A Great Victory

2 Samuel 23:10 – “…and the LORD wrought a great victory that day…”

2 Samuel 23 recounts some of the incredible stories of King David’s thirty mighty men. It tells the story of Adino the Eznite who slew eight hundred people at one time. It tells the story of Benaiah the son of Jehoiada who slew two lionlike men of Moab, slew a lion during snow time, and an Egyptian with his own spear. It tells of three of the most famous mighty men who stormed Bethlehem just to grab some water for David to drink. But two men that have a special notation to them are Eleazer and Shammah, two of the three of the most famous mighty men. The verse above came from the story about Eleazer, but Shammah also had a very similar phrase in his story, “…and the LORD wrought a great victory.”

In both cases, Israel was fighting the Philistines. In both cases, all the men of Israel ran, leaving just one man to defend the land. In Eleazer’s case, he continued to fight the PHilistines until he grew tired and his hand stuck to the sword. In the case of Shammah, he just fought the Philistines on a ground full of lentils. In both cases though, we find that same phrase – “The LORD wrought a great victory.” It is interesting that when recalling other feats of the mighty men whether Abishai the commander of the thirty or Benaiah the commander of David’s guard this phrase was not used but another phrase was used – “…he attained not to/unto the first three.” It is incredible to note that two of the top three of the thirty were recognized not necessarily for their bravery or skill in fighting, but for God’s grace in giving the victory due to the faithfulness of the warriors present. When all other people ran, when all things looked bleak, these men stayed strong and the LORD wrought a great victory through them.

Think about your own circumstances right now. Are there difficulties happening all around you? Does everything look bleak and dark and hopeless? This was the emotional environment for these two warriors yet they stood their ground, were faithful, and the LORD wrought a great victory. Stand strong in the LORD for He will prove faithful, and if you stand, you will see a great victory also wrought through you. In my life right now, I have a friend who is going through many struggles. When I talk to him, it definitely sounds like he is being ganged up on by spiritual enemies, trying to way him down in all manners. I just hope that he will realize that if he would be faithful, the LORD can bring about so much victory in his life. Victory that cannot be compared to anything else that he could do alone. We need to realize that in our own lives as well. The greatest victory comes only from the Lord. Stay faithful and see the LORD bring about that victory.

Don’t Wait

2 Samuel 20:4-5 – “Then said the king to Amasa, ‘Assemble me the men of Judah within three days, and be thou here present. So Amasa went to assemble the men of Judah: but he tarried longer than the set time which he had appointed him.”

One of the most difficult things to overcome as a student is the habit of procrastination. When a big test is coming up or a paper is about to be due, the tendency for the student is to jump onto YouTube or Netflix or Facebook and occupy his time with those things instead of investing it in studying. I must admit that I struggle with procrastination as well. For example, since last August I had been planning to take the MCAT but only when I felt ready after thorough study, but since then I have still yet to study for the MCAT in a diligent way. Clearly, procrastination is such a detriment to our lives here on earth, making us ineffective to doing anything.

In our passage today, we find that King David has just commanded a new general in his army Amasa to gather a group of men of Judah and to meet up with him. Here we find that Amasa obeyed quickly and went to gather a group of Judeans, as a good general would, but soon faltered by tarrying longer than he should. Amasa started well but in the middle began to give out and procrastinate. In the end, Amasa would be killed by Joab, another of David’s generals, as Amasa went to meet up Joab late. If Amasa had just obeyed diligently, he might have stayed alive and served David as his second-in-command. But due to his procrastination, he ended up paying the price with his life.

As disciples of Jesus Christ, we are called to obey the instructions and commands of our Lord Jesus Christ, which are found in His Word. We are asked to not only obey at the beginning and quickly but to coninue in our obedience to the very end and in God’s time. We need to learn to use our time wisely serving the Lord in the places that He has called us to. Ephesians 5:15-16 states, “See then that ye walk cicumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time…” We need to begin to use our lives for hte kingdom of God. Let us not procrastinate in the work that God has set for us. So if you hear him speaking to you to serve in a particular aspect, do not hesitate and wait it out, for if you do, your task will eventually fall to someone else.

