After Saul's death David returned to his home tribe of Judah. There the elders of Judah made him king over Judah, and he reigned in Hebron for seven years and six months. But what of the other eleven tribes? Ish-Bosheth, Saul's son, inherited his father's throne. But Ish-Bosheth was a weak ruler, and would not have lasted long were it not for the support of Saul's general Abner. One day Ish-Bosheth made Abner angry and he stormed out, vowing to throw his support to David. He sent messengers to David to tell him of his intentions. David was delighted and invited Abner to come to Hebron. Joab, David's nephew and the commander of his army, didn't like what was happening. He bore a grudge against Abner because of his little brother Asahel, whom Abner killed in battle. More than that, Joab was fearful that David would promote Abner over him. Abner made a treaty with David and was on his way back to Israel to tell the elders what he had done. But Joab intercepted Abner and under the guise of friendship killed him and left him to die beside the road. David was furious. Abner was an honorable man, unlike Joab. David should have ordered Joab's execution, but he couldn't do it because of his family and political situation. Joab would prove to be a problem for David repeatedly. He said, "These men, the sons of Zeruiah [David's sister], are more severe than I. The Lord repay the evildoer according to his wickedness!" (2 Samuel 3:39)
Two of Saul's officers saw where the wind was blowing and thought they thought they'd gain David's favor. They killed Ish-Bosheth in his bed and brought his head to David. David promptly had them executed. The process that Abner set in motion continued, and the elders of the other tribe came to David at Hebron and made him their king. What God had foretold through Samuel had finally come to pass: David was now King of Israel.
His first act was to capture Jerusalem from the Jebusites. It was an important city that the Israelites had not been able to take. Once inside its walls, David made it his capital. He ordered that the Ark of the Covenant be brought up to Jerusalem from the Tabernacle, which Saul had moved to his home town of Gibeah in Benjamin. The confusion and corruption of the time of the Judges came back to bite them. The priests and Levites had forgotten the Lord's instructions for moving the Ark. Instead of carrying it on poles rested on the shoulders of two priests, they put the Ark on an oxcart. At one point the oxen stumbled and it looked like the wagon was going to tip over. One of the priests, a man named Uzzah, put his hand on the Ark to steady it. The Lord struck him dead immediately. David was angry and fearful at the same time- angry that God had done this and fearful that the Ark's presence in Jerusalem might bring a curse. So he left it at the home of a Philistine by the name of Obed-Edom who had joined with Israel. Obed-Edom treated the Ark with the respect due to it and the Lord blessed him. Meanwhile David researched the matter and figured out where he had gone wrong. The priests carried the Ark into Jerusalem on their shoulders to a tent he had pitched for it. David led a joyful procession, dancing and singing all the way!
It bothered David that he lived in a beautiful house while the Ark was in a tent. The Lord had given him rest from his enemies, and he wanted to do something about it. He spoke to the Prophet Nathan that he had in mind to build a house of worship for God. Nathan told him to go for it. But that evening the Lord spoke to Nathan and said just a minute. It was good that this desire was on David's heart, but it wasn't time yet. God instead promised to build a house (dynasty) for David. He would not take the kingdom from David as He had from Saul. He would never lack a man to sit on the throne. If his descendants stepped out of line God would punish them, but not wipe them out completely. At the right time David's son who succeeded him would build the House of God.
What an amazing example of God's grace! David was overcome with gratitude and said, "Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my house, that you have brought me thus far? And yet this was a small thing in your eyes, O Lord God. You have spoken also of your servant's house for a great while to come, and this is instruction for mankind, O Lord God!" (7:18-19)
In David we see yet another development in God's plan of the ages to set right what we messed up. We saw how God began to unfold His plan through Abraham, promising to make of him a great nation which would bless the entire world. Israel is now a great nation, and a great man is leading God's people. God told Samuel that in asking for a king Israel was not rejecting him but rather the Lord. Yet in His grace God brought good out of the peoples' sin. He will use King David's line to bring the King of kings and Lord of lords into the world. Jesus was a direct descendant of David and rightful ruler of Israel. His death on the cross frees us from our sins, and His resurrection from the dead is a foretaste of how it's going to be when God takes away the last vestiges of that terrible curse Adam and Eve brought upon us.
We'll look at a few of the Psalms in a couple of weeks, but I encourage you to read a few of them in advance. They reveal both David's heart and God's heart, and help us to express our hearts as well. Abraham believed God. Moses obeyed God. David LOVED God. We learn so much about how to worship God from David. All of David- heart, soul, mind and strength, went into his worship. I can't imagine that worship was dull in his day!
Lest we praise David too highly, let's remember that he was a man, and he had his flaws and his sins. We'll see that next week.
David will always be remembered for the 23rd Psalm. Here's a beautiful rendition by Keith Green. Listen and imagine yourself as a lamb nestling in the arms of the Good Shepherd.
Saul's delight with his new champion has turned to envy and fear. The crowds are shouting "Saul has slain his thousands and David his tens of thousands." His oldest son, Jonathan, became David's best friend, and his daughter Michal married David. The people were going after David, and he couldn't even trust his own family. 1 Samuel 18:29 sums it up: "Saul was even more afraid of David. So Saul was David's enemy continually." Saul tried to kill David in his palace and in his home. David finally had to flee into the wilderness with a few trusted men. Saul turned his army away from fighting the Philistines and led them in a search for David. At one point David went to the Philistine stronghold of Gath, Goliath's home town, for protection. Our passage today begins with David staying in the walled city of Keilah in the Negev (southern desert) of Judah. Saul thought that David was trapped and he went to catch him. The Lord revealed the danger to David and he left for the wilderness near the Dead Sea.
How did David feel about Saul? Was he angry and ready to avenge himself on his enemy? No. He had a golden opportunity to kill Saul when he came alone to go to the bathroom into the cave where David and his men were hiding. Saul was just a few feet away, totally unaware of David's presence. But instead of killing Saul, David just cut off a corner of his robe and crept back into hiding. But even this act hurt David's conscience. He said, "The Lord forbid that I should do this thing to my lord, theLord's anointed, to put out my hand against him, seeing he is the Lord's anointed." (24:6) Saul finished his business and left the cave. After Saul and his men were almost out of earshot David called out from the cave entrance. He addressed Saul as "My lord the king." Then he held up the piece of Saul's robe. Saul looked down at the hem and saw that there was a chunk missing, the size and shape of what David was holding. David went on, "...some told me to kill you, but I spared you. I said, 'I will not put out my hand against my lord,for he is the Lord's anointed,'" and "May the Lord judge between me and you, may the Lord avenge me against you, but my hand shall not be against you."
Now Saul's conscience is bothering him. He said, "You are more righteous than I, for you have repaid me good, whereas I have repaid you evil." Saul acknowledged that David would one day be king, and asked for mercy for his family when that day came. David, thinking of his best friend Jonathan, readily agreed. Saul withdrew, but David knew how unstable Saul was and remained in the wilderness.
This was not the end of Saul's efforts to kill David, and yet again David spared Saul's life when it was in his hand. David and his men crept into Saul's camp while everyone, including the sentries, were sleeping soundly. David's nephew Abishai offered to kill Saul where he lay, and to do it in a respectful way: "Now please let me pin him to the earth with one stroke of the spear, and I will not strike him twice." (26:8) David replied, "As the Lord lives, the Lord will strike him, or his day will come to die, or he will go down into battle and perish. The Lord forbid that I should put out my hand against the Lord's anointed. But take now the spear that is at his head and the jar of water, and let us go." Once they reached the top of the hill David cried out. He spoke to Abner, Saul's general, rebuking him for not protecting his master. Saul recognized David's voice. He saw that his spear and water jug were gone, and that they were in David's hands. David left the spear and jug for one of Saul's men to retrieve. But before he left David said, "Behold, as your life was precious this day in my sight, so may my life be precious in the sight of the Lord, and may he deliver me out of all tribulation." (26:24)
Saul continued to deteriorate spiritually and mentally. God wasn't answering his requests for guidance, and Samuel was dead. He was fearful before a battle with the Philistines, and sought out a medium (one who could call up dead spirits) so that he could speak with Samuel. Much to the medium's surprise, Samuel showed up (the real Samuel, not a mind trick or a demonic presence). Samuel told Saul that it was all over. Tomorrow he and his sons would die at the hands of the Philistines, and Israel's army would be routed. And indeed it was so. Saul died and the Philistines hung his body from the wall of Beth-Shan.
