Limitations

There was war again between the Philistines and Israel, and David went down together with his servants, and they fought against the Philistines. And David grew weary. (II Samuel 21:15 ESV)

Limitations

King David… mighty warrior… amazing strategist… fantastic tactician… grew weary.

And because of that weariness, Israel almost lost a war against the Philistines.

Maybe David was just weary of the Philistines…

Maybe David was just weary of short nights and early mornings…

Maybe David was just weary from lugging Goliath’s sword around…

Maybe David was just weary.

But David listened to his advisors, and stopped going out to war after this. 

That must have been difficult.  David was not a ‘watch from the sidelines’ kind of guy.  David was not a man who let others fight his battles or wars.  David was a man who preferred to DO.

But David knew his limitations.

He knew his body was unable to fight so hard anymore.

This was not the first limitation David had acknowledged, though.

He knew he could not save himself.  He knew he needed to lean on his Lord.  He knew he needed God every moment of every day.

This new limitation was really nothing new.

Be like David… admit your limitations.  And lean on the One with NO limitations.

The Head of the Snake

“…But a man of the hill country of Ephraim, called Sheba the son of Bichri, has lifted up his hand against King David. Give up him alone, and I will withdraw from the city.” And the woman said to Joab, “Behold, his head shall be thrown to you over the wall.” Then the woman went to all the people in her wisdom. And they cut off the head of Sheba the son of Bichri and threw it out to Joab. So he blew the trumpet, and they dispersed from the city, every man to his home. (II Samuel 20:21,22 ESV)

The Head of the Snake

Sometimes the best path to victory, even for a rough and tumble general like Joab, is to simply destroy the leader of the enemy army, rather than slog through lines of soldiers.

The quickest, most efficient, and often only way to kill a snake is to chop off it’s head.

Recently, in an encounter with a snake, this proved difficult, but still just as necessary.  A snake that was dwelling too close to my door had escaped my pursuit by slithering into a small hole under a door jamb.  The long body writhed in plain sight.  But the head was safely hidden. I could almost hear that creature laughing at me.  But I used TWO tools.  One dragged the snake out, and the other took care of the head.

It’s a good military strategy, and a good strategy in life.

God foretold the defeat of Sin in the first prophecy of the Bible: He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel. (Genesis 3:15 ESV)

David and Goliath fought under those circumstances.  Defeated the champion meant defeating the enemy.

The wise woman of the city of Abel did it with the rebel Sheba.

Best of all Christ, our champion, defeated ALL of God’s enemies, through His life, His death, and His life again.

Poker

And a messenger came to David, saying, “The hearts of the men of Israel have gone after Absalom.” Then David said to all his servants who were with him at Jerusalem, “Arise, and let us flee, or else there will be no escape for us from Absalom. Go quickly, lest he overtake us quickly and bring down ruin on us and strike the city with the edge of the sword.” (II Samuel 15:13,14 ESV)

Poker

The Guru of Poker, Kenny Rogers, instructs players:  “You've got to know when to hold 'em;
Know when to fold 'em; Know when to walk away; And know when to run!”

David knew when to run.

It might not seem courageous, but he was protecting the lives of the residents of Jerusalem.

It might not seem faithful, but he was trusting that God would keep his promises.

It might not seem kingly, but perhaps he was remembering his failure with Bathsheba, and seeing the effects of his sin.

It might not be what we WANTED David to do…

But it was time.

So what about us?  Remember that winning or losing is not the main thing… living in loving submission to our Sovereign God is.

Remember that God keeps His promises, even when it doesn’t seem like it.

Remember that sometimes waiting (which is what David really was doing here) is sometimes exactly what God wants from us.

Help

Then the Spirit clothed Amasai, chief of the thirty, and he said, “We are yours, O David, and with you, O son of Jesse! Peace, peace to you, and peace to your helpers! For your God helps you.” (I Chronicles 12:18 ESV)

Help

Recently, a tick latched onto my skin.  Try as I might, I was unable to detach that wee beastie.  So I asked DeAnne for help.

