Trust for the Battle
Notes
Transcript
After this the king of the Ammonites died, and Hanun his son reigned in his place. And David said, “I will deal loyally with Hanun the son of Nahash, as his father dealt loyally with me.” So David sent by his servants to console him concerning his father. And David’s servants came into the land of the Ammonites. But the princes of the Ammonites said to Hanun their lord, “Do you think, because David has sent comforters to you, that he is honoring your father? Has not David sent his servants to you to search the city and to spy it out and to overthrow it?” So Hanun took David’s servants and shaved off half the beard of each and cut off their garments in the middle, at their hips, and sent them away. When it was told David, he sent to meet them, for the men were greatly ashamed. And the king said, “Remain at Jericho until your beards have grown and then return.” When the Ammonites saw that they had become a stench to David, the Ammonites sent and hired the Syrians of Beth-rehob, and the Syrians of Zobah, 20,000 foot soldiers, and the king of Maacah with 1,000 men, and the men of Tob, 12,000 men. And when David heard of it, he sent Joab and all the host of the mighty men. And the Ammonites came out and drew up in battle array at the entrance of the gate, and the Syrians of Zobah and of Rehob and the men of Tob and Maacah were by themselves in the open country. When Joab saw that the battle was set against him both in front and in the rear, he chose some of the best men of Israel and arrayed them against the Syrians. The rest of his men he put in the charge of Abishai his brother, and he arrayed them against the Ammonites. And he said, “If the Syrians are too strong for me, then you shall help me, but if the Ammonites are too strong for you, then I will come and help you. Be of good courage, and let us be courageous for our people, and for the cities of our God, and may the Lord do what seems good to him.” So Joab and the people who were with him drew near to battle against the Syrians, and they fled before him. And when the Ammonites saw that the Syrians fled, they likewise fled before Abishai and entered the city. Then Joab returned from fighting against the Ammonites and came to Jerusalem. But when the Syrians saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they gathered themselves together. And Hadadezer sent and brought out the Syrians who were beyond the Euphrates. They came to Helam, with Shobach the commander of the army of Hadadezer at their head. And when it was told David, he gathered all Israel together and crossed the Jordan and came to Helam. The Syrians arrayed themselves against David and fought with him. And the Syrians fled before Israel, and David killed of the Syrians the men of 700 chariots, and 40,000 horsemen, and wounded Shobach the commander of their army, so that he died there. And when all the kings who were servants of Hadadezer saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they made peace with Israel and became subject to them. So the Syrians were afraid to save the Ammonites anymore.
When we read the historical books of the Bible - especially the Old Testament history - it becomes easy to forget that what we are reading is inspired Scripture. It is the Word of God through which He reveals Himself to His people.
Sometimes, we read of God’s salvation in the distant past and we have trouble seeing how it relates to us or why it matters. It becomes just history.
This is especially true when we see history repeat itself in the Bible, like we often do. We have seen it plenty in the books of Samuel
Saul’s angry again and wants to kill David
Oh, David’s on the run again hiding here or there
And look, David had a chance to kill Saul but didn’t…again
And here come the Philistines and they are going to battle Israel…for like the ninth time
Yes, what we read here is history - true history. But if God is sovereign over all of history, and history is at its core the history of God’s redemption of His people - which it is - then everything in this true history truly happened for a reason.
And there is a reason that the Holy Spirit inspired the writers of the Bible to record the parts of redemptive history that they did. There is so much not included in the history recorded in the Bible. So why did God choose to record the history He did - even when history repeats itself?
I’ll tell you why. He did it for us.
This chapter is recorded for us. The record of the rebellion of Ammon and Syria and their defeat by Joab and Abishai and even their strategy for attack are all recorded for us.
So, then, if this is for us, what are we supposed to get out of this event?
Well, let’s look at what happens.
After this the king of the Ammonites died, and Hanun his son reigned in his place.