Saul was dead. Did David rejoice that he was now rid of his enemy? No. He led the nation in a time of mourning for Saul and his sons. "Your glory, O Israel, is slain on your high places! How the mighty have fallen! Tell it not in Gath, publish it not in the streets of Ashkelon...Saul and Jonathan, beloved and lovely! In life and in death they were not divided; they were swifter than eagles; they were stronger than lions. You daughters of Israel, weep over Saul...How the mighty have fallen in the midst of the battle!" (2 Samuel 1:17-27 for the full song). What a eulogy! David mourned deeply over the man who tried to kill him.
This speaks volumes about David's character. Samuel told Saul, "But now your kingdom shall not continue. The Lord has sought out a man after his own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be prince over his people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you." (1 Samuel 13:14) David was a man after God's own heart! We saw his absolute trust in God when he took on Goliath with nothing but a sling. We see that trust again in how David dealt with Saul. Samuel poured oil over David's head and anointed him king in Saul's place. He was now king, not Saul. Yet he didn't push Saul out, and indeed when he had two good opportunities to kill him he declined to do so. He called Saul "the Lord's anointed," and he was. Samuel had poured oil on Saul's head, too. But that anointing of the Holy Spirit left Saul and fell upon David.
David was a poet and musician as well as a warrior. He wrote many of the Psalms, and in them we see his heart. None are more beautiful, in my opinion, than the Psalms he wrote in those years of fleeing from Saul:
"I love you, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies." (Psalm 18:1-3)
"This poor man cried, and theLord heard him and saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them." (Psalm 34:6-7)
"When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me?" (Psalm 56:3-4)
David trusted in God! That sounds like a simple statement, but the reality behind it is something we all struggle with. Do I trust God enough to charge at the giants in my path? Is my heart settled in the Lord, as David's was? May God grant to us to love and trust Him as David did!
Before we leave today's study I'd like to look again at how David treated Saul and what that means for our lives as a church family. He kept calling Saul "the Lord's anointed," and because of that David refused to do him any harm or even to speak ill of him. Had Saul let him, David would have continued to serve him gladly. We ordain elders (both ruling and teaching) and deacons by the laying on of hands and with prayer. They are God's anointed leaders for His church. 1 Timothy 5:17-19 says, "Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching. For the Scripture says, 'You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain,' and, 'The laborer deserves his wages.' Do not admit a charge against an elder except on the evidence of two or three witnesses." This says to me that we must treat church leaders with the same respect that David accorded to Saul, even when, like Saul, they're wrong. God has appointed ways of dealing with wayward pastors, elders and deacons. Gossip, innuendo and slander are not among them.
I grew up in the church, I've served as a teaching elder for over thirty years, and I've served and staffed the Committee on Ministry (the committee of presbytery that cares for pastors and churches and intervenes to settle differences). I've seen pastors chewed up and spit out more times than I can count. Of course pastors aren't perfect, but the vast majority are good men and women who are trying their best to serve God. They are God's anointed, though, and we should be careful how we deal with them. I'm reluctant to talk about this because it might seem self-serving. But I'm going ahead because it will be beneficial for you. Hebrews 13:17 says, "Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you." Pastors and other leaders are accountable to the church. Constructive criticism is helpful and healthy. But just as David didn't lay a hand on Saul, God's anointed, think carefully before you presume to rip into God's anointed ones in the church. End of sermon.
Tomorrow we'll look at David as he assumes the role of king. I leave you with a beautiful a capella rendition of Psalm 18, which David wrote while fleeing from Saul. It's from the 1650 Scottish Psalter, which our ancestors used in their worship.
Today we come to one of the most beloved Bible story. We learned it in Sunday School and we sang songs about it. I think it appeals to children because they're small and their problems seem so big. But like David, they can cut them down to size with God's help.
Samuel was heartbroken about Saul. He loved Saul and wanted to see him succeed as king. His disobedience made that impossible. Finally God said to Samuel, "How long will you grieve over Saul, since I have rejected him from being king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go. I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons." So Samuel headed off toward Bethlehem, trusting God to protect him from Saul.
When Samuel arrived the elders of Bethlehem were worried. They had heard about the falling out between Saul and Samuel and wondered why Samuel was coming to them now. He assured them that he had come in peace and wanted to offer a sacrifice to the Lord. He invited them all, and Jesse and his sons in particular, to come to the feast. Samuel looked at the sons of Jesse, and the eldest, Eliab, impressed him. He was tall and strong, just like Saul. Surely he is God's choice. But the Lord said, "Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart." (16:7) The Lord likewise rejected the next six sons. Puzzled, Samuel asked Jesse if he had any sons who were not at the feast. Jesse said that his youngest was watching the sheep. Samuel said to go get him, because they wouldn't eat without him.
We're told that David "...ruddy and had beautiful eyes and was handsome." I get the impression from other passages that David was a short man, not imposing physically like his brother Eliab. The Lord said he's the one! So Samuel took out his horn of oil and poured it over David's head. Anointing with oil was used to ordain the priests and to crown the kings. It is from the Hebrew word for anoint that we get the term Messiah, God's anointed one. The Greek word for anoint is the root for our word Christ. Like Saul, the Spirit of God came upon him as he was anointed. David is now the King of Israel! But as we'll see it will be a while before he rules the nation.
Yesterday we noted that Saul was tormented by a "harmful spirit" from the Lord. Most translations use the word "evil" to describe this spirit. That is the most literal interpretation, but the word can also mean hurtful. The Lord sent a spirit to torment Saul, driving him mad. His servants thought that music might soothe the king, so they looked and they found- guess who?- David. He played his harp for Saul and it eased his torment for a time.
The Philistines were causing trouble again. They were originally from the island of Crete and arrived in Canaan about the same time that Joshua began the conquest. They took up residence along the Mediterranean coast, and were a constant thorn in Israel's side. Saul mustered the army and went out to face them. David's older brothers were drafted, but he stayed behind to watch the sheep. Worried for his sons, Jesse sent David to check on them.
When he arrived, he heard a great booming voice coming from the Philistine camp. He looked and saw a giant named Goliath. Six cubits and a span translates to nine feet four inches! His armor weighed 120 pounds. His spear was huge. This giant was issuing a challenge. "Send someone to fight me! If your champion defeats me, we'll be your slaves. But if I win you'll be our slaves." Saul sought for someone to go against Goliath. He offered incentives like the hand of his daughter in marriage and exemption from taxes. But no one came forward. Each day Goliath would shout his challenge, and the whole Israelite camp shook with fear.
David heard this and was angry! Who is this pagan Philistine to insult God and His people? Someone who overheard what he said took him straight to Saul. The king took one look at this smallish youth and thought there's no way he can defeat this giant. But David replied that he had killed lions and bears while protecting his father's flocks, and this blaspheming Philistine will be like one of them. Saul gave David his armor so that he'd have some protection. But it was heavy and he wasn't used to it so he left it behind. Instead he went to the dry creek bed and picked up five smooth stones. Then he took his trusty sling and headed off to face Goliath.
When Goliath saw David he was insulted! He was hoping to face a worthy opponent, and they sent out a boy with a sling. They trash talked and then ran toward one another. David placed a stone in his sling and let it fly. It struck Goliath just above the bridge of his nose, where his helmet didn't protect him. The giant fell! Then David took Goliath's own sword and cut his head off! Both camps were in shock, but when the Israelites came to they went after the Philistines and routed them.
Saul knew he had a winner and he kept David in his permanent service (he had been going back and forth between Saul and his family). Saul's eldest son, Jonathan, admired David and the two of them became best friends. David led Israel's army and they were successful at every turn. But Saul heard what the people were saying, "Saul has struck down his thousands, and David his ten thousands." He saw David as a threat to his rule. Saul would try to kill David, and we'll look into that tomorrow.
