Deliverance: Goliath Had A Brother!

I’ve been a pastor for nineteen years.  In fact, August 1, 2001 was the day we opened the church we founded in Riverside, California.  In those nineteen years, I have seen a lot, and one of the things I have seen over and over is people who just can’t seem to break away from certain sins.  It’s like they’re trapped in that thing – They think they’ve beaten it, only to come have it come back at a later time.

The problem with this is that people begin to think that they can’t be completely delivered; that there’s a reliance on willpower for deliverance.

There’s a young man that attends one of our Free Talk Sessions that is quite taken with my testimony about how I stopped drinking.  He wants to do the same thing, but without Jesus and he’s struggling with it.  I have to declare to you right now, I could not have stopped drinking without Jesus in my life.  I can state that so positively, because I tried many times to quit drinking, unsuccessfully, before I got saved.

Willpower cannot keep you from sin.  There will be weak moments that will cause you to do that thing you don’t want to do.  This is why twelve step programs will say that you are forever an addict.  I have news for them, I am an ex-drunk! I’m delivered.

The real question, today is, “Why do some people go back to the sin from which they’ve been delivered?”  That’s what I want to explore in this post – Through David’s life!

2 Samuel 21:15-17 (NKJV)
^21:15 When the Philistines were at war again with Israel, David and his servants with him went down and fought against the Philistines; and David grew faint. ¹⁶ Then Ishbi-Benob, who was one of the sons of the giant, the weight of whose bronze spear was three hundred shekels, who was bearing a new sword, thought he could kill David. ¹⁷ But Abishai the son of Zeruiah came to his aid, and struck the Philistine and killed him. Then the men of David swore to him, saying, "You shall go out no more with us to battle, lest you quench the lamp of Israel."

Goliath Had A Brother

I believe, as a Christian, that one of the biggest things we struggle with is our old sin.  It’s supposed to be “buried with Christ in baptism.”  (Romans 6:4).  “Put off the Old man and put on the new.”  (Ephesians 4:22-24).  “Walk in the newness of life.”  (Romans 6:4).

The problem is that some of those things are stubborn and difficult.  It’s not easy to defeat some habits and addictions.  The Bible says that “we are slaves to sin;” they own us!  They can be giants that we face and have to fight to defeat.

I want to talk about David and his defeat of the giant, but I want to look at it in a little different way.  We all know the story – A young shepherd faces and defeats a battle hardened giant. 

So, look at this:  David has decided that he will destroy the giant and he’s preparing for the battle:

1 Samuel 17:40 (NKJV)
^17:40 Then he took his staff in his hand; and he chose for himself five smooth stones from the brook, and put them in a shepherd's bag, in a pouch which he had, and his sling was in his hand. And he drew near to the Philistine.

Why did David take five stones?  Does he think he’s going to need five stones to defeat Goliath?  Is he afraid God isn’t going to help him?  The answer is that Goliath had a brother and he had three sons.  David knew he might not have to defeat just Goliath.  He knew that there might be others who came for him.  David did defeat Goliath with just one stone.

1 Samuel 17:49-51 (NKJV)
^17:49 Then David put his hand in his bag and took out a stone; and he slung it and struck the Philistine in his forehead, so that the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the earth. ⁵⁰ So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone, and struck the Philistine and killed him. But there was no sword in the hand of David. ⁵¹ Therefore David ran and stood over the Philistine, took his sword and drew it out of its sheath and killed him, and cut off his head with it. And when the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled.

David destroyed the giant with one stone, then he cut off his head.  You don’t get much deader than that!  No head equals totally dead! 

So, let’s think about this for a moment.  Why do people get saved?  People don’t come to Jesus when everything is good.  “I’m so blessed, I need Jesus!”  People usually get saved when they’re sick of the way they’re living.  In my own case, I thought I’d ruined my life!  I was exhausted, sick and depressed.  I was addicted to alcohol, a depressant, what else could I expect?  I needed to defeat that giant in my life – alcohol!

For others it may have been something different – maybe financial debt, or sickness, or marital problems.  Whatever it was that led you to Jesus was probably a giant in your life, and you were looking to defeat it.  Some of you may still be in the process of selecting your stone, or running out to face it.  Others have already cut off the giant’s head.  Maybe its been a while.  Maybe you’ve even testified, “I beat my giant (whatever it was)!”  Months later, or years later it’s come back, you’re facing it again and you don’t understand why.  I’ll tell you why – Goliath had a brother!

When David defeated Goliath, he was seventeen years old.  He hadn’t become king yet.  That didn’t happen until he was thirty.  So, our text takes place many years after he killed the giant, but now he finds himself fighting with a giant once again.  The giants have come back!  The original giant has been defeated – He’s not coming back from the dead.  That original deliverance in your life wasn’t temporary.  The giant in your life has been destroyed, it’s not coming back, either, but a similar thing is rising up to destroy you.  This is what’s happening in our text – Do you think this son of Goliath isn’t gunning for the man who killed dear old dad?  Of course, he is!  The devil hasn’t given up on you, either – He wants his revenge!

This Happens to Mature Christians

Look at verse 15 of our text:

2 Samuel 21:15 (NKJV)
^21:15 When the Philistines were at war again with Israel, David and his servants with him went down and fought against the Philistines; and David grew faint.

David has been engaged in the battle.  He’s been fighting, and the Bible says, David grew faint!”   He’s weary.  The devil above all other things is an opportunist.  He watches and waits, and when the time is right, he comes back.  He even did that with Jesus!