And with aplomb, and very quickly, she removed and destroyed the tick.

She helped me.

But really she did all the work.  She had all the knowledge.  She had all the skill.  She had all that was needed.

God helped David like that.  God was not one of David’s human helpers… like Amasai, chief of the Thirty.  Amasai followed David’s orders, and attempted to do David’s will.  Amasai was a helper… almost an apprentice… similar to a servant. 

But not God.

God helps David because David was God’s apprentice, God’s servant, God’s helper.

God always helps His people like that.  Because He loves us, not because He is obligated.  Because He alone can help, not because we need Him to do something we really could do on our own, if we had time.  Because He is God, not because He works for us.

His help is necessary, His help is good, His help is eternal, His help is loving. He helps us all the way through the sun and shadow, through the smiles and the tears, through trials and victories.

He helps!

Circumstances Shmircumstances

And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was a valiant man of Kabzeel, a doer of great deeds. He struck down two heroes of Moab. He also went down and struck down a lion in a pit on a day when snow had fallen. (I Chronicles 11:22 ESV)

Circumstances Shmircumstances

Benaiah was a tough guy.  He fought enemy heroes.  He fought an Egyptian Giant. But the episode of Benaiah and the lion shows a particular aspect of this fighting man.

We do not know much about the two enemy heroes, or the circumstances of the fights.  We do not know much about the circumstances of Benaiah’s fight with a Giant, other than that Benaiah overwhelmingly won.  A skeptic might ask, “did someone distract the heroes or the Giant?”  A cynic might query, “was trickery involved?”  A doubter might wonder, “If we could have seen all the circumstances, we might see that those fights were less amazing…”

But this lion-fight was fought in horrible circumstances… and Benaiah still won.

If a human has to fight a lion, the last place you would want to be is in a pit.  Nowhere to hide, or use footwork, or outsmart the lion.  And the recent snow would make Benaiah’s situation even worse.  Messy, unsure footing. Cold, unpleasant weather. 

About as bad a set of circumstances that one could imagine, in which to fight a lion.

But because the Mighty Men depended on God… circumstances didn’t matter.

Our King, Jesus, is just as sovereign over circumstances.

No matter how circumstances are laid against you… we modern Mighty Men and Wonderful Women of God are not overcome!

Those circumstances, no matter how real, or hard, or scary, or rough, or insurmountable… are nothing compared to God.

Amazing Faith

This is an account of David’s mighty men: Jashobeam, a Hachmonite, was chief of the three. He wielded his spear against 300 whom he killed at one time. (I Chronicles 11:11 ESV)

Amazing Faith

Jashobeam was a spear-warrior.  And a pretty good one!

He killed hundreds of enemies at one time!

And while I expect that Jashobeam was a man of faith (David’s Mighty Men generally were…) he also gives US a chance to display amazing faith, ourselves.

This is the kind of story that seems to push us into doubt.  It seems like an exaggeration.  It seems like it does not give ALL the information (did Jashobeam have troops who helped?) It seems like someone is bragging.

But God’s Word does not exaggerate.  God’s Word does not leave out information we need.  God’s Word does not brag unrighteously.

This guy, this Mighty Man, this soldier in David’s Army could fight!

And we get to believe it!

Just like we believe salvation by Grace, alone (perhaps just as surprising…) We believe Jesus was God Himself, become human, yet remaining God.  We believe God created the universe out of nothing.  What believe God is Three and One, somehow.

We get to believe!

Dominoes

Dominoes

 When Toi king of Hamath heard that David had defeated the whole army of Hadadezer, Toi sent his son Joram to King David, to ask about his health and to bless him.  (II Samuel 8:9,10 ESV)

The kingdom work that King David did in his warfare had the effect of defeating God’s enemies. 

But further work was also accomplished.

A nearby kingdom, whose prime enemy David had defeated, ended up an ally of David.  David’s good work had a ripple effect.  Not only was Zobah defeated, but Syria’s enemy, Hamath, joined with David and the Israelites.

