Those Pesky Philistines!

5 Then Samuel said, “Gather all Israel at Mizpah, and I will pray to the Lord for you.” 6 So they gathered at Mizpah and drew water and poured it out before the Lord and fasted on that day and said there, “We have sinned against the Lord.” And Samuel judged the people of Israel at Mizpah. 7 Now when the Philistines heard that the people of Israel had gathered at Mizpah, the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the people of Israel heard of it, they were afraid of the Philistines. 8 And the people of Israel said to Samuel, “Do not cease to cry out to the Lord our God for us, that he may save us from the hand of the Philistines.” 9 So Samuel took a nursing lamb and offered it as a whole burnt offering to the Lord. And Samuel cried out to the Lord for Israel, and the Lord answered him. 10 As Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to attack Israel. But the Lord thundered with a mighty sound that day against the Philistines and threw them into confusion, and they were defeated before Israel. 11 And the men of Israel went out from Mizpah and pursued the Philistines and struck them, as far as below Beth-car. (I Samuel 5)
It was them again. The Philistines.  The Big Bad Philistines. Over and over again the people of Israel had tried to drive them out, but they just kept coming back.  And, once again, Israel was shaken with fear. But this time, they went to Samuel and said: "Pray for us." They were willing to ask for help from God and from Samuel.  And God answered. It was not the last time they would struggle and fear the Philistines, but it was a turning point - one that would head the other direction under David.  Who are your Philistines? What is your recurring fear?  Bring it here, to Him.  And get some prayer support too.  It will be a pleasant surprise what God can and will do.  

Moved by fear.

25 And Laban overtook Jacob. Now Jacob had pitched his tent in the hill country, and Laban with his kinsmen pitched tents in the hill country of Gilead. 26 And Laban said to Jacob, “What have you done, that you have tricked me and driven away my daughters like captives of the sword?27 Why did you flee secretly and trick me, and did not tell me, so that I might have sent you away with mirth and songs, with tambourine and lyre? 28 And why did you not permit me to kiss my sons and my daughters farewell? Now you have done foolishly. 29 It is in my power to do you harm. But the God of your father spoke to me last night, saying, ‘Be careful not to say anything to Jacob, either good or bad.’ 30 And now you have gone away because you longed greatly for your father's house, but why did you steal my gods?” 31 Jacob answered and said to Laban, “Because I was afraid, for I thought that you would take your daughters from me by force.
(Genesis 31)
Jacob was a man defined by fear.  When he was younger, he thought he would be lacking something since he was the younger with his twin brother.  So out of fear he connived to get the blessing and birthright.  This led to him having to leave home.  Now, when he thinks it is time to move on again, it is fear that motivates him to sneak away, creating distrust.  Soon after, he would face his brother again, filled with fear. Later in life, he would be afraid to send his son Benjamin with his older brothers to Egypt, afraid that something would happen to him.  Finally, he ends up having  to move there himself, afraid they would die due to the family.  Fear moves - sometimes rightfully so - like to escape a volcano.  But sometimes we allow fear to move us away from where we should be, to do things we ought not to do.  Are you allowing fear to determine every move you make?  Or are you letting God use your fears to move you toward Him, and in the direction you should go?

Trying to Hide Our Fears...

9 They said to him, “Where is Sarah your wife?” And he said, “She is in the tent.” 10 The Lord said, “I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife shall have a son.” And Sarah was listening at the tent door behind him. 11 Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in years. The way of women had ceased to be with Sarah.12 So Sarah laughed to herself, saying, “After I am worn out, and my lord is old, shall I have pleasure?” 13 The Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Shall I indeed bear a child, now that I am old?’14 Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, about this time next year, and Sarah shall have a son.” 15 But Sarah denied it, saying, “I did not laugh,” for she was afraid. He said, “No, but you did laugh.”
I find myself wondering about people who laugh too much.  Sometimes they are just jovial people who are fun to be around. But sometimes they are hiding something - some hurt, some sin, some fear.  It's why we have Comedy Central 24/7 - people trying to drown their problems with laughter.  Sarah had a lack of faith, and a lot of pain.  Childlessness had taken its toll. She struggled to believe and her coping mechanism was to laugh.  There are other ways we try to cover our fears - loud anger, addictions, workaholism. What are you afraid of? How do you try to hide it? The Lord is in our faces today: "Why are you laughing? What is your fear? Let's work on it, not try to cover it up."