So “after this” - following the events between David and Mephibosheth Pastor Dave talked about last week - the king of the Ammonites dies. Why should this matter for us, or even for David or Israel?
Well, let’s go back to chapter 8 for a moment. There we read of all of David’s victories in battle against nations all around Israel, and we read of the spoils of war Israel gained - and we read this:
These also King David dedicated to the Lord, together with the silver and gold that he dedicated from all the nations he subdued, from Edom, Moab, the Ammonites, the Philistines, Amalek, and from the spoil of Hadadezer the son of Rehob, king of Zobah.
So included in this list of enemies that were defeated by David are the Ammonites. And if you’ll remember, what we saw with those victories is not only that David defeated these nations, but that he brought many of them into the kingdom. Many became part of the nation of Israel politically. But even more importantly, these nations became part of the kingdom.
And David brought them not only into his kingdom, but God’s kingdom.
And this is why we read of this relationship between David and the king of Ammon. It isn’t an enemy relationship:
After this the king of the Ammonites died, and Hanun his son reigned in his place. And David said, “I will deal loyally with Hanun the son of Nahash, as his father dealt loyally with me.” So David sent by his servants to console him concerning his father. And David’s servants came into the land of the Ammonites.
That is not how you treat an enemy. That’s how you treat a friend. David and Nahash were not at enmity with each other. Nahash understood that David’s goal wasn’t just military victory for Israel, but spiritual victory for those who are brought into the kingdom of God.
And David now reaches out to the new king: Hanun the son of his friend Nahash. He wants to continue this mutually loyal relationship.
But as you know if you are over 40, the younger generation always thinks they know better. Keeping things as they’ve always been sounds so boring to them.
But the princes of the Ammonites said to Hanun their lord, “Do you think, because David has sent comforters to you, that he is honoring your father? Has not David sent his servants to you to search the city and to spy it out and to overthrow it?”
David extends the olive branch to the son of his friend, and Hanun’s advisors take that “okay boomer” attitude and they don’t want to be friends with David or be part of the kingdom anymore.
Like every generation of young people - and we’ve all been that generation at some point! - they are rebels without a cause or a clue. They tell the king that David doesn’t want to continue this mutually loyal relationship - he wants to depose the king altogether.
So Hanun decides to mistreat David’s envoy and reject the offer of kindness and, in essence, declare his kingdom free from David and Israel. But the Ammonites had a problem. They were not a big military power. And David had already defeated them once before. So what could they do?
When the Ammonites saw that they had become a stench to David, the Ammonites sent and hired the Syrians of Beth-rehob, and the Syrians of Zobah, 20,000 foot soldiers, and the king of Maacah with 1,000 men, and the men of Tob, 12,000 men.
Wait! Some of this sounds so very familiar. Some of these nations are ringing a bell for me here.
Well, again, let’s look back at chapter 8 for a moment:
2 Samuel 8:3–6 (ESV)
David also defeated Hadadezer the son of Rehob, king of Zobah, as he went to restore his power at the river Euphrates. And David took from him 1,700 horsemen, and 20,000 foot soldiers. And David hamstrung all the chariot horses but left enough for 100 chariots. And when the Syrians of Damascus came to help Hadadezer king of Zobah, David struck down 22,000 men of the Syrians. Then David put garrisons in Aram of Damascus, and the Syrians became servants to David and brought tribute.
So the Ammonites - whom David had already subdued and brought into the kingdom - hire the Syrians of the house of Rehob and of Zobah - whom David had already subdued and brought into the kingdom - and where he placed a garrison, mind you - and they together begin this rebellion with Ammon against David.
So what does David do?
And when David heard of it, he sent Joab and all the host of the mighty men.
Joab, who is the general of David’s army, is sent by David to fight this battle along with all the host of mighty men. Who are these mighty men?
In 2 Samuel chapter 23, we are given a long list of David’s mighty men. We are also given an account of some of the military exploits of a few of these men, and they did some amazing things in battle. They were amazing warriors.