Our Enemy and Our Friend

2 Samuel 19:6a – “In that thou lovest thine enemies, and hatest thy friends…”

The passage from which this verse comes from speaks of how David was mourning the death of his son Absalom. Absalom, David’s third son, had just led a rebellion against David, sending David out into exile and then chasing him down to kill him. In the previous chapter, both David and Absalom’s armies went to war with the end result of Absalom being killed by Joab, David’s first-in-command general. Although David had just won the war, he mourned for his son’s death. Due to his mourning, the whole army of David returned instead of in joy for winning a war as men who were ashamed as if they ran away from battle in retreat. Because of this reaction, Joab spoke these words to David to remind him that he now needed to get out of his rut and start leading his people again lest his people abandon him.

In reading this statement though, I personally found it very convicting, for it reminded me way too much of my own heart and life. As Christians, we were called out of bondage to sin and the flesh and set free to serve our Lord Jesus Christ. We who were once enemies of Christ switched allegiances and became enemies to the world and now friends of Christ. But so often, we as disciples of Christ still continue loving the things of this world, our clear enemies in our growth in Christ. In exchange, when we love the world, we are showing hatred toward Christ as well. For a friend of the world is an enemy of God (James 4:4). When at any other time in our lives would we act in this manner? It is very similar to what happens when certain parasites enter the body of an auto-immune disordered person. This person already has his body attacking itself, yet when a parasite comes, it does not attack it; instead, it provides it with food and shelter from other invading pathogens and from the immune cells themselves. When we think of it we consider that ludicrous, yet that is what we do with our spiritaul lives. Instead of surrounding ourselves with other Christians that are growing, with the Spirit of God, and with the Word of God (our friends), we fight and rebel against them and instead show kindness and love to our lusts (our enemies). We must start developing the right perspective and loving our best and closest friend Jesus Christ and abandoning the world and sin (our enemies).

Used To – Not Anymore

Ephesians 2:2 – “…Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience…”

When I look at the state of the Christian church today, I am saddened by what I see. Most times I see a group of people who gather together on a Sunday morning to socialize, sing a few songs, and listen to a person rant about the current political state of the world. Then the people go home with nothing changed in their hearts, returning to a hum-drum life, where they live each day for themselves continuing in their sin with no conviction to tell them to change. I hate to admit it, but sometimes, I am one of those people, except I go to a church where the preacher speaks truth that I just don’t want to listen to.

We, as disciples of Jesus Christ, must make a choice daily to take up our cross and follow Him. If we make that choice to follow Him, that means that our lives must reflect His – that we must live our lives for His glory and not to fulfill our lusts. In today’s passage, Paul reminds the Ephesian believers that they once walked according to the ways of the world – ways that included fulfilling one’s lust with instant gratification in whatever way possible. But the key thing to note about what Paul told the Ephesians is that he said the words “in time past.” Paul emphasized to the Christians at Ephesus that they used to walk in the ways of the world, at the same time admonishing them that they should not longer be walking in those ways. As Christians that same admonishment is directed at us. We as Christians should no longer liver our lives following the ways of the world, but instead seeking to honor and glorify our Lord and Savior each and every day – that is what it means to be a disciple. If the church today understood this point, I believe that the spiritual environment around us would change drastically, because unbelievers would see a difference in Christians. Sadly, many of us Christians are still leaving each day as if we still belong to the world, as if we were still enslaved to the spirit of this world. We are no longer bound but saved by the blood of Christ not for nothing but so that in return we would do good works (vs. 10). Let us as disciples of Jesus Christ begin to walk in the ways of Christ and remember that we used to walk in the ways of the world – past tense.

The Disciple’s Handbook – Psalm 119 – Beth – Staying in the Paths of Righteousness

Psalm 119:9-16 – “⁹ BETH. Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word.  ¹⁰ With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments. ¹¹ Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee. ¹² Blessed art thou, O LORD: teach me thy statutes. ¹³ With my lips have I declared all the judgments of thy mouth. ¹⁴ I have rejoiced in the way of thy testimonies, as much as in all riches. ¹⁵ I will meditate in thy precepts, and have respect unto thy ways. ¹⁶ I will delight myself in thy statutes: I will not forget thy word.”