"I was afraid"

8 And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” 10 And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.” 11 He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” (Genesis 3)
The first emotion expressed in a fallen world was fear. But that does not mean it was the first emotion. It is the first expressed negative emotion in scripture, but it came from a deeper emotion: guilt.  Adam and Eve knew they had done wrong, and that their sin had ruined everything.  We live in a fear-driven world - not because everyone and everything is scary, but because everywhere there is sin.  And, like Adam and Eve, a lot of our fear has to do with "being found out." We do not want others to know the evil we have done, said, thought. So fear can lead to lots of other negative emotions, thoughts and actions.  This statement "I was afraid" speaks volumes.  Fear.  What do we do with it? Like all emotional responses, it is a call to action. A right response is to do something to correct the situation.  Like with Adam and Eve it sometimes seems irreversible, but that does not mean there is nothing we can do constructive. What did God want from them? What does He want from us? To not hide our fears, but admit them to Him. He wants us to have Him help us discover why we are afraid and what we can do about it. He has a plan. He has the solution. Let us bring every fear to Him, even if we are afraid He will find out what we have done. He already knows!

Saving the Best for Last...

Hebrews 11:39 And all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised, 40 since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect. 12:1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.
Yes, I'm one of those people. Sometimes when I eat a meal I will not eat a little of this, then a little of that, making the rounds on my plate. I will eat just a little of what I like best, saving the rest of it for last.  I am also one of those people who have little regard for the man-made chapter divisions in scripture, thinking we should always seriously consider "running the stop sign" and reading right through them, because the opening verses are actually part of the previous chapter.  Such is the case here - on both points. First, God has saved the best for last in sending His Son.  That is the case throughout the whole book here: Christ, and new life in Him, is better than anything under Moses, the prophets, or the Old Covenant system. Christ is also the best example of a Hero of Faith, many of whom who are listed in chapter 11.  So, the writer says: "Consider Him. Follow Him. Trust in Him.  Secondly, since Christ is better than any other, He is simply the Best. The Best revelation of God, the best way to approach God, the best sacrifice for sin, and the best picture of how we should then live. If we have found Christ, (and let Him "find us"), we have found the Best. Stick with Him, Follow Him, depend on Him and Him alone to take us to God. 

Helpless, Homeless Heroes...

They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated—of whom the world was not worthy—wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. (Hebrews 11:37b,38)
These faithful followers of God were predecessors to the likes of John the Baptist and Jesus: no place to lay their heads, no wardrobe of fancy clothes, no icebox stocked with food. They lived lives of trust and hope we can scarcely imagine. They were vulnerable, yet trusted and obeyed God.  They did not fit into this world; they were exceptional.  And it is not that they were not worthy of acceptance; it is this world that is out-of-sync; it is us. They were living like they actually expect to be living in another world to come. This does not make them weird - it makes them heroes to emulate, to learn from, to follow.  

Mouth Stoppers...

 stopped the mouths of lions... (Hebrews 11: 33)
We know of three places where this happened. First to surface in our memories is Daniel.  When He came out of the den, his first words to the king were that he had not spoken evil of the king - He was a man of character. God had built that into his life. This fact silenced false accusers.  Second is David.  He faced the lion to keep it away from the sheep. He mentioned that among his credentials as to why Saul should let him be the one to face Goliath, to silence those saying he was to young, small or not "man enough."  Third was Samson. Among his great feats of strength early in his life was wrestling a lion and winning.  He had the courage to face it head-on.  Each of these men of faith had these as a gift from God, which were needed when the occasion arose.  Each stopped the mouths of nay-sayers, as well as the mouths of lions.  So we can, and also should do, as followers of Christ.  Be ready, by living a life of faith and obedience, so that when the time comes, we show our faith, and silence the mouths of a finger-pointing, unbelieving world.  

The Enforcers...

...enforced justice, (Hebrews 11:33)
Some of the greatest Heroes of Scripture, and of all time, are those who have "enforced justice."  Of course, some see "justice" as a matter of opinion, or what is best for them.  So God does give us instruction to guard against such thoughts. We find some people really got what justice was.  David did. Solomon did.  Jesus definitely did.  Then we need to have a sense of how to "enforce." It is not always with the power of the sword or a left hook. Enforcing is not turning away from the oppressed or mistreated. It is speaking up. It is using the influence or authority we have in any setting to make sure people's God-given rights are upheld.  It is not arrogantly demanding. It is Micah 6:8 :

He has told you, O man, what is good;

    and what does the Lord require of you

but to do justice, and to love kindness,

    and to walk humbly with your God?

Sometimes the ones we have to enforce justice upon is ourselves - how we view and treat others.  May we be someone's hero of justice today. 

Not What they DID

Hebrews 11:35 Women received back their dead by resurrection. Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life. 36 Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. 37 They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword.
This cluster of unnamed heroes have something in common: in faith they did not do anything - they could not do anything, but trust in God.  The two women had to watch and wait as Elijah and Elisha raised their sons.  Others were put in positions where they could not fight back, and helplessly be abused.  Some faced the most cruel types of suffering and death.  Yet they are heros - they believed, and they have demonstrated to us that it is not true that "I cannot take any more." They did.  May God give us the grace we need to live by faith.

