Hidden (Krypto) Treasures

To get pearls, one must dive deep!

Tag: I come in the name of the Lord

40 days and 40 nights :: Put an end to the time of taunting

By

On January 28, 2014

In 40 days & 40 nights, Christian, Through the Bible

This is part of the 40 days and 40 nights series.

The Bible states that the champion of the Philistines, Goliath of Gath, taunted the Israelites, and defied the armies of the living God (1 Samuel 17:26, 36) and God himself (1 Samuel 17:45), for a period of forty days, both morning (day) and evening (night) (1 Samuel 17:16), until David, the shepherd boy, responded to the call to fight and went against him in the name of the LORD of armies (1 Samuel 17:45). David defeated the taunter and put an end to the taunting that had gone on for forty days.

Points to ponder:
There may be many taunters in our life, some of which are life’s circumstances while others  are people, that taunt us and defy the LORD of hosts, whom we worship and serve. Like David, can each one of us, who are part of God’s army, respond to the call to fight and go against our taunters in the name of the LORD. The time of taunting may seem long, but it will come to an end, when God’s people rise up against the taunting and respond in the LORD’s name. Are you and I going to get up and go in God’s name to put an end to the time of taunting?

1 Samuel 17:4-10, 16,26,36, 45, 48-51 (KJV)
4 And there went out a champion out of the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span.
5 And he had an helmet of brass upon his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail; and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of brass.
6 And he had greaves of brass upon his legs, and a target of brass between his shoulders.
7 And the staff of his spear was like a weaver’s beam; and his spear’s head weighed six hundred shekels of iron: and one bearing a shield went before him.
8 And he stood and cried unto the armies of Israel, and said unto them, Why are ye come out to set your battle in array? am not I a Philistine, and ye servants to Saul? choose you a man for you, and let him come down to me.
9 If he be able to fight with me, and to kill me, then will we be your servants: but if I prevail against him, and kill him, then shall ye be our servants, and serve us.
10 And the Philistine said, I defy the armies of Israel this day; give me a man, that we may fight together.
…
16 And the Philistine drew near morning and evening, and presented himself forty days.
…
26 And David spake to the men that stood by him, saying, What shall be done to the man that killeth this Philistine, and taketh away the reproach from Israel? for who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?
…
36 Thy servant slew both the lion and the bear: and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he hath defied the armies of the living God.
…
45 Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied.
…
48 And it came to pass, when the Philistine arose, and came, and drew nigh to meet David, that David hastened, and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine.
49 And David put his hand in his bag, and took thence a stone, and slang it, and smote the Philistine in his forehead, that the stone sunk into his forehead; and he fell upon his face to the earth.
50 So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and smote the Philistine, and slew him; but there was no sword in the hand of David.
51 Therefore David ran, and stood upon the Philistine, and took his sword, and drew it out of the sheath thereof, and slew him, and cut off his head therewith. And when the Philistines saw their champion was dead, they fled.

Nahum 1:7 – The Good Lord is a strong hold and he knows

By

On August 7, 2013

In Christian, Nahum, Through the Bible

Nahum 1:7 reads, “The LORD is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble, and he knoweth them that trust in him.”

Many times, in Psalm 136, we are counseled to give thanks to the LORD for he is good (Psalm 136:1-26). Jesus said, that he is the good Shepherd and he knows his sheep (John 10:14). Sheep trust their Shepherd to keep them safe, secure and satisfied for the good Shepherd leads his sheep by still (peaceful) waters and green (productive) pastures. Sheep that wander away are lost but the good Shepherd comes seeking for the lost (Luke 15:4-7). Many a times, like sheep, we wander away from the presence of God and get lost, but because the Lord is good, and he knows who are his (2 Timothy 2:19), he instructs sinners (us) in his ways (Psalm 25:8). Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness (2 Timothy 2:19).

