returned from pursuing the Philistines, he was told, “David is in the Desert of En Gedi.” 2 So Saul took three thousand able young men from all Israel and set out to look for David and his men near the Crags of the Wild Goats.

3 He came to the sheep pens along the way; a cave was there, and Saul went in to relieve himself. David and his men were far back in the cave. 4 The men said, “This is the day the Lord spoke of when he said to you, ‘I will give your enemy into your hands for you to deal with as you wish.’” Then David crept up unnoticed and cut off a corner of Saul’s robe.

5 Afterward, David was conscience-stricken for having cut off a corner of his robe. 6 He said to his men, “The Lord forbid that I should do such a thing to my master, the Lord’s anointed, or lay my hand on him; for he is the anointed of the Lord.” 7 With these words David sharply rebuked his men and did not allow them to attack Saul. And Saul left the cave and went his way.

"...The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”

This is important. This is one theme that reoccurs in 1 Samuel phrased in different ways. This is significant not only in the narrative of David's rise to power but also in our lives today.

The smallest person here, the most delicate person here can be used by God to carry a car across the road if that is what the Lord needs. The person here most known for their rough exterior and exhausting lifestyle could be chosen and equipped by God to win a beauty pageant as high profile as Queen Esther's for His purpose and Glory. The one of us in this room who has had the least opportunity and experience with the education system can be used by God to teach an accredited PhD level course. It is true. God can do anything with me and with you.
    
When has God used you to do things that are extraordinary and completely out of the realm of your experience, training, and ordinary expectations?

www.sheepspeak.com 

Devotion 2.54/106: 1 Samuel 13:13: Waiting

Presented to River Street Cafe, 14 July 2017

Read 1 Samuel 13:7-14a

Then, like now, when faced with a crisis the most important thing to do is to seek the Lord's council, leading, favour, and blessing. King Saul of Israel was faced with an apparently critical situation. He was at the head of his army. The enemy was assembled. His soldiers were afraid - it says they were quaking with fear. They had started to sneak away. It says his men began to scatter.

Samuel, the previous leader of Israel who was still hanging around, and still served in a leadership capacity himself, had told Saul to wait until he arrived before anyone sought the Lord's favour through a ceremony of burnt and fellowship offerings. Samuel said he would be there in seven days. If Saul had a watch, I imagine he'd have been looking at it every two minutes or so. Samuel was late or nearly late. All his soldiers were afraid. His army was deserting. The enemy was approaching. He needed to seek God's council. Where was Samuel? What if something happened to him? What if he isn't coming? What if by the time he shows up the entire army has fled? What if...? The appointed time arrives. Samuel isn't there. Saul, the king, decides that he must act now or risk losing everything; so he seeks the favour of the Lord through the offerings.

As soon as he finishes, who arrives? The prophet Samuel: he is not happy. God is not happy and Saul is told that this is the kind of thing that will cause the end of his reign. What is it that King Saul did? He didn't wait for God. There was a crisis. Lives were at stake. Everything was apparently at stake. He felt he needed to act but God wanted him to wait.

I think we Christians today struggle with this a lot. I don't know how many times people have told me they knew the right thing to do, they knew what God was telling them or what He would want but they did something else instead because they felt they had to: they told a white lie, they skipped out of a responsibility, they didn't relay a message . . . or something way bigger.

I think there are many times when life feels overwhelming that we can be tempted to try to solve the problems on our own instead of listening to and waiting for God. And if we get into a habit of not listening to and waiting for God and instead moving on our own, we may find that we are not following Him any more.

Today my encouragement is this: let us seek the face of God and let us wait for His answers. He really will take care of us. If we have gotten out of the habit of listening to and waiting for God, it is never too late to get back into the habit. He will never us astray.

www.sheepspeak.com

Devotion 2.55/107: 2 Corinthians 9:7 Volunteers

Presented to Volunteer Appreciation BBQ, 7 July 2017

Read 2 Corinthians 9:6-9

 “Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. As it is written: ‘They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor; their righteousness endures forever.”

Staff and management and Officers, we receive a paycheque or a living allowance for the work we do. We are blessed by God as we serve Him and others.

Volunteers are a double blessing. You help without any payment. If there is no money to pay for the work to be done, God still uses you to do His work. It is only because of you that any of the work here is able to be done at all.

