A
daily, Bible-based perspective of hope, encouragement and
exhortation.
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.
Send
a message to Stephen
& Brooksyne
To receive the
"Daily Encouragement" each Monday-Friday
through email see this
page to subscribe to our email list. You can also
subscribe to the Wordpress rss feed or
through a Wordpress email subscription.
(See the email subscription on the right side
after opening this page)
Permissions:
Please feel free to pass on, reproduce and
distribute any material on Daily Encouragement
Net, in part or in whole, in any format,
provided that you do not alter the wording in
any way or charge a fee beyond the cost of
reproduction. It is our desire to spread this
material, not protect or restrict it. We do
request that you keep the contact, copyright and subscription
information intact.
We want to thank all who financially
support our ministry. We
realize there are many fine ministries and
causes requesting support but if the Lord
would lead you we surely need and appreciate
the financial support from our readers and
listeners. Our
ministry labor is comprised of approximately
half our time to Daily Encouragement and the
other half to our chaplaincy ministry to
companies for which we receive compensation.
Each of these ministries essentially is the
same as a part-time job (20+ hours weekly) for
each of us. Our goal for many years is that
each would provide half of our ministry
expenses and income.
If you would consider making a donation to our ministry see here for more information.
To donate directly online here. This will open to a page that designates the offering to: WEBER,STEPHEN CHAP, Specialized Chaplaincy Ministry ID: 700001-237376
If you would consider making a donation to our ministry see here for more information.
To donate directly online here. This will open to a page that designates the offering to: WEBER,STEPHEN CHAP, Specialized Chaplaincy Ministry ID: 700001-237376
Please Note: We
also provide this easy option due to the
convenience, for international supporters,
and for those who may not be concerned
regarding receiving an official tax
deductible receipt. Click here to
send an offering using PayPal. This
will open to a page that states "Brooksyne
Weber".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."
© Copyright 2021 Stephen C. & Brooksyne
Weber - All Rights Reserved
Daily Encouragement Net - 495 Kraybill Church Road - Mount Joy, PA 17552 USA
Daily Encouragement Net - 495 Kraybill Church Road - Mount Joy, PA 17552 USA