The deeds we do have immediate effects.  But they also have long term effects.  And those effects have effects.

And particularly, the things we do while following God will cascade blessings on the future.

Uriah the Hittite, one of David’s Mighty Men, came from that land. 

The Samaritans, while often in conflict with the Pharisees, originally came from that land. And from them came the Samaritan Woman at the Well, who heard the gospel from Jesus Himself.

Doing God’s kingdom work often has effects that we do not see ourselves.

Your act of kindness, your forgiving attitude, your help of the needy can do that.

Garrisons

Then David put garrisons in Aram of Damascus, and the Syrians became servants to David and brought tribute. (II Samuel 8:6 ESV)

Then he put garrisons in Edom; throughout all Edom he put garrisons, and all the Edomites became David’s servants. (II Samuel 8:14 ESV)

Garrisons

David was a careful military commander.  He had seen the sorrows of loss that come even from victory.  People die in war.  People are wounded in war.  War is costly.

And as a careful military commander, David did not desire to repeat terrible wars he had already fought and won.

So after vanquishing God’s enemies, when the army went home, David left troops behind.

We call such troops a garrison.  And a garrison is not intended to keep a strong thumb on those who have been defeated.  But the origins of the word, garrison, indicate that such troops are intended to protect against war, defend against war, prohibit war.

Garrison troops do not continue the war.  But they exist to stop the repeat of war.

We could use more garrisons in our fights against Sin.  We win a temptation battle (often with failure, ill effects, and sorrow), and then we go on with our lives, forgetting the cost. 

We can set up David-type garrisons by not entering into situations that lead to selfishness.  We can set up David-type garrisons by remembering the pain our sin has cost others.  We can set up David-type garrisons by keeping Jesus in the forefront of our minds, instead of the things that have led us to sin, previously.

Christ won the war against Sin, on the cross.  But we can benefit from a few garrisons.

The Right Answer

And the Philistines came up yet again and spread out in the Valley of Rephaim. And when David inquired of the Lord, He said, “You shall not go up; go around to their rear, and come against them opposite the balsam trees.  And when you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, then rouse yourself, for then the Lord has gone out before you to strike down the army of the Philistines.”  And David did as the Lord commanded him, and struck down the Philistines from Geba to Gezer. (II Samuel 5:22-25 ESV)

The Right Answer

David, in keeping with his practice, once again asks the Lord to approve (or not) his battle plans.  Often the Lord said to David (and Joshua, and Elijah, and SO many others) simply “yes,” or “no.” 

But this time, God orders a different plan.

A surprising plan, more reminiscent of David’s guerilla days, that involves hiding, flanking, and sneaking.

But this unusual tactic is the Right Answer.

Not because it was logical at the time… not because it came from David’s experiences… not because David and his men had the skills to pull it off.

But because it was GOD’S answer.

His answers are like that quite often. Examples include:  Love your enemies.  Fear not.  Forgive early and often.  Trust God’s Word more than you trust our own eyes.

David listened to the right answer.  Let’s do that, too.

The Right Question

When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king over Israel, all the Philistines went up to search for David. But David heard of it and went down to the stronghold.  Now the Philistines had come and spread out in the Valley of Rephaim. And David inquired of the Lord, “Shall I go up against the Philistines? Will you give them into my hand?” And the Lord said to David, “Go up, for I will certainly give the Philistines into your hand.” And David came to Baal-perazim, and David defeated them there. (II Samuel 5:17-20 ESV)

The Right Question

David could count how many soldiers the Philistine army fielded, and compare the number with his own troops, and make a decision accordingly.

David could have studied the terrain of the Valley of Rephaim, consider his acquired expertise in the movement of armies, and make a decision accordingly.

David could have held a War Council, consult his Mighty Men, strategize into the wee hours of the morning, and make a decision accordingly.

There is nothing wrong with any of those methods.

But David did a wiser thing.  He asked the Lord, “should I go up against the Philistines?”

David knew better than to rely on his own experience.  David knew better than to depend on his own knowledge.  David knew better than to lean on his own understanding.

