The Way of the Cross (13)

Facing Your Giants. It's something you hear all the time, isn't it? You're up against your Goliath, whatever it might be - sickness, unemployment, stress, family troubles, work, poverty - but just be like David, stand up to your giant and you'll win through. The underdog armed with a slingshot and stones can defeat whatever your pertinent problem might be.

It might be the way you hear the story, but that's not why David and Goliath is recorded in the Scripture for our learning and encouragement. You see, while this might come as a surprise, you aren't David in the story. In fact, to find yourself in the story, look over David's shoulder, at the men of Israel cowering in fear, frightened by the great enemy of God's people.

For forty days, morning and evening, the mighty Goliath of Gath, the Philistine, has came out from the camp and uttered his challenge. One to one, hand to hand fighting. The winner takes the victory.

For forty days, morning and evening, the men of Israel have been dismayed and greatly afraid. Not just the men of Israel, but the King of Israel too. Saul hasn't been very effective these last months, ever since his persistent rebellion against the LORD. The LORD no longer seems to be with him. Who can possibly save Israel from this great danger?

Saul may have lost the Lord's power, but there comes to the camp one who is the Lord's anointed. In the previous chapter, Samuel the prophet came to Bethlehem to anoint the new king, rejecting the first seven sons of Jesse. David was so unlikely, he hadn't even been called in for 'King Factor'. Yet he is the man after God's own heart, he is the one anointed to lead and save God's people.

Despite being mocked, rejected, and looking completely unlikely for the job, David goes out and takes his stand against the nine-foot giant.

"You come to me with a sword and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. this day the LORD will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head. And I will give the dead bodies of the host of the Philistines this day to the birds of the air and to the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, and that all this assembly may know that the LORD saves not with sword and spear. For the battle is the LORD's, and he will give you into our hand." (1 Samuel 17:45-47)

David, the Lord's anointed, wins the battle, toppling the giant, and defeating the greatest enemy to the people of God. That's why you aren't David - because it took the anointed to do for the people of God what they could not do themselves.

In the same way, The Anointed, The Messiah, The Christ, by himself, stepped up to face the enemy we could not face ourselves - death. The Lord Jesus took on death, and defeated it - the one for the many. Jesus did it on our behalf, so that our enemy has been destroyed.

David and Goliath isn't written to encourage us to face our giants, but rather points to the Lord's anointed, who faces our giants on our behalf, and gives us the victory - what grace that we can share in his victory, having contributed nothing to the effort!

What a transformation we find from the start of the chapter to the end - the people of God were dismayed and greatly afraid as they saw their enemy. By the end of the chapter, 'the men of Israel and Judah rose with a shout and pursued the Philistines as far as Gath... and the people of Israel came back from chasing the Philistines, and they plundered their camp.' (1 Sam 17:52-53). David won the victory, and the people shared the rewards of winning.

Jesus has faced our giant, we stand on the winning team, and share in his blessings.

Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Cor 15:57)

Weekending

No updates over the weekend, as we had our Church Weekend down in the Glenada Centre in Newcastle. A great weekend, which will long be remembered. Our speaker was Shaun Atkins, Chaplain of The Bedford School, who took us through 1 Samuel 17, looking at David, Goliath and Christ.

Poor exegesis and application in Sunday Schools and sermons normally places the reader as David, facing your giants, and knowing that you'll overcome them through five smooth stones (which, depending on the preacher's ingenuity, will be faith, Bible reading, prayer, church attendance and whatever...). If the Old Testament (indeed the whole of Scripture) is about Jesus - not us - then we shouldn't be cast as David; we're more likely among the Israelite army cowering afraid.

David is a type of Jesus, pointing forward to the work of Christ in taking on the enemy of God's people - our great enemy, death. Jesus has won the great victory, through the unexpected success of the cross. We can then share in the victory of our great king, the Lord's anointed chosen ruler.

The weekend gave us great teaching, and a good re-introduction to 1 Samuel, but there was much more than that. The value of the weekend is the time spent with brothers and sisters in the church family. Time to relax and chat over rivers of tea and coffee and a mountain of buns and cakes. Best of all may have been the talent show on the Saturday evening, with music, quiz, comedy and a special appearance of Mr Stretchy! We'll never look at some people in the same way again!!!

So a deferred day off tomorrow after a busy weekend as I was in full techy mode on recordings and PowerPoint duty. The mp3s from the four main sessions will be available online sometime later this week. And so to bed...

The Auld Enemy (3)

We've been thinking this week about the enemies of God's people, the Amalekites. God had declared them his enemies, and sanctioned the warfare with them through the centuries until the memory of them is blotted out. Eventually, Israel has a King, and it looks like he will obey God's command and defeat his enemies.

'And [Saul] did valiantly and struck the Amalekites and delivered Israel out of the hands of those who plundered them.' (1 Samuel 14:48) A promising sign indeed. And then it all goes horribly wrong.

God's command is simple: "Thus says the LORD of hosts, 'I have noted what Amalek did to Israel in opposing them on the way when they came up out of Egypt. Now go and strike Amalek and devote to destruction all that they have. Do not spare them, but kill both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.'" (1 Samuel 15:2-3).

While we may find it difficult that God commands such widespread slaughter, not just of animals but also people, it is clear that this is the action of a just and gracious God. The Amalekites had been consistently oppressing the people of God, and the measure of their sins was full. God's wrath comes slow, but when it falls, it surely comes.

But Saul failed to carry through his orders. Missing the 'all', he spared their king, Agag, and some of the best of the sheep and the oxen and the fattened calves and the lambs (1 Samuel 15:8-9).