Among them is Abishai - Joab’s brother - who once fought 100 men at one time and defeated them all with just a spear. Also among the mighty men is a man named Uriah the Hittite - a loyal soldier of David. We’ll meet him next week.
But if you go through and read that passage about these mighty men, you’d see that the fact that Joab and these mighty men were coming with the army of Israel against Ammon and Syria is really bad news for Ammon and Syria.
But, the rebellious alliance has a strategy. The enemy always does. They decide to attack the army of Israel on two fronts. The idea is that they will divide the mighty army of Israel, and perhaps overpower one of the defensive fronts. It’s basically War 101. It is essentially what turned the tide in World War 2 for the Allies - attacking on two fronts.
So now, Joab has to come up with a counter-strategy.
When Joab saw that the battle was set against him both in front and in the rear, he chose some of the best men of Israel and arrayed them against the Syrians. The rest of his men he put in the charge of Abishai his brother, and he arrayed them against the Ammonites. And he said, “If the Syrians are too strong for me, then you shall help me, but if the Ammonites are too strong for you, then I will come and help you. Be of good courage, and let us be courageous for our people, and for the cities of our God, and may the Lord do what seems good to him.”
Joab’s strategy is to fight the two front war, but if one defensive flank begins to be over powered, the other will turn to join that battle and cede the other front in the interest of saving the lives of the men of Israel. First and foremost, they would defend each other.
And note, Joab is good with this plan, because he knows that it is in God’s hands. He knows he is fighting as one of God’s people. He knows he has God on his side.
Now, that doesn’t mean earthly victory is guaranteed. He isn’t guaranteed this military victory. He isn’t even guaranteed he’ll leave the battle with his life.
And Joab knows that. He doesn’t say “we can’t lose this battle because God is on our side.” He doesn’t pray that God would do what’s good for Joab. He prays that YHWH would do what seems good to Him.
And that kind of conviction alone, brothers and sisters, is a victory. As I said a few weeks ago, just having faith to obey is victory for us. It is here for Joab. He is confident that God will do what’s right - even if right in God’s eyes is defeat in this world or even death at the hands of the enemies of God.
Joab was good with that, because Joab knows - he believes with all his heart - that if God does what is right in His eyes, ultimately, it’s better for God’s people no matter what. So Joab is eager to enter the battle on behalf of his people.
And then we see what happens as Joab enters the battle with this confidence, not in earthly victory, but in God:
So Joab and the people who were with him drew near to battle against the Syrians, and they fled before him. And when the Ammonites saw that the Syrians fled, they likewise fled before Abishai and entered the city. Then Joab returned from fighting against the Ammonites and came to Jerusalem.
Joab, and Abishai, and the mighty men, and the whole army of Israel - they enter into this battle knowing that it belongs to the Lord, and they go into this willing to accept the Lord’s will whatever that may be.
All they can do is what they are called to do. Be obedient. And they are. And God gives them victory.
Note, this happens without a shot being fired, so to speak. Joab and his half of the army march towards the Syrians, and the Syrians decide they changed their minds and they turn tail and run.
Then, on the other front, the Ammonites see that Syria fled, and they decide to do the same.
Literally, which is often the case, just showing up for the battle is enough to win it. God will use our willingness - our faith and obedience - to enter the battle, and that alone is often enough for Him to carry out His will and win the victory.
Like He does here.
But that’s not the end of the story. As is often the case, battles may be won, but the war rages on.
But when the Syrians saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they gathered themselves together. And Hadadezer sent and brought out the Syrians who were beyond the Euphrates. They came to Helam, with Shobach the commander of the army of Hadadezer at their head. And when it was told David, he gathered all Israel together and crossed the Jordan and came to Helam. The Syrians arrayed themselves against David and fought with him. And the Syrians fled before Israel, and David killed of the Syrians the men of 700 chariots, and 40,000 horsemen, and wounded Shobach the commander of their army, so that he died there. And when all the kings who were servants of Hadadezer saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they made peace with Israel and became subject to them. So the Syrians were afraid to save the Ammonites anymore.
