The Bear

The Bear

 

1 Samuel 17:33-37

Saul replied, “You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a young man, and he has been a warrior from his youth.”

³⁴ But David said to Saul, “Your servant has been keeping his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, ³⁵ I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. ³⁶ Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. ³⁷ The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.”

 The story of David and Goliath is well known; a young shepherd boy who kills a great Giant in the name of the Lord. But how foolish we are if we think that David’s courage was just a matter of his nature rather than an outcome of training. But the training David received was of a spiritual nature and out of conflict. Have we allowed God to train us spiritually? Through the conflicts that arise, do we learn to fight or do we learn to flee? The beautiful irony is that both fight and flight can teach us and train us about the battle. We never come out of a circumstance the way we went in. But if we flee, even if it is into the arms of our loving God, we will miss the opportunity to learn how to fight. Only by learning how to fight our battles will we develop the courage that says “If God is for me than who can ever be against me?”  

We do not fight alone, nor do we fight the way the world does, and certainly not for the same reasons. It is not for riches and glory that we are to arm ourselves but rather for the glory of God to free captives and demolish strongholds. David fought the Lion and Bear, to free the lost sheep. And Goliath was just another predator aligning himself for the killing of a flock. By the time David had defeated Goliath he had already allowed God to strengthen him through the battles before, to arm him with a confidence that come from seeing God equip us to fight and beat down the enemy. Paul describes this confidence we can have and this equipping God does for us to fight our own battles.

2 Corinthians 10:2-8

I beg you that when I come I may not have to be as bold as I expect to be toward some people who think that we live by the standards of this world. ³ For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. ⁴ The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. ⁵ We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. ⁶ And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is complete.

⁷ You are judging by appearances. If anyone is confident that they belong to Christ, they should consider again that we belong to Christ just as much as they do. ⁸ So even if I boast somewhat freely about the authority the Lord gave us for building you up rather than tearing you down, I will not be ashamed of it.

 David was not trained in worldly warfare but was equipped with the knowledge of God, to tear down the pretentious stronghold that came against the name of the Lord. As much as the story of David bringing down the Giant is one of physical triumph, it is one of that I believe God wants to give us as imagery of the power we have in him to bring down the giants in our life: the spiritual, emotional, mental and physical strongholds in our life.

So many times all we can hear is the giant roaring his curses over the sound of our Lord speaking. But often times it isn’t even the giant that has us bound up it is the world of human doubters all around us. Paul said that by waging this kind of warfare, we do not live by the standards of this world, nor do we fight like it. But what does that mean and what did that mean to David? David had three older brothers fighting in this war, and upon his father’s wishes he took food to them and was also sent to get a report. When he arrived he started asking around the camp about the enemy when he had an unkind encounter with his older brother.

1 Samuel 17:25-29

²⁵ Now the Israelites had been saying, “Do you see how this man keeps coming out? He comes out to defy Israel. The king will give great wealth to the man who kills him. He will also give him his daughter in marriage and will exempt his family from taxes in Israel.”

²⁶ David asked the men standing near him, “What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and removes this disgrace from Israel? Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?”

²⁷ They repeated to him what they had been saying and told him, “This is what will be done for the man who kills him.”
²⁸ When Eliab, David’s oldest brother, heard him speaking with the men, he burned with anger at him and asked, “Why have you come down here? And with whom did you leave those few sheep in the wilderness? I know how conceited you are and how wicked your heart is; you came down only to watch the battle.”
²⁹ “Now what have I done?” said David. “Can’t I even speak?” ³⁰ He then turned away to someone else and brought up the same matter, and the men answered him as before. ³¹ What David said was overheard and reported to Saul, and Saul sent for him.

 If our motives to bring down a stronghold are of riches and glory, popularity and prize, rather than freedom for the captives and glory to God alone, we will find ourselves much like the Israelite army was at that moment. We will be angry and divided by jealously and greed, we will be controlled by lust and fear and doubt. The world fights for riches, honor, even for the love of the king’s own daughter but all David wanted was to free the captives and restore the power and glory to the throne of God. Most men fight in the name of the Lord for the selfishness they so passionately defend. But we are to fight our giants so that the throne of our hearts and others hearts will be seated with Christ alone. David didn’t fight for the earthly crown that Saul so willingly offered the victor, he fought so that he could rip the crown of glory from the enemy and present it to God in front of all of His people. But his brother was filled with anger because his heart was not in submission to God's plans but rather his own selfish plans. And often times the world around us become another obstacle, another voice to tune out, in our pursuit of freedom.

What giant is cursing at you? What fellow brother is calling you names because they cannot see what God sees in you? Will we go back to the sheep? Or will we fight the enemy of our souls?