Saul, the protector and leader of God's people fails in his task. Because of his disobedience and rejection of God's commands, God rejects him as king, and thus David is anointed for the top job. 'Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams.' (1 Samuel 15:22)

Samuel himself kills Agag, and yet some Amalekites live to see another day, to yet again oppose the people of God... In that generation, with a raid on David's family at Ziklag, and had carried off David and his men's wives, sons and daughters to be captives. David attacked, leaving just 400 Amalekites to ride off to safety on camels (1 Samuel 30:17). Yet, in another generation an Amalekite will seek to destroy the children of Israel and the Messianic line for good...

Faithful Midwives

The names Shiphrah and Puah may not mean much to you, but they were two remarkable women in their generation. You see, these two ladies were the Hebrew midwives when the king of Egypt told them to murder the sons born to the children of Israel. Imagine - the slaughter of innocents at birth - legislated and commanded by the state.

'But the midwives feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but let the male children live.' (Exodus 1:17). The fear of Pharaoh meant nothing to them when their conscience was stricken with the fear of God. The king's command meant nothing compared to the command of the King of Kings. As the apostles declared before the Sanhedrin: "We must obey God rather than men." (Acts 5:29).

Are there situations when we find ourselves in conflict between the laws of the state and the law of God? Let us find encouragement to follow the example of Shiphrah and Puah to take a stand for truth, when it truly is a matter of principle.

We find that God honours those who honour him (1 Samuel 2:30), to the extent that the midwives gave birth themselves. Those who were responsible for helping others give birth, were blessed with children themselves. (Exodus 1:21)

Amazing Grace

Last night we were continuing our Fellowship Group in the Book of Ruth. After the devastation of chapter 1, in which Naomi loses virtually everything - home, husband, sons, food, land - yet vitally gains a faithful daughter-in-law, Ruth, and clings to her flickering faith, chapter 2 provides some relief, in the over-abundance of favour shown by their worthy relative, Boaz.

That word favour is the same as 'grace' - the unmerited, undeserved blessing and pleasure of God. In 2:2, Ruth goes out to glean 'after him in whose sight I find favour.' She finds this favour in the eyes of Boaz, who provides for her, protects her, ensures she prospers, and cares for her. Twice, she remarks on the amazingness of this favour: 'Why have I found such favour in your eyes, that you should take notice of me, since I am a foreigner?' (2:10); 'I have found favour in your eyes, my lord, for you have comforted me and spoken kindly to your servant, though I am not one of your servants.' (2:13)

The favour or grace that Ruth finds from Boaz is a small picture of the abundant, amazing grace that God showers on those He loves. You see, often we have this false picture of God which states that the God of the Old Testament is wrathful and angry and loves to smite people, but that Jesus in the New Testament is a much more likeable character, full of love and mercy and grace.

The Bible simply will not allow us to hold this false picture. On the one hand, Jesus speaks more about hell and eternal punishment than anyone else. And, as we see when we survey the Hebrew Scriptures of the Old Testament, that Yahweh, Jehovah, the capital letters LORD is gracious and merciful.

But Noah found favour in the eyes of the LORD. (Genesis 6:8)

Behold, your servant has found favour in your sight, and you have shown me great kindness in saving my life. - Lot (Genesis 19:19)

But the LORD was with Joseph and showed him steadfast love and gave him favour in the sight of the keeper of the prison. (Genesis 39:21)

And the LORD said to Moses, "This very thing that you have spoken I will do, for you have found favour in my sight, and I know you by name." (Exodus 33:17)

And (Gideon) said to him, "If now I have found favour in your eyes, then show me a sign that it is you who speak with me." (Judges 6:17)

Now the young man Samuel continued to grow both in stature and in favour with the LORD and also with man. (1 Samuel 2:26)

Then Jehoahaz sought the favour of the LORD, and the LORD listened to him, for he saw the oppression of Israel, how the king of Syria oppressed them. (2 Kings 13:4)

Truly, amazing grace!

Hallelujah

So the X-Factor's Alexandra Burke has made it to Number One with her over-the-top version of 'Hallelujah'. For the first time in ages, I've actually been mildly interested in what the UK's top song was. But mostly because I wanted the top spot to go to the Jeff Buckley version. I didn't think it was possible, as I've been watching I-Tunes during the week, and Alexandra was up there.

But you might be wondering what the song is all about. Leonard Cohen's own version of the 'Hallelujah Chorus' might seem straightforward enough, but what about the rest? Well, we actually have some biblical events sneaking into the chart-topper. David's secret chord refers to his lyre, which he played for King Saul (when Saul was still the king of Israel), when Saul was afflicted by an evil spirit. 'And whenever the evil spirit from God was upon Saul, David took the lyre and played it with his hand. So Saul was refreshed and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him.' (1 Samuel 16:23).

David also features in part of the second verse, where he sees Bathsheba bathing on the roof. That is, when David should have been off leading his troops into battle (2 Samuel 11:2). One thing leads to another, in a slippery slope of sin, from seeing her bathing, to having her in his bed (adultery), to making her pregnant, to trying deception by recalling Bathsheba's husband Uriah the Hittite from the battle in the hope he would have sex with his wife. Uriah, however was more noble than David, and refused to enjoy conjugal rights when his brother-soldiers were still encamped in the fields around Rabbah. And so David turned to murder - albeit by the hands of the Ammonites. (And they allow this stuff to be in the Bible! It's like a Christmas special episode of Coronation Street or Eastenders...)

Cohen mixed his biblical allusions, though, because I don't think that Bathsheba was known as a hairdresser. She didn't cut any hair, but over in Judges we find a famous chop. Delilah was a Philistine, and she seduced Samson, who was one of the Judges of Israel - the God-empowered leaders who delivered God's people from their enemies. He had long hair, which was the secret of his strength - it being a visible sign of the vow he was under as a Nazirite, and eventually after a lot of nagging, Samson told Delilah his secret. So she cut his hair, and he lost a lot more than his flowing locks - his freedom, and his eyes.