I want us to notice, there is another familiar name here. This Hadadezer, as we saw a few minutes ago, was subdued by David back in chapter 8, too. Remember, David defeated him and left garrisons there and they submitted to David and were brought into the kingdom.
Here, this Hadadezer sees that Syria has fled and given up the rebellion, so he calls in some reinforcements. He calls for his allies from beyond the Euphrates further north.
Now realize, this is not the son of a king David had already subdued, this is one of the kings that supposedly committed himself to David and the kingdom already. This was a supposedly already subdued enemy.
So when this king comes out against Israel, David goes out. He has to come back and have the same battle over again because this Hadadezer was causing the same trouble he had already caused before his initial defeat.
And this time - if you compare the numbers from chapter 8 with these numbers - David has an even more decisive victory. Even more of the enemy is destroyed this time.
And we see history repeat itself yet again. The kingdom of Hadadezer again submits to David. They establish peace with David and are subject to him. They are right back where they were.
And so is David. And he had to fight the same battle again just to get back where he was.
The Psalm we started with this morning - Psalm 21 - is believed by many to have been written by David about this uprising and subsequent victory for God’s people. In that Psalm, David speaks of the strength of God and how He has blessed David. He talks about how God is the One Who defeats the enemies of His people.
And the middle line of the Psalm about the blessings of God, and the victory that David has found only in God, tells us why all of this has happened:
For the king trusts in the Lord, and through the steadfast love of the Most High he shall not be moved.
This steadfast love is that חֶ֫סֶד love - the faithful, saving love of God - that Pastor Dave spoke about last week. It is through this love that all of this has happened.
But note something else. It is not just that YHWH has this חֶ֫סֶד love for David, there is another component to all this victory.
David trusts in YHWH. David believes YHWH in all that He says and he lives that out - he lives out the obedience of faith. And God gives him victory - not just the guaranteed, future, ultimate victory that David rests in - but even in the here and now, God works through David’s faith - his trust in God - to give David victory over his enemies in this life.
We see the same kind of faith in Joab, the commander of the army of Israel. He trusts God to do what’s best, whatever that means. And because he trusts God, he obediently and confidently enters the battle. And through his faith in God and the ultimate victory He has already won for all of His people, God wins victory over His enemies in this life.
And you may be thinking, “okay, great, but what in the world does this have to do with us?”
Well, as I also said two weeks ago, while most of us are not engaged in military battles, or any type of physical battles - we are engaged in a war. Christian soldiers, we have been called to the obedience of faith that requires us to enter into battle.
We battle against sin. That is a war that will rage on until we are in the Lord’s presence. And if we are not engaging the enemy in battle with a sound strategy, then we are just losing the war.
We battle against the world and its ways. The wisdom of the world has literally determined that we are the enemy of good. That because we choose truth over peace with the world, we are an enemy that has to be defeated.
So if you bear the name “Christian,” you are in this war, whether you like it or not.
And this war isn’t going to end until Christ returns and wins the final victory for us. And in the meantime, if we aren’t engaging the enemy in battle with a sound strategy, then not only are we losing the war, but we may even be complicit in the victories the world is winning.
We battle against the spiritual powers of darkness. Whether we even realize that or not. And that war is sometimes determined by open battle, but more often it is covert operations that the enemy uses to win victory. The enemy always has a strategy.
And if we aren’t engaging the enemy in battle with a sound strategy, then we are losing the war and we probably don’t even know it.
So I want to offer four takeaways from this event that has been preserved for our benefit by the Spirit to aid us in the war we are in.
First, note that once Nahash king of Ammon dies, it is his son that seeks to overturn David’s victory. It is his son that requires Israel to enter into a battle that they had previously won.
