THE TWO SWORDS
A young writer with a very uncertain income went into a quiet park to contemplate a serious problem. For four years he had been engaged but felt he did not have enough money to get married. He wanted to live and write in Paris, Rome, Vienna, London -- everywhere. However, without the security of money his plan seemed hopeless. As he thought about his situation he looked up and at that moment saw a squirrel jump from one high tree to another. He appeared to be aiming for a limb so far out of reach that the leap looked like suicide. He missed that limb -- but landed, safe and unconcerned, on a branch several feet lower. Then he climbed to his goal, and all was well. An old man sitting on the bench next to him said, "Funny, I’ve seen hundreds of them jump like that, especially when there are dogs around and they can’t come down to the ground. A lot of them miss the branch, but I’ve never seen any miss the tree or get hurt in trying." Then he chuckled. "I guess they’ve got to risk it if they don’t want to spend their whole lives in one tree." Suddenly the writer thought, a squirrel takes a chance -- have I less nerve than a squirrel? They were married two weeks later and scraped up enough money to go to Europe. They jumped off into space, not sure what branch they would land on. He began to write twice as fast and twice as hard as ever before and soon they were living comfortably.
How about you? When you have to choose between risking a new venture or hanging back, do you have the courage of that squirrel. Remember as the old man on the park bench said, "They’ve got to risk it if they don’t want to spend their lives in one tree." Today I want to talk about being a courageous Christian. Let me tell you the story of the two swords:
1 Sam 14:1 One day Jonathan son of Saul said to the young man bearing his armor, "Come, let’s go over to the Philistine outpost on the other side." But he did not tell his father. 2 Saul was staying on the outskirts of Gibeah under a pomegranate tree in Migron. With him were about six hundred men, 3 among whom was Ahijah, who was wearing an ephod. He was a son of Ichabod’s brother Ahitub son of Phinehas, the son of Eli, the LORD’s priest in Shiloh. No one was aware that Jonathan had left. 4 On each side of the pass that Jonathan intended to cross to reach the Philistine outpost was a cliff; one was called Bozez, and the other Seneh. 5 One cliff stood to the north toward Micmash, the other to the south toward Geba. 6 Jonathan said to his young armor-bearer, "Come, let’s go over to the outpost of those uncircumcised fellows. Perhaps the LORD will act in our behalf. Nothing can hinder the LORD from saving, whether by many or by few." 7 "Do all that you have in mind," his armor-bearer said. "Go ahead; I am with you heart and soul."
The background of this story is important. The Philistines had taken or killed all the blacksmiths in Israel. This meant that Israel did not have any weapons. They could not even sharpen a farming tool without the Philistines knowing about it.
1 Sam 13:19 Not a blacksmith could be found in the whole land of Israel, because the Philistines had said, "Otherwise the Hebrews will make swords or spears!" 20 So all Israel went down to the Philistines to have their plowshares, mattocks, axes and sickles sharpened.
This meant that there were only two swords left in Israel.
This was an effective strategy of the enemy then, and spiritually it is an effective plan of the devil today. If you can take out the blacksmiths – the keepers and preachers of truth – then you can keep God’s army weak and defeated. This was the call of the reformation – to get the Bible back into the hands of the people. It is still the call today. We need to be in God’s word and sharpening our understanding of truth daily.
1 Sam 13:22 So on the day of the battle not a soldier with Saul and Jonathan had a sword or spear in his hand; only Saul and his son Jonathan had them.
There were still 2 swords left in Israel. One was held by Saul and one by Jonathan. It is interesting to see how each of these swords was used. Saul had his sword with him as he sat in comfort under the shade of the pomegranate tree along with his army. He was there because of fear. Because of fear he had failed to wait for Samuel at Gilgal and had foolishly offered the burnt offering himself. Now he and his 600 men were hiding in defeat, trying to avoid the Philistine raiding parties.
The other sword was with Jonathan. Instead of hiding he took his sword and used it to attack. He did not know if he would live or die – all that he knew was that he was tired of waiting. Jonathan shows here what courage is all about. What are the marks of a courageous Christian?
1. PEOPLE OF COURAGE GO FIRST
Courageous people take the windows of opportunity they are given and go quickly. Jonathan saw an opportunity and he went after it. He didn’t wait until he had gotten approval from his father. He didn’t even take the time to sit down and form a detailed battle plan. He saw an opening and responded immediately. People of Courage lead the charge. They don’t wait to see what everyone else is doing.