So there we are - it's a cold and a broken Hallelujah - the cost of love, it appears. Something which is overwhelmed by Alexandra's powerful voice, and so the song isn't presented as it should. Buckley all the way, even if it's just Number 2 this Christmas time!

Sermon Audio: Micah 5: 1-6 The New King

On Sunday night we were looking at Micah's prophecy of a new king, who would come from Bethlehem. Another in our Advent series looking at the expectation of Israel.




Download this sermon

Sermon Audio

Over the coming months, we're hoping to be able to provide sermon audio from Dundonald. As a test run, here's the mp3 file of my first sermon (as curate) in the parish. Feedback on the sermon, as well as the format will be greatly appreciated.

The sermon was entitled 'A Promising Start' - an exposition of 1 Samuel 11:1-15, looking at the beginning of Saul's reign as King of Israel.




080810pm 1 Samuel 11 A Promising Start Gary McMurray.mp3

A Promising Start! 1 Samuel 11:1-15 Sermon in St Elizabeth's Church, Dundonald on Sunday evening 10th August 2008

He’ll not be any good. What can he do for us? With a new leader, all eyes are on them for the first few weeks. Indeed, a year into Gordon Brown being Prime Minister, people are still trying to get rid of him. Trying to size them up. Trying to work out what they’re really like. If they’ll be up to the job at hand.

Tonight, we’re thinking about Saul’s kingship, and specifically his first battle. Initially, we’ll see that Saul starts well. What a contrast to his downward pattern in the weeks to come. So what was it that makes Saul’s start a promising one? And as we look at the passage, let’s also be looking for the marks of a good leader of God’s people. What should we be looking for in leaders, and what should we be praying for them?

As we approach the passage tonight, it’s good to have the key question before us. In some ways, it is the challenge that this chapter answers. Look with me at chapter 10:27. ‘But some worthless fellows said, “How can this man save us?” And they despised him and brought him no present. But he held his peace.’

Saul had just been crowned as the first king over Israel. Yet some of his new subjects weren’t pleased with him. After all, rather than being bold, he had hidden himself among the baggage. Despite him being head and shoulders bigger than the rest of the men, he didn’t seem much of a leader.

Yet here again, the men are falling into the same sin of rebellion against God – looking to the man, as if he was their hope and their security, while all the time forgetting about God.

Perhaps we do the same, don’t we, when we have new colleagues at work, or a new curate! Indeed, it was the same for some in the early church, when they encountered the Apostle Paul. People thought he wasn’t good for much. His opponents in Corinth – ‘His letters are weighty and strong, but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech is of no account.’ (2 Cor 10:10). Or think of his own testimony in 1 Corinthians 2:3 ‘And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom…’

As we’ll see, though, we continue in sin if we place our trust in our leaders – even God-given leaders. Rather, our trust should be in God.

1. Who can save?

Saul’s first test, therefore, came about when a town in Israel was besieged. Jabesh-Gilead was a town on the east of the Jordan river, separated by the water from the rest of Israel, part of the original conquest before Israel crossed the river into the promised land. In order to help us see what’s going on at Jabesh-Gilead, it’s necessary to understand the recent history.

Saul was the first king of Israel, as I’ve said. Before him, Israel was led by judges, one-off leaders who were appointed by God to lead the nation in a time of difficulty. The pattern seemed to be that Israel would be comfortable, then would slip into sin. God would send an enemy against them to call them back, Israel would repent and call on God to save them, and the judge would be sent to lead and save the people. Then it would start all over again.

During this period, as the writer of Judges says, ‘ In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.’ (Judges 21:25). We can see this in the events unfolded in Judges 19-21. A Levite and his concubine had been travelling from Bethlehem to Ephraim, when they stopped over in Gibeah (the home town of Saul). But then worthless fellows come to the house they are staying in and assault and abuse the woman, so that she dies.

In order to summon Israel to right this injustice, the Levite gruesomely hacks his concubine’s body into twelve pieces and sends them to the tribes of Israel. Israel then goes to war against Benjamin, and defeats it. In sorrow, the other tribes then seek to devise a way of allowing the remaining men of Benjamin to have wives. It turns out that the men of Jabesh-Gilead hadn’t appeared at the assembly, so Israel attacks them, and takes their daughters to provide wives for the men of Benjamin.

In many ways it seems to have been independent, so that in Judges 21 when all Israel was called together to judge the tribe of Benjamin for its shameful treatment of the Levite and his concubine, the men of Jabesh-Gilead hadn’t turned up.

Maybe it was this independent attitude again, or maybe they thought that no one would help them – having previously been attacked by the other tribes. Whatever it was, whenever the Ammonites came and besieged them, they quickly wanted to surrender. They were ready to compromise straight away. No thought of their fellow countrymen, nor of their God.

It’s interesting to note, therefore, that it’s their enemy who reminds them of who they are. Look at verse 2. ‘”On this condition I will make a treaty with you, that I gouge out all your right eyes, and thus bring disgrace on all Israel.”’ The terms of surrender would be their right eyes – a way of disfiguring them, and making them less than whole. To lose an eye would make them useless in battle, with their left eye behind their shield. But more than that, it would cause shame and disgrace on Israel if this were to happen to the people of one of its towns.

Note also, that Nahash reminds them that they are part of the people of Israel. As if the people of Jabesh could have forgotten. It’s only now that they remember their fellow Israelites, and a possible way of rescue. But look even at what they say in verse 3. ‘”Give us seven days respite that we may send messengers through all the territory of Israel. Then, if there is no one to save us, we will give ourselves up to you.’”

The people of God are in a terrible situation. Besieged by enemies. Threatened with violence. Yet still they refuse to turn to God. Instead they look for some one else to save them. At least the people of Jabesh knew they needed a saviour, even if they were looking in the wrong places. Many in our own land tonight don’t even realise their need of the Saviour.

