How to hit the curve
Exodus 1:8-22; Job 1-2; 1 Samuel10-15; Acts 6-7
INTRODUCTION
I love sports. My passion lies primarily in playing a game and not simply watching one—although I enjoy that also. I have always been a fairly decent athlete. I did well in both high school and college, although I must confess that I had to work a lot harder than my brother. He is two years younger and has as much athletic ability in his pinkies as I have in my entire body. Needless to say we were (and to some degree still are) competitive with one another.
My brother excelled in baseball and soccer and I in basketball. However, both of us played anything and everything we could. I must confess that the entirety of my baseball career took place in one year. I played for the cubs. I was a good fielder but lousy at the plate. As my coach worked with me, I gradually got better. However, there is one game I will never forget. I’m not sure how far into the season it was, but the circumstances are vivid to this day.
It was the top of the second inning and one of my neighbors, Robbie, was pitching for the twins. They were the best team in the league and let’s just say that we were not. Robbie was one of the guys who met most days in the field behind our houses to play hit the bat or homerun derby. I had faced him as a pitcher many times and was optimistic about my chances against him. Then something happened that I will never forget.
Our coach always told us to take the first pitch. I did and it was a strike. No problem, I thought. If the next one is over the plate I’ll hit it. The next pitch came right at me. I ducked out of the way and the umpire said, “STRIKE TWO!” I couldn’t believe it. How could that have been a strike? The answer was simple; Robbie had thrown a curveball. He never did that in the field behind our houses so I was caught totally by surprise. I had never seen a curve from that perspective before. I didn’t like it much.
The next pitch came at me and I stood there, and stood there, and stood there. This pitch didn’t seem to be curving so I hit the deck. Ball one.
Now I was totally confused. The second pitch came at me and curved over the plate. The third pitch came at me and didn’t curve. What in the world would Robbie do next? I soon found out.
Robbie’s next pitch was another curve ball and I was determined not to bail out again, even if it meant getting hit. The pitch came at me and I distinctly remember thinking, “Oh, no, it’s going to hit me!” I stood in as brave as I could. I kept my eye on the ball. I tensed up, preparing for the impact of ball and flesh. Then I watched it curve right over the plate. “STRIKE THREE!” The umpire shouted.
I stood there in disbelief and then solemnly walked back to the dugout. I knew I was finished as a baseball player. After all, they say that anyone can hit a fastball, but the great ones can handle the curve. Robbie had thrown the unexpected and I couldn’t handle it.
Let me ask you a question. Can you handle the curve? How do you respond when the unexpected happens?
PRAYER
TEXT
Exodus 1:8-22
8 Then a new king, who did not know about Joseph, came to power in Egypt.
9 “Look,” he said to his people, “the Israelites have become much too numerous for us. 10 Come, we must deal shrewdly with them or they will become even more numerous and, if war breaks out, will join our enemies, fight against us and leave the country.”
11 So they put slave masters over them to oppress them with forced labor, and they built Pithom and Rameses as store cities for Pharaoh. 12 But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread; so the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites 13 and worked them ruthlessly. 14 They made their lives bitter with hard labor in brick and mortar and with all kinds of work in the fields; in all their hard labor the Egyptians used them ruthlessly.
15 The king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, whose names were Shiphrah and Puah, 16 “When you help the Hebrew women in childbirth and observe them on the delivery stool, if it is a boy, kill him; but if it is a girl, let her live.” 17 The midwives, however, feared God and did not do what the king of Egypt had told them to do; they let the boys live. 18 Then the king of Egypt summoned the midwives and asked them, “Why have you done this? Why have you let the boys live?”
19 The midwives answered Pharaoh, “Hebrew women are not like Egyptian women; they are vigorous and give birth before the midwives arrive.”
20 So God was kind to the midwives and the people increased and became even more numerous. 21 And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families of their own.
22 Then Pharaoh gave this order to all his people: “Every boy that is born you must throw into the Nile, but let every girl live.”
HOW TO HANDLE THE CURVE
1) Background of the Israelites in Egypt
a) Why were they there?
i. They were there because of the famine in Joseph’s time
ii. They came to get food
iii. They came because God told them it was okay to do so
Genesis 46:3-4—3 “I am God, the God of your father,” he said. “Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you into a great nation there. 4 I will go down to Egypt with you, and I will surely bring you back again. And Joseph’s own hand will close your eyes.”
b) What was life like for them in Egypt?
i. They shared in the benefits of Joseph’s influence.
(1) Joseph had been sold off as a slave by his brothers because he was Daddy’s favorite and they were jealous.
(2) He suffered through a stint in prison because he had been wrongly accused of rape by his boss’ wife with whom he had refused to go to bed.
(3) He became what amounted to the Prime Minister of Egypt because God used him to interpret Pharaoh’s dream about 7 years of bumper crops followed by 7 years of famine.