Luke 4:13 (NKJV)
^4:13 Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time.

When he saw that he couldn’t tempt Jesus at that time, he departed “until an opportune time.”  Goliath’s son waited until David was weary to attack him.  He waited until David wasn’t in a good position to fight.  When you’re exhausted from battle you don’t have the energy to fight a fresh opponent.  In a spiritual battle this takes place when you’re spiritually worn down – when you’ve been facing assaults.  When you’ve been pushing back against the enemy, but he’s worn you down.

A number of years ago I had an opportunity to visit a battlefield from the US civil war.  The person I was there with was an expert on civil war battles.  This particular battle was won by government troops, because they just kept sending wave after wave of fresh troops until the opponents were too tired to fight any more and were destroyed.

That’s how the devil fights – temptation after temptation, struggle sfter struggle, with sickness.  Financial failure after financial failure – marriage problem after marriage problem until you’re worn down and exhausted then he sends in the giants, and this giant looks an awful lot like the last giant!  Why?  Because they’re related!

Think about it.  He beat you once with pornography.  That’s his “Go-to Giant” in your life.  Maybe it’s not exactly pornography, but an affair with someone at your job.  Maybe it’snot alcoholism this time, but some other addiction instead.  That’s how good strong Christians end up failing.  That’s how they end up defeated.

“I thought God would protect me! I thought God would keep bad things from happening!  I’m just tired of it all – I don’t want to fight anymore!  Oh, Hello, Ishbi-benob, is that a new sword?” 

Guess what, this wasn’t the last one, either. 

2 Samuel 21:18-20 (NKJV)
^21:18 Now it happened afterward that there was again a battle with the Philistines at Gob. Then Sibbechai the Hushathite killed Saph, who was one of the sons of the giant. ¹⁹ Again there was war at Gob with the Philistines, where Elhanan the son of Jaare-Oregim the Bethlehemite killed the brother of Goliath the Gittite, the shaft of whose spear was like a weaver's beam. ²⁰ Yet again there was war at Gath, where there was a man of great stature, who had six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot, twenty-four in number; and he also was born to the giant.

Three more times they came after him.  Remember, the five stones?  There’s the other four.  The devil isn’t going to give up!

What Saved David

This is the interesting part – What saved David?  You might say, “A better question is “Who saved David?”  Okay, “who saved David?” – His fellow soldiers.  The reason I asked what saved David is because what really saved David was the fellowship he had with those other men.  There was a camaraderie and concern among them.  Abishai was concerned for David so he fought for him.

That’s why God has structured the church the way He has.  That’s why the church is a body of believers.  Christianity was never intended to be a solo pursuit.  It was always about being of one accord, fighting and contending together against a common enemy – You know who!

How many times in the Bible are we exhorted to be together and encourage each other?

John 15:17 (NKJV)
^15:17 These things I command you, that you love one another.

Hebrews 10:24-25 (NKJV)
^10:24 And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, ²⁵ not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.

1 Thessalonians 4:18 (NKJV)
^4:18 Therefore comfort one another with these words.

This is God’s plan for us to defeat the giants that we face.  The Bible shows us that this is the way to go!  The Bile gives us concrete examples.

Matthew 18:19-20 (NKJV)
^18:19 Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. ²⁰ For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them."

Are you struggling with something?  Is there a battle to wear you down?  Ask someone to pray with you – Don’t fight alone.  Find an Abishai to stand in the gap with you!

James 5:16 (NKJV)
^5:16 Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.

Sickness?  Physical or spiritual?  Confess your sin and pray for one another.

“I don’t want anyone to know I’m struggling!”

“People might judge me, if I confess and ask for prayer.”

Abishai saw that David was weary – If you hold back and put on appearances, that it’s all good – there won’t be anyone to help.  Don’t let your ego be your downfall.  David need help with that second giant – we all need help!  That’s why God brought us together.  FOR EACH OTHER!  No soldier wins a war by himself.  Not even David!

Bamboo in the Garden

Have you ever seen a stand of Bamboo?  It grows out from one stalk in different directions in the ground.  So, the area covered by the bamboo grove is constantly being enlarged.  If you want to reforest an area it’s very effective because it grows and spreads rapidly. 

The difficulty is in trying to contain it.  What happens is that shoots called rhizomes spread underground and the plants sprout out of the ground along the rhizome.  Now, these are not like roots. They’re stalks of the plant that grow horizontally under the ground.  They’re very tough and difficult to remove.  You don’t see them growing, they’re hidden under the soul.  The only way you know they are there is that a plant sprouts out of the ground and shows itself.  All of the Bamboo in a garden are connected by rhizomes.

If you plant them in an area and don’t want them to spread beyond that area, you must be diligently searching for and tearing out the rhizomes, because when one is removed another immediately begins to generate.  Some types of Bamboo can grow up to twenty-four inches in a day.