2. Saul the saviour?

News spreads throughout Israel, bringing the terror home to the towns and villages, as the messengers travel. In every place, it is met by tears and sorrow. Not much action though. As one commentator notes, Saul has a habit of making a dramatic entrance. Again, he’s missing from the scene – not hiding among the baggage this time, but out ploughing with his oxen. On hearing the news and seeing the sadness, Saul is stirred to action.

We’re told in verse 6 that ‘the Spirit of God rushed upon Saul when he heard these words, and his anger was greatly kindled.’ There’s the repeat of his previous experience – the Spirit of God rushing upon him (c.f. 10:10). Let us never forget that God is passionate, firstly for his own glory, but also for his people. We’re reminded so often about God’s love, but it’s also important to recall God’s anger and hatred of sin and injustice, which is just as much a part of the Gospel as God’s love.

Notice also that the Spirit of God moves Saul into action. Far too many Christians imagine that God gives us his Holy Spirit to give us a warm fuzzy feeling in our hearts. But the Spirit is given to move us to action, to mission, to service in the world.

As we read of Saul’s actions today, they may seem a bit gruesome. See how he takes the oxen he had been ploughing with, and hacks them into pieces, and sends off his amateur butchery to the tribes of Israel. (Here again we have echoes of the episode in Judges – only this time it’s the oxen that are butchered). This was a costly action for Saul, investing his own possessions in the struggle. But it was also the summons for Israel to come and follow him to war. If anyone didn’t come along, then their livelihood would similarly suffer.

The recruiting campaign seems to have been successful, with three hundred thousand from Israel, and another thirty thousand from Judah. Could Saul be the saviour after all? Things are looking up for Israel, and they’re also looking up for Jabesh-Gilead, with the message that they will have deliverance by the time the sun is hot tomorrow.

In order to throw the besiegers off course, and to relax them, the men of Jabesh-Gilead tell their attackers that they will surrender tomorrow. Obviously the Ammonites weren’t expecting a battle, and were unprepared when Saul and his three companies come to attack. The result? Complete success. The Ammonites are defeated, and either slaughtered or scattered, and Jabesh-Gilead has been saved.

3. God the Saviour

For most Israelites that day, it seemed that Saul had vindicated himself. Obviously Saul was able to reign, given that he was the one who had saved Jabesh-Gilead from the Ammonites. After all, he was able to answer the challenge of Jabesh – if there is no one to save us, we will give ourselves up to you. More than that, he was able to answer the challenge we thought of at the very start – ‘How can this man save us?’

In verse twelve, then, in the aftermath of the battle, as the dust settles, we see Israel embracing Saul as its saviour, its hope. So much so that it now seeks to defend his honour by putting to death the men who opposed his kingship.

But look at what Saul says in verse 13. He steps into the debate and reminds the people of where their true focus should be. Rather than focusing on Saul as their rescuer and deliverer, he points them back to the LORD, the true saviour.

When the men of Jabesh-Gilead had been in trouble, they looked for some one to rescue them. When Saul’s opponents had sized him up, they thought he would be unable to save them. They were quite right, from the human perspective.

But the secret of Saul’s promising start was that he was God’s man, doing the work of the Lord, in full trust of him. After all, wasn’t it the Spirit of God who had come upon Saul, inspiring him and calling him to action? Wasn’t it God who had brought out the huge army after Saul, when the dread of the LORD fell upon the people? Wasn’t it God who had guided the battle, and won the victory?

As Saul states clearly in verse 13: ‘Not a man shall be put to death this day, for today the LORD has worked salvation in Israel.’ Today the LORD has worked salvation in Israel. In recognition of this, the people of Israel return to Gilgal and renew the kingdom, making Saul king again, and sacrificing to the LORD in that place.

Once again, geography has something important to share here. Sometimes when we’re reading through the Bible, we just read the place names and maybe vaguely recognise them, but they don’t mean very much to us. Earlier, I said that Jabesh-Gilead was on the east of the Jordan. This was the land that had been conquered before the people passed over the river into the Promised Land. So most of Israel had to cross the Jordan to go and fight for Jabesh. When Samuel calls the people to go to Gilgal to renew the kingdom, it’s back across on the other side (western shore). In fact, Gilgal was the place where Joshua had built the twelve memorial stones from the river bed as a reminder of crossing the Jordan on dry land. It was also the place where the first Passover in the land was celebrated. Can you see how significant for Israel Gilgal was? It’s back where they first set foot in the land, and again, they renew the kingdom here. It’s as if they are starting afresh under God, back in the promised land.

Saul had a promising start in leadership because he obeyed the command of God, through the Spirit’s prompting, and because he gave all the glory to God, in pointing to the God who saves. We see his humility, his willingness to serve and his commitment.

These are the qualities, the characteristics that we should be looking for in our leadership. Will you join with me in praying for these very things? Oh how we need them. But more than that – in the passage we also see the benefits to God’s people when the leaders are obeying God’s command and pointing to the God who saves.

First, we see a unity among the people – ‘they came out as one man’. We also see gladness, joy – ‘Saul and all the men of Israel rejoiced greatly.’ We have already thought of how the people return to the LORD through this period as well. Aren’t these the things we want to see in our church family as well?

I have to admit that this was a daunting passage to preach for my first sermon here, and yet, it stands as a good pointer for us all of good leadership. Like Saul, some of you may say of me, well, what can he do? How can he save us?

The answer, my friends, is that I cannot. You will quickly spot my weaknesses and failings. But just like Saul, I will always be pointing you to God, the Saviour, the one who can save, the Lord Jesus.

So long as we seek to put our trust in our leaders, we will be frustrated. Instead, my focus, and I pray your focus, will always and only be on the Lord Jesus, the Saviour, because he has done all that is needed for our salvation. We just need to call out to him.

Earlier I read from what the apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthians, and I want to expand the quotation to ask you again to look to the Saviour.