You come out to help at the times that you help, on the days that you help, in the seasons that you help not under any compulsion, like our scripture today says. God really does love you as you are a cheerful giver of your time. Everyday that you come to help, you are a blessing to God, to us, and to those who we help in Jesus’ name. As it is written, you who have freely scattered their gifts to the poor, your righteousness endures forever. God’s righteousness endures forever. And for all of that and all you do, we are very thankful and I praise the Lord.

Let us pray.

www.sheepspeak.com 

1 Samuel 17:46 – 47: The Battle belongs to the Lord

Presented to Nipawin and Tisdale Corps on July 6, 2008
Presented to Swift Current Corps on May 2, 2010
Presented to Warehouse Mission Corps, Toronto on July 17, 2016
Presented to 614 Warehouse Regent Park, Toronto, June 11, 2017
By Captain Michael Ramsay

I played a bit of sports growing up. I won a few soccer trophies. I tried baseball – my team won a trophy in that once for winning the season. I tried curling – my family won some competitions in curling: I never played on any of their teams. I tried basketball too. Now given my great height and size in general (5’7”), one would think that by rights I really shouldn’t be any good at basketball. But you know what? … I’m not. I tried out however for the grade six team…and I was one of ONLY two kids in my whole class - NOT to make the team (and that was my best ever year at basketball). Not only can I not block shots with my height, I also have difficulties making them. My basketball skills never improved.

One day when I was in university, we went down to the park to play some basketball. Now my friends – they were really good at basketball. Some of them actually made the teams growing up. Now because they were all good sports and had a certain degree of patience, they would actually take the time to explain to me that hip checks, slide checks and nose tweaking were not acceptable defensive manoeuvres. Who knew?

After most of guys had gone home, I was left with a few of the more serious players and they decided to have a bit of a competition to see who was the best shot. So how this would work was that one player would try to pick a tricky shot and if he could make it, all the rest of us would have to make it too – or we would be knocked out of the competition. So they would be doing these reverse lay-ups, shots from the three-point line and the like and due to the grace of God, I was actually able to keep up but then came my turn…

So for my turn - I clarified that I could do any shot that I wanted – I clarified that if I made the shot that they would have to do exactly the same thing – so I would make up the most elaborate shooting routine that I could think of: I would do things like roll on the ground eight times, while singing a children’s song and then throw the ball with my back to the net. Or at one point I think I bounced the ball in off another player after tripping and falling over myself. And – guess what - by the grace of God, the ball actually found the net; so here were all these too serious, too skilled players trying to concentrate on these shots while laughing and not being able to concentrate at all and - at the end of the competition - I was indeed the last man standing. It was weird but in life there are times when we can’t really rely on our own skills and abilities to carry us through. After all is said and done we must confess that the battle is not to the strong and the race is not to the swift (Eccl. 9:11). The battle -as 17:47 says- the battle belongs to the Lord.

Now we all know the story of David and Goliath[1] that we read about today (1 Samuel 17), about how a young inexperienced soldier toppled a professional fighter and we know that the battle belongs to the Lord but instead of this – the fact that the battle belongs to the Lord - we often concentrate, when retelling this story, on how a person with just a sling can topple a well-armed soldier.

While it is true that Goliath is painted as a giant of a man, somewhere between 6’9” and 9’9” tall (depending on your translation: MT or LXX, 1 Samuel 17:4)[2] and it is true that he is portrayed as having the most advanced weaponry of his day and age. Remember that the Israelites did not have any iron technology at all (1 Samuel 13:19). Remember that the Philistines forbade them from defending themselves– and remember that after they disarmed them then they attacked them - much like the USA before the second Iraq war or today with some countries and nuclear technology (or even some conventional weaponry) where they are doing their best to make sure that they are the only ones who will use these weapons for war. Here in our text today, Goliath has his century’s version of the depleted uranium bombs NATO dropped on Yugoslavia: Goliath has an iron spearhead that ways about 600 sheckles of iron (17:7). He is a formidable foe, with superior technology but…nonetheless the battle belongs to the Lord.

Now, that being said, sometimes in playing up Goliath we play down David a little too much – remember that David is already referred to as a warrior in 1 Samuel 16:18[3] and, as a shepherd, he has a lot of experience with his weapon of choice – the sling. And you’ll note also that his weapon of choice is a real weapon that real soldiers really did use in battle. They could fire a rock from a sling at over 100 miles an hour and an expert could be deadly accurate (2 Ki 3:25, 1 Chr 12:2, 2 Chr 26:14)[3.5]: Judges 20:16 says that some men who were left-handed could even sling a stone at a hair at a distance and not miss. This is not a child’s toy; it is a pretty powerful weapon that David chooses to bring into the battle.

