David's Helpers in the War

COLERAINE INDEPENDENT METHODIST CHURCH

SUNDAY 23 FEBRUARY 2025 am – MR JASON CRUISE

1 SAMUEL 22 VERSES 1 AND 2 AND 1 CHRONICLES 12 VERSES 1 AND 2, 17 TO 23, 32 AND 33

Here in the verses we read, we come to a very dark period in the life of David. David has had to flee from Saul. Remember that David said to Jonathan “as thy soul liveth there is but a step between me and death.” (1 Samuel 20 verse 3) David fled from the face of Saul and comes to hide in the cave of Adullam. A dark and dreary time in the life of David. As he is there in the cave many men came and joined themselves to David until it became a great host like the hose of God. We learn in Psalm 57 David says “Be merciful unot me, O God, be merciful unto me, yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make thy refuge, until these calamities be overpast.” He is the cave Adullam. A dark and dreary time. David knows there is only one person he can turn to – the God of heaven. David says “thy wings will I make my refuge until these calamities be overpast.” I wonder as you sit here today are you going through a dark period in your life? Maybe there is a difficulty in relation to your health, or a financial difficulty or a family problem. The God of heaven who David looked to for help is the same God who sees you in our need. He is able to help you. Psalm 142 verses 1 and 2 says “I cried unto the Lord with my voice, with my voice unto the Lord did I make my supplication. I poured out my complaint before him, I shewed before him my trouble.” Then in verse 6 he says “Attend unto my cry; for I am brought very low; deliver me from my persecutors, for they are stronger than I.” Are you going through some time of difficulty? The God who was able to help David is able to help you today. He knew he had a friend that sticketh closer than a brother and that he would never leave him or forsake him. Just like Joseph who knew God in the pit, in the prison and in the palace. Just like Daniel when he was in the lions den. That Moses knew as he stood at the Red Sea and the armies of Egypt were coming behind him. He knew he could trust in the Lord. Someone who undertook for Elijah at Mount Carmel. He will undertake for you and I.  When David was sitting in the cave day by day more and more men came and aligned themselves to him. They have come to serve him. Eventually he left the cave and made his way to Ziklag where Achish the king gave him a portion of land. News eventually came to David that Saul and Jonathan had been killed. David moved on to Hebron. In these 3 places there a number of people who come and align themselves with David, join this band of men. Even though Jonathan and Saul were killed the war continues on. 2 Samuel 3 verse 1 “Now there was long war between the house of Saul and the house of David but David waxed stronger and stronger and the house of Saul waxed weaker and weaker.” I want to think of these men who came to David in the cave, Ziklag and Hebron. In chapter 22 we see that everyone who was distressed, in debt and discontented came to David and he became a captain over them. They came to David in the cave in distress. They were in debt and they were discontented. He became captain over them. These men had their problems – discontented, no peace in their lives. They were in debt also. As soon as David sees these men he doesn’t tell them to go and get their problems sorted out and then come back and join him. He doesn’t tell them to get their debts paid off and when he sees they are sincere and genuine they would be allowed to come into his host. When you come to the Lord we are also in distress and have no peace. We have our problems. We have our debt. Each of us is born with a debt only one person can pay and that is the Lord. He paid it on the centre cross of Calvary. He doesn’t tell us to get our problems sorted out first and then join him . When we have come in repentance and are genuinely born again of the Spirit of God, brought into the family of God, become sons and daughters of God we have a debt paid. The apostle Peter said “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers. But with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or spot.” (1 Peter 1 verse 18)  Too many have that great debt in the world today and are trying to pay it on their own. Thankfully there is only one who could pay that debt. Jesus was willing to be taken to the cross and pay that debt. We see some of these men who aligned themselves to David. What is their character and the lessons for us?

1 Chronicles 12 verse 8 “And of the Gadites, there separated themselves unto David, unto the hold to the wilderness men of might and men of war fit for the battle, that could handle shield and buckler, whose faces were like the faces of lions and were as swift as the roes upon the mountains.”

These were men ready to go to war, they were fit for battle. When they came to align themselves with David they didn’t come to sit on the sidelines. They were ready to be in the battle front. We are not saved to sit but saved to serve. Are we serving the Lord as best we can? Are we willing to step up each morning to serve our Lord willingly? They could hand a shield and a buckler. That tells me whenever these men came and aligned themselves with David they were going to defend the one in whom they trusted. They wanted to serve and they trusted and respected David. Could it be said of us today? Could it be said of us in the workplace and among neighbours? Are we willing to defend the word of God? The Son of God? When our Saviour comes under attack are we loyal and obedient? Or are we willing to stand back and keep our mouths silent? There is a time to be silent but also there is a time to speak. Are we willing to defend our Saviour.  It is also said of these men “whose faces were like the faces of lions”. There is one thing you notice when you watch the wildlife programmes or even see lions on a visit to a zoo – the lion is confident, bold and courageous. I wonder can that be said of us? Like these sons of Gadites that we are confident, bold and courageous? Do we have confidence in our Saviour? Are we bold for him in the work that lies ahead? Are we courageous to step out for our Saviour day and daily? For you and I in the workplace or down the street – have we been bold, confident and courageous for the Saviour? Ephesians tells us to “be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might.” As we step out into a new week how will we conduct ourselves in serving the Lord as Saviour. The end of the verse talks about being “swift as roes on the mountains.” These are gazelles and we have maybe seen them also on wildlife programmes. They move forward with great speed and agility. The apostle Paul in describing putting on the full armour of God says we are to have our loins girt about with truth, having on the breastplate of righteousness, feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace, taking the shield of faith, helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit (Ephesians 6). But there is one piece of armour we don’t read of – the back armour. There is no protection for the back – why – so we don’t turn back The early Christians in the book of Acts when persecution came against them did not turn back. As a result the gospel spread. We should seek to be faithful to our Master day and daily, to see souls sought and won for the Saviour in the days in which we live. Let’s be like these men of Gad who were fit for battle. They didn’t want to sit at the sidelines. They came with their shields and bucklers. They came to trust in the one who they were serving. They were bold, confident and courageous. They went forward with speed and agility.

1 Chronicles 12 verse 32 “And of the children of Issachar, which were men that had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do; the heads of them were two hundred and all their brethren were at their commandment.”

These were men of discernment. If you and I are going to know the will of God in these days we live in we ned to be men and woman of prayer and of the book. We need to spend time in his word and to know his will for our lives. Can it be said of us we are men and women of prayer? If we are going to be men and women of discernment we are going to have to spend time in the quiet place. We need to pray for those in the government of our land that they would know wisdom from God. If young people are going to know the will of god for their lives they have to learn how to spend time with God in prayer. These were men of discernment. The devil is up to his tricks and out to deceive believers. We need to be wise. The activities of the devil need to be thwarted. We need to spend time with the Lord in the place of prayer.

 

1 Chronicles 12 verse 33 “Of Zebulun, such as went forth to battle, expert in war, with all instruments of war, fifty thousand, which could keep rank; they were not of double heart.”

If you and I were in the battlefield with these men, if they were beside us we know they would not break rank. We need to be faithful to our commander and to one another in the battle of life. These men of Zebulun were experts in war. We need to keep rank to those in the fellowship, with those who are with us in the battle. That we will stand together and serve the Lord as our Saviour.

The Gadites were confident, bold and courageous.

The men of Issachar were men of discernment.

The men of Zebulun were men of loyalty and commitment.