Fight the Right Battles
1 Samuel 23:26–29 (ESV) Saul went on one side of the mountain, and David and his men on the other side of the mountain. And David was hurrying to get away from Saul. As Saul and his men were closing in on David and his men to capture them, 27 a messenger came to Saul, saying, “Hurry and come, for the Philistines have made a raid against the land.” 28 So Saul returned from pursuing after David and went against the Philistines. Therefore that place was called the Rock of Escape. 29 And David went up from there and lived in the strongholds of Engedi.
For a large portion of the book of 1 Samuel, we have Saul chasing down David. This should be bothersome to us. It should bother us that two men whom God used mightily in battles for the Lord's people - to deliver them and enlarge their territory - are preoccupied with a stupid spat between them! Instead of Saul fighting for the nation, he's fighting for his own glory. Instead of David going to war and expanding the map, he's forced into hiding and manipulating his way out of death.
The nation should have roared their disapproval of this silliness. They did not. They followed them. They got caught up in the quarrel and picked sides and hated each other. They were sadly blind to their own civil discord and lost sight of the big picture - God's call to conquer the land and be His holy nation.
You know what's even sadder? The Church today does the exact same thing.
Instead of fighting for the souls of men and women we have "worship wars" and church fights and tens of thousands of denominations formed because two guys long ago couldn't agree on some meaningless theological construct that bears no impact on Gospel mission today. We are just like Saul - fighting for our own glory instead of the glory of God.
You know what suffers? The incredible need of men and women to hear the Gospel.
How quickly we forget that Jesus brought polar opposites right into His band of 12. He called Matthew - a tax farmer who worked for the Roman empire and Simon the Zealot - who belonged to the Zealots - a faction that desperately wanted to overthrow the Roman empire by force. Jesus called them into His group together and made them learn to work together for what really mattered. I wonder if the Church can learn to do the same?
What can we do in times when church wars keep us so separate? We can learn from what Jonathan does. Let's back up in the text:
1 Samuel 23:16–18 (ESV) And Jonathan, Saul’s son, rose and went to David at Horesh, and strengthened his hand in God. 17 And he said to him, “Do not fear, for the hand of Saul my father shall not find you. You shall be king over Israel, and I shall be next to you. Saul my father also knows this.” 18 And the two of them made a covenant before the LORD. David remained at Horesh, and Jonathan went home.
I love the phrase that Jonathan went to David and "strengthened his hand in God." My question for you right where you are - regardless of whatever church fight or antagonistic relationship with another Christian you may have is this - who's hand are you strengthening in God? Who are you edifying and lifting up? Who are you encouraging to be the best version of themselves? Because this is the work of the Holy Spirit in the Church. You may recall how Jesus described His work for us:
John 14:16–17 (ESV) And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, 17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.
For a large portion of the book of 1 Samuel, we have Saul chasing down David. This should be bothersome to us. It should bother us that two men whom God used mightily in battles for the Lord's people - to deliver them and enlarge their territory - are preoccupied with a stupid spat between them! Instead of Saul fighting for the nation, he's fighting for his own glory. Instead of David going to war and expanding the map, he's forced into hiding and manipulating his way out of death.
The nation should have roared their disapproval of this silliness. They did not. They followed them. They got caught up in the quarrel and picked sides and hated each other. They were sadly blind to their own civil discord and lost sight of the big picture - God's call to conquer the land and be His holy nation.
You know what's even sadder? The Church today does the exact same thing.
Instead of fighting for the souls of men and women we have "worship wars" and church fights and tens of thousands of denominations formed because two guys long ago couldn't agree on some meaningless theological construct that bears no impact on Gospel mission today. We are just like Saul - fighting for our own glory instead of the glory of God.
You know what suffers? The incredible need of men and women to hear the Gospel.
How quickly we forget that Jesus brought polar opposites right into His band of 12. He called Matthew - a tax farmer who worked for the Roman empire and Simon the Zealot - who belonged to the Zealots - a faction that desperately wanted to overthrow the Roman empire by force. Jesus called them into His group together and made them learn to work together for what really mattered. I wonder if the Church can learn to do the same?
What can we do in times when church wars keep us so separate? We can learn from what Jonathan does. Let's back up in the text:
1 Samuel 23:16–18 (ESV) And Jonathan, Saul’s son, rose and went to David at Horesh, and strengthened his hand in God. 17 And he said to him, “Do not fear, for the hand of Saul my father shall not find you. You shall be king over Israel, and I shall be next to you. Saul my father also knows this.” 18 And the two of them made a covenant before the LORD. David remained at Horesh, and Jonathan went home.
John 14:16–17 (ESV) And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, 17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.
The word, "helper" can also mean counselor, encourager, and comforter. If this is the work of the Holy Spirit, should it not be the work of the Church that claims to have Him inside them?
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