2 Samuel 11:1-17 (NKJV)
^11:1 It happened in the spring of the year, at the time when kings go out to battle, that David sent Joab and his servants with him, and all Israel; and they destroyed the people of Ammon and besieged Rabbah. But David remained at Jerusalem. ² Then it happened one evening that David arose from his bed and walked on the roof of the king's house. And from the roof he saw a woman bathing, and the woman was very beautiful to behold. ³ So David sent and inquired about the woman. And someone said, "Is this not Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?" ⁴ Then David sent messengers, and took her; and she came to him, and he lay with her, for she was cleansed from her impurity; and she returned to her house. ⁵ And the woman conceived; so she sent and told David, and said, "I am with child." ⁶ Then David sent to Joab, saying, "Send me Uriah the Hittite." And Joab sent Uriah to David. ⁷ When Uriah had come to him, David asked how Joab was doing, and how the people were doing, and how the war prospered. ⁸ And David said to Uriah, "Go down to your house and wash your feet." So Uriah departed from the king's house, and a gift of food from the king followed him. ⁹ But Uriah slept at the door of the king's house with all the servants of his lord, and did not go down to his house. ¹⁰ So when they told David, saying, "Uriah did not go down to his house," David said to Uriah, "Did you not come from a journey? Why did you not go down to your house?" ¹¹ And Uriah said to David, "The ark and Israel and Judah are dwelling in tents, and my lord Joab and the servants of my lord are encamped in the open fields. Shall I then go to my house to eat and drink, and to lie with my wife? As you live, and as your soul lives, I will not do this thing." ¹² Then David said to Uriah, "Wait here today also, and tomorrow I will let you depart." So Uriah remained in Jerusalem that day and the next. ¹³ Now when David called him, he ate and drank before him; and he made him drunk. And at evening he went out to lie on his bed with the servants of his lord, but he did not go down to his house. ¹⁴ In the morning it happened that David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it by the hand of Uriah. ¹⁵ And he wrote in the letter, saying, "Set Uriah in the forefront of the hottest battle, and retreat from him, that he may be struck down and die." ¹⁶ So it was, while Joab besieged the city, that he assigned Uriah to a place where he knew there were valiant men. ¹⁷ Then the men of the city came out and fought with Joab. And some of the people of the servants of David fell; and Uriah the Hittite died also.

Rhizomes in Our Lives

David is God’s man to lead Israel but sin has overcome him, just like Bamboo overtaking a garden.  The first step is a step away from responsibility.  David stepped away from the battle.  He’s no longer contending against the enemies of Israel.  He hasn’t really done anything wrong yet, but he’s resting in what God has already done in him and through him.  He’s let his guard down.

This is how sin works in us.  We’re delivered.  It’s not necessary to pray for that deliverance any longer.  It’s not necessary to be contending.  “I don’t need to pray for that anymore, I won’t fall into that again.”

I had a friend that began to look at pornography.  His wife caught him at it, and he confessed and was delivered from it.  The problem was that he thought he’d overcome it.  So he decided to check himself and ended up right back in the same problem again.  He’d let his guard down…He’d stopped contending for that deliverance.

In the garden, you need to continue to hunt down the rhizomes.  The only way that you can control the growth is through constant attention.  If you stop searching for and removing the rhizomes, the Bamboo will get out of control again.

We need to constantly be digging for rhizomes of sin in our hearts or that sin will spread and appear again. 

David has neglected his heart and stalk of lust has grown up.

2 Samuel 11:2-3 (NKJV)
^11:2 Then it happened one evening that David arose from his bed and walked on the roof of the king's house. And from the roof, he saw a woman bathing, and the woman was very beautiful to behold. ³ So David sent and inquired about the woman. And someone said, "Is this not Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?"

From this stalk of lust, rhizomes have spread out to other areas of his life.  Lust led to adultery, lies, cover-ups, manipulation, and murder.  That sin of just looking at a naked woman and lusting sexually for her finally led to the murder of an innocent man.

The events that led to the resignation of President Nixon started in a simple enough way.  There was a break-in at the Democratic National Headquarters at the Watergate Hotel in Washington DC.  The break-in was illegal, but what cost President Nixon his job wasn’t the original crime.  What cost him his job was the cover up of those things; the lies, the manipulations and all that resulted from that.  The original break-in led to the crimes that destroyed Nixon.

In the Bamboo plants, there is one stalk.  That stalk puts out rhizomes and other plants manifest themselves in different places.  As a result of the way the plants reproduce, all of them in a particular area are connected.  All of the sin in our lives is connected like the Bamboo.

Sin defiles and deceives the human conscience, and thereby hardens the human heart.  A sin-hardened heart grows ever more susceptible to temptation, pride, and every kind of evil.  Unconfessed sin, therefore, becomes a cycle that desensitizes and corrupts the conscience and drags people deeper and deeper into bondage. – J F MacArthur, The Vanishing Conscience

Sin is aggressive – like an organism; like a virus.

Genesis 4:7 (NKJV)
^4:7 If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it."
The man-eaters of Tsabo is a true story of man-eating lions that were killing and devouring native workers on a British railroad project in Africa.  In the end, the lions were destroyed as the British leader set up a stand in the trees and waited for days until the lions attacked again.  He maintained a vigil in order to protect the people.

No less of a commitment is needed in our lives.  If David had pressed into the things of God; if he had continued to do what was necessary to protect Israel from the enemies of God, he would have been removed from the temptation.

When we take ourselves away from the things of God; the battle for souls and things that strengthen faith, we create distance from God.  When we stop reading our bible or praying we’re drifting away from God.  The closer you are to God the less likely you are to sin.  When we’re close to God it is difficult to get something between us and God.  It’s much easier when there’s a distance between us and God.

