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online Bible teaching ministry of Stephen
& Brooksyne Weber
A daily, Bible-based perspective of hope, encouragement and exhortation.
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Thursday,
July 29,
2021
The Old Mill in Pigeon Forge,
Tennessee.
(Click on photo to enlarge)
"The Battle
Belongs To The Lord"
Listen to this message on your audio player.
"David asked Ahimelek, 'Don’t you
have a spear or a sword here? I haven’t
brought my sword or any other weapon, because
the king’s mission was urgent.' The priest
replied, 'The sword of Goliath the Philistine,
whom you killed in the Valley of Elah, is
here; it is wrapped in a cloth behind the
ephod. If you want it, take it; there is no
sword here but that one.' David said, 'There
is none like it; give it to me'" (1 Samuel
21:8,9). "And then all this assembly will know
that it is not by sword and spear that the
Lord saves. For the battle belongs to the
Lord, and He will give you into our hands" (1
Samuel 17:47).
When we travel we
inevitably eat at a Cracker Barrel or two. They
are usually along the interstates with large
signs beckoning you or is it the row of rocking
chairs and long pews situated on their front
porch? Cracker Barrel is an American restaurant
chain based in Lebanon, Tennessee. Regardless of
where you are they don't ever seem much
different with the covered porch and rocking
chairs out front. However, a note of caution. In
our observations the men's restroom is usually
on the left side as you face it but we were in
one where it was on the right. Years ago I heard
a story of a man who was accustomed to it being
on the left but not paying attention walked into
the ladies!Cracker Barrels serve southern style
comfort food which we both enjoy. To get to the
restaurant you always have to walk through the
gift shop which is an interesting sales tactic!
Another feature are the antique Americana
artifacts that decorate the walls and hang from
the ceiling in each store with an average of 1,000
pieces of décor in every Cracker Barrel.
We drove by Lebanon Tennessee where
they have their headquarters and a large
warehouse (sadly for us not open for touring)
that has approximately 90,000 pieces of
authentic Americana in storage for placement in
their stores. There are now an accumulative 700,000
pieces on display in their stores. All items are
originals – there are no reproductions. These
decorations create a sense of nostalgia,
especially as you get older which contributes to
the Cracker Barrel vibe.
"Nostalgia" is a sentimentality for
the past, typically for a period or place with
happy personal associations. "Reminisce" implies
a casual often nostalgic recalling of
experiences long past and gone. But a
consideration of the past can also give us
strength for current and future challenges.
Even
those who are nominally Biblically literate are
usually familiar with the story of David and
Goliath, which resulted in David’s great victory
over the 9' giant Goliath and the trophy sword
he recovered from his opponent. The entire story
is found in 1 Samuel 17.But our first daily text records an interesting event that happened sometime after the famous battle took place. Following the battle David became a hero, more popular in the eyes of the people than King Saul, which caused Saul to go into an uncontrollable jealous rage.
Most of the latter chapters of 1
Samuel record David fleeing from Saul as he
invariably pursued him day after day. It was a
very despairing time and this led David to
record his physical, emotional and spiritual
battles which are revealed in several of the
Psalms. We often find ourselves turning to these
very Psalms when we too are dealing with battles
of one sort or another.
In today’s Bible portion David is in need of a weapon. He asked Ahimelek, "Don’t you have a spear or a sword here? I haven’t brought my sword or any other weapon, because the king’s mission was urgent."
In today’s Bible portion David is in need of a weapon. He asked Ahimelek, "Don’t you have a spear or a sword here? I haven’t brought my sword or any other weapon, because the king’s mission was urgent."
Ahimelech the priest, for some
unspecified reason, had Goliath’s massive sword
wrapped in a cloth. "The sword of Goliath
the Philistine, whom you killed in the Valley
of Elah, is here; it is wrapped in a cloth
behind the ephod. If you want it, take it;
there is no sword here but that one". When
I read this I sort of imagine a room similar to
the old Cracker Barrel where peculiar treasures
from the past are stored, such as Goliath's
giant sword!
You can imagine just how enormous and heavy Goliath's sword must have been weighing 600 shekels, about 15 lbs. By contrast a normal long sword usually weighs between 2½ lbs. to 4½ lbs. at the very most. But David said, "There is none like it; give it to me". He surely remembered that it was a sword like no other!
But what practical purpose did David have in mind for this massive sword? It seems rather unlikely he would use it as a weapon given its size, although it’s certainly possible. He may have had some other utilitarian use for it or perhaps he intended to recycle the metal!
In considering this I wonder if David’s interest is not a practical use, but a powerful reminder, a visual object lesson, of God’s help during a past major conflict. If he just held that sword up to his current opponents they would have been reminded of David's victory over Goliath! After all, even before the encounter he said, "The battle belongs to the Lord".
