WHEN THE HARVEST FIELD BECOMES A BATTLEFIELD
1 Chronicles 11:12-14
Sunday morning, December 7th, 1941, the Japanese launched a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor that caught the United States completely off guard. In less than two hours, Japanese airmen destroyed two U.S. battleships and badly damaged six others. 2,330 American lives were lost during the attack on Pearl Harbor and another 1,145 were wounded. A major part of Japan's strategy was the element of surprise. The goal of the Japanese on that morning was complete annihilation.
As warriors in the army of God, we must be ever cognizant of the reality that we have an adversary who has a similar goal in mind. Peter tells us that our adversary, the Devil, “walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8). For this reason, it is imperative that we remain “sober and vigilant”.
Our vicious and scheming enemy does not signal beforehand when, where, or how he will attack. Those of us who belong to Jesus have likely experienced times of great peace and abundant joy and then seemingly out of nowhere we endure a major and unexpected spiritual attack. I am not talking about a brief moment of difficulty, rather I am referring to times of tribulation that are so intense that it makes us question the faith that we possess in the Lord Jesus.
God’s Word warns us that spiritual attacks will come, but it also tells us that victory is possible and it shows us how it can be achieved. Peter instructed the saints to “Resist (Satan), steadfast in the faith…” (1 Peter 5:9a). James said “submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you”. (James 4:7)
A great illustration of the victory that is possible for the valiant Christian is found in our selected text. These verses chronicle a battle that transpired between one of David’s mighty men named “Eleazar” and many members of the Philistine army.
1 Chronicles 11:12 After him was Eleazar the son of Dodo, the Aho-hite, who was one of the three mighty men. 13 He was with David at Pas-da-mmim. Now there the Philistines were gathered for battle, and there was a piece of ground full of barley. So the people fled from the Philistines. 14 But they stationed themselves in the middle of that field, defended it, and killed the Philistines. So the Lord brought about a great victory.
- We find a few more significant details about this battle in 2 Samuel 23.
2 Samuel 23:9 And after him was Eleazar the son of Dodo, the Aho-hite, one of the three mighty men with David when they defied the Philistines who were gathered there for battle, and the men of Israel had retreated. 10 He arose and attacked the Philistines until his hand was weary, and his hand stuck to the sword. The Lord brought about a great victory that day; and the people returned after him only to plunder.
Eleazar is listed among several mighty men who were “with David”. We are not given an exact timeline of this battle, and based on the context of this chapter it seems likely that at this point in time, David was stationed at the Cave of Adullam and not physically present with Eleazar. (v15). Regardless, it is evident that Eleazar was “with David” in the sense that he was loyal to him when the majority turned away.
It was at Pas-da-mmim that the Philistines plotted an attack in a field ripe with barley. Though the “men of Israel retreated”, Eleazar planted his feet, gripped his sword, and fought the Philistines until “his hand was weary”. This mighty warrior fought so long and valiantly that when the battle was over “his hand stuck to the sword”. Though he faced seemingly unbeatable odds, in the end, Eleazer stood tall because “The Lord brought about a great victory that day”.
We are told that this battle occurred at a time when the field was “full of barley”. This was good news for the people of Israel; however, the Philistines saw this as a prime opportunity to launch an attack.
There are times in the Christian life when we are walking closely with the Lord, we are serving Him, obeying Him, and producing spiritual fruit. Our lives are consumed with good things and we are focused on the work that we have been called to accomplish for the glory of the Lord. Metaphorically speaking we are in the midst of a harvest field; and then it happens; the enemy launches a surprising and powerful attack and we find ourselves in the midst of an intense battle. It is important for us to know how to respond to such an attack. For this reason I would like to examine several elements of this battle between Eleazar and the Philistines and preach on the subject “When The Harvest Field Becomes A Battlefield”.
- We will begin by considering:
I. THE PARTICIPANTS INVOLVED IN THIS BATTLE
v13 (Eleazar) was with David at Pas-da-mmim. Now there the Philistines were gathered for battle, and there was a piece of ground full of barley. So the people fled from the Philistines.
There were several different people involved in this specific battle. There attitudes and actions are representative of many of the people who are involved in the battles that we are often engaged in as people of God. Notice that:
A. SOME OF THE PARTICIPANTS ARE SCHEMING
The Philistines were the aggressors, they were the ones who initiated this particular battle. It was their heart’s desire and ultimate goal to destroy Israel. They saw what appeared to be a great opportunity to cause immense harm to the people of God.
In this spiritual battle that we are engaged in, the opposition is led by a scheming adversary named Satan. We must never forget that our adversary is exceedingly powerful. Furthermore, he is not alone in his opposition against the people of God. He has an innumerable multitude of evil forces at his disposal. He is the commander of an army of demons and on top of this reality, he has millions of men and women in this world who unknowingly do his bidding. Jesus said in Matthew 12:30, “He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad”.