But do remember, the only thing that matters is the extent to which you separate the man from the enemy [God].  It does not matter how small the sins are, provided that they’re cumulative effect is to keep the man away from the light…Murder is no better than cards if cards can do the trick.  Indeed the safest road to Hell is the gradual one – C. S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters

Closeness to God eliminates opportunity for Satan to draw us into decisions that lead to sin.  Satan doesn’t force us to do anything; we make a decision to sin.

David stumbled on to Bathsheba.  It wasn’t something he was looking for, but when he asked who she was, and sent for her, he made a decision to sin.  That decision was the result of his traveling on a path that led to a separation from the will of God.

The Result of Sin

Bamboo is what biologists call an “extremely opportunistic” plant.  It wants to exploit all of the sunlight, water and nutrients for its own reproduction.  This plant isn’t concerned about the others in the garden and if left alone will destroy every other plant in the garden by robbing them of nutrients.

David has turned away from the Will of God.  He’s backslidden at heart.  We often think of backsliding as when we are already engaged in sin, but backsliding begins when we slide back away from God and pursue our own desires.  David was already backslidden when he sinned with Bathsheba.  He backslid when he tarried in Jerusalem, because he’d already begun the process of pulling away from the will of God.  All of the other things that took place were the result of that original sin of pulling away from God.

David and Uriah knew each other.  Uriah was a mighty man; one of David’s elite hand picked.  They were friends.  There was a camaraderie between them, but sin is selfish.  David’s not thinking of Bathsheba; He’s not thinking of Uriah.  He’s thinking only of David.  David’s not even thinking of his children, because sin always computes out in our children’s lives.  David’s sin played out in his children’s lives in a way he didn’t expect.

Deuteronomy 5:9 (NKJV)
^5:9 you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me,

Sin in our lives follows us into the next generations.  In David’s case his son Amnon rapes his half sister Tamar – selfishness and lust.  David is angry but he can’t judge the sin in Amnon.  He can’t judge the sin that he himself had fallen into, but Absalom, Tamar’s brother did judge it and killed Amnon.  Absalom went into exile after that, and when given the right to return, he tried to usurp the government of his father.  Look at his reasoning:

2 Samuel 15:4 (NKJV)
^15:4 Moreover Absalom would say, "Oh, that I were made judge in the land, and everyone who has any suit or cause would come to me; then I would give him justice."

He believed that his sister never received justice, so he overthrew the kingdom.  David’s sin played out in his children’s lives.  Their lives came under the influence of sin and it destroyed them.

Bamboo can infect not only the garden in which it’s planted but it can spread and affect another garden that’s next door.  The rhizomes being underground can easily pass under a fence and into the garden of a neighbor.  Our neighbors in Riverside planted Bamboo next to their fence in order to give them privacy.  My wife had to be constantly digging and cutting rhizomes that passed under the fence in an effort to keep them out of our yard.

Amos 1:9 (NKJV)
^1:9 Thus says the Lord: "For three transgressions of Tyre, and for four, I will not turn away its punishment, Because they delivered up the whole captivity to Edom, And did not remember the covenant of brotherhood.

Tyre and Israel had a relationship of brotherhood at one point.  It’s a picture of relationship between people in the congregation; regard, concern – I’ve got your back, you’ve got mine.  But Tyre sold out the relationship when they broke the covenant of brotherhood.  They joined with the enemy of Israel and instead of living peacefully they sold out – Every man for himself.

In the garden the assault is underground and it isn’t until the stalk manifests itself that the assault can be recognized.  By then it can be too late and only a pitched battle will save the garden.

The church can’t be protected from what is hidden.  Discord in relationships, loss of dominion causes the church to stall.  Sin in the church affects us all.  The effort turns to keeping people from scattering and forward momentum stops.

Eradicating the Bamboo

Bamboo can be beaten, but in order for that to happen the rhizomes must be found and removed along with the original stalk.  It must all be removed.  Any stalk that’s left will begin to put out rhizomes.  Any rhizome left will put up other stalks.  In order to defeat it it must all be destroyed.

2 Samuel 12:13-18 (NKJV)
^12:13 So David said to Nathan, "I have sinned against the Lord." And Nathan said to David, "The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die. ¹⁴ However, because by this deed you have given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme, the child also who is born to you shall surely die." ¹⁵ Then Nathan departed to his house. And the Lord struck the child that Uriah's wife bore to David, and it became ill. ¹⁶ David therefore pleaded with God for the child, and David fasted and went in and lay all night on the ground. ¹⁷ So the elders of his house arose and went to him, to raise him up from the ground. But he would not, nor did he eat food with them. ¹⁸ Then on the seventh day it came to pass that the child died. And the servants of David were afraid to tell him that the child was dead. For they said, "Indeed, while the child was alive, we spoke to him, and he would not heed our voice. How can we tell him that the child is dead? He may do some harm!"

David recognizes his sin and repents.  This is more than just crying out he’s actively contending for God to move.  The relationship must be restored.  The connection to God will must be strengthened.  The consequences of the sin played out in the death of the child, but God restored David – never removing him as king.  God blessed him later as he allowed his son to rule after him.

1 Kings 15:4-5 (NKJV)
^15:4 Nevertheless for David's sake the Lord his God gave him a lamp in Jerusalem, by setting up his son after him and by establishing Jerusalem; ⁵ because David did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, and had not turned aside from anything that He commanded him all the days of his life, except in the matter of Uriah the Hittite.

It took David contending to live for God after that.  We have to have a resolve to live for Jesus. 