The course of a nation’s freedom rested in the rocks that David threw at Goliath. A king gave a shepherd a chance at glory because of something in his words and something in the way he commanded himself. And then a king watched as a boy took a victory that by all odds seemed impossible. What giant, Brother, King and nation is watching you? Although no Philistine army is knocking down my door, I have been given the weapons to defeat strongholds that will in fact change the course of history. Will I go back to my few sheep or will I take the rocks that God has given me and defeat the giant?

I had a very disturbing dream last Wednesday. My son was outside in the back yard and behind him was a massive demonic looking bear. His nose was pointy and his teeth were bared. He was growing in size and about to attack. I ran to the window and started screaming at the bear, to get his attention and to come after me instead. It was in this helpless moment that I awoke. No resolution.

Later that day in prayer I saw that image again of that demonic bear but this time instead of screaming at it. God handed me a bunch of rocks. I didn’t immediately know what to do with them and asked. “What are these, what am I supposed to do with them?” He told me to defeat the bear. At first I questioned the method but then I realized I hadn't previously question my inadequate method of screaming at it and telling it to go away, and that was very ineffective. I had a handful of rocks. I asked another question. “What is my bear, what is my enemy?” God just stepped out of the way and one by one, the unmasked bears appeared. They were my enemies, the things my ultimate enemy had sent to destroy me. I took the first rock and I threw it as hard as I could and I said “In the name of Jesus, Who is my rock and my strong tower I defeat you, Financial Problems!” I took another and threw it at another enemy, The Fear of Losing my Family. I threw another rock at Shame, Regret, at Pride, Selfishness, at Jealousy, Laziness, at Health Problems, Marriage Problems, at Strife, Exhaustion, at addiction, Anger, at Cruel Words and Self Hate, and at Lies.

 

I thought God had given me too many rocks at first but I soon realized that he would give me as many rocks as I needed to defeat these obstacles in my path. I felt helpless screaming at my bear as I watched it trying to take my family from me. But now as I realized the warrior inside of me, I knew that as long as I fought for the freedom of the captives and the glory of God that I could not lose.

 

My struggles are stronger than me, but my God is mightier than them. David learned that sometimes God’s way of delivering us out of terrible circumstances is not simply to take us out of the fight but to allow us to be trained in those moments for a bigger battle ahead. To equip us, to teach us and to lead us into battle.

 

Are we fighting on our knees in prayer for our families as much as we are screaming at the wind in frustration? Have we picked up the right cause? Do we fight for the freedom from our sins and the glory for God, or are we just fighting for our selfish rights? David had authority because he was in God’s authority. His enemy had no size other than this, “HE WAS SMALLER THAN HIS GOD” Our enemy is smaller than our God and if we can turn our hearts and ask God to purify us and make us right with him, he will equip us with the stones to throw at our enemy. But God won’t arm us if we are in the mood to throw stones at the wrong target. We tend to lob our stones at those we love and those who need love (and grace) rather than at the enemy of our souls. And even if we have our enemy in our sights, we tend to scream at him in our selfishness and self-protective nature rather than to pick up the stones that God would equip us with if we humbled ourselves before Him.

 

I often fight the wrong enemy just as Eliab (David's Brother) wanted to fight with David. I find myself throwing stones at my husband, children, neighbors, co workers, friends and basically the whole world, because they offend me or they don't appreciate me, or treat me the way I want to be treated, or respected the way I deserve. I am fighting for me in those moments and God will not honor that self serving fight for rights.  Eliab had been on the front lines, trained and equipped by human standards and here comes little brother who thinks he can save the day. So he throws his stones. How many times have we found ourselves serving the enemies purposes and fighting for the wrong side? Do not be deceived by the enemy and start picking up his stones to throw at just anyone who gets in the way of your pride.   

Be a David who learns how to be a true warrior. With a teachable spirit, a humble heart. A worshiper who seeks God, who does not stray away from the fight but aggressively attacks the Lion and Bear and Giant in the authority of God for the purposes of God.

 Not a Saul: who keeps offering a mighty prize to whomever can kill his giant for him. Hiding behind the idea that someday God will deliver his people.

Not an Eliab : who wants the spoils of victory, who lusts after the earthly prize and claims to be a follower of God, hiding behind the lines of defense and cursing those who desire to fight the giant for God all because of jealousy.

And not the whole army of Israel: who stood and let one man spout out curses to them and their God. While trembling in fear at the might of a deceiver.

The enemy will bring a giant, a bear, a lion, a disease, a tragedy, a conflict, anything he can to make our hearts stand still, frozen in our own inadequacy. But David so boldly proclaimed in 1 Samuel 17:45-47  to the enemy:

⁴⁵  “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. ⁴⁶ This day the Lord will deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. This very day I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds and the wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. ⁴⁷ All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.”

 Are you ready to say this to your giant? Prepare your heart, get it where God asks it to be in submission to him, and he will hand you your stones.

The question isn’t are you ready to start a fight. The question isn’t about beginning to fight because you have already been fighting too long. Most of us are tired from the constant battle. The question is, are you ready to start winning?