The most important lesson here is that God is not impressed with outward appearances. He looks at our hearts. He knows our innermost thoughts and feelings. He knows whether or not we trust Him. That's what really matters. Jesus said things like "blessed are the pure in heart," "for where your treasure is there will your heart be" and "love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength." He called the Pharisees "whitewashed tombs." They looked great on the outside but were full of rottenness. We see, then, what's really important to God. We spend lots of time grooming and dressing the outward person. How much time do we spend with God, cultivating the hearts that He desires?
We can't leave this story without first reflecting on how David's faith enabled him to face Goliath. A small man, probably shorter than most of the men in the army, took down a giant. Saul, as king, should have answered Goliath's challenge. He didn't, and no one else came forward until David. Fear held them back, and fear holds us back today from doing what God calls us to do. David Livingstone, the pioneer missionary to Africa, went into the interior of what was then known as the Dark Continent. He often encountered hostile natives and he knew that his life was in danger. He wrote this in his diary: "January 14, 1856. Evening. Felt much turmoil of spirit in prospect of having all my plans for welfare of this great region knocked on the head by savages tomorrow. But Jesus said, 'All power is given unto Me in Heaven & in Earth. Go ye therefore & teach all nations ... & lo I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.' This is the word of a Gentleman of the most strict & sacred honour, so that's the end of fear. I will not cross furtively tonight as I intended. Nay, verily, I shall take observations for latitude & longitude tonight, though they may be the last, I feel quiet & calm now, thank God!" He took the last place in the last boat crossing the river, giving his back to any who would put an arrow into it. But he crossed safely and shared the Gospel where it had never been heard before.
What are you afraid of? Are there giants in your life that terrify you? Give those fears to the Lord and ask Him to help you trust and not be afraid. Here is a scene from the movie "Facing the Giants." You can make this prayer your own.
Before we begin today's study, I'd like to ask for your opinion. I've been using Blogspot.com for our study because it was easier for me to use than the blog page provided by our website. We've found out since that many of you are having trouble posting. So I went back and took the time to figure out the other system. I copied and pasted yesterday's entry there, and will do the same today. Take a look at our website, www.sebringpres.weebly.com, and click on the Online Bible Study link at the top of the page. I ran a test and people who previously had trouble posting have been able to do so. Let me know what you think. If it works for all of you we can transfer this study to our web page.
Last week we looked at the Commonwealth of Israel. We saw that it was decentralized, with no national government and no standing army. The tribes, clans and villages were governed by elders. When the need arose, God appointed a Judge to lead the people. This is the best form of government ever devised. The only problem is, it didn't work. Not the system, the people. The time of the Judges was a time of chaos and unfaithfulness. Someone asked Benjamin Franklin, as he was leaving the Constitutional Convention, what kind of government they'd given to America. His reply: "A republic, if you can keep it." Israel couldn't keep its Commonwealth.
Samuel has grown old and won't be around forever. His sons were scoundrels who took bribes and thus were unfit to succeed him. It seems Samuel did no better than Eli in raising his sons. The people looked around them and saw that their neighbors all had kings, strong men to rule them and to lead them into battle. They were very disorganized in comparison. So when the elders came to see Samuel at his home in Ramah, they asked for a king. Samuel went away to seek the Lord's will. God told Samuel, "Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them." Sometimes getting what you want is worse than not getting it. God is going to give them a king, but He will afflict them with a host of unintended consequences.
Samuel came back and told them that they will have their king. But he also told them what would happen: "These will be the ways of the king who will reign over you: he will take your sons and appoint them to his chariots and to be his horsemen and to run before his chariots. And he will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and some to plow his ground and to reap his harvest, and to make his implements of war and the equipment of his chariots. He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive orchards and give them to his servants. He will take the tenth of your grain and of your vineyards and give it to his officers and to his servants. He will take your male servants and female servants and the best of your young men[a] and your donkeys, and put them to his work. He will take the tenth of your flocks, and you shall be his slaves. And in that day you will cry out because of your king, whom you have chosen for yourselves, but the Lord will not answer you in that day." But the people were intent on having a king anyway. Samuel sent everyone back home and started to seek the Lord's will on who should be king.
A man named Saul, the son of Kish, from the Tribe of Benjamin, was out with a servant looking for a lost donkey. They didn't find it, but the servant had heard that there was a man of God nearby and suggested that they seek his guidance. That man was Samuel himself, in town that day to celebrate a feast. They ran up to the high place and found Samuel. Samuel realized that he was looking at the man the Lord had told him would be king. Samuel told Saul that the donkey had been found, and invited him to the feast. The next day, as Saul and his servant were leaving, Samuel poured some oil on him and kissed him. "Has not the Lord anointed you to be prince over his people Israel? And you shall reign over the people of the Lord and you will save them from the hand of their surrounding enemies." We're told that Saul was a big man, a head taller than anyone else in Israel and a fine physical specimen. Certainly he looked every inch a king. But Saul was a timid man, like Gideon. He needed an attitude adjustment, and the Lord gave it to him. "When he turned his back to leave Samuel, God gave him another heart." (10:9)
Samuel planned a public coronation for Saul. He called all of Israel to meet at Mizpah. He cast lots (a way of discerning God's will through an apparently random process, like flipping a coin or tossing dice). The lot fell to the Tribe of Benjamin. Then in the next rounds the lot fell to the clan of the Matrites and then to the family of Kish. Then the final lot fell to Saul. Everybody was eager to greet their new king, but Saul was nowhere to be found! They searched and found him hiding among the baggage. It turns out the new heart didn't totally displace the old one. Samuel introduced him and said, "Do you see him whom the Lord has chosen? There is none like him among all the people." And the people shouted "Long live the king!
Saul turned out to be the leader the nation needed. He rallied the fighting men to defeat their perennial enemies the Philistines and against the Ammonites. But all was not well with Saul. He was like Anakin Skywalker from the Star Wars movies. He showed great promise and had more power than any other Jedi. But he was not able to conquer his fear, and that left him open to the influence of the dark side of the Force. Sweet little Anakin eventually became Darth Vader. Saul, too, could never conquer his fear. When Saul and his army were waiting for Samuel to offer a sacrifice before going into battle he grew concerned. It had been seven days and no Samuel. Some of the men were starting to pack up to go home. Afraid he'd lose his army, Saul went ahead and performed the sacrifice. Just as he finished Samuel came over the hill. Later, when Israel had won a great victory over the Amalekites, Saul once again disobeyed. Samuel had told him to destroy everything and keep nothing of the spoil. He let the people keep the best of the sheep to keep their goodwil, and he didn't kill Agag, king of the Amalekites, but kept him as a trophy. Samuel already knew what had happened, for the Lord had revealed it to him. The Lord said, "I regret that I have made Saul king, for he has turned back from following me and has not performed my commandments." (15:11) A heartbroken Saul came the next day and told Saul, "... Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has also rejected you from being king." After that the Lord sent a "harmful spirit" to torment Saul, driving him insane at times. (16:14) Saul's servants sought out a musician who could play soothing music when this harmful spirit afflicted him. They found a young boy who could play a harp and who wrote and sang beautiful songs of praise to God. This young man was none other than David, whose story we'll begin tomorrow.
The people of Israel got their wish. God gave them a king and they are now the Kingdom of Israel. God judged them for their disobedience by giving them what they wanted. He does that sometimes, and it's not pretty. In Romans 1 Paul writes about how God judged the pagan world that rejected Him in favor of idols. The Lord "gave them up" to their sensual passions and then He gave them up to a "debased mind" so that their own sin destroyed them. (Romans 1:18-32). So be grateful that God doesn't give you everything you want. He's got something better in mind if you'll wait and trust in Him.