Have you ever taken a piece of paper and folded it over, then torn the paer along that line?  When it’s been folded it’s easy to tear it along the fold, because that fold becomes a weakness in the paper.  Sin, when we have fallen once, will attack us at that same place; that fold in our lives seeking once again to gain entry into that weak place.

We must contend in order to overcome.  Where is victory found?

1.        Remember that what is hidden from people God sees.  When we know that wickedness lies in our heart yet we fear God we can have victory.

Matthew 10:28 (NKJV)
^10:28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

2.        The second thing that brings victory is a right relationship with your pastor.

Hebrews 13:7 (NKJV)
^13:7 Remember those who rule over you, who have spoken the word of God to you, whose faith follow, considering the outcome of their conduct.

Hebrews 13:7 tells us to submit as well.  Your pastor will hold you accountable for your sin.  That’s why I call my pastor, Pastor and not by his name.  I have submitted my life and I’m accountable to him.

3.        Don’t neglect your relationship with Christ.

Hebrews 2:3 (NKJV)
^2:3 how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him,

This Scripture speaks directly to our relationship with Jesus. 

If you want victory do the things you’re supposed to do:  Pray, read your Bible, go to church, and be in fellowship with your pastor.  Stay vigilant, looking for and judging sin.  Root every bit of sin out of your life, so that it can’t spread into other sin.  Finally, contend for victory.  Fight to remain in the will of God, and free from sin.

A Tale of Two Kings

Do you know that God sees things in a different way than we do?  We look at the outward but God sees at the heart. Let me show you the difference between how we see a person and how God sees them. 

God has sent Samuel to anoint the next King of Israel and He has chosen one of the sons of Jesse the Bethlehemite, but He didn’t tell Samuel which one.  So, Samuel has Jesse bring his sons, David’s brothers, in one at a time. 

So here’s Eliab, David’s oldest brother:

1 Samuel 16:6-7 (NKJV)
^16:6 So it was, when they came, that he looked at Eliab and said, "Surely the Lord's anointed is before Him." ⁷ But the Lord said to Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart."

Samuel is looking at Eliab and from Samuel;’s perspective Eliab is kingly.  He’s convinced that God wants him to anoint Eliab king, but God says, “The Lord doesn’t see as man sees.”  God doesn’t look at our looks, and our height, or any of the things we look at.  He says, “God looks at the heart.”

Today, I want to contrast two kings:  The first two kings of Israel.  I want to show you what God is looking for and how we miss those things because of our limited vision.

1 Samuel 8:1-5 (NKJV)
^8:1 Now it came to pass when Samuel was old that he made his sons judges over Israel. ² The name of his firstborn was Joel, and the name of his second, Abijah; they were judges in Beersheba. ³ But his sons did not walk in his ways; they turned aside after dishonest gain, took bribes, and perverted justice. ⁴ Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah, ⁵ and said to him, "Look, you are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now make us a king to judge us like all the nations."

God’s Plan for Israel

Let me start today, with the back story on this scripture.  God led His people out of Egypt.  That took place centuries before our text and from the time they came out God had a plan for ruling His people.  He used judges for five hundred ten years – Leaders who judged based on God’s commands.  This way God was ruling His people.  That was always God’s intention – To rule His people.

Genesis 17:8 (NKJV)
^17:8 Also I give to you and your descendants after you the land in which you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession; and I will be their God."

God’s telling Abraham that this is His plan when He brings the people into the Promised Land, and for the first five hundred years after they left Egypt that’s exactly how it was. 

God was in charge and He chose those who would speak for Him to be judges over His people.  Moses, Joshua, Gideon, even Samuel, they led Hid people in war4 and peace.  They were responsive to God’s will, but there were problems, as well.  Eli was a judge over Israel but His sons who were priests were not living integrally.  They were perverted and dishonest.  They robbed the people of their offerings and their blessings.  They slept with women in the tabernacle.

1 Samuel 2:22-24 (NKJV)
^2:22 Now Eli was very old; and he heard everything his sons did to all Israel, and how they lay with the women who assembled at the door of the tabernacle of meeting. ²³ So he said to them, "Why do you do such things? For I hear of your evil dealings from all the people. ²⁴ No, my sons! For it is not a good report that I hear. You make the Lord's people transgress.

One of these two would have been made judge after Eli, but God short-circuited that.  God had already chosen someone to follow after Eli.  That was Samuel and you can see in First Samuel how God placed him into Eli’s household.  You can see that even as a child Samuel was responsive to God’s call:

1 Samuel 3:10-14 (NKJV)
^3:10 Now the Lord came and stood and called as at other times, "Samuel! Samuel!" And Samuel answered, "Speak, for Your servant hears." ¹¹ Then the Lord said to Samuel: "Behold, I will do something in Israel at which both ears of everyone who hears it will tingle. ¹² In that day I will perform against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end. ¹³ For I have told him that I will judge his house forever for the iniquity which he knows, because his sons made themselves vile, and he did not restrain them. ¹⁴ And therefore I have sworn to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli's house shall not be atoned for by sacrifice or offering forever."

At the time Samuel was a child.  But God has set him in place to be the next judge of Israel.  In fact, he would be the last judge of Israel, because there would come a time when the people would demand for themselves a king like other nations.

It’s always interesting that people have never changed.  We’re not always content to let God call the shots in our lives.  Even as Christians we want to be like everyone else.  God calls us to be a peculiar people.  That word peculiar means distinct or different from everyone else – separate from other people, bit we’re uncomfortable with that.  We want to be accepted by people.

