The Year of the King -New Year's Message

Many people at this time of year are also trying to make changes in their lives by means of resolutions that they hope will transition them well into a new and better state. However, I want to take this opportunity before we head into a new year and a new series to have us consider something that is often overlooked—how we approach issues/threats that inevitably emerge around us as individuals and as a church. If there is one thing that we can be sure of in life it is the prevalence of conflicts that we must confront. However, if handled rightly, these conflicts can become opportunities. Jerry Falwell Sr. once said, “Life is filled with glorious opportunities, brilliantly disguised as insoluble problems.” Can this be true? I believe it is. All that is required is the right approach. So let us look at two diametrically different approaches to two very similar situations in an effort to learn which will serve God’s will for us better as individuals and as a church in 2017 and beyond.

I. APPROACH #1: A COWERING APPROACH-1 Samuel 17:1-11

In 1 Samuel 13, Israel’s first king began his forty two year reign at the age of thirty. Young, striking, and popular, Saul was everything that Israel hoped for—at least at first. Inevitably after new nations are established and kings are appointed, they are tested by surrounding powers who, in trying to take advantage of the immaturity and inexperience of the new state and its leadership, seek to snuff it out. For Israel and Saul, the Philistines proved to be their greatest test. In fact, no sooner had Saul been appointed kind did the Philistines begin their offensive against the newborn state (see 1 Sam. 13:1ff).

After Saul and Israel gained several victories and suffered several moral failures in this campaign against the Philistines, we pick up the story in chapter 17:1-“Now the Philistines gathered their armies for battle; and they were gathered at Socoh which belongs to Judah, and the camped between Socoh and Azekah, in Ephes-dammim,…”. The description given here reveals that the Philistines were right outside of Jerusalem. No doubt showing up at Israel’s back door with armies gathered was an invitation to war, leaving Saul and the men of Israel with no choice but to meet this threat.

 “Saul and the men of Israel were gathered and camped in the valley of Elah, and drew up in battle array to encounter the Philistines,…” (17:2). A couple of details are important to point out here, especially as we prepare to compare this text with the next (2 Samuel 5). First, “Saul” figures prominently in the narrative. His is the first individual identified in the text and he will be the last one mentioned in this short passage. This establishes Saul’s leadership over the nation of Israel in general and over the current situation in particular. How well Israel meets this threat will no doubt hinge in large part on how Saul handles this conflict.

The second detail worth mentioning here is the lack of initiative that is suggested by the passive voice “were gathered and camped” and the verb “drew up.” These and other clues suggest that Saul met this enemy because they absolutely had to, not because they were eager to take care of business. The lack of urgency is obvious in any reading of this text. Perhaps these Israelites were war-weary or maybe they were busy trying to set up their new government. For whatever reason, Saul’s regime proves, at least in this instance, that it was more reactive than proactive.

The text moves on to describe the meeting of these two powers as follows: “the Philistines stood on the mountain on one side while Israel stood on the mountain on the other side, with the valley between them” (17:3).

In one corner—the Philistine corner—stood a tribe of people that were descendants of maritime mercenaries from Phoenicia. Once a formidable naval nuisance to Egypt and others, the Philistines had run aground and, at this point were nomadic warriors. Much of current knowledge of Philistine material culture comes from reliefs at archaeological digs, including the use by Philistine warriors of kilts, feathered headdresses, and curved keel sailing vessels with high sterns and bows. Unlike the Canaanites, Israelites, and Egyptians, the Philistines did not practice circumcision (Judg. 14:3; 15:18; 1 Sam. 17:26). The biblical record attests to Philistine military prowess. They had iron weapons before the Israelites did (13:19–22), and effectively employed chariots and heavy infantry on the battlefield (EBD). Advances in iron weaponry and their militaristic reputation made the Philistines a fearsome bunch of uncircumcised, Baal-worshipers. 

In corner number 2—the Israelites. This brand new nation was just trying to make it onto the scene. Weary from war with the Philistines and others, these did not have the iron assets that the Philistines did nor were they as practiced in warfare. This did not appear to be a fair fight at all, especially when all of the energy appears to be on the side of the Philistines (as Saul appears reluctant to meet this enemy head on).

Things become even more uneven when a champion emerges in between the two camps—“then a champion came out from the armies of the Philistines named Goliath, from Gath…” (17:4a). This man’s name means what he is—a giant. He was the toughest of the tribe of the Philistines—an intimidating challenger for the kind of competition that he would soon propose between these two armies.  

So how big was he? The Bible says “six cubits and a span” (17:4b). That is roughly nine feet nine inches! (Someone was eating their green beans!).

