- araratchurch
- Jan 26
- 3 min read
“And the Philistines yet again made a raid in the valley. And when David again inquired of God, God said to him, “You shall not go up after them; go around and come against them opposite the balsam trees. And when you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, then go out to battle, for God has gone out before you to strike down the army of the Philistines.””
1 Chronicles 14:13-15 ESV
Moses had brought the children of Israel out of Egypt. Now they faced the Red Sea on one side, and the rapidly approaching army of Pharaoh on the other. Trapped, with nowhere to go, they began to panic. Moses stood before the people and assured them that the Lord would fight the battle for them.
“And Moses said to the people, “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.””
Exodus 14:13-14 ESV
Even the army of Pharaoh realized that they weren’t just fighting against the Israelites, but that God was fighting for them.
“And in the morning watch the Lord in the pillar of fire and of cloud looked down on the Egyptian forces and threw the Egyptian forces into a panic, clogging their chariot wheels so that they drove heavily. And the Egyptians said, “Let us flee from before Israel, for the Lord fights for them against the Egyptians.””
Exodus 14:24-25 ESV
You probably know the rest of the story, how the Red Sea that had parted for the Israelites to walk through on dry ground, was then commanded to go back to its place, drowning the whole army of Egypt.
As we discussed on “Day 6,” Hezekiah had been threatened by Sennacherib, king of the Assyrians. He told Hezekiah that his God would not be able to save him. But Hezekiah took the threats to the Lord; and the Lord gave him the assurance that He would fight the battle for Hezekiah.
““Therefore thus says the Lord concerning the king of Assyria: He shall not come into this city or shoot an arrow there, or come before it with a shield or cast up a siege mound against it. By the way that he came, by the same he shall return, and he shall not come into this city, declares the Lord. For I will defend this city to save it, for my own sake and for the sake of my servant David.” And that night the angel of the Lord went out and struck down 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians. And when people arose early in the morning, behold, these were all dead bodies.”
2 Kings 19:32-35 ESV
Yes, the angel of the Lord destroyed 185,000 soldiers without Hezekiah sending out any troops.
Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, faced certain destruction as several enemy countries joined forces to come against Judah. However, the Lord sent word through His prophet that he would not have to fight, that the battle was the Lord’s.
“You will not need to fight in this battle. Stand firm, hold your position, and see the salvation of the Lord on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem.’ Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed. Tomorrow go out against them, and the Lord will be with you.””
2 Chronicles 20:17 ESV
Sure enough, the enemy armies that came against Judah, ended up destroying each other.
Indeed, the Lord made clear to His people, that those who contended with them would actually be contending with the Lord.
“For thus says the Lord: “Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken, and the prey of the tyrant be rescued, for I will contend with those who contend with you, and I will save your children.”
Isaiah 49:25 ESV
In today’s portion of the story of David’s victory at Baal-perazim, we see that having given David a second set of instructions, the Lord told him that He would go before him, assuring the victory.
Now, whereas in this case, David and his army had to fight, the victory had already been made certain by the Lord.
Child of God, don’t be afraid of your enemies. If you belong to the Lord, whether you have to fight, or simply stand still, He has already assured your victory. He has already won the battle!
Peace to you.
Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!
- araratchurch
- Jan 25
- 3 min read
Updated: 2 days ago
“And the Philistines yet again made a raid in the valley. And when David again inquired of God, God said to him, “You shall not go up after them; go around and come against them opposite the balsam trees. And when you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, then go out to battle, for God has gone out before you to strike down the army of the Philistines.””
1 Chronicles 14:13-15a ESV
We’ve all been there: You’re waiting through a red light. You’re in the turn lane and the traffic is such that without the turn signal, you don’t have much hope of being able to get on your way. And did I mention, you’re in a huge hurry? Then it happens; you finally get the turn signal. But you’re still not moving because the person at the head of the line, has found something else to do while waiting for the turn signal. And because of their sluggishness, you are left to sweat bullets through another light cycle. You see, they were waiting, but they were not watching.
The theme of the need for watchfulness, is found all through the Bible. It is particularly ubiquitous in the New Testament.
Jesus warned that we need to be watchful in terms of His coming.
“When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah’s day. In those days before the flood, the people were enjoying banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat. People didn’t realize what was going to happen until the flood came and swept them all away. That is the way it will be when the Son of Man comes. “So you, too, must keep watch! For you don’t know what day your Lord is coming.”
Matthew 24:37-39, 42 NLT
““Watch out! Don’t let your hearts be dulled by carousing and drunkenness, and by the worries of this life. Don’t let that day catch you unaware, like a trap. For that day will come upon everyone living on the earth. Keep alert at all times. And pray that you might be strong enough to escape these coming horrors and stand before the Son of Man.””