We’re also unwilling to completely trust God with our lives.  This is what’s happening in Israel at this time in our text.  If the people are living under judges they must completely trust God, even when it seems like God isn’t paying attention.

Imagine what it would have been like to watch Eli’s sons, knowing what they’re capable of and knowing also that they’ll be your next leaders.

Samuel as judge was righteous and God-fearing but he also had sons who were not.  They were thieves and extortionists – Look at the text:  Samuel’s sons did not walk in Samuel’s ways. They stole; they took bribes; they perverted justice, and they were next in line to judge Israel.  They problem maws that, even though Israel left Egypt behind they never left sin behind.  The people were fed up and demanded a king.

The People’s King

So God gave them a king – I want you to see his description:

1 Samuel 10:23-24 (NKJV)
^10:23 So they ran and brought him from there; and when he stood among the people, he was taller than any of the people from his shoulders upward. ²⁴ And Samuel said to all the people, "Do you see him whom the Lord has chosen, that there is no one like him among all the people?" So all the people shouted and said, "Long live the king!"

Saul was tall and handsome – He looked like a king.  The people would have chosen a man like him for king themselves.  God gave them the kind of king theywere looking for.  People have a tendency to look for someone they see as kingly.  We do this in elections – Does He/she look presidential?  Can I see this person as the leader of our country?  Saul looked like a king – So the people were satisfied, but Samuel had tried to warn them, about what it would be like tio be under a human king.

Samuel did warn them:

1 Samuel 8:11-18 (NKJV)
^8:11 And he said, "This will be the behavior of the king who will reign over you: He will take your sons and appoint them for his own chariots and to be his horsemen, and some will run before his chariots. ¹² He will appoint captains over his thousands and captains over his fifties, will set some to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and some to make his weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. ¹³ He will take your daughters to be perfumers, cooks, and bakers. ¹⁴ And he will take the best of your fields, your vineyards, and your olive groves, and give them to his servants. ¹⁵ He will take a tenth of your grain and your vintage, and give it to his officers and servants. ¹⁶ And he will take your male servants, your female servants, your finest young men, and your donkeys, and put them to his work. ¹⁷ He will take a tenth of your sheep. And you will be his servants. ¹⁸ And you will cry out in that day because of your king whom you have chosen for yourselves, and the Lord will not hear you in that day."

The people were convinced that was what they wanted.  Saul did all of these things – and these were things that the judges had never done.

The final thing about Saul is that he was disobedient.  He became “full of himself.”  He rose up in pride.  Samuel, as he told Saul that God would take the kingdom from him even said to him, “When you were little in your own eyes.”  We look at people and see the outward things; the things they present, their looks and countenance, but we don’t always see their heart.

So, I want to contrast Saul with David.  David was a man after God’s own heart.  David was the man that God would choose for His people.

1 Samuel 16:1 (NKJV)
^16:1 Now the Lord said to Samuel, "How long will you mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go; I am sending you to Jesse the Bethlehemite. For I have provided Myself a king among his sons."

God said I have provided MYSELF a king.  David is the kind of man that God would have chosen to lead His people.  God even called him, “A Man after my own heart.”  Remember God warned Samuel that He doesn’t see what we see, He looks at the heart.  He sees what’s hidden there.  He see character and integrity.  He looks for humility. 

So, this time God chose the youngest – a shepherd.  He’s not the one that Samuel would have chosen, but the one with a shepherd’s heart.  This is the kind of man that God would choose to lead the people. 

Was David perfect?  Not by any means.  He committed adultery.  He murdered the woman’s husband.  He sinned I big ways, but what makes David a man after God’s own heart is that he was humble enough to repent – to recognize when he was wrong and correct it.  God chose David to rule His people and David was the greatest king of Israel. 

So, What’s the Point

God sees in a way that you and I can’t.  Sometimes, we can see a bit of someone’s character but only God really knows what’s in a person’s heart.  So, I wonder sometimes, why do we block God’s wisdom from our relationships?  Why don’t we trust God enough to let Him help us in our relationships? 

We make judgments by our standards:  “My wife must be beautiful.”

“My husband has to be rich AND good-looking.”  We don’t always look for the right things in a person.  “She’s so beautiful – she couldn’t possibly be mean as a snake.”  “He seems like such a nice guy – He couldn’t be a liar and a cheater.”  God knows!  He cans see past the straight teeth and beautiful smile.  He can see the ugliness of the heart.

I've seen so many people choose their spouses on the wrong things; so many that have made mistakes in judgment because they relied on their own feelings and judgments.  I've known people that have married people that have taken them out of the will of God.  These are people who had a desire to do something for God but made a wrong choice in marriage.  The sad part is that they never consulted God on that decision.  God knows, He sees the heart.  Why trust your emotions when you can have the wisdom of God to help you.

In the Book of Genesis – God is creating marriage and He creates a woman for Adam out of his own body.  She’s a part of him – She’s made up of the same things and the Bible says that God brought the woman to Adam.  God knew what Adam needed.  He could see his heart.  He could see that it wasn’t good for him to be alone and he brought the best person for Adam.

Too often I see people leaving God out of their relationships.  Pray; ask God if that person is right for you.  We need to let God be part of the process in our decision-making.  He knows what’s best for us.  Israel endured Saul, because they didn’t trust God’s decisions on how to best lead them.  Israel triumphed under David because God chose for them.