God is a strong hold – he is a strong foundation and his solid foundation stands firm (2 Timothy 2:19). He holds on strongly to those who trust in him amidst the tempestuous storms of troubles, that buffet against their lives. Because God is the stronghold in the times of troubles, the Lord is the Salvation to the righteous (Psalm 37:39), who trust in him and who believe in his name. When the shepherd boy David faced the giant Goliath, he went forth holding on to the name of the Lord (1 Samuel 17:45) and God held on to him as he faced the giant, giving him victory, which in human minds seemed implausible and impossible.

Points to ponder:
Jesus is the good Shepherd coming in search of you and me. Only in him, can we be safe, secure and satisfied. We who confess his name, must turn away from wickedness and hold on strongly to him. He will never leave us nor forsake us and he will hold on to us strongly, and is therefore our Salvation, no matter how gigantic our troubles may be.
O taste and see that the Lord is good (Psalm 34:8), bless is the man who trusteth in God, for God knows them that trust in him. Does God know you?

Nahum 1:7 (KJV)
7 The Lord is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him.

2 Timothy 2:19 (KJV)
19 Nevertheless, God’s solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness.“

Psalm 34:8 (KJV)
8 O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.

No matter what – I will fight

By

On October 9, 2009

In Christian, No matter what

Many decisions that ought to be taken are not taken due to one of the following reasons:
1. we try to rationalize the situation assuming that our finite and limited human minds has infinite comprehension and abilities or
2. we think of the consequences of the decision and are paralyzed for fear of life or fear of being ridiculed.

In today’s text, taken from 1 Samuel 17, we will look at David, who chose to fight for God NO MATTER WHAT.

Many are probably familiar with the story of David and Goliath, but for the benefit of those who aren’t, as a backdrop to this character, David is summoned by his father Jesse to take food for his brothers who are at war with the Philistines. Upon arriving at the scene of the battle, he is troubled to hear the taunts of an over nine foot giant, name Goliath, who was hurling insults and defying the armies of God; the Israelite army. David confidently avers to fight the Philistine and in the conversation that ensues between him and Saul, the then king of Israel, David narrates his life experience of victory against a lion and a bear that had stolen one of his father’s sheep from the flock. He tells the king, how he went after the lion and the bear and smote it and delivered the sheep out of the mouth of the beast and when it arose against it, he caught it by its mane (beard) and slew it. He then tells the king that it was the Lord’s doing that delivered him from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear, and now it was time to witness God continuing to do his work of deliverance from the Philistine giant Goliath. The consequences of David’s action meant that his life was in jeopardy from being killed by Goliath. David nonetheless chose to risk his life recognizing that he would emerge victoriously because his reliance was not on himself or his abilities, but on the Lord. David chose to fight for God NO MATTER WHAT the consequences would be. Long story short, David goes in the name of the Lord and fights the giant, defeating Goliath with a single sling shot to the giant’s head, and emerging victoriously.

David could have gone with a heart puffed with pride from his victories against the lion and the bear. He did not go to fight with the heart of a lion or the strength of a bear, but instead with a humble heart that trusted in the name of the Lord. David in short can be considered to be the giant in the duel, because he had God on his side, despite his relatively smaller size. If David had rationalized or thought of the consequences, he would have probably ended up being like one of the soldiers in Saul’s army – sore afraid, terrified and paralyzed in fear of fighting the giant. His act of courage not only did it deliver him and Saul’s army from those who defied God, but also earned him an entry into the Hall of Faith (Hebrews 11:32), an eventually established him as a king over all Israel (2 Samuel 7:8). Our acts of courage to fight for God, relying on His name, will deliver us from all the giants that taunt and try to enslave us and will establish us to reign with Him in God’s indestructible kingdom (Revelation 5:10) .

Points to ponder:

  1. What is God asking you and me to fight for?
  2. Can we take the step to fight for God, without rationalizing or thinking of the consequences, NO MATTER WHAT?

Powered by WordPress & Theme by Anders Norén