At the circus, one of the most thrilling and suspenseful acts occurs when a person walks the tightrope across two poles that are about 50-100 feet above the ground.  The trick becomes even more dangerous when no net is placed beneath, so that one misstep could lead to the tightrope walker’s death.  The most daring feat for tightrope walking that I have heard of happened when a walker placed a line between the Canadian and American borders across Niagara   Fallsand walked right over it.  Although such a feat is unbelievable, the truth is the key to making it across safely is simple – keep walking straight.  If the walker continues to inch forward without hesitation toward his goal, not ever drifting even by a centimeter to the left or right, he will make it across perfectly; but if he sways from the straight path even once, the line he walks will soon veer off, eventually leading to his death.  In the same manner, we as Christians have one goal and one straight path – Jesus Christ.  The question we face is the same as that of the tightrope walker – “How do we keep walking straight?”  Fortunately, we have been left with a guide found in the Word of God, reminding us how we can keep walking the straight path to Christ.  This guide is found in the section entitled Beth of Psalm 119 (vs. 9-16), where the Psalmist explains how a young man or woman (but the advice applies to the old as well) may stay on the straight path.  The section begins with a question, “Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way?” (vs. 9); in other words, “How does a man keep his way pure?” or as the tightrope walker would say, “How does one keep on a straight path?”

But before even answering that question, we need to pause and ask ourselves if we are even on the right path in the first place, because if we are already walking on the wrong path, we will already be heading to our doom.  Proverbs14:12states, “There is a way which seems right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.”  It is important for us to first check if we are following the right path – God’s Path.  Jesus Christ said in John 14:6 that He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and no man could come unto the Father except through Him.  Simply put, He was stating that He was the pure and only way to the goal of knowing God, finding salvation, and having a life of peace and joy.  If you are not on this path and have not given your life to the Lord Jesus Christ, then you are walking in your own path – a path that will lead to death.  So before even going on, examine your heart and see if you have given it the Lord.  If not do so, before continuing on.

After presenting this question, the Psalmist spends the rest of Beth talking about how one can keep his way pure.  In vs. 9, he gives his first piece of advice for staying on the straight path – Take Heed to the Path and Make Sure It Aligns to God’s Word.  Vs. 9 states that one must “take heed thereto according to Thy [God’s] Word.”  If a Christian seeks to walk in a straight path without obstacles hindering his way, then he must “take heed” to the path that he is walking on.  He must make sure that he is always on guard, checking and making sure that he is walking on the right path and that path is clear.  Returning to the example of the tightrope walker, he must constantly take heed to where he will place his foot next, for if he chooses not to, he will certainly fall.  A more relatable example has probably happened to all of us at least one time in our lives.  We walk on the street looking everywhere and not paying attention to the sidewalk, when suddenly, we trip and fall.  We then look back and see a big crack in the pavement or a tree root, which we could have easily avoided if we had just paid attention.  It is the same in our spiritual lives, when we walk on our paths in life, we need to take heed or an obstacle that we did not expect can easily trip us up.  More importantly though, the Psalmist does not only say “take heed to thy path” but “take heed thereto according to Thy Word.”  The Psalmist emphasized that the path needed to be followed according to God’s Word.  The one way one can avoid sin and keep his way pure is by knowing what sin is and how it traps Christians – a knowledge that only comes after studying God’s Word.  Many Christians ask the question, “Why can’t I stay pure?” or “Why do I keep falling in my Christian walk?” or “Why did I fall to this sin?  It was never a weak point.”  The answer is obvious – they did not study God’s Word and learn how that sin can trap another.  Instead they took pride in themselves and fell.  One must take heed to his path and make sure that it lines up to God’s Word.

This concept of taking heed is expounded upon in vs. 10, where the Psalmist states that not only does he “take heed” to his path according to God’s Word, but he seeks God “with my [his] whole heart.”  The Psalmist does not stop at just checking if his path follows the Word of God but now seeks God Himself with his whole heart.  He didn’t just want to know God’s Word but he wanted to know God with all his heart.  What better way can there be to know one’s commands than by knowing the commander.  For example, when you look to do something nice for a friend, do you necessarily ask your friend, “What do you want?”  Of course, some of us do, but if you know your friend with all your heart, you wouldn’t even need to ask, you already know.  It is the same here.  The Psalmist wanted to know God, so that it would become natural to follow His commands.  But even more than just seeking the positive of knowing God, the Psalmist emphasizes removing the negative by following up that statement with “O let me not wander from Thy commandments.”  When taking heed to the right path, one must make sure he is following the right path and also avoiding the wrong one and both of these requirements can only be achieved with a strong and deep knowledge of God and His Word.