(4) His family came down from Canaan and enjoyed the benefits of who Joseph was.
ii. They lived in the best part of the land
Genesis 47:5-6—5 Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Your father and your brothers have come to you, 6 and the land of Egypt is before you; settle your father and your brothers in the best part of the land. Let them live in Goshen. And if you know of any among them with special ability, put them in charge of my own livestock.”
c) How long had they been in Egypt?
i. 350 years?
ii. It didn’t really matter how long they had been there; the point is that things changed.
iii. They had gotten accustomed to a way of life. They expected it to continue and then they were thrown a curve by this new Pharaoh who didn’t know about Joseph.
2) There are three basic curves we can face in life. We will look at them by considering the example of a biblical character for each one.
a) Curves thrown by life itself (Where did that come from?)—Job
i. He lost his wealth, family and health
(1) Job 1:13-19
13 One day when Job’s sons and daughters were feasting and drinking wine at the oldest brother’s house, 14 a messenger came to Job and said, “The oxen were plowing and the donkeys were grazing nearby, 15 and the Sabeans attacked and carried them off. They put the servants to the sword, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!”
16 While he was still speaking, another messenger came and said, “The fire of God fell from the sky and burned up the sheep and the servants, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!”
17 While he was still speaking, another messenger came and said, “The Chaldeans formed three raiding parties and swept down on your camels and carried them off. They put the servants to the sword, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!”
18 While he was still speaking, yet another messenger came and said, “Your sons and daughters were feasting and drinking wine at the oldest brother’s house, 19 when suddenly a mighty wind swept in from the desert and struck the four corners of the house. It collapsed on them and they are dead, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!”
(2) Job 2:7
7 So Satan . . . afflicted Job with painful sores from the soles of his feet to the top of his head.
ii. After these things happened, Job’s friends insisted that God must be punishing him for some sin.
iii. Job insisted on his innocence.
iv. How did Job handle the curve?
(1) Listen to his responses—first concerning his losses and then concerning his health.
Job 1:20-21—20 At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship 21 and said:
“Naked I came from my mother’s womb,
and naked I will depart.
The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away;
may the name of the LORD be praised.”
Job 2:9-10—9 His wife said to him, “Are you still holding on to your integrity? Curse God and die!”
10 He replied, “You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?”
In all this, Job did not sin in what he said.
(2) We must be careful about looking at Job and saying, “Yeah, right!”
(3) We can read his entire story in just 42 chapters. But that is not an adequate view of his entire life.
It is the highlights.
What we do not see is his personal struggle…
• …the pain of wondering why and how this all happened.
• …the anger he had to deal with.
• …the unfairness of it all.
(4) We read that Job fell to the ground in worship after receiving horrible news and it throws us off.
How in world could anyone worship at a time like that?
I think we need to look outside of the box and not just see worship within the confines of the church or our own experience.
We must be careful not to make superheroes of the men and women in the Bible. They were frail, weak and fallible just as we are.
I think Job fell to the ground before God because he had no where else to go and just couldn’t take anymore.
v. Life threw Job a curve that any of us would be hard-pressed to deal with. His responses are worth noting though.
(1) He turned to God
(2) He acknowledged that God was in control.
b) Curves we throw ourselves—Saul
i. He was chosen as the first king of Israel
ii. His ‘ordination’ was a powerful occasion.
(1) 1 Samuel 10:1, 6-7—Then Samuel took a flask of oil and poured it on Saul’s head . . . saying, “Has not the Lord anointed you leader over his inheritance?
The Spirit of the Lord will come upon you in power, and you will prophesy with them; and you will be changed into a different person. Once these signs are fulfilled, do whatever your hand finds to do, for God is with you.
(2) His reign started out with such a powerful spiritual experience that he became a different person and had God’s blessing upon his life.
iii. With such a beginning one would expect exceptional things. However, the sad story of Saul’s life does not see the fulfillment of those expectations—because of choices he made!
(1) 1 Samuel 13:13-14—13 “You acted foolishly,” Samuel said. “You have not kept the command the LORD your God gave you; if you had, he would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time. 14 But 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.”
(2) 1 Samuel 15:10-11—10 Then the word of the LORD came to Samuel: 11 “I am grieved that I have made Saul king, because he has turned away from me and has not carried out my instructions.”
(3) 1 Samuel 15:23b—23 For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, he has rejected you as king.”
iv. How did Saul handle the curve?
(1) Remember that Saul faced a curve because of decisions he made.
(2) The trouble with Saul was that nothing was ever his fault. When he did not do what God commanded there was always a reason and it involved someone else.
He was the king.
The buck stopped with him—except in his mind. There was always someone else to blame.
(3) He did not take responsibility and as a result of his own choices the kingdom was torn away from him.
c) Curves thrown by other people—Stephen
i. Stephen was the very first church deacon.
(1) When the church in Jerusalem had a quarrel about widows being neglected in the daily food distribution, the apostles chose seven deacons to handle it. They did this to keep themselves free for prayer and the ministry of the word.