EVEN in what might have been an obvious, clear, logical, simple decision.

It is normal for Christians to seek the Lord’s guidance for big complex decisions.  But David displays a more thorough relationship with God. 

ALWAYS ask the Lord.

Because the Lord knows.   The Lord understands.  The Lord sees.  The Lord loves.

Ask Him.

Greater

And David lived in the stronghold and called it the city of David. And David built the city all around from the Millo inward. And David became greater and greater, for the Lord, the God of hosts, was with him. (II Samuel 5:9,10 ESV)

Greater

Great strategist… great tactician… great bravery… great motivator… great uniter… great vision… David as King of Israel was all of those things.

His consolidation of Israel’s borders, his constant defeat of arch-rival Philistia, his civil war victory, and his occupation of Jerusalem all are praiseworthy and dramatic moments.

But the greatest of all those things?

The Lord was with him.

What are you aiming at for success? What is your primary factor in figuring out your future? What is your goal and pathway?

Seek the Lord…

Because the Lord was with David, David became greater and greater.

He did the other things too… but only the Lord mattered.

Personal

And he said, “Good; I will make a covenant with you. But one thing I require of you; that is, you shall not see my face unless you first bring Michal, Saul’s daughter, when you come to see my face.” (II Samuel 3:13 ESV)

It’s Personal

David was Israel’s King because God declared it, and God’s man, Samuel, anointed him.  David fought against Saul, and Saul’s heir Ish-Bosheth, because God’s declaration of David’s kingship demanded it.  David was willing to accept peace after an overture from Ish-Bosheth’s general, Abner, because peace is usually good for God’s people.

But note here, that within the mix of political, strategic, and nationalistic reasons for the Israelite Civil War, it was also personal.  David was also fighting for his wife, Michal.

For David, it was personal because David was following after God.  Because for God, His relationship with His people IS about justice, holiness, restoration, and undoing Adam’s sin.  But it is also personal.

God loves and fights for His People.  And God also loves and fights for each person.

It’s grand, dramatic, universal, and eternal.

And it is also personal.

Over Before It Began

The battle pressed hard against Saul, and the archers found him, and he was badly wounded by the archers. (I Samuel 31:4 ESV)

Over Before It Began

Saul had a very bad day at the Battle of Mt. Gilboa.

Some might say that Saul was outnumbered by the Philistines, and therefore lost.  Some might say that Saul was out maneuvered by the Philistines, and therefore lost.  Some might say that Saul was betrayed by cowardly soldiers, abandoned by his nation, and forgotten by Saul’s previous supporters.

But none of those things are the reason Saul had a very bad day at the Battle of Mt. Gilboa.

Saul had a very bad day at Mt. Gilboa because Saul tried to make God Saul’s servant instead of the other way around.  16 chapters earlier, Saul rejected God’s way.  And this happened:  And Samuel said to Saul, “I will not return with you. For you have rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord has rejected you from being king over Israel.” (I Samuel 15:26 ESV)

Christians belong to God, not the other way around.

Christians serve God, not the other way around.

Christians obey God, not the other way around.

Our days, too, are finished before they begin, if we try to manipulate God, trick God, usurp God, impress God, force God, or disobey God.

But follow God and our days can have peace, joy, and hope.

Our choice, really.

Military Intelligence

Saul went on one side of the mountain, and David and his men on the other side of the mountain. (I Samuel 23:26 ESV)

Military Intelligence

I have heard it said that Military Intelligence is an oxymoron.  An obvious contradiction in terms.  But I have not found that to be the case.

Military Intelligence has proven useful, successful, clever, manipulative, innovative, and sometimes smart.

But no matter the power of modern computers and predictive algorithms, no human intelligence is going to out smart God.

David’s men could out guess and out smart Saul’s army because at that moment, David was on God’s side.  And God’s intelligence out maneuvered Saul’s.

Of course.

We all know that.

So, we all hope God’s intelligence is on OUR side in every conflict… whether military or personal.