This world is filled with people who are not just indifferent, they are vehemently opposed to Christ and all who follow Him. Such people are not just tools in the hands of Satan, they are his children! Jesus said to the Pharisees in John 8:44 “You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do”. Those in the world that would oppose, oppress, and persecute us today are no different! They are children of the Devil and their desires are the same as his.
The last thing that Satan wants is for the people of God to experience victory. When we are walking in the Spirit, faithfully serving the Lord, and bearing spiritual fruit, we are a tremendous danger to his cause. Therefore, he will do all that is within his power to turn our “harvest field into a battlefield”. When this happens we must be like Eleazar and stand firm in the fight.
Unfortunately, not every man in Israel was as devoted to the cause and to the king as was Eleazar. This may be the case for you as well. In the battle we fight, some of the participants are scheming and verse 13 tells us that tragically:
B. SOME OF THE PARTICIPANTS IN THIS BATTLE ARE SCARED
v13 Now there the Philistines were gathered for battle, and there was a piece of ground full of barley. So the people fled from the Philistines.
Recently, all Israel had sworn their allegiance to David. In fact, this occasion is recorded in the first three verses of this chapter. 1 Chronicles 11:1-3 says, “Then all Israel came together to David at Hebron, saying, “Indeed we are your bone and your flesh. Also, in time past, even when Saul was king, you were the one who led Israel out and brought them in; and the Lord your God said to you, ‘You shall shepherd My people Israel, and be ruler over My people Israel.’” Therefore all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, and David made a covenant with them at Hebron before the Lord. And they anointed David king over Israel, according to the word of the Lord by Samuel”. Though many had boldly professed their devotion to the king, when the enemy attacked they abandoned him and fled for fear.
In Mark 8:34-35 Jesus said, “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. 35 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it”. Hearing this call, many have professed to be willing to obey it. Such people are intrigued by: access to forgiveness of sins, deliverance from Hell, and the promise of eternal life. They claim that they are ready and willing to deny themselves, take up their cross, and follow Jesus.
Multitudes profess that they will follow Jesus no matter the cost, they truly believe that they are ready to suffer for the Savior, fight for the faith, and endure the consequences of being identified with Him. They appear to be bold and courageous warriors in the army of God. Tragically at the first sign of opposition many who have professed unceasing devotion to the Savior have turned away and hid in fear. It seems that there is no shortage of people who profess to belong to King Jesus in the good times, but when attacks come and battles rage, many are nowhere to be found.
There are many negative consequences that come from the retreat of those who claim to have enlisted in God’s army, but one of the most devastating is that when they run and hide they leave behind a handful of faithful warriors to fight the battle alone. Thankfully, there are some mighty warriors who will stand and fight even when the others turn away. This leads us to the fact that:
C. SOME OF THE PARTICIPANTS ARE STRONG
Now there the Philistines were gathered for battle, and there was a piece of ground full of barley. So the people fled from the Philistines. 14 But they stationed themselves in the middle of that field, defended it, and killed the Philistines.
Eleazar is described as “one of the three mighty men with David". In Hebrew, the word “Mighty" means powerful, warrior, champion, or strong. It is a word that describes one who is valiant. Eleazar and David’s other mighty men were strong, courageous, and devoted to their King. Though they faced a powerful enemy, though they were greatly outnumbered and overpowered, and though the battle was intense, they refused to abandon their king.
Thankfully there are some mighty warriors such as this in God’s army today! There are some valiant men and women of God who have sworn allegiance to Jesus Christ and they are willing to fight on behalf of their King in the face of great danger, in the midst of ever intensifying battles, and at a time when they are rapidly becoming outnumbered.
It is bad enough that the strong warriors are abandoned by those who are too scared to fight, but it is even worse to know that those who had absolutely nothing to do with the victory want to share in the spoils. This is exactly what happened after the battle in this barley field was over. This leads us to the fact that:
D. SOME OF THE PARTICIPANTS IN THIS BATTLE ARE SHAMEFUL
2 Samuel 23:10 (Eleazar) arose and attacked the Philistines until his hand was weary, and his hand stuck to the sword. The Lord brought about a great victory that day; and the people returned after him only to plunder.
The majority of the men of Israel fled for fear (after professing devotion to the king) and left a devoted warrior to fight the powerful Philistines alone, then when the battle was over they had the nerve to return in order to collect the spoil from a victory that they had nothing to do with!