The second step in staying on the straight path is found in vs. 11, “Thy Word have I hid I mine heart, that I might not sin against Thee.”  This verse is quoted very often by Christians but hardly ever applied.  Even I myself find a hard time hiding God’s Word in my heart.  The second piece of advice for staying on the straight and narrow is Memorize God’s Word.  It is important for Christians to hide God’s Word in our heart constantly, never allowing it to leave our midst; for if it is in our heart, we can draw upon it at any time to battle against sin.  If you recall, in Matthew 4:1-11, Jesus is faced with three temptations by which Satan tries to make Christ fall.  Satan does not work using only lust of the eyes or flesh though, but he used Scripture.  Satan continued to quote verse after verse to try to cause Christ to fall, but the way Christ fought back was through Scripture as well.  (Take a look, you might learn something).  Christ could do this, because He knew the Scripture.  At a young age, He began to memorize and treasure it already in his heart.  We need to seek to memorize Scripture, for it is from our memory banks, we will be equipped with the sword of the spirit to combat temptation.  In addition, it prepares us to share the Gospel with the people we meet.  This piece of advice reminds me of the story of Dr. Oscar Lowry, a famous preacher.  He had originally resolved to not memorize Scripture, because he felt that it was too difficult for him to develop such a habit.  But after witnessing to multiple people and realizing how awkward conversations became as he flipped from passage to passage taking time out of a conversation to find verses, he decided to try one last time to memorize a Scripture verse a day.  By the end of his life, he had amassed over 20,000 verses in his brain bank (From This Verse, Oct. 14).  Seek to memorize a Scripture passage a day (even starting with this verse) to build up your arsenal to combat temptation and to share the Gospel.

The third word of advice is found in vs. 12, Ask for God’s Guidance – “Blessed art Thou, O Lord:  teach me Thy statues.”  This is the simplest piece of advice – Just Ask.  We find that the Psalmist just asks God to teach him His statues, His commands, His laws.  If we want to stay on the right path, all we need to do is ask God to direct our ways, to give us understanding as we read His Word, and to show us what He wants to speak to us about each day, for God is willing and ready to work great and mighty miracles of understanding to those who would but ask.  As Matthew 7:7-8 states, “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:  For everyone that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.”  We find a similar plea in vs. 10, where the Psalmist asks for protection from wandering from God’s commandments.  As the Nike logo says, “Just Do It”; our God says “Just Ask.”

The fourth piece of advice is found in vs. 13, “With my lips have I declared all the judgments of thy mouth.”  The word declared here does not just mean to speak out, but it means to recount by speaking out loud (Vine’s).  We need to remember that the best way to stay in God’s way is to continue to think of His way and not only to think but to speak it out again.  It has been said that if you state a person’s name three times in a conversation, you will remember that person’s name permanently.  It has also been said that if you repeat something 14 times, it will be memorized in your mind.  A similar principle follows through with God’s Word.  Repeat it in your lips, recount it in your heart, continue to speak of it not only daily but hourly, and you will find that the judgments of God are now in your heart.  The Psalmist continued to recount by retelling the stories of God’s judgments.  He remembered all the righteous verdicts that God had passed before and allowed them to dwell in His mind.  He remembered the mercy and grace that the Lord had shown him throughout his life.  By concentrating on the things of God, he was able to stay in the right path.  Recount can also mean to retell it to others, so take time to share what God has done for you to others as a form of remembrance to you as well.  The fourth word of advice is Recount God’s Judgments Out Loud.