Saul thought God was on his side, of course.

But David did not actually think God was on David’s side.  David tried to be on God’s side.  And that made all the difference.

Read God’s Word to understand His side.  Believe God’s Word to be a part of God’s side.  Be on His side… changing your mind to match what you find GOD’S mind is… changing your mind to be His men and women, instead of demanding He be OUR God…. changing your mind to follow God, instead of expecting Him to follow us.

That is real smarts!

The Hero

Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head. (I Samuel 17:45, 46 ESV)

The Hero

At the Battle of Elah, both combatant armies, Israelite and Philistine, chose heroes to represent them.  Not so much a modern strategy, but ancient armies attempted to diminish bloodshed by this method.  A hero would represent each side, and whichever hero out fought the other would be declared victor.

The Philistines chose Goliath, of course.  His name has become an adjective.  He was huge.  He was well-armed.  He was probably skilled.  He was terrifying.  He was terrible.

The Israelites had trouble choosing.  They hesitated.  They waited.  They shook in their sandals.

And then it APPEARED they chose little Davey.

Ok, I actually believe David was not little.  Nor was he called Davey.  But he would be no match for goliath Goliath. 

But David was not really their choice.

Because David chose the One True Almighty Omnipotent Omniscient Jahweh GOD.

And it was no contest.

All Christians in conflict should make note.  You have a hero.  Jesus, who said He will never leave you nor forsake you.  Jesus, who defeated a bigger giant than Goliath: Death.

He wins.

"So?"

So the Lord saved Israel that day. (I Samuel 14:23 ESV)

“So”

Warfare is always chaotic.  Not only, as Military Strategist Helmut von Moltke aptly stated, does “No battle plan survives first contact with the enemy,”   the whole cycle of fear, adrenalin, brain-freeze, reaction, over-reaction, panic, and overstimulation makes a battle a place of wild unpredictability.

But even there, God is in control.

Saul’s Israelite army and the Philistines display this obviously.

As newly chosen King Saul attempts to organize his soldiers, as the Philistines attempt to take advantage of Saul’s communication trouble, as both sides become plagued with fleeing and hiding men, as both sides expect they are about to lose…

God somehow brings victory to Saul.

And we read about that conclusion in that brief sentence: So the Lord saved Israel that day.

Israel did not win because Saul was slaying thousands.  Israel did not win because the Israelites were learning better weaponry skills.  Israel did not win because they were motivated, challenged, taught, or led by Saul.

God won.

He does the same thing in our battles today.

Chaos seems so present.

But God is MORE present.

Stop trying to win on your own.

Simple Tactics

And the next day Saul put the people in three companies. And they came into the midst of the camp in the morning watch and struck down the Ammonites until the heat of the day. And those who survived were scattered, so that no two of them were left together. (I Samuel 11:10,11 ESV)

Simple Tactics

Saul was not an experienced battle leader.  But here, in his first major military campaign, he chooses his plan wisely.

Dividing an attacking force into three ‘wings’ is common in history.

Unrelenting pressure on the enemy is common in history.

Follow-through, after the battle is done, is common in history.

And Saul’s tactics should not surprise us.

Earlier in the chapter, we read that the Spirit of God came upon Saul.  God was with Saul.  And when Saul humbly followed that guidance, success resulted.  The fact that the Spirit led Saul to commonly used, and successful, tactics is exactly what we might expect.

Because God’s ways of accomplishing His goals are not always outlandish, unusual, shocking, unnatural, or surprising.

Sometimes God asks His people to do what is normal.

In this battle, God used normal means, but it was still God at work. 

God works through miracle AND mundane.  God works through Faith AND Reason.  God works through oddity AND common sense.  God works through the unorthodox AND the orthodox.

What matters is God’s Spirit.

Rolling Stone

Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen and called its name Ebenezer; for he said, “Till now the Lord has helped us.” (I Samuel 7:12ESV)

Rolling Stone

Maps created after battles vary greatly.  Not merely because any such map depends on the memory of the mapmaker, but a battle is very fluid.  It is difficult to know exactly where important parts of a military endeavor took place at exactly what moment.   Battles do not follow printed arrows and lines on a map. 