Luke 21:34-36 NLT
The apostle Paul echoed the same need for watchfulness in terms of the Lord’s return.
“For you know quite well that the day of the Lord’s return will come unexpectedly, like a thief in the night. When people are saying, “Everything is peaceful and secure,” then disaster will fall on them as suddenly as a pregnant woman’s labor pains begin. And there will be no escape. So be on your guard, not asleep like the others. Stay alert and be clearheaded.”
1 Thessalonians 5:2-3, 6 NLT
Jesus also stressed the importance of being watchful to avoid entering into temptation.
“Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak!””
Matthew 26:41 NLT
Peter warned that we need to be watchful to escape becoming a victim of the enemy of our soul.
“Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.”
1 Peter 5:8 NLT
Last time, as we continued in our discussion of David’s victory at Baal-perazim, we saw that the Lord gave David the instruction to wait for a particular sign before going forward. Now, the only way to act on a sign when it’s given, is to be watching for it. And we know that David did watch, moving only when the sign appeared.
Child of God, waiting is important when the Lord has you in that posture. But make no mistake, unless we remain watchful, our waiting may be in vain. Let’s not miss what the Lord has for us, because we found something else to occupy our mind while we’re waiting. Rather, let’s be carefully watching for the Lord to signal, “Now!”
Peace to you.
Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!
- araratchurch
- Jan 24
- 3 min read
“And when David again inquired of God, God said to him, “You shall not go up after them; go around and come against them opposite the balsam trees. And when you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, then go out to battle, . . .”
1 Chronicles 14:14-15a ESV
Last time, we discussed how Saul had displeased the Lord by keeping a hostage and spoil from a battle, after having been instructed not to do so. Sadly, we turn to him again today, as an example of what not to do.
Saul, fearing that he was about to lose the support of his people, took it on himself to offer a sacrifice, although he had been explicitly told not to do so, by Samuel.
“He waited seven days, the time appointed by Samuel. But Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and the people were scattering from him. So Saul said, “Bring the burnt offering here to me, and the peace offerings.” And he offered the burnt offering. As soon as he had finished offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came. And Saul went out to meet him and greet him. Samuel said, “What have you done?” And Saul said, “When I saw that the people were scattering from me, and that you did not come within the days appointed, and that the Philistines had mustered at Michmash, I said, ‘Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not sought the favor of the Lord.’ So I forced myself, and offered the burnt offering.” And Samuel said to Saul, “You have done foolishly. You have not kept the command of the Lord your God, with which he commanded you. For then the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. But now your kingdom shall not continue. The Lord has sought out a man after his own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be prince over his people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you.””
1 Samuel 13:8-14 ESV
Samuel had made it clear to Saul before; he was not to offer the sacrifice, but wait for him to come.
“Now when these signs meet you, do what your hand finds to do, for God is with you. Then go down before me to Gilgal. And behold, I am coming down to you to offer burnt offerings and to sacrifice peace offerings. Seven days you shall wait, until I come to you and show you what you shall do.””
1 Samuel 10:7-8 ESV
Some might point out the fact that David, Saul’s successor, had offered a sacrifice with no negative repercussions from the Lord, therefore, questioning the extreme consequences Saul experienced. So, why was David able to get by with it? Let’s look at that incident:
A long story made short, David had displeased the Lord by numbering Israel. The Lord gave David the choice of what kind of punishment he would take to pay for his disobedience. David chose to fall into the hand of the Lord. The Lord sent pestilence on the people, resulting in 70,000 deaths. When the angel that was bringing the pestilence, headed towards Jerusalem, David begged for the mercy of the Lord and the Lord gave him this instruction:
“And Gad came that day to David and said to him, “Go up, raise an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.” So David went up at Gad’s word, as the Lord commanded. And David built there an altar to the Lord and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. So the Lord responded to the plea for the land, and the plague was averted from Israel.”
2 Samuel 24:18-19, 25 ESV
The fact is, David sacrificed at the direction of the prophet, Gad. Interestingly, doing so, as a king doing a priestly duty, foreshadows our Lord, Who is both King and High Priest forever.
Back to Saul, his inability to wait on the Lord, would prove to seal his ruin.
In today’s portion of the story of David’s victory at Baal-perazim, we see that when David again inquires of the Lord, the Lord’s directions include a vital command to wait in position until the Lord gives the signal to go up against the enemy.
Sadly, some Christians who might be good at positioning or preparing themselves, fail on the second part by not waiting until the Lord gives the go ahead. And make no mistake, that never turns out well.
Child of God, let’s take care that having been obedient to do what the Lord would have us to do, let us not fail by jumping the gun on His timing. That too, is a critical part of our obedience as we follow Him.
Peace to you.
Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!