The fifth piece of advice is found in vs. 14, “I have rejoiced in the way of Thy testimonies, as much as in all riches.”  Rejoice in God’s Word More than the Things of Earth.  This piece of advice may be one of the hardest for us to take, seeing that we still have our carnal flesh longing for the things of this world, but is it possible?  Yes!!!  The Psalmist here states that he rejoice more in the ways of the Lord than all the riches earth can give, whether gold, silver, platinum, or whatever precious metal or stone you can think of.  If you are more materialistic, think of cars, houses, gadgets, maybe the next version for the Ipad.  Name your treasure.  Whatever it is, it must be worth little in comparison to Jesus Christ.  That is where we need to get as every Christian.  Jesus Christ says in Matthew10:37 that “He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.”  We all agree that family should be the most important thing in our lives, more than the riches this world can give us.  Even unbelievers follow this principle, as you can see in the movie Elf, where the father learns to love his family more than the money he can make at his book publishing business.  If the family should be treasured more than all riches, and Christ says we need to love Him more than family, then Christ must be the utmost of our treasures.  Let us Rejoice in God’s Word more than riches.  But something to notice here is that the Psalmist not only says he rejoices in God’s Word but he “rejoices in the way of Thy testimonies.”  The Psalmist found pleasure in following God’s Word.  He did not have an attitude of begrudging obedience but one of delightful joy.  Let us as vs. 16 states, “delight…in Thy statues.”  For riches will fade away, but God’s Word will never fade away.

The sixth piece of advice is found in vs. 15, “I will meditate in thy precepts…”  This piece of advice is actually quite similar to advice #4:  Recount God’s Judgments Out Loud, because meditate means to “to ponder, muse aloud.”  The one difference is that this piece of advice asks us to meditate not only on His judgments but now His commands.  We must constantly ponder and muse aloud about God’s Word.  We need to constantly Meditate on God’s Word.  We need to constantly have God’s Word pondering in our hearts and minds.  Meditation is not some tranquil stance of arms crossed and hands in an “Okay” sign, chanting “UMMMMMM, UMMMMMM,” while clearing one’s mind, but it is serious concentration on something, in this case, God’s Word.  It is interesting to find that in this verse, the Hebrew word for meditate siyach is also translated talk (Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon).  The Psalmist must have carefully selected this version of the Hebrew word for meditate, so that he could emphasize how one should be meditating out loud instead of just letting the thoughts sift through the mind, for in talking more concentration can occur.  Not only do you think it, you hear it, and you speak it, using a lot more brain activity to ponder just one thought.  Constantly meditate on God’s Word.

The seventh piece of advice is found in vs. 15, as well, “…and have respect unto thy ways.”  The word respect in the Hebrew is nabat, which means literally “to look intently at,” but implies “to regard with pleasure, favor, or care.” (New Strong’s Dictionary).  In this verse, we find that the Psalmist, regards with favor God’s ways or in other words, his “marked-out, well-traveled course.” (Vine’s).  We need to learn to Regard God’s Way with Pleasure.  As Christians, we need to look upon God’s way as the best way possible, for He states that He will direct our steps.  God never looks for us to be hurt or damaged through his leading; instead in Jeremiah 29:11, He reminds us that “[He] know[s] the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.”  God seeks to direct our ways to the expected end of His honor and glory, a glory that we get to partake of.  What is there not to regard with favor in His way?

The last piece of advice is given in vs. 16, “…I will not forget Thy Word.”  Resolve to follow and remember God’s Word.  We find in vs. 16, the helping verb will, which indicates that the Psalmist does not just leave remembering God’s Word to chance but makes an effort to not forget God’s Word.  He takes conscious thought and action to make sure that he will constantly remember God’s Word.  We need as Christians to resolve to remember God’s Word and obey it.  Will is not something that just happens but something that a person will resolve to do.  Being a fan of comic books, when I think of will, I think of the power source for Green Lantern’s ring.  The ring can construct anything a person can imagine if he has enough will to make it come to being.  In a very similar way, we must will to follow and remember God’s Word, for the more you remember of God’s Word, the harder it is to disobey.

We have been given in this section of Beth alone seven advisements to keep to God’s Straight Path.  The question is will you follow them to stay in the straight path or will you allow yourself to be taken to the wrong path and fall as a tightrope walker to his doom?  Resolve today to memorize God’s Word, Remember it constantly, meditate on it, regard it with pleasure, seek it, and ask for His guidance in your life.