Nevertheless: For the Pioneer Church

Editors Note:  I have been pastor at a pioneer church in Taoyuan City, Taiwan for the last four and a half years.  Over that time we have faced a number of obstacles, not least of which is demonic opposition.  This post is written from the perspective of this church in Taoyuan City, but I think it's applicable to any pioneer setting in any nation.

One thing that we are seeing happen, is that there is a resistance to the church’s efforts to reach our community with the Gospel.  All Hell is breaking loose.  People in the church are struggling, spiritually, financially and in other ways.  People have been leaving the church for reasons that seem to make no sense.  People are living on the edge, one foot in the kingdom of God and one foot in the world.  All of these things happen as the devil tries to rob us of victory.

There is an opposition that faces us.  How many understand that this is warfare?  We are in a battle for souls and we face an enemy that is determined to destroy the works of God.  He fights his battles trying to wear down the soldiers of the opposition.  Here’s the bad news… We are those soldiers.  Today, I want to post on overcoming the opposition and maintaining the victory.

2 Samuel 5:3-10 (NKJV)
^5:3 Therefore all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, and King David made a covenant with them at Hebron before the Lord. And they anointed David king over Israel. ⁴ David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years. ⁵ In Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months, and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty-three years over all Israel and Judah. ⁶ And the king and his men went to Jerusalem against the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land, who spoke to David, saying, "You shall not come in here; but the blind and the lame will repel you," thinking, "David cannot come in here." ⁷ Nevertheless David took the stronghold of Zion (that is, the City of David). ⁸ Now David said on that day, "Whoever climbs up by way of the water shaft and defeats the Jebusites (the lame and the blind, who are hated by David's soul), he shall be chief and captain." Therefore they say, "The blind and the lame shall not come into the house." ⁹ Then David dwelt in the stronghold, and called it the City of David. And David built all around from the Millo and inward. ¹⁰ So David went on and became great, and the Lord God of hosts was with him.

Strongholds that Oppose

This takes place after the war between Saul and David has ended.  Saul is dead and the prophecy that Samuel had spoken to Saul at the Witch of Endor’s place has been fulfilled.

1 Samuel 13:14 (NKJV)
^13:14 But now your kingdom shall not continue. The Lord has sought for Himself a man after His own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be commander over His people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you."

I want you to see this because our text parallels for us what I call the “Gateway to Abundant Life.”  Jesus has promised us a more abundant life in Him.  It says in:

John 10:10 (NKJV)
^10:10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

This is what Jesus is speaking to us.  The Gateway to abundant life is allowing Jesus to reign as undisputed king in our lives.  We must crown Him king in every aspect of our lives in order to enter into that abundant life.  I’m not talking about a prosperity doctrine here.  I’m not talking about wealth or material riches.   I’m talking about the victory that comes from serving God.  We can take back our lives and take our community for Jesus.  That victory is abundant living.

This is what happened in our text:  The elders of Israel made David, who was king over Judah in Hebron, king over Israel as well.  This made him the undisputed king of the entire nation.  Right at this moment, Israel is poised to step into a new vision for God’s purpose.  They’re ready to step into God’s will for their nation.  The old capitol, Hebron, would no longer serve, so they chose to move into Jerusalem, and this is the moment that they began to meet strategic opposition.

The place of Jerusalem, at that time was called Jebus.  It was chosen by David to be capitol over all of Israel because of its strategic location.  So David and his men went out to the stronghold of Mt. Zion, this is what is now called the City of David.  At that time it was a fortress city, built within a canyon surrounded on all sides by mountains.  It was built to withstand enemies.  The walls could not be climbed.  They were massive and impregnable.   The city possessed the high ground from which it could be defended.  Trained soldiers were stationed in each precinct of the city to protect it and its water supply.  The city was a stronghold of opposition in the center, the heart of Israel.  It had been a thorn in the side of Israel since the beginning.

God had given them the whole land, yet they had never been able to possess it all. 

Joshua 15:63 (NKJV)
^15:63 As for the Jebusites, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the children of Judah could not drive them out; but the Jebusites dwell with the children of Judah at Jerusalem to this day.

They couldn't be moved, so Israel coexisted with them.  It was a relationship filled with tension.  Have you ever been in a situation where you were expected to be civil and coexist with someone who harbored great animosity toward you?  There’s a tension that you can feel.  Even as an outsider to the situation you can feel the tension.  You’re on edge.  You’re uncomfortable.  It’s very stressful, isn’t it?  This is the relationship between Israel and Jebus, at the time of our text.  They’re not at war, but it’s hanging just below the surface.  Because of Jebus’ location this is where David has chosen to rule.  It was the most strategic place in the land and yet it was firmly entrenched with the enemy of Israel.

Our church, like Israel is poised to step into all that God has planned, and yet we’re in a place where the enemy is firmly entrenched.  Face it, if he wasn't firmly entrenched in the lives of the people of the city we wouldn't need to be here.  Like David, we have to face that opposition on the enemy’s turf; in the enemy’s fortress.  We’ll have to gain entrance into the stronghold to root him out; to destroy where he lives.  In order to step into all that God has for us, we will have to tear down the strongholds of which he has taken possession.

Nevertheless

In verse six we see the taunting and mocking of the enemy. 

2 Samuel 5:6 (NKJV)
^5:6 And the king and his men went to Jerusalem against the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land, who spoke to David, saying, "You shall not come in here; but the blind and the lame will repel you," thinking, "David cannot come in here."