‘And I, when I came to you brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.’ (1 Cor 2:1-5).

May we all have a promising start, and also a faithful ending!

Redding Out

The word in the title may not be a proper word, but it's a phrase you would hear about home. We're just going to redd out the cupboard, meaning to clear it out, or gut it. Or at the end of a work shift, you would redd up. Not sure if it should be spelt read (as in I read a book last week, past tense).

By and however, I've been redding out my college room this evening. Just two evenings left in Dublin now, and I'll be doing exams the next two afternoons, and then the farewell Communion service and dinner. So any spare moment is gladly snatched to do some clearing. Cupboards that have been ignored all year are opened to see what they contain, and papers I won't need are set aside for recycling.

The joy of such task is that you never know what you might find. For me, the greatest joy wasn't in finding some money in an envelope (no, not a brown envelope...), but rather in coming across the cards, letters and notes that I received in my first term here three years ago. Reading again the warm wishes and prayerful words was truly a serendipity - I wasn't expecting to see them this evening, but I'm glad I have. So while other things are left behind or chucked out, these cards and letters will go with me to pastures new, reminders of where I have come from, and how God has led me on.

In moving on, it's important to not forget how God has been gracious and faithful in the past. After all, it's one of the lessons we see in the Old Testament, as the children of Israel come out of Egypt and move into the promised land (eventually).

It's what is happening in Joshua 4, when the twelve stones are set up on the bank of the Jordan. 'When your children ask in time to come, "What do these stones mean to you?" then you shall tell them that the waters of Jordan were cut off before the ark of the LORD. When it passed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. So there stones shall be to the people of Israel a memorial for ever.' (Josh 4:6-7)

Or think of Ebenezer. No, not Ebenezer Scrooge in Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. In 1 Samuel 7:12, Samuel takes up a stone as a memorial of victory in battle against the Philistines. Its name was Ebenezer, because it means 'Thus far has the Lord helped us.'

As I prepare to finish in Dublin, I can declare Ebenezer - Thus far has the LORD helped us.' And so he will continue, for He is a faithful God.

Standing for God - A sermon preached in Ballyward and Rathfriland on 18th November 2007. Daniel 6

I want to ask you a question today. If the government made it illegal to pray, would it make any difference to you? Would there be enough evidence to convict you?

In our Old Testament reading today, we heard of events in Babylon during the reign of King Darius. The king made a law that said you weren’t allowed to pray to God or to a false god or to any person, except the king. As we think about what happened, we’ll see how Daniel stands up for God, even when it is dangerous and unpopular.

Daniel, you might remember, was a young man from Judah who was carried away to Babylon when Jerusalem was destroyed by its enemies. The book of Daniel records some of the events of his life, as he and his friends (Shadrach, Meschach and Abednego) stood up for God away from home.

By the time we come to today’s reading, Daniel is an older man, and helps the king to run the country. He’s like one of the top civil servants in the country, or something like the Prime Minister or First Minister.

If you were listening closely, you will have heard that Daniel was very good at his job, so that the king was going to put him into the top job alone. But you know what? His colleagues and fellow-workers didn’t like this, and didn’t like him. His good work showed up their bad work. His work life was a witness to his faith in God.

So they planned to ambush him. They needed to find something to bring him down. Something to have him removed from his job. But what? There was no corruption, nothing that he had done wrong. Until they realised that they could attack him through his faith.

His colleagues got the king to pass the law banning all prayers (except to the king) for the next month. Imagine it, thirty days without prayer! You’ve maybe heard the old phrase that ‘seven days without prayer makes one weak.’ What would Daniel do for thirty days?

Look at verse 10. There we see his response to the problem. He doesn’t launch a protest march, or a letter-writing campaign, or complain to the rector. What does he do? ‘Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened towards Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before.’

Law or no law, Daniel would not be stopped from praying! More than that, when the men go to catch him praying, they find him ‘praying and asking God for help.’ It was probably the easiest crime ever solved. The law said you couldn’t pray; the men went to Daniel’s house and found him praying. Case closed. And what would the punishment be?

The law stated clearly – thrown into the lions’ den. Despite the king trying to find a way to stop it, he could do nothing. The law said it, so it must happen. Daniel would be thrown to the lions. Even thought the king did it reluctantly, notice that he expresses some hope or trust in God himself – “May your God, whom you serve continually, rescue you!” The king who had banned prayer was praying himself!

When I was preparing for this morning, I was struck by the forward hint of Jesus’ death. Look at verse 17. ‘A stone was brought and placed over the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the ring of his nobles, so that Daniel’s situation may not be changed.’ Does it remind you of how Pilate and the chief priests sealed Jesus’ tomb? ‘So they went and made the tomb secure by putting a seal on the stone and posting a guard.’ (Matthew 27:66)

What would happen? Would God save Daniel? How could it happen? I know this story is probably very familiar to you, and you’ve heard it many times, but try to hear it again for the first time.

It seems that Daniel spent a better night than the king. Daniel was in the den of lions, whereas the king couldn’t eat or drink, and he didn’t even want any entertainment. I don’t think this meant that he didn’t play on his Nintendo Wii or his Playstation, but he didn’t have a happy night. Then he couldn’t even sleep, he was so worried about Daniel.

Early the next morning, he rushes to the den of lions and shouts out to Daniel – if you’re in there, let me know! ‘Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to rescue you from the lions?’ Would Daniel answer? Or had he been eaten for supper by the lions?

Then amazingly, Daniel’s voice echoes out of the den of lions, answering the king! ‘O king, live for ever! My God sent his angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions.’ Isn’t this great? Daniel wasn’t left alone to avoid the jaws of the hungry lions. God intervened to save him, to stop the lions from eating him. Remember, it wasn’t because the lions weren’t hungry that they didn’t eat him – later when his accusers are thrown to the lions they are overpowered before they even reach the bottom of the den. Only God could have saved and rescued Daniel.

