"Is There Not A Cause...”

Illus: Some of you have bought new cars because you wanted some dependable transportation. Then you found that new car, that you thought would surely be dependable, stranded you on a roadside.

There are many things we have thought would be dependable that turned out not to be. Then there are many things we thought could not be depended on that went beyond our wildest expectation in coming through when we needed them.

We have these two kinds of surprises in our lives almost daily. Those among us who do not like surprises of any kind often try to do something about it. What are some of the things they do?

Illus: Some of the more ignorant folks turn to psychics for information, not realizing most of that information is false information. They think that will keep them from being surprised by anything in life. They do not want any surprises about relationships, financial matters or careers.

It is sad that our society has deteriorated to the point that there is a market for psychics. When a nation turns from God, they turn to all kinds of peculiar, even “freakish,” things. The fact that psychics are still on the air is a sign of the sick society in which we live. The Bible makes it clear that people who make claims to know the future do not know what they are talking about.

For example, James 4:13-14 tells us, “Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: Whereas YE KNOW NOT WHAT SHALL BE ON THE MORROW.”

We may assume certain things, and prepare for some things in life, still ALL KINDS OF SURPRISES CAN COME.

Illus: A mother who had seven children was getting ready to go to a surprise birthday party. As she was getting ready to leave for the party, all seven of the children begged to go with her. She said, “You can not go. This is supposed to be a surprise! One of the little fellows spoke up and said, “Mom, if you take all seven of us THAT WILL BE A SURPRISE!”

Seriously, all of our lives are filled with GOOD and BAD surprises.

Let’s look at THREE big surprises David experienced and how he handled them. Notice first that when David arrived at the battle sight where the Israelite army and the Philistine army were at an impasse.

I. HE WAS SURPRISED AT WHAT HE SAW.

Look at I Samuel 17:21-23. We read, “For Israel and the Philistines had put the battle in array, army against army. And David left his carriage in the hand of the keeper of the carriage, and ran into the army, and came and saluted his brethren. And as he talked with them, behold, there came up the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, out of the armies of the Philistines, and spake according to the same words: and David heard them.”

When David arrived at the battlefield, he greeted his brothers. His surprise came when the giant, Goliath, marched out to defy the army of Israel. This had to be one of the biggest surprises David had ever had. He probably had never seen a man the size of Goliath. GOLIATH (guh li’ uhth) was the champion of the Philistines. It is believed that he was 9’ 6” tall. It is hard for us to conceive of anyone being between 9 to 10 feet tall!

Illus: The Guinness Book of Records lists Haji Mohammed, of Pakistan, as being the tallest man on record. He was approximately 7 foot, 7 1/4 inches tall.

We marvel today that we have some professional basketball players over seven feet tall.

Illus: Can you imagine a professional basketball player six feet six inches tall with a yardstick placed straight up on the top of his head. If you can, the top of that yardstick would give you some idea of how tall Goliath was.

Whereas a professional basketball player has to leap to reach the basketball goal, Goliath could walk up to a basketball goal and place his chin on the top of the rim and never have to leave the floor! He was tall! It had to be one of the biggest surprises of David’s life to see a man almost ten feet tall! HE WAS SURPRISED AT WHAT HE SAW. Also...

II. HE WAS SURPRISED AT WHAT HE HEARD.

Look at I Samuel 17:25. We read, “And the men of Israel said, Have ye seen this man that is come up? surely to defy Israel is he come up: and it shall be, that the man who killeth him, the king will enrich him with great riches, and will give him his daughter, and make his father's house free in Israel.”