Once again we see the devastating effects of fear. In Saul we see a different kind of fear than we've seen before. Saul was afraid of losing his people's loyalty and affection, so afraid that he disobeyed God in order to please the people. Saul couldn't bring himself to wait on God and trust Him fully. As a result Saul eventually lost everything he thought he was keeping. Pastors are exceptionally vulnerable to this type of fear. We like the people to like us, sometimes so much that we blunt that sharp two-edged sword of God's Word (Hebrews 4:12) so it won't cause you discomfort when it lays bare your sins. I know I've been guilty of that. You need a leader who is bold in the Lord, and by nature I'm timid. I very much appreciate your prayers for me. And I pray for you, too. As Samuel said to the people, "Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray for you, and I will instruct you in the good and the right way." (1 Samuel 12:23)
Here's a wonderful song from Chris Tomlin, "Whom Shall I Fear?"
We're turning a corner today as we continue our survey of essential Bible texts. Samuel is, in my opinion, the last of the Judges, although you won't see him on most lists. Like the other judges he rallied the people in times of difficulty and danger. Unlike the others, however, Samuel will inaugurate the Kingdom of Israel.
The story begins with a man named Elkanah, who lived in the hill country of Ephraim. He had two wives, Hannah and Peninnah. Peninnah was able to have children, but Hannah was not. It was obvious that Hannah was the favorite wife, and Peninnah got back at Hannah by constantly reminding her of her barrenness. Hannah longed for a child and Elkanah could see that she was sad. When they went to the Tabernacle, which at that time was set up at Shiloh, for the festivals he always gave Hannah a double portion of the meal to cheer her up. It didn't work, nor did Elkanah saying "Don't I mean more to you than ten sons?" Definitely the wrong thing to say to a childless woman.
Hannah sought the Lord. She went to the entrance of the Tabernacle to pray. She wept as she prayed. She promised that if the Lord would give her a son that she would dedicate him to the Lord, and like Samson his hair would never be cut. She prayed with such emotion that her lips moved but no words came out. Eli the priest saw her and thought she was drunk. When he rebuked her she told him of her situation. Eli blessed her and said, "Go in peace, and the God of Israel grant your petition that you have made to him."
Sure enough, God did answer Hannah's prayer! She conceived and gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel, which means "asked of God." Even though she was joyful and thankful, she waited until Samuel was weaned before she went back to Shiloh. Then she presented her son to Eli the priest as the answer to her prayer and in fulfillment of the vow she made to the Lord. Samuel then lived with Eli as an adopted son and helped with the work of the Tabernacle. Hannah would make clothes for him and bring them when she came to the feasts. Even though her heart must have ached when she left her son, she worshipped and praised the Lord for His faithfulness. And God honored Hannah. He gave her three more sons and two daughters.
I'm sure Eli appreciated Samuel's help, because his two sons, Hophni and Phineas, "...were worthless men. They did not know the Lord." (2:12) They couldn't wait for the sacrifices to be performed before they took their share of the meat. They had sex with any woman they could seduce in the entrance to the Tabernacle, even though they were both married men. Eli rebuked them, but they ignored him. Eli should have removed them from serving as priests but he didn't. He did not correct his sons as he should have, and one day a prophet came and told him that God would judge him and his family. Both his sons would die on the same day, and He would raise up a faithful priest to replace Eli. The prophet went away, and Eli showed no signs of repentance or any desire to seek the Lord to avert His judgment.
The boy Samuel lived with Eli and helped him around the Tabernacle. One night Samuel heard someone calling his name. So he got up and went into Eli's room to see what he wanted. Eli said that he didn't call him, and told Samuel to go back to bed. This happened again, and Eli told him to go back to bed. The third time it happened, Eli realized that the Lord must be speaking to the boy. That didn't happen very often in those latter days of the Commonwealth of Israel. He told Samuel to answer "Speak, Lord, for your servant hears." It was indeed the Lord speaking to Samuel. He delivered another stinging rebuke to Eli for not disciplining his sons and said that He would fulfill all that the prophet had spoken earlier. That's a heavy message for a little boy to bear! He went back to bed, but I doubt he slept. In the morning Eli asked what the Lord said, and told him not to hold back a single word. Samuel told him. Eli's response is curious: "It is the Lord. Let him do what seems good to him." God did indeed bring His judgment on the House of Eli. Hophni and Phinehas took the Ark of the Covenant with Israel's army into battle against the Philistines. Both of Eli's sons were killed that day as the Philistines routed Israel and took the Ark of the Covenant. When Eli heard the news of his son's death he took it well. But when he heard of the Ark's capture he fell over backwards, breaking his neck. Phinehas' wife was expecting a baby and went into labor at the moment she heard of her husband's death. It was a rough delivery and afterward she lay dying. But with her dying breath she named her son "Ichabod," which means inglorious, because the glory of the Lord had departed from Israel.
By this time Samuel was ready to serve as priest in place of Eli and his sons. But he was more than a priest. "...the Lord was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground. And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba knew that Samuel was established as a prophet of the Lord." Dan was the northernmost city and Beersheba the southernmost in Israel. All of Israel looked to Samuel to lead them in the ways of the Lord.
Today's passage has all kinds of lessons for us. First we see how precious our children are. Hannah felt the same pain as Sarah and Rachel. Her arms were empty and she longed for them to be filled. We can't take having children for granted. As we saw in Ruth's story, it is the Lord who gives conception. Don't forget to pray for the childless, whether from infertility or bereavement. Few experiences in life hurt more. I'm not sure we men can totally understand this, and it's too easy to be like Elkanah.
We must also pay attention to how we raise our children. They aren't our possessions. They belong to the Lord and He gives them to us in trust and raising them is part of our stewardship. Ephesians 6:4 says, "Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord." I see a lot of angry young people today, and I think it's because their parents don't give enough of themselves to their children. Abuse, as bad as it is, is not the worst thing you can do to child. Ignoring them is. We can get so wrapped up in our lives that we don't pay attention to what our children are doing. Children need discipline and instruction, and parents are the first and best teachers. Eli didn't discipline his sons when they were young and didn't discipline them when they showed contempt for the Lord's sanctuary and the results were disastrous.
One last lesson today is from 1 Samuel 3:1, "And the word of the Lord was rare in those days; there was no frequent vision." Let's remember what a wonderful blessing it is to have the Bible! We can hold God's Word in our hands and hear from Him as we read its pages. But how often and with how much dedication do we read it? Amos 8:11 says, "Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord God, when I will send a famine on the land— not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord." If we go hungry for lack of God's Word it's our own fault, because we have it at our fingertips. Jesus answered Satan, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God." (Matthew 4:4, quoting Deuteronomy 8:3) Thank you for taking the time to read the Word in this study and to share your thoughts!
Tomorrow we'll see Samuel anoint Saul the first King of Israel.
I'll leave you with this beautiful song. God knew Samuel's name, and called him by it. He knows your name too!
The story of Ruth is a high point during the otherwise dismal period of the judges. It is a story of true love on several levels. This story is also an important link in God’s plan to redeem us from the curse of sin and death.
The story begins Elimelech and his family. They were from Bethlehem in the Tribe of Judah. A famine struck the land and Elimelech led his wife Naomi and their two sons, Mahlon and Chilion, across the Jordan to Moab where there was food. The Moabites were descendants of Abraham’s nephew Lot by his own daughter. They had been nothing but trouble for the people of Israel. The Moabites introduced them to Baal worship even before they entered Canaan, and Moabite raiders were a constant threat. Elimelech died, leaving Naomi dependent on her two sons. Mahlon and Chilion met and married Moabite women, Orpah (Oprah Winfrey is named for her) and Ruth. It looked like the family would settle permanently in Moab. But then Mahlon and Chilion took sick and died. Now Naomi was alone in a foreign land. Certainly her daughters-in-law would leave her to find new husbands. All that was left for Naomi was to return to her own people in Bethlehem and hope that they will provide for her.
Orpah left with tears in her eyes and headed back to her people. But Ruth didn't want to leave. She said to Naomi, "Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God. 17 Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried. May theLord do so to me and more also if anything but death parts me from you." (1:16-17) More than once couples getting married have chosen these verses to be read at the ceremony. But the context is not the love between a man and a woman getting married, but of a daughter-in-law committing herself to her mother-in-law. That makes Ruth's statement all the more remarkable! She is turning her back on her people and their gods. She will return with Naomi, where she will be a foreigner.