Have you ever watched the warm up to a boxing match?  The two fighters are standing nose to nose.  They’re talking smack.  “You’re weak.  I’ll mop the floor with you.” Blah, blah, blah.  They’re trying to gain the psychological advantage over their adversary.  They’re trying to get their opponent to feel afraid; to doubt his own ability and strength.

This is the same thing, going on in our text.  “We’re going to tear you up.  Even the weakest among us could whip you any time.  We’re too tough for you.”  Yet we read in verse seven:

2 Samuel 5:7 (NKJV)
^5:7 Nevertheless David took the stronghold of Zion (that is, the City of David).

Nevertheless…nevertheless, David took the city.  It doesn't matter how much power the enemy has.  It doesn't matter how strong he is; how long he’s been there; what he has done to fortify his position.  None of that matters because we’re not fighting him strength for strength.  It’s not the power that we can muster on our own that tears down strongholds.  It’s the power of the one we serve that matters.

We have engaged the enemy; we are a people at war.  We fight one who seems to be much more powerful than we are.  Even in the face of all that’s against us, there is still that one word…NEVERTHELESS.

2 Corinthians 10:4-5 (NKJV)
^10:4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, ⁵ casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,

The weapons of our warfare are for the bringing down of strongholds, despite the power that we think we face.  In other words… NEVERTHELESS!  

There will always be opposition to Christ’s sovereignty in our city and even in our lives.  This is what we’re fighting against.  As we make Jesus king and take possession of this city we must displace someone else.  The devil has made a stronghold in this city.  We MUST enter into his dominion and root him out, and I want you to know that doesn't happen without a fight.  It’s the same in our hearts where he has made a stronghold.  He’s not coming out without a fight.

The Conquerors Heart

As we look at the stronghold before us; the walls of Jebus.  The weak and fearful will see certain defeat.  They utter words of despair and seek a compromise.  “The enemy’s too strong, we’ll never be able to defeat him.”  But a conqueror sees God’s moment and says nevertheless.  This is the pivotal word in our text:   NEVERTHELESS. 

David didn't go into denial.  He didn't say, “Walls? What walls?”  He wasn't mindless of reality.  Faith isn't found in denial of reality.  Faith is found in the word nevertheless.  It’s at this moment that you hear the words of the enemy loud and clear, “Excuse me, can I tell you something?  It’s hopeless.  You can’t get in here.  You can’t defeat me, so you might as well give it up.”

When David was crowned king over all of Israel, Jebus fell:  That which stood all this time from Joshua’s day to David’s.  When David was made king, Jebus fell.  When you make Jesus king over all of your heart the strongholds of sin will fall in your life:  Those strongholds that had resisted you for all those years.  When you put Jesus on the throne, you break down the walls.  When we declare Him to be king in this city, we’ll see the strongholds here begin to break down.  What we’re facing right now are the taunts:

“The blind and the lame will repel you.  If you were doing the right thing, the church would grow. You’ll never be able to reach people.” 

The first time a church was launched out of Prescott, Harold Warner had an accident and broke his back.  The church was almost split over whether sending out churches was the right thing to do.  People thought it wasn't God. 

It was just the opposition.  The devil doesn't fight fair.  It was just the taunts.  “What can one little church in Arizona do to win the world?  That’s not vision; it’s insanity.  Pastor Mitchell and Pastor Warner both, pressed in and our fellowship has reached multiplied thousands of people around the world…NEVERTHELESS!

Fighting the Battle

How do we begin to do that?  I believe that we have to change the way we think.  We need to look at how we do things and be creative.  God will make a way.  Look at how David took this city.  He sent men up the water shaft.  This was the gutter that let water out of the city.  In other words they climbed up through the sewer.  The Jebusites protected all the water that they used but no one thought to protect the gutters from the intruders.  David thought outside the box.  He did things that were unexpected.  We can do that in three simple ways.

1. We must stoke the engine of creativity.  Creativity is Biblical.  It’s the fifth word in the whole Bible. “In the beginning God CREATED…” It’s our challenge to keep God’s unchanging truth the same, and yet find creative ways to communicate it.
2. We need to cultivate a faith that sees a way.  How many know that fear blinds you?  When you’re fearful you’re only seeing the possibility of defeat, but faith opens the eyes.

2 Kings 6:17 (NKJV)
^6:17 And Elisha prayed, and said, "Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see." Then the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw. And behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

           

This is a prayer of faith.  He saw the fear and panic in his servant and prayed for faith for him.  This should be our prayer, too.   Samson, in faith, found the jawbone of a donkey and saw a way to use it to slay a thousand Philistines.  Faith is a way of seeing the possibility of what God can do.

3. Exercise due diligence.  In other words don’t be lazy.  Faith isn't an excuse for laziness.  God isn't going to say “poof” and destroy all that which stands before us.  God didn't just blow down the walls of Jebus, they had to find a way.  They had to step out and allow God to use what THEY did to bring about the defeat of Jebus.

We have to step out in faith, here and perform the best we can, allowing God to bring about the victory.  The devil tries to discourage.  He accuses us of all kinds of things.  He tries to undermine our faith and resolve.  He ridicules and belittles trying to make us back off.  Nevertheless, we have the power to overcome because we have the overcomer firmly placed on the thrones of our hearts.  With Him as our king this stronghold will fall, just as Jebus did before the King of Israel, and He will reign in this Jerusalem, or Taoyuan City depending on your perspective.