However, what is perhaps even more intimidating than his size was his imposing presence, complete with all of the finest tools available to this bronze-age bunch of warriors. Samuel doesn’t miss a thing in his description of this behemoth—“He had a bronze helmet on his head, and he was clothed with scale-armor which weighed five thousand shekels of bronze. He also had bronze greaves on his legs and a bronze javelin slung between his shoulders. The shaft of his spear was like a weaver’s beam, and the head of his spear weighed six hundred shekels of iron; his shield-carrier also walked before him,…” (17:5-7). His armor weighed 5000 shekels of bronze. That is over 150lbs! The shaft of his spear was a 26 foot beam! On the tip of it, a heavy spear head weighed 600 shekels or 18lbs! To complete the look, he has a servant whose sole purpose is to follow him around carrying his shield. It is this giant who descends into the valley between the Philistines and the Israelites, unafraid. I imagine he was hard to look at with the sun glaring off of his state-of-the-art armor courtesy of the finest iron-age military outfitters available.

There, in that valley, Goliath “stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel and said to them, ‘Why do you come out to draw up in battle array? Am I not the Philistine and you servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves and let him come down to me. It he is able to fight me and kill me, then we will become your servants; but if I prevail against him and kill him, then you shall become our servants and serve us’…” (17:8-9). Allow me to paraphrase: “Oh, you’ve decided to come out to finally meet us have you? Look at us and…look at you! We will cream you if we do this the hard way. Let me offer you a proposition. You send your best men to fight be and we will settle this in a friendly competition. Your guy wins, we lose. I win, you lose.

This statement is no different than those one might here from the biggest guy in the locker room. Here is a guy who, by all appearances is the biggest jock of them all! 

Continuing his taunting rant, Goliath says “I defy the ranks of Israel this day; give me a man that we may fight together” (17:10). This statement highlights yet another detail that I want to be sure to highlight before we move on to the next passage for comparison. Notice who is taking charge –Goliath. Notice where the focus of the descriptions centers—human strength. This is a very 2-dimensional scene. Mano-a-mano, fist-to cuffs. The problem here is, on a very human level, the Israelites do not have a prayer against this guy or the army that he represents. They were bigger, stronger, and more schooled in warfare.

Recognizing all of this, the Bible continues and says “When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid” (17:11). The lack of initiative early on, the superiority of the Philistine forces, the taunting proposal by this giant, and the unhealthy preoccupation with the very human elements of this whole spectacle are too much for the man at the center of it all—Saul. By proxy, “all Israel” suffers “dismay” and is “greatly afraid.”

The first approach given by Saul is marked with discouragement and dread. Surely this isn’t the approach that we want to endorse this year, or any other year for that matter!

II. APPROACH #2: A CONFIDENT APPROACH-2 Samuel 5:17-21

Time travel with me if you will and you will find a very familiar scene. In 2 Samuel 5:17-21, the Bible reveals the following, “When the Philistines heard that they had anointed David king over Israel, all the Philistines went up to seek out David,…Now the Philistines came and spread themselves out in the valley of Rephaim…” (5:17a, 18). A familiar enemy observes a similar transition of power and sees yet another opportunity to undermine a young nation. Just like before, they show up at Jerusalem’s backdoor, this time in Rephaim—some three or four miles southwest. While the setting/ingredients of 2 Samuel 5 could not be more like 1 Samuel 17, as 2 Samuel 5 unfolds, a very different story is told. This time around, “David” is introduced as the prominent figure to be associated with the nation of Israel and this situation in particular as his name figure prominently in this passage.

Unlike the passivity witnessed in Saul’s reaction to the offensive, “When David heard of it, he went down to the stronghold” (5:17b). The active voice and immediacy of his action stands in stark contrast to Saul’s near-hesitant movement in 1 Sam. 17. There, Saul left Jerusalem begrudgingly because he felt like he had to. Here, David leaves urgently, knowing that it is his duty to stand up for his people and his God. The two responses could not be more different.

The two approaches to confrontations represented in these passage also differ in the perspective that is given to their respective situations. In Saul’s approach, a 2-dimensional perspective was endorsed—the kind of approach that only took in the human elements involved, resulting in great discouragement. Here, in David’s approach, immediately a third dimension is introduced—“Then David inquired of the Lord saying, ‘Shall I go up against the Philistines? Will you give them into my hand?’…” (5:19a). Nowhere in Saul’s approach did we see inquiries made of the Divine.  However, David, in seeking the Lord, gives the situation a whole new perspective—a God-centered perspective. By inviting God to participate in the unfolding conflict, David opens up his world to divine influence in which anything is possible (even an enemy being delivered into his hand).