If you were looking closely, you might even find another forward picture of Jesus. Remember how Daniel had been put in the den, and the entrance stone sealed? Think of verse 23. ‘The king was overjoyed and gave orders to lift Daniel out of the den. And when Daniel was lifted from the den, no would was found on him, because he had trusted in his God.’ Daniel was lifted, or raised from the den. We see an image of Jesus’ death and resurrection in Daniel.

But for today – what does the reading mean for us? What difference will it make to you and me? Firstly, there’s the challenge of the working witness. How would your colleagues fare if they were trying to bring you down? Are your business dealings above board? Or in school, is all the work you do your own? Do you cheat, or study?

There’s also the challenge of our evidence as Christians. As I asked at the start, if you were charged with being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you? How important is your prayer life? Daniel prayed three times a day – but once would be a good place to start! A regular pattern or routine can help get started. It isn’t easy, but stick at it. God delights to hear our prayers.

These challenges all come under the main point, though. The call today is to stand for God, trusting in him, even when things are difficult – especially when times are hard. Despite facing the threat of the lions den, Daniel kept praying to his God. Remember those words from the end of verse 23. ‘No wound was found on him because he had trusted in his God.’

By trusting in God, Daniel had been saved. In the book of James it says this – ‘Come near to God and he will come near to you.’ (James 4:8), and in 1 Samuel 2:30, God says – ‘Those who honour me, I will honour.’

Are you standing for God today? The real hero in our reading today is not Daniel. Yes, we should be like him and do what he did. But the real hero in our reading today is – God. He is the one who reaches out and rescues Daniel. If God can shut the mouths of hungry lions for Daniel, then what can he do for you? Nothing is too difficult for him. Will you stand for God, and see what God will do for you?

Who is the King? - A Sermon preached in Holy Trinity Church, Dromore (Tyrone) on 5th August 2007. 1 Samuel 12:1-25

If God was in the dock, what would you accuse him of? If you had your day in court, how would things turn out?

In our reading this morning, we find Samuel convening a court case, as it were, between the people of Israel, and God. But as we’ll see, when we have God in the dock, it is actually us who are the accused.

Picture the scene. The Israelites have confirmed Saul as king at Gilgal, and they’re having a party to celebrate. Then Samuel stands up for, what the NIV heading calls ‘Samuel’s farewell speech’ (even though he is far from finished).

Samuel had been the leader of the people of Israel from his youth. He was the boy who had heard God’s voice in the temple at Shiloh, and had grown to be the leader of the people. In many ways, he was God’s representative, God’s spokesman.

So into the middle of the celebrations, he gathers the people together for what goes on in this chapter. The opening verses might seem a bit strange, as he asks if he has taken anyone’s ox or donkey, or if he has cheated or been bribed. But if you look at verse 3, he is establishing his credentials as a witness.

If you’re called to court to give your witness, they will make sure you’re going to tell the truth – by making you swear on the Bible, perhaps. But here, Samuel gives his record as a leader as the basis for the truth of what he is going to say. Because he hasn’t lied or cheated or stolen in the past, then they are going to have to listen to his testimony now!

(But there’s more going on here. Verse 3 tells how he led the people – with justice and fairness. It is in contrast to the warning he gave the people in 1 Samuel 8 about what the future king would be like – ‘he will take your sons and make them serve with his chariots and horses… he will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. He will take the best of your field and vineyards and olive groves … He will take a tenth of your grain … He will take a tenth of your flocks’ (1 Sam 8:11-18).)

Can you see the language of the court there – testify (3), witness (5), evidence (7). But rather than God being in the dock, accused; it is the people who are the accused. Samuel is going to (verse 7) ‘confront you with evidence … as to all the righteous acts performed by the LORD for you and your fathers.’ Why are they the accused? Well, because of how they have acted under God’s kingship.

Samuel launches into the familiar story of the people of Israel, reminding them (and us) of their past. Of how in Egypt, the people cried out for help to the LORD, and he rescued them by sending Moses and Aaron. The people of Israel were saved from Egypt and brought into the promised land.

Surely now they would obey God? Surely not – verse 9 shows how they forgot God when they were in the promised land. God had warned them before they entered the land of the consequences of forgetting him, yet they turned around and forgot him! So they came under attack from Sisera, and the Philistines, and the Moabites.

These enemies didn’t all attack at once, though. If you’ve read the book of Judges, you’ll know there was a familiar pattern – Israel would forget God, Israel would come under attack, Israel would remember God and cry out for help, God would send a judge (a deliverer / rescuer), there would be a time of peace, and then Israel would forget God and the cycle started again!

Verse 10 shows us part of that pattern. When they were under threat, then the people would cry out to God – ‘we have sinned; we have forsaken the LORD and served the Baals and the Ashtoreths. But now deliver us from the hands of our enemies, and we will serve you.’ (1 Sam 12:10) In response to their cry, God sent the judges – Jerub-baal (whom you might know better as Gideon), Barak, Jephthah and Samuel.

But then there came one threat too many – the straw that broke the camel’s back. The Ammonites were coming to attack, and the people decided they would rather have a king to rule over them. Look at verse 13. ‘You said to me, “No, we want a king to rule over us” – even though the LORD your God was your king.’

Do you see what Samuel is accusing them of here? It wasn’t that they wanted a king – they already had one – God was their king. Rather than trusting in God as their king, they wanted a king with skin – a human leader who they could see and follow.

Are there times when we do the same? We’re more loyal to the people around us than to God. We would rather do what we want than what God wants us to. We reject God and God’s ways in favour of doing our own thing, or following the people around us (1 Sam 8:5 tells us that they wanted a king like the other nations).

The people hadn’t rejected Samuel as their ruler (although, of course, this is why it is seen as his farewell speech, as he hands over leadership of the nation to the king). They had done much worse, in rejecting God as their king.