Realize, the war we are in is renewed with every generation.
I think back to my childhood, and I remember how everyone went to church on Sunday. Even my mom - who is for all practical purposes an atheist - brought my sister and I to church up until the time we were teenagers.
Go back another generation to my parents’ generation and there was something almost scandalous about not being part of a church on Sunday, and there was nothing scandalous about praying in public schools. My, how times have changed.
Now, that doesn’t mean that there were more Christians then, but what it means is that the default in our society was at least going to church where the truth of God was available. The world was not as against us and the truth as it is now.
That truth - and people’s desire to know it - is being snubbed out by the enemy, little by little.
That means, the war has to be renewed in this generation. We have to take a step of faith and confidently and obediently enter into battle knowing God can and will use our obedience for the good of His people.
In practice, this means that we all have a responsibility to the younger generations after us.
Last week, of all the people that were here at MCC for Sunday service:
11% of them were children down in children’s church
12% of them were youth group kids
another 12% of them are what we would consider young adults
That’s 35% of our church that is of the younger generations.
In fact, over the last six months, 38% of people that walked through those doors on a Sunday morning are under 25 years of age.
There is a battle going on for these children and these young men and women. Are you in the battle?
Don’t think that these young people only need their parent’s to guide them in the way. They need the generations before them to fight for them.
Imagine, everyone in the church entering into the battle for these young people. Like Joab and his mighty men, the enemy would see the army of soldiers arrayed against them and they would turn tail and run. The battle would be won!
So how do we do that? How do we enter into this battle?
Sometimes we can talk so abstractly as Christians and say things like “battle the enemy” or “fight against sin” and have no idea what that really means for me in my particular situation.
Well let me tell you how to enter the battle.
Take an interest in someone younger than you. Be an ally to one of the younger people in our church.
Even if you are 60 and you take a 40-year-old under your wing. You will be equipping them for the battle by showing them how to take a 20-year-old under their wing, who will take an interest in the children of this church and help them to know Christ.
As a 41-year old, I walked in here desperately needing more mature men to help me in my walk - Joe, Dave, Dean Temple, Ed Banghart, David Langford - these men took an interest in me, and have had such a huge role in my maturity, my ministry, and my life
And this is exactly what the Bible calls us to. Paul tells Titus to train the older men to teach the younger men how to live out the Gospel. To have the older women train the younger women how to live out the Gospel. That is how he would be able to establish a church that could sustain itself and engage the enemy in battle.
No matter your age, you need to make sure you are in a mutually loyal relationship with people of the next generations. That’s how we battle for them.
Have faith. Be obedient. And enter that battle. God will give us victory.
Second, though in the case of Ammon, it was a battle with the next generation, we see something different in the case of Hadadezer and his army. This was the same enemy David defeated in chapter 8, and here he was again, causing the same trouble.
And David had to enter back into battle with an enemy he thought was already defeated.
The same is true for us. We may win battles - against sin, against the powers of darkness, even against the world - but never be so foolish as to count the enemy out. Our enemies do not stay defeated if we are not very careful.
And think about it. In chapter 8, we are told that David took pretty much everything from Hadadezer as spoils - including those shields, which was symbolic of David tearing down all of Hadadezer’s defenses.
Plus, David left a garrison in Syria after Israel defeated Hadadezer. He left soldiers to keep the peace and to keep and eye on the enemy.
What happened? Did the garrison let their guard down to the point that they didn’t realize the enemy was rebuilding his defenses? Did they leave their post and miss that the enemy was planning another attack?
Did they stop caring? Did they just assume the defeated enemy would stay defeated?
Did they get way too comfortable in Syria and begin to grow accustomed to living just like the enemy in whose midst they lived?
So as part of the church - the garrison that the Lord has left in this world - do you ever wonder why an enemy you thought was defeated rears its ugly head again?