David’s inquiry not only allows for a superior perspective on the entire situation, it also allows for God to provide an answer to his request—“and the Lord said to David, ‘God up, for I will certainly give the Philistines into your hand…”(5:19). 

Luke 11:9-“Ask and it will be given to you, seek and you shall find, knock and the door will be open for you”

I imagine God was perfectly willing and even excited to intervene on David’s behalf because David included God in what was going on, and, in fact, longed for God’s participation, guidance, and provision in the matter.

Although the same battle lines are drawn in these two passages, in the first, Saul was preoccupied with what he saw, David was confident of what He didn’t see. In the first, Saul was discouraged after delimiting his perspective to a 2-dimensional human level. In the second, David invited God’s participation, and, as a result, was promised a victory.

Immediately upon hearing this answer to his request “David came to Baal-perazim and defeated them there,…”(5:20a). It is amazing what a promise of victory will do for one’s resolve to head into battle. In fact, Israel’s victory was such a done deal because of the promise of God that the victory is couched in relatively indifferent terms.

In response to this victory, David does not showboat, brag, or magnify himself. Instead, he continues to draw attention toward the Lord by giving Him the glory and the credit—“The Lord has broken through my enemies before me like the breakthrough of waters,…”(5:20b). God was involved in the beginning of this situation and was praised at the end of the situation because of what God did in the situation after being invited to participate in the situation in the first place.

As a result of what God did, He is magnified over and above the pagan Gods of the Philistines. This is indicated by the name that David game the place of the victory—Baal-perazim—“God of divisions.” Here, David is using the pagan God Baal mockingly. By naming the place of their great loss after their own god, he is rubbing the Philistine’s faces in their own failure.

So great was their defeat and David’s victory that the Philistines “abandoned their idols there, so David and his men carried them away…”(5:21). Imagine, a victory so sure that the losers give up their former allegiances entirely! That is exactly what happened. After witnessing what a real God can do and recognizing the futility of their inferior god, these Philistines leave their relics and superstitious tchotchkes behind. This is a far cry from what happened in Saul’s approach earlier.

So What?

So let us review. In the first approach to existential conflict a slow-moving and war-weary Saul settled for an imperfect and incomplete perspective that had him focused on what he could see. This left him and Israel discouraged and ultimately paralyzed in fear. In the second approach an eager David endorsed a more complete divinely-centered perspective that included what he couldn’t see—the one true God. In so doing, he asked for and received God’s powerful involvement on behalf of his people and won a resounding victory that ultimately glorified God and upset the idols of those defeated. What/who made the difference? Answer: the one who sat on the throne. Saul and David figure prominently in these passages. They are at the center of what happens and, in some ways, responsible for the outcome. The first performed poorly and the second performed beautifully.

My friends, as we head into this New Year and inevitably face the existential, spiritual, emotional, and practical conflicts therein, we can respond in two ways. We could approach things from a posture of weariness and dread, focused on how tired we are and how huge the obstacles around us seem. However, this kind of approach will only leave us discouraged, paralyzed, and fearful—useless to ourselves, others, and to the kingdom-building work to which God has called us.  However, the good news today is this. There is another approach! We can choose to eagerly adopt a divine perspective that invites God’s involvement at every turn, trusting that He will answer us when we call upon Him. Such an approach will not leave us wanting. It will create opportunities for God to show off His glory in ways that will cause the world to reconsider its frivolous and inferior pursuits.

What makes the difference? Recognizing who sits on the throne! The one who sits on the throne is Jesus Christ, who, as we’ve recently read about in this Christmas season is the culminating Messiah/Savior/Christ/King from the line of David—born in David’s birthplace to descendants of David himself! As great as David was, Jesus is infinitely superior for, HE IS GOD! He proved as much in his life, death, burial, and resurrection (see 1 Cor. 15). He has confirmed His place at the right hand of the Father in heaven (Acts 2:33). What more could we ask for? What more assurance do we need of ultimate victory? What more encouraging message could we hear on this day? What better reminder is there to recall in moments of fear and weakness? Because Jesus sits on the throne, His people can walk in victory—no matter what threats they face.

Romans 8:31-“What shall we say then? If God is for us, who can be against us?”

1 Corinthians 15:57 “But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

I John 5:4 “For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.” 

Do not spend another year settling for a 2-dimensional human-centered perspective. Remember who sits on the throne and, in response ask for his involvement in your life, in the life of this church, and watch as He chooses to glorify Himself and shame the world!