Samuel goes on to show just how foolish they had been in wanting the king with skin, compared with having God as king. Look at verses 16-18. While it might have been good to have a human king to lead them into battle, the king couldn’t do what God now does – in sending thunder and rain (during the dry season). Not only does the sign confirm that Samuel is speaking for God, but it also brings conviction of sin in the hearts of the people. Look at verse 19 – ‘Pray to the LORD your God for your servants so that we will not die, for we have added to all our other sins the evil of asking for a king.’

Samuel confirms that they have sinned – in verse 20 he says ‘You have done all this evil; yet do not turn away from the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart.’ You see, the people have been in the dock, and the evidence has been presented. Both they and their fathers have sinned against God by forgetting him, by turning their back on him, and seeking to go their own way – especially in wanting a king to rule over them.

We don’t fare much better. We too have forgotten God, as we live comfortably with all that we have. We have turned our backs on God. And we have sought to go our own way. We might not have wanted to crown someone else as king over us, but we have done something as bad – in wanting to be king or queen of our own lives – seeking to sit on the throne of our hearts – the place of God. And that, my friends, is the oldest sin in the creation – wanting to take the place of God. Satan tried it and was cast down for it. The punishment is still the same.

So is that the end of the matter? Have the people of Israel been convicted, as we are too, by the word of God? Yes and no. Yes, they have been convicted – there’s no doubt about it, they are guilty as charged. But there is hope in the court that day, just as there is yet hope for us. Their sin can be cleared, just as if they had never sinned, through God’s grace and mercy. Standing on this side of Calvary, we know that it is through Jesus that we are made right with God and justified before him.

For the people of Israel, verse 20 was their hope – ‘Do not be afraid’ (isn’t that marvellous – that even when confronted with their sin, and confronted by the thunder and rain as a sign of God’s power, the next words of Samuel are words of grace – do not be afraid – which appears in the Bible 65 times) – You have done all this evil; yet do not turn away from the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart.’

Their sin has been cancelled, the past is behind them. The focus is immediately turned to the present and future – don’t turn away, serve the LORD. Even though their request was evil, God has given them a king, and Samuel now lays out the two ways to live from here on. Look at verse 14. ‘If you fear the LORD and serve and obey him and do not rebel against his commands, and if both you and the king who reigns over you follow the LORD your God – good! But if you do not obey the LORD, and if you rebel against his commands, his hand will be against you, as it was against your fathers.’

They can go from here by serving the Lord, and obeying him; or they can make the same mistakes their fathers made before them, by rebelling. In essence, we have the same choice. As we confessed our sins at the beginning of the service, we have the choice now – will we continue to live in sin, making ourselves the rulers of our lives, or will we serve God, recognising the rightful king of our lives?

But we can’t do it on our own. Look at verses 22 and 23. ‘For the sake of his great name the LORD will not reject his people, because the LORD was pleased to make you his own. As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by failing to pray for you. And I will teach you the way that is good and right.’

As we honour God, so he honours us, and will not let go of us – even when we mess things up. That is the covenant love of God, that he will not reject us, because we are his. But more than that, he doesn’t leave us on our own. For the people of Israel, Samuel promised to pray for the people, and also to instruct them. For us, we have a great high priest who prays for us, Jesus Christ, and the teacher who is the Holy Spirit. God has not left us on our own as we seek to please him. God is with us as we recognise his rule in our hearts.

And so, as we come to a close, you are left with two ways to live. Will you ignore the evidence from the court, and maintain your innocence, by claiming that you have the right to go your own way, the right to take charge of your own life? The warning is stark – ‘If you persist in doing evil, both you and your king will be swept away.’ (1 Sam 12:25)

Or will you, convicted by the evidence of God’s righteous acts and your rebellion, confess your sins, turn and serve God? The testimony of God surely commands you to serve God, because of what he has done for you.

‘Be sure to fear the LORD and serve him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things he has done for you.’ (1 Samuel 12:24)

Holy Trinity, Dromore

Holy Trinity, Dromore
Originally uploaded by Gary McMurray.

Well, after my early start and the big journey to the far reaches of County Tyrone, I made it to the other Dromore! I was taking the morning service as holiday cover for Bryan Martin, their new Rector. As I've previously mentioned about Annalong, it's always an experience to step into a 'strange' parish and do services.

This morning we were on Morning Prayer One, the traditional service, so at least we had the luxury of at least some familiarity. Another bit of familiarity was that Dromore is the home parish of my college colleague, Stephen Farrell, who was present and read the lesson.

It's always hard to know, but I think the service went okay. The congregation were very welcoming and friendly, and the welcome was furthered by the churchwarden afterwards.

The congregation will celebrate fifty years of the present building next year, and I have to say it's perhaps the best church I've been in for acoustics, responses and general sound quality. A joy and delight to preach and lead in, and also my first time in the Diocese of Clogher.

Sermon was on 1 Samuel 12, as they're working through a series on the book, looking at 'who is the real king?' The sermon will be available shortly soon!

Happy birthday to me!

26 today. Hurray! And I escaped without any ill-treatment from my colleagues!

Ebenezer. 'Till now the Lord has helped us.' (1 Samuel 7:12)

Man looks on the outward appearance but the LORD looks on the heart: A talk given at 'SPEAK' youth outreach in Newtownards on 18/08/06. 1 Samuel 16:7

Does anyone like the Royal Family? Any of the girls fancy Prince William, or Prince Harry? Tonight we’re going to think about a king, one of the superheroes of the Bible. We’re going to go back about 3000 years, when Israel had its first king.

You can imagine the scene. Paparazzi were everywhere, all the TV cameras and photographers… King Saul leading his troops back from war. They had won an important battle against the Amalekites, and King Saul was the hero of the day.