Whether it is a sin that you were sure you had beaten, but then there is that same temptation again. Now I have to fight this battle all over again.
Whether its a slow - sometimes imperceptibly slow - drift away from doing what you know you should be. And inevitably, something else fills that vacuum. And when you want to get back in to the good habits, you have to start the battle all over again.
Or maybe, you don’t even realize that enemy hasn’t stayed defeated until its too late and you fall into sin, maybe even a habit of sin. Maybe you don’t realize the enemy didn’t stay defeated until the line between you and the enemies among whom you live is so blurred that there is no perceivable difference.
And maybe, like so many of us, you have experienced defeat at the hands of this once-defeated enemy more times than you’d care to admit.
Well, I offer the advice I have offered to so many Christians who have sought counsel from me about long-standing issues they face. We can talk about it all we want, but if you don’t change anything, don’t expect anything to change.
My father served three tours in the Vietnam War. In fact, he volunteered for the Unites States Marine Corps so he could go fight.
During his second tour, a new officer joined his platoon. This was a kid who went through the officer training program, who had been in-country less than two months, and who hadn’t yet actually seen any action. He came in as an officer - a First Lieutenant - and my father at the time was a Corporal.
And this young officer led the platoon to an area where there was suspected enemy activity, and they made camp for the night. The next day they did a sweep of the area, found some evidence of enemy activity, but didn’t find the enemy to engage with.
So they do a full circle around the area, and when they got back to where they started, the officer called for them to again make camp in the same spot they did the night before. My father - outranked - refused. He and the other soldiers said they would not stay in the same spot again.
Because they knew that in war, if you establish a pattern like that, the enemy will learn it, and the enemy will use it against you.
After an argument - which resulted in my father being brought up on charges of insubordination which were dropped almost immediately because the mistake this officer was making was so evident - but after an argument, my father and the entire platoon marched a few miles away before they made camp.
You see, my father - and the other men in his platoon who had spent time battling the enemy - knew that if you keep doing the same thing over and over, it makes it far too easy for the enemy to get the drop on you, and the results could be disastrous.
We, brothers and sisters, we are foot soldiers in this war. We are in the thick of the battle.
And yet we find ourselves far too often going in a big circle, and making camp right where we always do. And yet, we are surprised when the enemy gets the drop on us and there are sometimes disastrous results.
And we lament that history is repeating itself - again - and we realize that we have have fallen to temptation, have been living like the world, or have failed to do the things we know God calls us to.
And what do we do? Maybe we really want to want to make a change, but far to often, we just again go in a big circle and make camp right where we always do.
If we don’t change anything, nothing is going to change. If you want things to change, then make a change.
Because we can’t assume the enemy is going to stay defeated. It won’t. So we need to break the cycle that gets us back where we have been. We need to recognize the enemy we fight, and move away from where we’ve been.
How do we do that?
Make a choice.
You see, we can be like that officer. We can learn all about the battle by knowing what the Bible says. We can come and hear the Sunday sermon and know in our heads everything we think we need to know to live the Christian life.
But if we don’t choose to get in the trenches, and fight the battle, the enemy is not going to stay defeated.
And I can promise you, Sunday morning service and a Bible reading plan aren’t enough.
You need those things. You need to know what the Bible says. You need to hear the sermons and be part of Sunday morning worship.
But what else will you start doing. What will you - right now - commit to do. Change something.
Maybe you are stuck in a cycle of sin.
If you thought you had that pornography battle won but the enemy has reared its ugly head again, do something. Repent. Then get rid of your computer if you have to. But short of that, get yourself an accountability partner - I volunteer - and let’s check each other’s phones and computers for the search history once every few days.
Maybe you have just drifted.
If you thought you had that habit of being like the world when you’re with the world beat, but the enemy has renewed its attack, do something. Repent. And then avoid that friend group that tempts you to sin. Or, maybe be honest with them about what’s going on and ask them - your friends, whether they have the same beliefs as you or not - to help you avoid certain behaviors. Maybe invite a Christian brother or sister into the friend group to keep you accountable.