They arrived back in Bethlehem during the barley harvest in the early spring. This was a good time to arrive because there would be food for them. Leviticus 9:9-10 says, "When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap your field right up to its edge, neither shall you gather the gleanings after your harvest. And you shall not strip your vineyard bare, neither shall you gather the fallen grapes of your vineyard. You shall leave them for the poor and for the sojourner: I am the Lord your God." This was one of the ways God provided for the poor in Israel. They had a right to follow the harvesters and pick up the grain left behind. Landowners were not to interfere. But this could be dangerous for a young woman. The hired hands might harass her and even rape her.
But God in His kind providence took good care of Ruth. She ended up in the fields of a man named Boaz. He was a godly man, who greeted his workers in the name of the Lord. He noticed Ruth and asked who she was. When he found out that she was Naomi's daughter-in-law he was impressed with her kindness. Boaz thanked her and told her to stay in his fields. He told her to drink from the water he provided for the workers any time she was thirsty. He also ordered his young men to leave her alone. Boaz even invited Ruth to join him and his harvesters for lunch. Then after lunch Boaz ordered his men to let her glean even among the sheaves, and to pull out handfuls of grain from the sheaves and throw it on the ground for her. The King James Version renders this as "handfuls on purpose."
Ruth made out like a bandit, and returned to Naomi at the end of the day with a lot more grain than Naomi expected. Naomi asked where she went and when she found out that it Boaz's field she rejoiced! Boaz was a relative, and a close one at that. This could work out really well for Ruth. As a close relative Boaz was a "kinsman redeemer." If a family became poor and had to sell the land they received from Joshua a wealthy relative had the right to buy it and restore it to his impoverished relatives. He would also have the right, even the obligation to marry his relative's widow and produce a son to carry on the dead man's name (Leviticus 25:47-49, Deuteronomy 25:5-10) She told Ruth to clean up and go to the threshing floor, where Boaz will be sleeping after a long day. Go to where he's sleeping and lie down by his feet and lift the blanket off of them. When he wakes up he'll now what to do.
Boaz was sleeping soundly after a busy day and some celebratory wine at supper. He wasn't aware that Ruth was there. At midnight he rolled over and realized that someone was there and asked who it was. Ruth then revealed herself and said, "I am Ruth, your servant. Spread your wings over your servant, for you are a redeemer." Boaz was deeply touched. He was an older man, apparently a widower who had no sons. Ruth could have gone wild with the young men all around her, but she chose to be faithful to God and to Naomi. He would be delighted to redeem her, but it turned out that there was a closer relative whose rights came ahead of Boaz's. He told Ruth that he'd find out if this man was interested in redeeming her and her dead husband's estate. He sent Ruth back to Naomi before dawn, with as much grain as she could carry. Naomi knew that Boaz was serious, and that he'd take care of the matter that day.
Boaz went to Bethlehem's main gate, where the elders gathered every day. Boaz may have been one of the elders. Then that closer relative came by and Boaz called him over. He told him about Naomi returning and that her husband's estate was up for redemption. Elimelech had good fields, and the closer relative was interested. Then Boaz said Ruth, the wife of Chilion, comes with the fields. He would be expected to marry her and produce a son who would be Chilion's heir. This closer relative balked. This would mess up his own estate so he told Boaz that Ruth was all his. He sealed the deal by taking his sandal off and handing it to Boaz (that was the custom of the day). The witnesses at the gate gave their blessing: "May the Lord make the woman, who is coming into your house, like Rachel and Leah, who together built up the house of Israel. May you act worthily in Ephrathah and be renowned in Bethlehem, and may your house be like the house of Perez,whom Tamar bore to Judah, because of the offspring that the Lord will give you by this young woman." (4:11-12)
Boaz took Ruth the Moabitess, Naomi's daughter-in-law, as his wife. We read, "...the Lord gave her conception, and she bore a son." Naomi was on top of the world! She had the privilege of being nursemaid for her grandson. They named the little boy Obed. He grew up and had a son whom he named Jesse. And Jesse had seven sons, the last of whom was David, the little shepherd boy who slew the giant Goliath and became the king of Israel.
The story of Ruth has a very happy ending and serves as a transition from the judges to the kings. But Ruth teaches us so much more than that. First, we have another non-Israelite in Jesus' genealogy (the first was Rahab the prostitute, who hid the spies in Jericho). God promised Abraham "...in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed." (Genesis 12:3) Even though God chose to work through Abraham and His descendants, all of it was meant to bless every tribe, nation and tongue on earth. Jesus ministered to non-Jews and in the Book of Acts we see dramatic conversions among the gentiles. Paul wrote in Ephesians 2:11-13, "Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called 'the uncircumcision' by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands— remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ." Ruth trusted in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and that made her a member of His family.
Another important lesson from Ruth is the beauty and importance of love within families. Ruth's commitment to Naomi, expressed so eloquently, is the ideal for all of our families. Boaz and Ruth formed a new family and were blessed with a son. When family life is good, there's no greater blessing this side of heaven. When it's not it can be hell on earth. The family is the basic unit of human civilization. There were families before there were governments, schools or churches. We learn the most important lessons in life in our families, none more important than what it means to be loved and to love in return. When the family breaks down the other institutions, like government, school and church, are at risk. So thank God for your family, and pray for families everywhere!
Next week we'll look at Samuel, the last of the judges and the one who anointed Israel's first and second kings. The commonwealth gave way to the kingdom.
Have a great weekend! I leave you with a song that we learned in Sunday School but which teaches a very important truth. Enjoy this rendition by Mahalia Jackson.
In order to get to Samson we're going to skip over several judges: Tola, Jair, Jephthah, Ibzan, Elon and Abdon. If you want to dig deeper I encourage you to read their stories.
Samson, whose name means "like the sun," was from the Tribe of Dan. His parents were childless. One day the angel of the Lord appeared the woman and told her that she was going to have a son! The angel gave her careful instructions: don't drink any wine; don't touch unclean things; and don't cut his hair. He was to be a Nazirite from his mother's womb. The word Nazirite means separated or consecrated. Numbers 6 tells us that a man could take the vows of a Nazirite voluntarily and for a set period of time, following the rules the angel related to Samson's mother. At the end of the time the Nazirite would cut his hair and offer it along with a sacrifice to the Lord. Samson, however, was to be a Nazirite before birth and for all of his life. We read in 13:24-25, "And the young man grew, and the Lord blessed him. And the Spirit of the Lord began to stir him in Mahaneh-dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol." Samson had a very promising start in life and surely would serve the Lord and Israel well.
But Samson wasn't really a spiritual man, despite the Spirit of God stirring in him. He reminds me a lot of Esau, who wanted what he wanted when he wanted it, living for the moment with no heed to the future. He went down to the village of Timnah, which the Philistines controlled. There he saw a young lady who caught his eye and he told his parents to arrange their marriage. His parents argued that he should marry a fellow Israelite, but he would have none of it. The writer of the Book of Judges, though, gives us an important clue about what's going on: "His father and mother did not know that it was from the Lord, for he was seeking an opportunity against the Philistines." The Lord was going to use Samson, not to lead the armies of Israel against the Philistines (he wasn't disciplined enough for that) but to pick away at them little by little. God would use Samson's weakness and rebellion to accomplish His purposes since Samson would not yield himself fully to the Lord.
His weakness for beautiful women was his downfall. His Philistine wife pleaded with him to tell her the answer to the riddle that Samson bet the other men couldn't answer. In anger he killed thirty Philistines in Ashkelon and took their garments to pay the bet. Samson's father-in-law thought he didn't love his wife any more, so he married her off to a Philistine. Samson retalliated by catching 300 foxes, tying them in pairs with a torch attached to the rope between their tails. They ran through the Philistines' fields of grain, burning them up. The Philistines ratcheted things up by killing his wife and her father. Samson went on a rampage, killing numerous Philistines before fleeing into the wilderness. The Philistines sent 3,000 soldiers to arrest him. Samson allowed some Israelites to bind him and hand him over. Once in Philistine custody Samson burst through his bonds and killed 1,000 men with the only weapon he could find, the jawbone of a donkey. Samson was a major problem for the Philistines, but they couldn't stop him. What the Philistines could not do Samson in his willful disobedience to God would accomplish for them.