(2) The first of the seven chosen was a man named Stephen. Acts 6:5 says he was a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit.
ii. In time, Stephen did more than serve on the food distribution committee.
(1) He entered into ministry with miraculous results.
(2) This led to another conflict where bribed witnesses testified that Stephen had made blasphemous comments.
(3) This resulted in a fixed trial and Stephen’s death by stoning.
iii. How did Stephen handle the curve?
(1) Acts 7:59-60—59 While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 60 Then he fell on his knees and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he fell asleep.
(2) Stephen handled the curve by putting it in God’s hands.
(3) He understood that revenge and unforgiveness were poisons to his own soul.
(4) He did exactly what Jesus had told his followers to do—pray for those who mistreat you.
3) Let me ask you again: How do you handle the curve?
a) Curves come in three different varieties
i. Those thrown by life itself
ii. Those we have thrown ourselves
iii. Those thrown by others
b) How do you handle it . . .
i. When death unexpectedly knocks on the door?
ii. When you lose your job?
iii. When the marriage is going down the drain?
iv. When you pay the price for making your own rules?
v. When a loved one tears your heart out?
vi. When your double-standard is exposed?
vii. When the doctor delivers bad news?
viii. When a friend stabs you in the back?
c) How to handle it?
i. Turn to God & acknowledge that he is in control.
Author Zig Ziglar writes:
The longest 24 hours of my life were those after my daughter’s death. When making the funeral arrangements with her husband and his parents, I had to listen to a salesman who was an incessant talker and who told us 30 times he wasn’t a salesman. Twice while we were making decisions about her casket and burial, I had to leave the room; I simply couldn’t handle him.
The night before I had hallucinated. Half asleep, half awake, I kept thinking my daughter was wondering when her daddy was going to come get her. The next morning I took a walk and was praying and crying the whole way. When I returned, the Lord spoke in such a distinct way: "She’s fine. She’s with me. And you’re going to be fine, too. I’m all you need. You just keep walking. Keep talking. Keep praying. Keep crying."
ii. Take your share of the responsibility.
(1) Listen to how David handled the curve he had thrown himself in his adultery with Bathsheba and the murder of her husband Uriah
(2) Psalm 51:1-17—Have mercy on me, O God, because of your unfailing love. Because of your great compassion, blot out the stain of my sins.
2 Wash me clean from my guilt. Purify me from my sin. 3 For I recognize my shameful deeds—they haunt me day and night. 4 Against you, and you alone, have I sinned . . . .
iii. Forgive the person(s) who have hurt or wronged you
(1) The story is told that when Leonardo Da Vinci was painting The Last Supper, he had an intense and bitter argument with a fellow painter. Da Vinci was thinking of a way to get this guy back. He came up with a devious plan.
He decided to paint the face of his enemy onto the face of Judas Iscariot so it would be captured for time immemorial. And that is exactly what he did.
When people came to look at his work in progress, the immediately knew who ‘Judas’ was. Da Vinci thought, “This is pretty good. I showed him!”
As he continued his work on the great painting of Christ and his disciples, he finally came to the face he had saved for the very end—the face of Jesus. But he could not bring himself to paint it.
He was greatly troubled knowing that he had painted the face of his enemy as the face of Judas Iscariot. He realized that his hatred and bitterness were keeping him from being able to face the face of Christ. So he went back to the image of Judas and painted some nebulous face instead. Then he was able to paint the face of Christ.
(2) Someone has said that unforgiveness is like drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die. I think they were right.
iv. I am not saying that these things are easy. There are times when they are extremely difficult. Perhaps those are the very times we need to take these steps the most.
CONCLUSION
Speaker, Jill Briscoe tells this story:
Not too long ago I was babysitting one of our three, 3-year-old grandchildren. In our family, we had twins and a single birth all within 24 hours. We call them Search, Destroy, and Demolition. I was to baby-sit Demolition. As I waved good bye to his parents, he looked perfectly all right. We had a little story out of his favorite book Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. I put him to bed and went to sleep.
In the middle of the night, I felt a little hand, and I turned on the light. I looked at Drew: chicken pox from the top of his head to the soles of his feet. "Nana," he said, "Me’s having a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. Why should some things like this happen to I?"
I thought how like Drew we all are. Why should something like this happen to me? We cannot believe it. As Miss Piggy says "Moi? Not moi." We cannot believe that God would allow something to happen to such nice people like us.
The truth is that difficult things do happen to people like us. The important issue is how we respond when they do.
I found out early on that I could not handle the curve in baseball. The sad part is that I may have been able to learn had I not quit after that one year. I encourage you this morning to keep your eyes open and when you face the unexpected curve don’t quit. Handle it. . . the way God would want you to. Your life will be better for having done so.
PRAYER
This morning, I would want to invite you to come forward if you know that you’ve not handled the curve. No matter where it has come from it needs to be dealt with. Why not start now while in an atmosphere of support and love?