Maybe you have just gotten comfortable.
Maybe you haven’t challenged yourself by doing more for Christ. It’s easy to just do the things you have been doing and that you’re comfortable with. Maybe you think your already established habits are enough to grow in Christ and fight the enemy.
I’m sure David thought taking Hadadezer’s shields and leaving a garrison was quite enough.
But I challenge you to get out of that comfort zone, don’t just stay camped where you are. Get marching, Christian soldier.
For all of us - including the elders and myself - here’s the challenge: do more.
Even if you are already serving, and part of a Community Group, and part of the prayer group every week - I encourage you - change something. Add something else.
Because if you can rationalize to yourself that "I’m doing enough for Jesus and His church” - come see me immediately after service, please.
Because you can think everything is fine. That the way you have been doing things is good enough. But the battle isn’t over. The enemy is not inactive. Neither can we be.
Have faith. Be obedient. And enter that battle. God will give us victory.
Third, note Joab’s and Abishai’s strategy. They agree: “If the enemy begins to over power you, I will come help you. If the enemy begins to over power me, come help me.”
In this war, never enter into battle alone. Because you don’t have to.
I have said so many times: Christianity is not a religion for individuals. I know the world has convinced us that so much is about “me” that even “my faith” in Christian circles is a private and personal matter.
But let me tell you, no matter how some modern Evangelicals want to spin it, Jesus Christ is not your “personal Lord and Savior.”
Because as Christians, we have a wonderful responsibility and a wonderful privilege. And they are both the same thing.
Each other.
And while we may all accept that in the abstract, that isn’t enough. We need to put this into action.
When the enemy is too strong for your brother or sister, come to their side and don’t let them be defeated.
When the enemy is too strong for you, call on your brother or sister and they will come to your side and not let you be defeated.
Don’t even try to live out the Gospel as a solo project. It can’t be done. We don’t fight alone if we want to win.
This is why the Bible over and over again calls us to share all we have with each other, including confessing our sins to each other.
This is why the Bible over and over again calls on us to lean on each other and without any embarrassment or pride take what our family in Christ wants to give us.
Don’t live like the enemy among whom we walk. The world says its all about you, and at the same time tells you that you don’t need anyone because you can do it. The world says you can do anything you want to do and so loves to build up the underdog until he reaches the top. The only thing the world is more eager to do is tear him down once he’s there.
How sad that the same thing happens in churches.
This is not how we’re called to live. If we do, we will lose battle after battle.
Share your burdens with each other when you’re weak. Carry each other’s burdens when you’re strong.
Give without expecting back in return.
Stand in front of your brother and fight the battle he can’t win on his own. Be courageous for the sake of your people.
And may the Lord do what seems good to Him.
And if you agree that all of this is what we should be doing in the church, then you understand that your faith and your walk are not just about you. What you do - how you live out the Gospel - how you believe and obey - affects everyone else who is in the battle with you.
This is why - hear me - as a Christian, you cannot live as if your choices in life are just about you. They aren’t.
And this can be very simple. Ready?
Men, if you are married - if you decide to stay home on a Sunday morning instead of coming to church, for whatever reason, you haven’t wronged the pastor. You haven’t wronged the church in some abstract sense.
You have wronged your wife. Your sister in Christ.
Parents, if you do not model living out the obedience faith for your children, you haven’t robbed yourself of a blessing You have robbed them.
And if any of us fail to step up to help our brother or sister when they are fighting a battle, then we are not carrying out our duty to them or to God.
So that means, brothers and sisters, if you give in to temptation when it comes, or if you drift into bad habits, or if you get away from doing what you know God wants you to do - you have not just taken a step back in your walk. You have not just sinned against God. You have lost ground in the war we are fighting together.
You are responsible for the rest of us like we are responsible for you.
My friends, show up for the battle.