David is not just a child; he is a pretty powerful tool that the Lord chooses to bring into battle. So then part of the miracle of the Lord’s victory in this battle here is NOT the fact that David is good with a sling but part of the miracle could be that the Lord apparently conceals this sling from Goliath’s sight until the contest begins (notice that in his taunts of 16:43 there is no mention of the sling – only of the David’s rod)[4] so it appears then that Goliath and his shield-bearer – even with their superior superpower class technology - are ill-prepared to face their opponent and why? … Why? Because the battle belongs to the Lord. Goliath and David’s speeches make that quite clear (17:43-47). This isn’t a contest of two men who serve different gods; this is a contest of two gods (one real and one imagined), who have chosen as their weapons/armour different men. This is a significant difference (repeat). The battle belongs to the Lord.

In our own lives, this is true too and I think that we too often forget that indeed the battles we have before us actually do belong to the Lord as well. I have been involved with a couple of different AA (alcoholics anonymous) / NA (narcotics anonymous) groups here in town. We have even been blessed with the opportunity to begin a group for youth here so as to be used as a tool for their deliverance.

You should hear some of the testimonies in these different AA / NA groups. I cannot share any specifics with you in this context given the anonymous nature of the groups but I can tell you that steps 1-3 of AA’s 12 step programme confess that we are powerless over our foe, that only a power greater then ourselves can restore us, and that we need to turn our will and our lives over to God.[5] This is true. When they forget that in group it is not pleasant. When we forget that in our life it is not pleasant but when we remember it…when we remember it, all of a sudden the seemingly insurmountable can be surmounted because really life’s battles do belong to the Lord. They are not ours to fight.

Myself, I remember reflecting on Bonhoeffer…Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-1945) was a great man: he was head and shoulders above the rest (cf. 1 Samuel 9:2). He was a Lutheran pastor, a theologian, and a person of great fame whose writings are well known - some of this is due to political and religious propaganda of the time but some of it is due to the fact that he truly was and is still used -albeit post-mortem- as an instrument of God. Susan and I, we even have a couple of books that he wrote on our shelves at home.

Bonhoeffer was a man who worked for the Lord and the Church in Europe before and during the conflict known now as WWII. His writings are still being used to affect much good in the world. His last grandiose act, as far as we know, was to be complicit in the cold-blooded murder of three or four men and an attempt to assassinate his Head of State during a time of national crisis. We know that hundreds of more people died very much because of the plot in which he was directly involved.

So what about Bonhoeffer's last act: an act of hate? Bonhoeffer was rightly executed for treason and conspiracy to commit murder. Did he decide not to remain in the vine (cf. John 15)? Did Bonhoeffer, as educated as he was and as influential as he still is in Christianity, did Bonhoeffer forget that the battle belongs to the Lord? We, of course, do not –any of us – we do not know the answer to this question [6] but that does not mean that we should not ask it and that does not mean that we should not ask that same question of ourselves.

We do know from looking at Chapter 15 of 1 Samuel last week, that there was another hero who was head and shoulders above the rest (1 Samuel 9:2), Israel’s first messiah, (Messiah means anointed ones and Saul was the first one anointed king over Israel), Israel’s first king whom God chose and commanded be anointed. God’s handpicked leader for his people, Saul rejected the LORD (1 Samuel 15) and indeed the new king forgot that the battle belongs to the Lord. Remember that instead of following YHWH’s orders, he instead did what he thought was best in his own eyes (cf. Judges 21:25). Remember that set up a monument to himself (1 Samuel 15:12) after the battle. Remember that Saul forgets that this battle belongs to the Lord; and remember that as Saul rejects God, God, it says in 15:26, God too rejects Saul.

What about us here? What do we do when we are faced with life’s conflicts? Are we any better than Saul? Do we set up monuments for ourselves by taking credit for what God does through us? Do we set up monuments to ourselves in our minds by thinking that we are the reason we have a good job and good home and a family? Do we think that we have anything to do with the price of grain or the price of gas or do we remember that the battle belongs to the Lord?