After this Samson fell for another beautiful woman. Her name was Delilah. Her name meant "feeble," but she was anything but weak. The Philistines came to her and offered her a generous reward if she would find out the secret of Samson's great strength. She came out and asked, but Samson decided to play with her. He gave her several false leads. Each time she'd call the Philistines and have them hide in her house and she'd shout "Wake up, Samson! The Philistines are upon you!" And each time he'd break out of the trap. But he never caught on, and Delilah finally wore him down. He told her that the secret of his strength was in his hair, the symbol of his consecration to God. It had never been cut, and without it he would be as weak as any man. Once again Delilah tied him up while he was asleep and cried that the Philistines were coming. This time Samson didn't break loose. The Philistines captured him. The poked out his eyes and made him their slave, turning a threshing wheel to grind their grain. But his hair started to grow back during this time.
One day the Philistines gathered for a sacrifice to their god Dagon. The rulers ordered that Samson be brought out to entertain them. They would laugh at this once-mighty man and praise their false god for giving them the victory over him. The temple was jam-packed with people, and event the roof was filled to overflowing. But Samson would have his revenge. He asked the boy who led him out to help him rest his hands on the pillars. Then Samson prayed that God would strengthen him once more, and he pushed against those pillars with all his might. Dagon's temple tumbled down, taking thousands of Philistines with him to their deaths. His family claimed his body and carried him back to his father's tomb.
Samson is the last of the judges. The last five chapters of Judges relate the bizarre story of a Levite who freelances as a personal priest and the near-extermination of the Tribe of Benjamin. The last verse sums up the whole book: "In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes." (21:25) Next week we'll see Israel's transition from commonwealth to kingdom.
As I said earlier, Samson reminds me so much of Esau. We read in Hebrews 12:15-17 says, "See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no 'root of bitterness' springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled; that no one is sexually immoral or unholy like Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal. For you know that afterward, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no chance to repent, though he sought it with tears." How different Samson's twenty-year term as judge would have been if he had obeyed the Lord! But he couldn't see past his immediate needs and desires. This is a warning for us to have our values in the right place. 1 John 2:15-17 says, "Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. 17 And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever." Jesus said, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?" (Luke 9:23-25) Don't be an Esau or a Samson! Walk humbly with Christ as His disciple.
Here's a scene from the History Channel's The Bible miniseries, with some comments from Jim Daley, the president of Focus on the Family:
Many of you have seen the movie 300, the story of how King Leonidas and 300 fellow Spartans stopped the advance of the Persian army. Today we'll look at another story involving 300 soldiers who defeated a large army that took place more than 600 years earlier.
The Israelites once again are at the bottom of the cycle. They've served Baal and the other gods of the Canaanites, and God has abandoned them to the mercy of the Midianites. I hate to use another movie analogy, but the situation is akin to A Bug's Life. The grasshoppers come every year to take the ants' harvest, leaving them with practically nothing. The Midianites were like the grasshoppers, showing up at harvest time and stripping the fields, orchards and vineyards bare.
We meet a reluctant hero whom God had to push several times. His name is Gideon, which means hewer, or one who chops things down. He's down in a winepress, a pit in the ground used to crush grapes, threshing some grain in the hope that the Midianites won't take it away. It is here that the Angel of the Lord suddenly appeared and said, "The Lord is with you, O mighty man of valor." Gideon's reaction was who, me, a man of valor!?!?!?! But the angel WAS speaking to Gideon. "Go in this might of yours and save Israel from the hand of Midian; do not I send you?" Gideon, like Moses before him, is not confident of his abilities. He's from the smallest clan of Manasseh and his father's house is the weakest in the clan. How can he rally all of Israel? But God will work with him and use him mightily.
The Lord told him that night to tear down his father's shrine and altar for Baal and Asherah. Then build an altar to the Lord and sacrifice a bull. Gideon obeyed, but did it under the cover of darkness. Gideon's father took it surprisingly well. Everyone else wanted to lynch Gideon, but Joash said, "If he [Baal] is a god, let him contend for himself, because his altar has been broken down." This episode earned Gideon a nickname, Jerubbaal, which means "let Baal contend with him."
After this Gideon called the armies of the northern tribes together to fight the Midianites. Still not totally convinced of God's promises, Gideon asked for a sign. He placed a lambskin fleece on the ground and prayed that if God was with him that the fleece would be wringing wet with dew while the ground around it would be dry. And that's exactly what happened! But Gideon still wasn't sure, and asked for the opposite sign the next night. He got up the next morning and the ground was wet with a heavy dew, but the fleece was bone dry.
Gideon assembled an army of 33,000 men, impressive but still badly outnumbered. Yet the Lord said that was too many, that if He gave them victory they'd think they'd done it in their own strength. He told Gideon to tell them that whoever is afraid can go home right now. 22,000 men took him up on it, leaving 10,000. God said that was still too many. He told Gideon to take the men down to the river and get them to drink. Most of the men laid down and put their faces in the water, but 300 of them knelt down and brought water up to their mouths in their cupped hands. These men were alert to any danger and in a position to act quickly. God told him to send everyone home but these 300 men.
If Gideon lacked confidence before, he was positively quaking by this time. The odds were against them before, but now they're stacked astronomically high! But God again reassured Gideon. He told him to take his servant Purah and sneak down to the Midianite camp at night. He overheard a couple of soldiers talking about terrifying dreams they had. One of them said, "This is no other than the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel; God has given into his hand Midian and all the camp." The Lord had put fear into the entire enemy camp! They were afraid of Gideon!
Gideon went back to the Israelite camp and woke up his 300 warriors. He divided them into three groups and gave each of them a trumpet, a torch and a clay pot. They were to spread out around the Midianite camp, and at the sound of Gideon's trumpet they were to smash their pots, blow their trumpets and shout "A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!" They didn't have to attack, because the Midianites started cutting down one another and then fled. The rest of the army chased them down, killing 120,000 enemy soldiers. They also brought back the heads of Oreb and Zeeb, two of the princes of Midian, as trophies! Once again God delivered His people!
By the time of Gideon's judgeship, though, the up-sides of the cycle are lower and the down-sides deeper. While Gideon refused to rule over the people, he did ask them to give him all of the golden earrings they had stripped from their enemies. He melted them down and made a golden ephod (the outer garment that the priests wore). Judges 8:27 says, "And all Israel whored after it there, and it became a snare to Gideon and to his family." It became an idol in and of itself rather than a reminder of God and His powerful delivering hand on their behalf. Nevertheless Israel enjoyed peace for 40 years. Gideon settled down, got married to several wives and fathered seventy sons. Then he died and the people went back to worshipping Baal.
Gideon's story is a reminder to us of how powerful our God is and how He can use us no matter how weak we may be. Gideon and 300 men defeated the massive Midianite army. God had put the fear of Gideon into them, and they were so terrified that they lashed out against one another. The lesson for us here is that with God we can be bold! Moses said in Deuteronomy 28 that if Israel were faithful that God would scatter their enemies in seven directions. 1 John 4:18 says, "There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear." If the love of God is in us there's no room left over for fear. Our enemies, however, including our great enemy Satan, don't have the love of God and are therefore fearful at heart. 1 Peter 5:6-9 says, "Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world."
Tomorrow we look at one more of the judges, Samson. To say that he was a colorful character is an understatement!
No doubt you've seen Bibles in hotels hospitals and doctors' offices with a logo of a flame inside a clay vessel, with the words "Placed by the Gideons" on the cover. The Gideons started in 1898 when two traveling salesmen were forced to share the last available hotel room in Boscobel, Wisconsin. Both took out their Bibles to read before going to bed, and they realized that they were both Christians. They spoke of the challenges that they faced as travelers, and caught a vision for leaving Bibles in hotel rooms to meet their spiritual needs. They chose the name Gideons because they were small in number and facing a big challenge with the power of God. We won't know until we reach Heaven just how many people have been saved through the ministry of the Gideons. Enjoy this song, and remember to pray for the work of the Gideons around the world.