Because if we all do, the enemy will flee.
Have faith. Be obedient. And enter that battle. God will give us victory.
Finally, I want us to notice what this passage doesn’t say. We see that David again defeats Ammon. We see that he again defeats Syria. We see that he again subdues Hadadezer. What we don’t read here is what we read twice in chapter 8 when all of these battles were fought, like in verse 14:
2 Samuel 8:14 (ESV)
And the Lord gave victory to David wherever he went.
You know, it doesn’t say this in chapter 10, but the fact of the matter is that it’s nonetheless true of these victories in chapter 10. It is God Who gives the victory. It doesn’t say it plainly, but that is very much the case.
And this is kind of how it works with us. We can come here on Sunday and hear all about God’s goodness, and how He fights our battles and brings us victory - but when we are on the front lines again, and that fact isn’t right before our eyes or being spoken to our ears - do we remember the truth?
When we are tempted with sin. When we are tempted to live like the world.
Do we remember that the battle belongs to God? That He is only ever good no matter what happens on this side of heaven?
We need to. Because if we want victory - over sin, over the powers of darkness - we need to remember Who the battle belongs to, and we need to seek Him.
We need to always remember what He has done to win us our victory - and trust Him for victory in all our battles.
Why my father really volunteered
And as amazing as that sounds - please don’t forget that it is even more amazing, what Christ did for you. Left to ourselves, we were headed for death.
So He came as one of us. And He entered into the battle that we could not win - and He defeated death, and He defeated sin, and He defeated the powers of darkness so that we could live.
He did it by going to death in our place.
At the cross, the war was one. But on this side of heaven, the battle rages on.
Brothers and sisters, Jesus Christ won, and our God is ready to keep winning for us.
In Ephesians 6, the Apostle Paul talks about our battle. We all know the passage very well. But we always seem to skip right to the part about the armor - the breastplate and the helmet and the sword - but we often miss what Paul actually says:
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.
We stand in the strength of our God. It is His armor that we wear into battle. That is how we are strong. It’s the only way to be strong.
But let’s not make this abstract. What does it mean to stand in the strength of God to fight the battle?
We tend to “let go and let God” or “give it to God” - that does NOT mean we say “God knows what I need and I’ll let Him handle it while I do nothing about it - the Bible doesn’t teach that
We need to choose to enter the battle in the strength of our God.
That means we value truth above worldly peace. Stand up for the truth, even if you lose the peace. Because compromising truth for peace, is really defeat.
It means to obey God by living righteous and holy lives through faith. Deciding that we believe Him enough to obey Him.
It means growing in holiness - the ongoing salvation worked in us by the Holy Spirit through the Word of God and prayer. Staying vigilant and not getting comfortable or ever believing we have done enough for the enemy to stay defeated.
It means fighting, all the saints together, side by side, because the war rages on.
It means coming to Christ, with our feeble and empty hands, and wanting more than anything for Him to fill them with what seems good to Him.
It means making a choice today
to fight for the next generation
to make a change - just one thing - to move closer to Christ
to lift up our family in Christ and be lifted up by them by fighting the battle together.
This is how we choose Christ.
This is how we stand strong in the strength of His might.
This is how we go from an abstract faith, to a faith that takes action to advance on the enemy all for the glory of God.
Have faith. Be obedient. And enter that battle. God will give us victory.
Psalm 20 (ESV)
May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble! May the name of the God of Jacob protect you! May he send you help from the sanctuary and give you support from Zion! May he remember all your offerings and regard with favor your burnt sacrifices! Selah May he grant you your heart’s desire and fulfill all your plans! May we shout for joy over your salvation, and in the name of our God set up our banners! May the Lord fulfill all your petitions! Now I know that the Lord saves his anointed; he will answer him from his holy heaven with the saving might of his right hand. Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. They collapse and fall, but we rise and stand upright. O Lord, save the king! May he answer us when we call.