Jonathan reminds me of a cartoon I once saw where there were two skinny old vultures sitting on a dead limb in the middle of a hot, burning desert. They sit there for a long time just waiting and waiting for something to come along and die so they could have something to eat. Finally one of them looks over at the other and says, “Forget this waiting around for something to die, let’s go kill something.”
I have heard it said that every baseball team could use a man who plays every position perfectly, never strikes out and never makes an error. The trouble is, there’s no way to make him lay down his hot dog and come down out of the stands. So often we yell from the sidelines what the church and God should be doing but never lift a finger to do anything ourselves.
Most men live lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with the song still in them -- Henry David Thoreau
A musician must make music, a builder must build, an artist must paint, a poet must write, if he is to be ultimately at peace with himself. What a man can be, he must be -- Abraham Maslow
God has placed a purpose and mission in each one of us. We will not be happy in life until we understand that purpose and live it. Remember the movie Unbreakable and the movie The Incredibles. Perhaps one of the problems is that we focus way too much as Christians on not doing anything wrong and way too little on doing something right. Often the greatest tragedy we see in believers is not the sins they committed but the feats of courage they ommitted.
The tragedy of life is what dies inside a man while he lives. -- Albert Schweitzer
Everyone who’s ever taken a shower has had an idea. However, it’s the person who gets out of the shower, dries off and does something about it who makes a difference. -- Nolan Bushnell, the founder of Atari
I am not saying that it is wrong to plan or that we should never ask for wisdom and permission. However, I feel that sometimes “due process” and planning can be just become a cover up for fear and a sign of unbelief and cowardice. Conditions are never just right. People who delay action until all factors are favorable do nothing. Too many churches fail to do what God wants them to do because they over-plan and play it safe. They rely on their own strength and resources instead of relying upon God’s power and plan.
A young girl born in 1820 went blind at only six weeks of age when an unlicensed doctor treated her mild eye infection with a hot mustard home remedy permanently scarred her eyes. As she grew she was determined not to be become bitter because of her condition and not to be confined by the chains of darkness. When she was only 8 years old she wrote:
Oh what a happy soul I am, although I cannot see;
I am resolved that in this world contented I will be.
How many blessings I enjoy, that other people don’t;
To weep and sigh because I’m blind, I cannot, and I won’t.
In time that girl became a mighty force for God through her hymns and Gospel songs. Her name was Fanny Crosby and her secret was to have the single mind of purpose, you look on your circumstances as God-given opportunities for the furtherance of the Gospel; and you rejoice at what God is going to do instead of complaining about what God did not do. She wrote more than 8000 hymns, including songs we still sing today like Blessed Assurance, All the Way My Savior Leads Me and To God be the Glory. She once wrote: “It seemed intended by the blessed providence of God that I should be blind all my life, and I thank him for the dispensation. If perfect earthly sight were offered me tomorrow I would not accept it. I might not have sung hymns to the praise of God if I had been distracted by the beautiful and interesting things about me.”
My prayer for us as a church in the coming year is that we will make the most of every opportunity that comes our way, that we will not miss what God has planned for us.
2. PEOPLE OF COURAGE HAVE FAITH
People of courage not only go first but they also have faith. Faith is not trying to believe something you know is not true. Faith is taking God at His word and completely trusting Him with your life. When John Paton was translating the Bible for a South Seas island tribe, he discovered that they had no word for trust or faith. One day a native who had been running hard came into the missionary’s house, flopped himself in a large chair and said, "It’s good to rest my whole weight on this chair." "That’s it," said Paton. "I’ll translate faith as ’resting one’s whole weight on God.’"
Faith is Believing in advance in something that will only seem logical when seen in reverse -- Philip Yancey
Jonathon saw an open door and he walked through it. He did now know the end result of his attack. He might live. He might die. All he knew was that God was with him and that God was able to give him the victory. Courage is not the absence of danger but trusting God in the face of danger.
Napoleon often referred to Marshall Ney as the bravest man he had ever known. Yet Ney’s knees trembled so badly one morning before a battle that he had trouble mounting his horse. When he was finally in the saddle he shouted with contempt, "Shake away, knees. You would shake worse than that if you knew where I am going to take you today."