When the Lord led the Israelites to victory over the Philistines, Samuel placed a Memorial at the location of that victory.  He called it a Stone of Remembering.  “THIS far,” Samuel proclaimed, “The LORD has helped us.”

An excellent statement of praise.

But to be accurate, Samuel should have placed another stone the next day, because the Lord helped them to that point, too.

And another…

And another…

All the way to the Cross…

All the way through the empty tomb…

All the way to your day of birth…

All the way to today…

All the way to THIS moment.

Because the Lord does not only help at particular moments.   He continues to help… and helps again… and will help again.

Notice today how often, in BIG ways and little, the Lord helps you.

And lift up rolling stones of remembrance.

Empty Rituals

…the Philistines were afraid, for they said, “A god has come into the camp.” And they said, “Woe to us! For nothing like this has happened before. Woe to us! Who can deliver us from the power of these mighty gods? These are the gods who struck the Egyptians with every sort of plague in the wilderness. Take courage, and be men, O Philistines, lest you become slaves to the Hebrews as they have been to you; be men and fight.”  So the Philistines fought, and Israel was defeated, and they fled, every man to his home. And there was a very great slaughter, for thirty thousand foot soldiers of Israel fell.  And the ark of God was captured, and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, died. (I Samuel 4:7-11 ESV)

Empty Ritual

Rituals are wonderful, helpful, meaningful things. 

But sometimes rituals have the adjective, “empty” before them.

Eli’s sons, Eli and Hophni, were self-appointed Ark-carers.  Not only had they not followed the Biblical instructions for Ark interaction, but they had no actual relationship with Jahweh God.  They had proven themselves pagan in thought, word, and deed.

So while the Israelite army made a lot of noise when the brothers brought the Ark to the battle site, the Ark was not a sign of the presence and blessing of the Lord. 

And so the ritual of the Ark, while usually meaningful, powerful, and awe-ful, was empty.

And the Philistines won that battle.

It is not enough to read God’s words… but reading His Word is profound.

It is not enough to be in the room while the Lord’s Supper is consumed… but eating His bread and drinking His wine allows us to know His presence.

It is not enough to splash water on a human… but acknowledging and clinging to God’s promises in Baptism is life-changing.

Rituals with Emmanual are never meaningless or empty.

But empty rituals, without the reality of God, are meaningless.

And it all centers around Jesus.  He brings truth to worship.  He brings meaning to our celebrations.  He brings focus to our activities.

He makes His rituals full!

Humility, Not Heroics

With the 300 men who lapped I will save you and give the Midianites into your hand, and let all the others go every man to his home.” (Judges 7:7 ESV)

Humility, Not Heroism

Gideon had one particular quality that is unusual for a successful military commander. 

Yes, he was brave.  Yes, he was intelligent.  Yes, he was persistent.  Yes, he was faithful to God.

But most clearly of all, Gideon was humble.

I have been critical in the past, I admit, of Gideon’s apparent questioning of God’s promised victory.  The business with fleeces and dew seemed like doubt to me.

But today, I see Gideon as humble rather than faithless.

Gideon knew God was at work in defeating the Midianites. 

And Gideon was humble in his self-analysis.  Why would God use Gideon?  Why would God let Gideon lead God’s army?  Why would God need untrained, inexperienced Gideon to bring victory?

He knew God wanted Gideon to work for Him.  And it surprised Gideon.

That kind of humility is pleasing to God.

God also showed He values humility by pairing down the army’s size.  If Israel has defeated Midian with an army of 32,000 men, Israelites might claim the victory was theirs.

In the end, God accepted men as soldiers under Gideon who were not too proud to kneel and lap while drinking.  God chose the humble, rather than the clever, the experienced, or the brave.

Humble as they followed God.  Humble as they depended on God.  Humble as they knew God alone wins victories.

We could use some of that kind of humility.