Humanly speaking young David was no match for the mighty Goliath. He knew that. But he was relying on God for the victory. His great battle cry had been, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied” (1 Samuel 17:45). The huge sword of Goliath was a tangible reminder and evidence of God’s help in a time of great need.
Self-assurance and self-sufficiency will ultimately lead to defeat. But steadfast trust in Almighty God and the acknowledgment that apart from Him we are powerless will lead us to ultimate victory. What "swords" do you have that are a reminder of God's power and help? Remember, the battle belongs to the Lord!
You can imagine just how enormous and heavy Goliath's sword must have been weighing 600 shekels, about 15 lbs. By contrast a normal long sword usually weighs between 2½ lbs. to 4½ lbs. at the very most. But David said, "There is none like it; give it to me". He surely remembered that it was a sword like no other!
But what practical purpose did David have in mind for this massive sword? It seems rather unlikely he would use it as a weapon given its size, although it’s certainly possible. He may have had some other utilitarian use for it or perhaps he intended to recycle the metal!
In considering this I wonder if David’s interest is not a practical use, but a powerful reminder, a visual object lesson, of God’s help during a past major conflict. If he just held that sword up to his current opponents they would have been reminded of David's victory over Goliath! After all, even before the encounter he said, "The battle belongs to the Lord".
Humanly speaking young David was no match for the mighty Goliath. He knew that. But he was relying on God for the victory. His great battle cry had been, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied” (1 Samuel 17:45). The huge sword of Goliath was a tangible reminder and evidence of God’s help in a time of great need.
Self-assurance and self-sufficiency will ultimately lead to defeat. But steadfast trust in Almighty God and the acknowledgment that apart from Him we are powerless will lead us to ultimate victory. What "swords" do you have that are a reminder of God's power and help? Remember, the battle belongs to the Lord!
Be encouraged today, (Hebrews 3:13)
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily
prayer: Father, You provided David
with supernatural courage, strength,
and skill to defeat the boastful
bully of a giant, Goliath. That huge
sword was a reminder to David of
Your help in a time of great need.
Remind us of past victories in our
own personal lives and those of
others in Scripture and in modern
history to give us strength and
faith as we face today’s battles.
Nothing in ourselves will defeat the
enemies we face, but “with God all
things are possible.” Amen.
Daily
prayer: Father, You provided David
with supernatural courage, strength,
and skill to defeat the boastful
bully of a giant, Goliath. That huge
sword was a reminder to David of
Your help in a time of great need.
Remind us of past victories in our
own personal lives and those of
others in Scripture and in modern
history to give us strength and
faith as we face today’s battles.
Nothing in ourselves will defeat the
enemies we face, but “with God all
things are possible.” Amen.Today's
Suggested Music and
Supplemental Resources
"Praise The Lord"
Video
Russ Taff
"Battle Belongs"
Video
Shane & Shane
On the way back from
our trip we enjoyed a couple
of days in the Great Smoky
Mountains National Park.
We enjoyed a meal at
the Old Mill
Restaurant in Pigeon
Forge, which has become our
favorite when we are in that
area. These pecan pies are
stacked up like pancakes with
many others in the pie cases!
You can see why we like pecans
since this is a "healthy nut
diet" for folks in the south.
We never weary of a
trip to Cades Cove,
one of the most popular sections
of the park, with over 2,000,000
annual visitors to the cove
alone. According to National
Park Service stats, the Great
Smoky Mountains is the busiest
national park in the entire
U.S., and it's not even close.
The Smokies saw over 12 million
visitors in 2020. See here. It
was sure busy when we were there
and the foothill towns of Pigeon
Forge and Gatlinburg were
packed.
This is the John
Oliver cabin. Brooksyne was the
right height for this cabin - I
was not!
Admittedly not the
best photo but while on the
loop road through Cades Cove
we saw this bear crossing
ahead of us.
We hiked on several
of the park's trails and
spotted this snake. We thought
it was a Copperhead although
Google image search identifies
it as a python! (see here)
We were not
interested in many of the
shows but we did attend the Lumberjack
Feud which was next door
to our hotel. It was quite a
show of athleticism and
strength.
In
front of sign
at the Great
Smoky
Mountains
National Park
7/23/21
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Scripture references are from The Holy Bible: New International Version. © 1984 by International Bible Society; NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, New King James Version (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. and the King James Version.
Personal Mission Statement: "I am created by God to bring Him glory. Through God's Son Jesus Christ I have been redeemed and make it my life's goal to please the Lord. My mission in life is to honor God through my faith and obedience and prepare myself and all whom I may influence for eternity."
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