We'll look at three of the Judges of Israel this week: Deborah, Gideon and Samson. The first is, in my opinion, the most interesting. Deborah is the only woman listed among the judges, and is the first example we have of a judge appointed on a permanent basis.
Israel was in the midst of another of the cycles we talked about yesterday. Ehud (his name means "lefty"- he was left-handed) had delivered Israel from Eglon and the combined armies of the Moabites, Ammonites and Amalekites who held God's people in bondage for eighteen years. During Ehud's time God raised up another judge, Shamgar, to answer a threat from the Philistines. The people were grateful and served the Lord while Ehud lived. But then he died and it was back to serving Baal and the other gods of the land. Then Jabin the Canaanite king of Hazor, came with a vast army with 900 chariots and oppressed Israel for twenty years.
This is where Deborah comes in. Deborah was from the Tribe of Ephraim, the wife of a man named Lappidoth. She was also a prophetess. We'll look at the office and role of prophet in more detail as we go forward with our study. We often think that prophecy is a foretelling of the future. Sometimes it is. But more than that, a prophet is one who speaks forth (the word comes from two Greek words, pro- for or forth, and phemi, to speak) the word of God. The prophet declares a message from God to His people. The Lord gave her extraordinary wisdom. The people came from all over Israel to seek her guidance.
Deborah called for Barak from the tribe of Naphtali. The Lord told Barak to gather the combined armies of his tribe and of the neighboring tribe of Zebulun. He would draw out Jabin's army, under the leadership of General Sisera, and He would give Israel the victory. Did Barak "man up" and head out to call the other men to action? No. He told Deborah that he wouldn't go unless she went with him. Deborah said fine. But you're missing out on the glory God intended for you. A woman is going to get credit for killing Sisera.
Deborah went with Barak as he amassed 10,000 of the men of Naphtali and Zebulun at Mt. Tabor. Sisera heard about this act of rebellion against King Jabin and he took his vastly superior army to the Plain of Jezreel at the foot of Mt. Tabor to crush Israel as he had before. But this time the Lord was with His people, and He gave Barak a tremendous victory! By the end of the day not a single soldier from the Canaanite army was left.
General Sisera, when he saw that all was lost, fled the battle field. He came to the home of Heber the Kenite (the Kenites were descendants of Moses' father-in-law Jethro) and thought that he had found refuge. Heber's wife Jael took Sisera in and hid him under a rug. This mighty warrior is now cowering under a rug! Sisera was very thirsty and asked Jael for some water. She went one better and brought him some milk. Between the milk and his exhaustion Sisera soon fell asleep. Jael walked over to him with a tent peg and mallet in her hands. She drove that tent peg right through Sisera's head and into the ground!
When Barak finally arrived in pursuit of Sisera, Jael invited him into the tent to see this great enemy of God's people. As Deborah said, the glory of killing Sisera went to a woman. With his army destroyed, Jabin's kingdom fell and Israel was once again free!
On the way back Deborah composed a song to celebrate this tremendous victory. "Awake, awake, Deborah! Awake, awake, break out in a song! Arise, Barak, lead away your captives, O son of Abinoam." (v. 12) She also shamed the other tribes that didn't help, "Among the clans of Reuben there were great searchings of heart. Why did you sit still among the sheepfolds, to hear the whistling for the flocks?... Gilead (in the territory of Manasseh) stayed beyond the Jordan; and Dan, why did he stay with the ships? Asher sat still at the coast of the sea, staying by his landings." (vv. 15-17) "Most blessed of women be Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, of tent-dwelling women most blessed." (v. 24) The song ends with these words, "So may all your enemies perish, O Lord! But your friends be like the sun as he rises in his might."
All is well for now. Israel is at the top of the cycle, faithful once again to the Lord who delivered them yet again from the hand of their oppressors. But it won't last. Tomorrow we'll see another of the judges, Gideon, and how God uses this timid man to free his people.
Deborah is an example of a woman who was also a leader. The Bible doesn't list many women leaders, but Deborah shows that God can and does use women as well as men. This is especially true when men don't step up and lead. Deborah had to call Barak, and even after he hard the Lord's word to him he was still afraid to go and face Sisera. We read of four other women who were prophetesses: Miriam, Moses and Aaron's older sister (Exodus 15); Huldah (2 Kings 22); Noadaiah (Nehemiah 6) and Isaiah's wife, whose name is not recorded (Isaiah 8).
There are some who teach that women should not be elders or deacons, and definitely should not preach God's Word. And a surface reading of the New Testament seems to support that, just as it also appears to back baptism for believers only and not for their children. But dig deeper and see just what the Bible really says about women in church leadership. Read this short book, Women Elders: Called By God? by Richard and Catherine Kroeger. The link is for the Presbyterian Church (USA)'s online store. They want you to buy it for $2.50, but I'll e-mail it to anyone who wants to read it. They do an excellent job with the original languages, and this book, more than any other, convinced me that the Bible teaches that women can serve as leaders in the church.
I always loved reading to my children. This video is the reading of a children's book on Deborah. Get some kids around you and watch it! Once again I couldn't find it with Blogger's search engine (I'm going to tell them about this), so here's the link:
Israel is now settled in the Land of Canaan. Joshua and the elders divided the land among the tribes and clans. There were still some places where the Canaanites had not been driven out, and Joshua told them to keep up the fight in each tribe's area. We read in chapter 1 that they did continue the conquest for a while and took more territory after Joshua disbanded the national army. All went well during the time that Joshua lived, and as long as the elders who had experienced the conquest lived. That's when the trouble began.
Let's talk first, though, about the Commonwealth of Israel. Commonwealth is another term for a state that exists for the good of its people, that is, a republic or a democracy. Four of our states (Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Kentucky) call themselves commonwealths. The Commonwealth of Israel is perhaps the most perfect form of government ever devised. Governance was decentralized, spread out among the tribes and clans through their elders. The elders were leaders chosen by the people for their character and wisdom. The Levites lived among the tribes in cities set aside for them. They taught the people the Law of Moses and settled their disputes. The people were to gather as a nation at the Tabernacle three times a year: Passover, Pentecost and Booths. There was no national government and no standing army. The only taxes were the tithes that went to support the priests and the Levites so that they could devote themselves to full-time service. This allowed for maximum freedom with minimum restriction and with a reasonable rate of taxation. Our own United States government is a hybrid between Israel's Commonwealth and the Roman Republic. The Commonwealth of Israel could work only with God's blessing and the people's obedience to Him.
We human beings seem to have an inclination to mess up God's perfect plans. Adam and Eve couldn't handle one simple rule, and Israel didn't live up to the ideals of the Commonwealth. They didn't finish the job of displacing the Canaanites, and they became a snare. The Israelites began to worship Baal, the Canaanites' fertility god, and his consort Asherah. Baal worship was a whole lot more fun than serving the Lord. Each spring Baal and Asherah would have sex and this brought the spring rains which finished out the grain. If Baal and Asherah got into a tiff and didn't have relations there'd be a drought and the people would starve. So worship of Baal and Asherah required its participants to have sex with sacred prostitutes in the temples of Baal and Asherah to encourage the gods to do likewise and bring rain. Doing your duty as a worshiper of Baal gave license to do things that God had forbidden.
God became angry and took His protection away. An oppressor would make their lives miserable and they'd cry out to the Lord for relief. God would then raise up a "judge." They were not judges in the sense we think of today. They were leaders that God raised up and empowered to rally Israel to defeat its enemies and return the people to faithfully serving the Lord. Things went well until that judge died, and then the people fell away again. This turned into a vicious cycle: unfaithfulness, oppression, deliverance and faithfulness repeating over and over. Here's a little chart that gives an overview of the time of the judges:
Keep in mind that each of these judges didn't rule for all of the years listed. There was a gap when there was no judge after each one died. Another thing to note as you look at the Book of Judges is that after each cycle Israel is weaker and more corrupt. Othniel was one of the warriors who followed Joshua in the conquest and a very faithful man. But Samson, the last judge, was not a good role model. We'll look at three of the judges this week: Deborah, Gideon and Samson. We'll finish the week with a look at the story of Ruth, which took place in the time of the judges.