When we are faced with life’s battles, do we just strap on the amour that society offers us - our education and experience - like the amour that Saul offered David in 17:38,39 and try to fight on our own strength? When we are faced with life’s battles, when we are deciding what to tell a friend, what classes to take, what crops to plant, what jobs to take; when we are faced with the battle of deciding what to do with the time and money we have been entrusted with– do we ask God? (really) Do we pray? Do we read the Bible when we are faced with challenges (like this one from Goliath)? Do we, like David, realise that the battle belongs to the Lord. Or, instead, like Saul, do we try to face life’s challenges purely on our own strength (cf. 1 Samuel 15)? God has given us our experiences, and our education and they are indeed as formidable as a stone in David’s sling but only if we remember that it is the Lord’s battle. We need to seek Him because, indeed, life’s battles do belong to the Lord.

In our text today that is made very clear in verses 46 and 47. David says to his foe, “This day the LORD will hand you over to me…and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD'S, and he will give all of you into our hands.”

It is not by the sword or the spear that the Lord saves. So this is the same in our world. We can have an education that is the equivalent of the king’s armour. If we don’t use it for God it really is useless. We can have as much money as a superpower spends on weapons. It means nothing if we don’t submit to the Lord.

So I know that life sends us many struggles. Everyday, some are facing a new Goliath. I know many people who are struggling with addiction in these parts. I know many friends who are struggling with serious health and family concerns. I know that there are those here that have real decisions to make about their children and real decisions to make about their life.

As this is true, as this is all true, I invite you. I implore you to remember that the battle belongs to the Lord. So then let us load up our slings with the stones of our crops, education, wealth of experience but let’s do so in faith. Remember, no matter how difficult life’s challenges are; no matter how big are the Goliaths in front of us; no matter what seemingly insurmountable difficulty we are facing today – as we turn to Him, as we turn to our Lord, through prayer and Bible study – as we turn to Him and He will be successful for indeed the battle belongs to the Lord.

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[1] Ronald F. Youngblood. The Expositor's Bible Commentary. Pradis CD-ROM:1 and 2 Samuel. The death of Goliath (17:1-58), Book Version: 4.0.2: The purpose of such contests was "to obviate the necessity of a general engagement of troops which would spill more blood than necessary to resolve the dispute" (Harry A. Hoffner, Jr., "A Hittite Analogue to the David and Goliath Contest of Champions?" CBQ 30 [1968]: 220). Whether this kind of radical limitation on warfare is ever sincerely accepted by either side remains in itself a matter of dispute (for a nuanced treatment of the issue, cf. George I. Mavrodes, "David, Goliath, and Limited War," Reformed Journal 33, 8 [1983]: 6-8). It is clear, however, that contests of champions (to be carefully distinguished from duels, which are individual combats not representing larger groups) such as that between David and Goliath or between Menelaus and Paris (Homer Iliad bk. 3) were not uncommon in ancient times (for additional examples, see Hoffner, "A Hittite Analogue," pp. 220-25).
[2] Ibid.: By any standard of measure, the Philistine champion was a giant of a man (v.4). Some LXX MSS give his height as "four cubits and a span" (so also 1QSama; Jos. Antiq. VI, 171 [ix. 1]), others "five cubits and a span." The MT reads "six cubits and a span" (thus NIV mg.), making him "over nine feet tall." Other comparable heights in the OT are those of "an Egyptian who was seven and a half feet tall" (1 Chronicles 11:23) and Og king of Bashan, whose size is not specified but whose bed/sarcophagus was "more than thirteen feet long" (Deut 3:11). The MT account of Goliath's height is paralleled in modern times by reports concerning Robert Pershing Wadlow, who was eight feet eleven inches tall at the time of his death on July 15, 1940, at the age of twenty-two (Insight [18, 1985]: 51).
[3] There is much debate as to whether chapters 16 and 17 are placed chronologically in order or even if they both originate from the same source or were both originally about the same people for that matter.David was the light infantry as it were.
[3.5] John J. Davis and Herbert Wolf, note in Judges 20:16 in NIV Study Bible (Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA: Zondervan: 2002), p. 361. When I preach from the same text more than once I usually post only the original text. I added this one sentence because I think it is important.
[4] This may have contributed as well to David’s great speed in battle as he was not as encumbered with defensive amour as was Goliath.
[5] AA 12 Steps: http://www.alcoholics-anonymous.org/
[6] http://renewnetwork.blogspot.com/2007_02_01_archive.html