Fear doesn’t want you to make the journey to the mountain. If he can rattle you enough, fear will persuade you to take your eyes off the peaks and settle for a dull existence in the flatlands. -- Max Lucado
People of courage climb out onto the limb in faith because they understand that is where the best fruit is. When was the last time you faced with an amazing opportunity but hesitated because of fear? Sometimes what keeps us from acting with courage is that we have been burned in the past. Failure was keeping Saul in a place of fear. It was a safe and comfortable place for him to be but it was not what God wanted. Faith is taking the chance and moving forward even in the face of disappointment and doubt.
One day a farmer’s donkey fell down into a well. The animal cried piteously for hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do. Finally he decided the animal was old and the well needed to be covered up anyway, it just wasn’t worth it to retrieve the donkey So he invited all his neighbors to come over and help him. They all grabbed a shovel and began to shovel dirt into the well. At first, the donkey realized what was happening and cried horribly. Then, to everyone’s amazement, he quieted down.
A few shovel loads later, the farmer finally looked down the well and was astonished at what he saw. With every shovel of dirt that hit his back, the donkey was doing something amazing. He would shake it off and take a step up. As the farmer’s neighbors continued to shovel dirt on top of the animal, he would shake it off and take a step up. Pretty soon, everyone was amazed as the donkey stepped up over the edge of the well and trotted off! Life is going to shovel dirt on you, all kinds of dirt. The trick to getting out of the well is to shake it off and take a step up. Each of our troubles is a stepping stone. We can get out of the deepest wells just by not stopping, never giving up! Shake it off and take a step up!
3. PEOPLE OF COURAGE INSPIRE OTHERS
It says here that Jonathon did not go alone but that him armor bearer went with him. That was the job of the armor bearer – to follow wherever you are lead. I think it is significant that the bible says that this armor bearer was young. He was not just following Jonathan because he had to. He said that he was with Jonathan heart and soul. I love that!
There is a generation of young people all around us who are watching us. They are looking at our lives to see if we are actually living out the truth we profess. They don’t only want to hear the truth but they want to live the truth. They are inspired by courage.
Three military recruiters showed up to address some high school seniors. Graduation was only a few months away, and the recruiters were there for the obvious -- to articulate to these graduating young men and women some of the options that military service would provide them. The meeting was to last forty-five minutes. Each recruiter--representing Army, Navy, and Marine Corps--was to have fifteen minutes. Well, the Army and Navy recruiters got carried away. When it came time for the Marine to speak, he had two minutes. So he walked up with two minutes to make his pitch. He stood utterly silent for a full sixty seconds -- half of his time. Then he said this: "I doubt whether there are two or three of you in this room who could even cut it in the Marine Corps. I want to see those two or three immediately in the dining hall when we are dismissed." He turned smartly and sat down. When he arrived in the dining hall, those students interested in the Marines were a mob. They acted without delay.
The Marine recruiter was successful because he appealed to the heroic dimension in every heart. Our young people want to be challenged. They respond to vision.
One of the most effective advertisements ever written appeared in a London newspaper earlier in this century. It read, "Men wanted for hazardous journey. Small wages, bitter cold, long months of complete darkness, constant danger, safe return doubtful." The ad was written by Sir Ernest Shackleton, explorer of the South Pole. Regarding response, Shackleton said, “It seemed as though all the men in Great Britain were determined to accompany us.”
If there is one thing upon earth that mankind loves and admires better than another, it is a brave man -- a man who dares look the devil in the face and tell him he is the devil. -- James Garfield
It took faith for us as a family to move to Kuwait. I knew it would be difficult but the alternative was disobedience. Is that what I want my children to see? I want my children to see courage in me. How about you? Do you have a courageous heart? Are you showing those around you what it means to have courageous faith in the midst of trials and courageous joy in the midst of sorrow.
If I falter, push me on. If I stumble, pick me up. If I retreat, shoot me – motto of the French Foreign Legion
In the coming year where does God want to you move? Is there a stronghold or outpost that you need to be attacking in your life? For some of you maybe that means a habit or addiction that has been controlling your life. This is the year to courageously assault that issue and defeat it. Take the Sword of power given you and move forward!
For some, you have been spending way too much time resting under the Pomegranate tree. For one reason or another you gave up the fight. You chose the safe path, the comfortable way. It is time to get up and step out in faith and courage. God has given you a Sword. Use it.
It is not the critic who counts, not the person who points out where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the person who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes up short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the devotions, and spends himself or herself in a worthy cause; who at best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement; and at the worst, at least fails while daring greatly; so that his or her place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory or defeat. -- Theodore Roosevelt