Wait, Did you say SAMSON???

32 And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel (Hebrews 11)
Great people of faith - those who trusted God, served Him, and accomplished great things for Him.  We can well understand including the likes of Abraham, Moses, David and the prophets... But Samson? The man driven by his immorality? The arrogant kid who bullied people, demanded his own way, and never seemed to grow up? Sure, we tell our kids about him as a strong hero, but can we as "mature" adults see him that way? The writer (ultimately God, here) says so.  Let us not forget the ingredient that put him in the category of those surrounding him in this list here: 24 And the woman bore a son and called his name Samson. And the young man grew, and the Lord blessed him. 25 And the Spirit of the Lord began to stir him in Mahaneh-dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol.(Judges 13)  The LORD bless him, and the Spirit of the LORD stirred him.  God had his hand on him his whole life through. God uses cracked pots and imperfect people to accomplish His will when they trust in Him and do what He calls them to do.  Sometimes they (WE!) do things He tells us not to do, and even fail to do other things He tells us to do, but the party is not over yet, the curtain has not fallen. If you can still read these words, God can and will use you, if you trust and obey Him.  What will he stir you to do today? 

Heroes Who Did not make it out Alive

Hebrews 11:4 By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous, God commending him by accepting his gifts. And through his faith, though he died, he still speaks.
We live in a world where most heroes almost always make it out alive - at least in the movies.  We are shielded from a great truth - many heroes die in becoming one.  That is what we commemorate on Memorial day in our nation, yet it seems to be a lost thought.  Abel simply did the right thing, even when it made someone else unhappy.  He was more concerned with pleasing God than appeasing an angry brother.  It got him dead.  But He still speaks. Just as his blood screamed from the ground to God for justice, his example of faith, as a hero, cries out to us today.  Do the right thing, no matter who objects to it. Trust God.  His commendation matters more than the condemnation of men. Be a hero of faith.  

The Fellowship of the Forgiven

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— 2 the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us— 3 that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. 4 And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.

5 This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. (I John)

The Truth. That is what we all need. The truth is we are all sinners, which puts us outside of the fellowship of the family of faith. But God has shown us the way back into this fellowship of the Father and His Son, by offering us forgiveness. It is as real as real can be - it is black and white, dark and light. To say otherwise is just plain denial of the truth. It is what we all need and really long for - this fellowship with God, the Son, and His family of the Forgiven.  So let's get real, let's be honest, and become and live as members of His forgiven fellowship, His family of faith.  

The Place of Fellowship

14 Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? 15 What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? 16 What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said,

“I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them,
    and I will be their God,
    and they shall be my people.
17 Therefore go out from their midst,
    and be separate from them, says the Lord,
and touch no unclean thing;
    then I will welcome you,
18 and I will be a father to you,
    and you shall be sons and daughters to me,says the Lord Almighty.”

(II Corinthians 6)

The Church is the place for fellowship - not in some buildings, but in the midst of God's people gathered with Him.  It's like the new Garden - not in the sense of beautiful surroundings - but walking and talking together with God.  The "outside" of the garden is not the world outside the four walls of a building, but when our affections, affiliations and affinities with the things of this world are stronger than those for God and His people.  It is when we walk in darkness, instead of the light of God's Word and will a willingness to trust in Him and one another. The darkness is "out there" in the same sense Adam and Eve felt it at the Fall - they had touched and tasted an unclean thing, wanting it more than walking with God.  True Fellowship is walking together accepting God's truth and being willing to tell the truth about ourselves; it is also trusting in God, His Word, His Will, and learning to trust one another as His family, beginning to look more and more like Him as we spend time together. 

The Truth about Fellowship

 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— 2 the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us— 3 that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. 4 And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.

5 This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. (I John 1)

God is Big on Truth.  John brings that out in both his Gospel and his letters.  The truth is: we all long for true fellowship.  The fact is we often settle for a lie when it comes to fellowship.  True fellowship is found in relationship with the Father and the Son, and thereby, with one another.  As stated in an earlier blog - there is a false fellowship - the fellowship of darkness, where everyone feels a part of the same group: we approve of one another's sin, thus allowing our own.  But deep down, we know that is not true fellowship; we do not want anyone to know the real "me" - it is too shameful, dark, and fearful.  So we try to deceive others and end up deceiving ourselves.  True fellowship allows for total truth, because when we "come clean", and accept forgiveness, we find true fellowship.  If we don't, we miss out.  This is the context of verse 9 - one of the most quoted verses of scripture.  It is not a license to sin, but a proclamation and promise of one who has found forgiveness.  Have you?