The period of the judges was long ago, but it has lessons for us that we desperately need to learn today. Since the Book of Acts and the deaths of the Apostles the church's history looks depressingly like that of Israel's Commonwealth. There have been times of great growth and expansion occasioned by obedience to the Great Commission's call to make disciples. And there have been periods of decline, where the church so accommodated itself to the culture around it that it could not give a strong witness for Christ or made disciples. God in His grace broke through and raised up leaders who called the church back to faithfulness in what we've come to call renewal or revival. Then things slowly went back to the way they were and the process started all over again.
I'd like to recommend another book to you, Renewal as a Way of Life: A Guidebook for Spiritual Growth, by Richard Lovelace. Lovelace taught for many years at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in Massachusetts and is an expert on Jonathan Edwards, the great preacher and theologian of our colonial period. He notes this vicious cycle and says it doesn't have to be that way. If we'll concentrate on making disciples we will pass on the faith from one generation to the next without these times of decline.
Tomorrow we'll look at Deborah, the only woman to serve as a judge.
Meanwhile, here's a little video that summarizes what we've discussed today and teaches a little song aimed at memorizing the names of the judges. It mentions two that are left off the list above, Eli and Samuel. We'll look at them next week, because they're transitional figures leading up to the time of the kings.
Sunday, February 16, 2014
THE SERMON FOR WEEK FIVE:
Strong and Courageous
Joshua 1:1-9
The sermon from this morning is uploaded. If you weren't able to be with us this morning you can listen to it here.
Tomorrow begin our look at the time of the Judges! Stay tuned.
Yesterday we saw Joshua lead Israel across the Jordan during the spring flood. Reminiscent of the parting of the Red Sea forty years earlier, the river parted and they crossed on dry land in a single day. They camped at Gilgal, just six miles from Jericho. There they observed the Passover for the first time in the Promised Land. As soon as they ate the local food the manna stopped appearing. They will feast on the milk and honey and all the other rich foods of the land.
Before we look at the conquest of Jericho, let's look at this city. Jericho is possibly the oldest city in the world. Archeologists have found evidence that it was occupied as early as 8,000 BC, or 6,000 years before the birth of Abraham. It is also the lowest city in the world in terms of elevation, some 670 feet below sea level. Jericho is a beautiful place. The Bible also calls it "The City of Palm Trees." The coldest temperature ever recorded there is 58 degrees, and it can reach 130 degrees in the summer. I was there in early May and it was 95. An enormous spring of water flows out of the cliff above the city. It was bitter, however, until the Prophet Elisha threw some salt into it. It's been beautiful, sweet water ever since!
Joshua took a walk to get a closer look at the city. Suddenly he realized that he wasn't alone. He turned and saw a man with a sword in his hand! Alarmed, he asked "Whose side are you on?" He responded, "No; but I am the commander of the army of the Lord. Now I have come." He then told Joshua to take his shoes off because he was on holy ground. An unseen army of angels stood ready to fight for Israel! Joshua asked for orders. He received a strange answer: form up the whole army, then put the priests with the Ark of the Covenant in front; then march around the city once each day for six days; then on the seventh day march around seven times; then a priest will blow a trumpet and you shout for all you're worth! The wall will fall flat before you and you'll take the city.
Joshua obeyed. The priests led the way with the Ark and the sound of trumpets. The soldiers, however, were absolutely silent. Then on the seventh day after the seventh time around, Joshua said, "Shout, for the Lord has given you the city!" They shouted, and the walls collapsed outward! Here's a picture from the research of Dr. Bryant Wood, an archeologist who has done extensive work at Jericho:
You'll notice that Jericho hat TWO walls. This was common for ancient cities and gave an extra level of protection. If an enemy were to breach the first wall they could fall back behind the second. The outer wall was a massive stone structure with a slope to the lower part to make it difficult for anyone to scale it. The second wall was of mud brick above the first wall. The picture shows how both walls fell outward, as the archeological evidence shows. Normally an army would pull the walls down toward them, as they had no means to push them in. Should they make a breach in the wall this way, the attacking army would have to climb up and over the rubble. With the walls falling outward Israel had an easy time entering the city. The whole story is fascinating and way more than we can cover here. If you'd like to learn more, you can read Dr. Wood's article here.
Joshua commanded the army to kill everyone in the city and to burn it all down. They were to take nothing for themselves. It was all to be destroyed. All, that is, except for Rahab, the prostitute who hid the two spies. They told her to hang a scarlet cord in her window, and to get everyone in her family into her house. When the wall fell, the section with Rahab's house still stood. She and her family came out safely. Rahab married a man from the tribe of Judah named Salmon. She bore a son named Boaz, who in turn married Ruth the Moabitess (we'll look at her story next week). Rahab was the great-great grandmother of King David and thus an ancestor of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Jericho was the first victory in the seven-year-long conquest of the land. At that time Joshua divided the land among the tribes and clans of Israel by the drawing of lots. Pockets of the "ites" remained, and Joshua told the tribes that they were responsible for taking the rest of the land in their territory. Then Joshua challenged the people to remain faithful to God. He said, "Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." (24:14-15) Then Joshua retired to his own inheritance in the hill country of Ephraim, where he died at the age of 110.
Next week we'll look at the period of the Judges.
The commander of the army of the Lord didn't answer Joshua's question of whether he was for or against Israel. He was for God and was there to to His will. If Israel would obey and serve God the hosts of Heaven would fight with and for them and no one would be able to stand before them. They would find out in the very next battle against Ai, that the Lord would not be with them if they were disobedient. This is a critical lesson for us in today's church. We long for God's blessings, but are we willing to obey what He commands? We have this habit of assuming that God is on our side. Someone once asked Abraham Lincoln if he believed that God was on the Union's side in the Civil War. He replied, "Sir, my concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God's side, for God is always right." If we find that we are not on God's side, it's time to repent and draw near to Him.
It's impossible to read this passage in our day without wondering about the command to kill everyone in Jericho. In our time we call that genocide, the destruction of an entire people. Hitler's goal was to kill every Jew in the world, and he succeeded in killing nearly half of them. Less than twenty years ago the obscure country of Rwanda hit the headlines when Hutus killed as many as 800,000 members of the rival Tutsi tribe in a six-month period. How can a good God order the deaths of the men, women and children of Jericho? First, their deaths were not inevitable. Moses commanded in Deuteronomy 20:10-12, "When you draw near to a city to fight against it, offer terms of peace to it. And if it responds to you peaceably and it opens to you, then all the people who are found in it shall do forced labor for you and shall serve you. But if it makes no peace with you, but makes war against you, then you shall besiege it." Had the rulers of Jericho surrendered they all would have lived. The Gibeonites tricked Joshua into thinking that they were from far away and made a peace treaty with Israel. Even when he found out they had been duped, the Lord told Joshua he had to honor the agreement and not kill them. Last summer I read an article that totally changed my understanding of this question, "Gentiles in the Hands of a Genocidal God," by Phillip Carey. He wrote that too often we identify with Israel when in fact we should see ourselves in the place of the Canaanites. "In fact, with respect to the command to exterminate the Canaanites, our position is less like Israel's and more like that of Rahab, the Canaanite prostitute in Jericho who befriends the Israelite spies. She has not taken part in Israel's exodus, but she has heard of it and believes it. She knows the name of the Lord, the God who has given the land to Israel, and she confesses that he is God of heaven and earth (Josh. 2:9–11). She is a believer, and eventually will be included in Hebrews 11's great litany of heroes who lived by faith. But she is not an Israelite. She is a Canaanite who hopes to live, not die. As a believer, Rahab can have hope, because the threat she faces is not so much moral as religious. It is not as if the Israelites were so much more righteous than every other nation (Deut. 9:4–6). Israel is holy not because of their own righteousness but because the Lord loves them and chose them as his people. And the holiness of the Lord is a kind of jealousy that claims Israel as his own, not allowing other nations to lead them into worshiping false gods (7:5–8). That is the holiness that leads to herem, the extermination of Rahab's people for their idolatry."
I leave you today with one of the great hymns of the church, Who Is On The Lord's Side? It's a reminder that just like Israel we are called to conquer.