Until Samuel showed up. Samuel was the prophet, God’s spokesman. He had anointed Saul to be king – that is, putting oil on his head to show that he had been consecrated and chosen to be king. But while everyone else was in party mood, Samuel was furious.

Saul had disobeyed God’s orders, by allowing some of the animals to live, and taking the enemy king prisoner. And God’s verdict, which Samuel came to deliver, was that Saul was rejected. No more could he be king with God’s approval.

In fact, this was the second time Saul had disobeyed God’s word. After the first time, Samuel’s verdict had been the same – God will reject you… Here’s what God said, as Samuel told Saul: ‘Now your kingdom will not endure; the LORD has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him leader of his people, because you have not kept the LORD’s command.’ (1 Sam 13:14)

You can imagine the excitement… Saul was no longer going to be king. A new king would be chosen. But who would it be? Would they have a sort of ‘king idol’ competition, to see who could be chosen? Would there be auditions across the land, and the funny programmes showing hopefuls making eejits of themselves?

But remember, Samuel had anointed Saul to be king. It would be Samuel who would anoint and appoint the next king. So all eyes were on Samuel. Where would he go? Who would he meet with and anoint?

Let’s read from the Bible, 1 Samuel 16, to hear what happens as Samuel is told where to go with the anointing oil…

Samuel arrives at Bethlehem, at the house of Jesse, as God told him to. Suddenly, ‘King Idol’ is in production. We’re down to the final seven, as Jesse’s sons are in front of Samuel. Samuel sees the oldest, the strongest, the tallest, the best looking – surely it must be Eliab!

‘But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”’

But what does God mean when he says this? Let’s see what it meant for David, first of all, before we think about ourselves.

So Eliab is out of King Idol. He won’t be king, because God has rejected him. So then Jesse tries Abinadab, but still no; then Shammah, but still no. All the big strong ones have been in front of Samuel – Jesse’s favourites, and yet they aren’t chosen. Altogether, the seven sons are paraded in front of Samuel, and still, Samuel is saying no, no…

And they’re at the end of the sons. Or are they? Samuel asks ‘Are these all the sons you have?’ Jesse answers, ‘There is still the youngest, but he is tending the sheep.’

And who was the youngest? David. Samuel had told Jesse to bring his sons in front of him, yet David wasn’t even thought of by his dad. He was stuck out in the field looking after the sheep. He wasn’t even in the competition – he was the youngest, how could he be king?

But remember, ‘Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.’ David was the one Samuel had spoken about to Saul – ‘the man after God’s own heart’ – who wanted to please God, and serve him. Who was concerned about the things God is concerned about.

‘Rise and anoint him; he is the one.’ It didn’t matter what his father thought of him, or what his brothers thought of him, or even what Samuel might have thought of his appearance – it was what was on the inside that counted, and David was God’s choice, because David wanted to please God.

So you might be thinking – why are we thinking about David? How was he a superhero? Just think about his battle with Goliath – David, the young shepherd boy, taking on the 9 feet tall man… In those days, instead of having the whole army fighting, sometimes one soldier from each side would fight, and whoever won, their side won the battle.

Goliath, one of the Philistines, challenged the Israelites to war… This happened for forty days, but no one was brave enough h to go and fight. Until David came to visit the army, to bring supplies to his brothers. He heard Goliath’s challenge, and realised that Goliath wasn’t only defying the armies of Israel, but because Israel were God’s people, he was defying God.

You know the story – David challenged him, stood against him in the name of God, and defeated him, with one stone fired from his slingshot. But the reason he could win, and beat Goliath was because he was the man after God’s own heart. David wanted to please God, and couldn’t stand by as Goliath opposed God.

So what does this mean for us, today, in Newtownards? How can something that happened to David 3000 years ago be relevant for us today? God doesn’t change, and what he said then still applies for us today – ‘Man looks on the outward appearance but the LORD looks at the heart.’

Maybe people look down on you, or make fun of you, or call you names because of how you look. Those names are cruel, and you try to forget them, but they find a way of getting inside you, and you hear them when you’re on your own.

God says to you that you are beautiful – because he made you. As Psalm 139 tells us – ‘For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.’ (Ps 139:13-14).

There was a TV programme on BBC 1 a while back called ‘Son of God’. They tried to recreate Jesus’ face by reconstructing a Jewish 1st century skeleton. The result was something very ordinary. There’s no description of Jesus in the New Testament, saying he was so high, or had brown eyes or whatever. But in the Old Testament, in Isaiah, we read this about Jesus: ‘He had no beauty of majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.’ (Isaiah 53:2-3).

Or maybe people look down on you because of who you are. Maybe things are tough in your family, because you’re the youngest. Or maybe you just aren’t thought of as part of the family. Remember David – he wasn’t even brought along when Jesse called his sons. But while he was forgotten by his family, God remembered him, and God had a purpose for his life – to be king, and to be the great-great-great…. Grandfather of Jesus. Man looks on the outward appearance but the LORD looks on the heart.

In the cross, Jesus went through all that you have gone through. People hurled abuse at him, and attacked him. They made false accusations against him, and hated him. But again – they were looking only at the outward appearance. God knew Jesus’ heart, committed to serving God and obeying him because it was the heart of God, as Jesus was fully obedient to death.


God says that what matters is inside – he looks on the heart. He knows the hopes and fears you have, and if you want to please him.

Maybe you have issues about your identity, or about self-esteem. You think that nobody likes you, that nobody cares about you. God does. God loves you so much that he gave his only Son, Jesus, to die on the cross for you, to bring you back to God.

God says all these things to you, about you. But it doesn’t stop there. Because he also says those things about the person sitting beside you, and loves them too. So who are you to call other people names? Or to judge them because of how they look or act or talk?

I’m going to close with a verse from Zephaniah. This verse is for you, if you are trusting in Jesus – and show how God thinks of you. ‘The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.’ (Zephaniah 3:17)