Most of you would say that such an act exemplifies a tremendous lack of integrity, and you would be correct in your assessment. However, many of you do the very same thing! The church (universal and local) is filled with people who have professed devotion to the King and claim to be concerned with His cause yet they refuse to fight in the battle. Many want the benefits of church membership, yet they don’t seem to have a desire to attend more than once in every other blue moon! Many want the love, support, and attention that comes with being a part of a church family, but they will not offer the same to others. Many say that they want the church to thrive, yet they do not contribute to support it. Many say they want the church to grow, yet they will not serve in an effort to see it come to pass. Many declare their desire to see the youth in the church grow in their relationship with Christ, yet they are not willing to invest in their lives. Many boast of their desire to see lost souls saved, yet they are unwilling to share the Gospel. Many say they want to see God glorified and Christ’s Kingdom advanced, yet they do absolutely nothing that would bring about such progress!
Countless people within the church (a better description would be people affiliated with the church) benefit from the battles that are fought and the victories that are won, yet those same people refuse to plant their feet, pick up a sword and join in the fight. These are the kind of people who look at the local church and ask, "what's in it for me?" And like those men who abandoned Eleazar, and still wanted to enjoy the plunder, their actions are shameful!
- Now that we have seen the participants in this battle, let's take a moment and examine:
II. THE STRATEGY OF THE ENEMY
In order for an army to be victorious, there must be a good strategy before the battle begins. In this instance, the Philistines had a good strategy. We can be certain that our scheming adversary has a methodical strategy in mind for our destruction. Notice:
A. WHEN THE ENEMY ATTACKS
Israel’s enemies strategically attacked them at harvest time. We are told that the field was "full of barley". Perhaps the Philistines assumed that the people would be so focused on gathering the harvest that they would not be prepared for an attack and as a result they would be easily defeated.
Like Israel in this instance, we are living in the midst of harvest time. During His earthly ministry, Jesus said to His Disciples “Do you not say, ‘There are still four months and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest! (John 4:35). This statement is just as true today as it was when Jesus walked the earth. All around us are lost souls in need of salvation. As followers of Christ it is our God given responsibility to work the fields. There is no question that it is God who gives the increase, but there are ample scriptures that command us to be about the business of planting and watering, and as a result we have the privilege of being involved in a harvest of souls.
Thankfully, there are some who are faithful to work in the fields. However, as we work we must remain vigilant. We have a scheming adversary that does not want us to reap a great harvest of souls, for this reason, he will strategically attack us when we least expect it.
- The actions of the Philistines show us when the enemy attacks, and they also show us:
B. WHY THE ENEMY ATTACKS
The soldiers in the Philistine army planned to march through the fields trampling down the crops and slaughtering all that stood in their way. Their goal was to destroy the crops and inflict casualties at the same time. By destroying the crops, Israel’s enemies would have eliminated a major portion of their food supply, thus bringing them to a place of hunger, resulting in them being more easily defeated.
We have already seen that our Adversary walks about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. Like the Philistines, he will attack us when we are focused on the harvest. Knowing this to be the case, we must have the proper mindset as we work in the harvest field and fight in the battlefield. The fact that we sometimes have to do both simultaneously is even more reason for us to ensure that we are prepared for such a monumental task.
- So far we have seen THE PARTICIPANTS IN THE BATTLE, and THE STRATEGY OF OUR ENEMY, next I would like to examine:
III. THE MINDSET OF A WARRIOR
v10 He arose and attacked the Philistines until his hand was weary, and his hand stuck to the sword. The Lord brought about a great victory that day;
Eleazar was a mighty warrior who planted his feet, gripped his sword, and fought the enemy until the victory was won. As we examine his actions in this battle we see the mindset of a true warrior. He shows us that:
A. A WARRIOR MUST BE COURAGEOUS
It has been said that a hero is one who runs into danger when everyone else is running away. When the men of Israel saw the Philistines advancing they ran away. However, Eleazar planted his feet and fought on behalf of his King.
Those of us who belong to Jesus are soldiers in God's army. A fierce battle is raging and we must be actively engaged in this battle. If we are to experience victory, it is imperative that we are courageous. Our enemy will launch an attack and when he does we must refuse to flee in fear. Like Eleazar, we must be courageous enough to stand our ground, grab our sword and fight the good fight!
- While it is admirable for a warrior to be courageous, it is also essential that they are also consistent. This leads us to the fact that:
B. A WARRIOR MUST BE CONSISTENT
Eleazar did not just fight, he fought “until his hand was weary”. I can’t help but wonder if there were some who initially joined this battle and maybe even fought valiantly for a time, but when the Philistines kept coming, they dropped their weapons and fled for fear. Eleazar was a mighty warrior and he didn’t just fight for a while and then give up and run. He continued to fight until the battle was over.
There are many Christians who talk a good talk, some even fight the good fight for a while, but when the battle continues to rage and when the fury of the enemy intensifies they eventually retreat in fear, abandon the cause, their fellow soldiers, and their King.
We must heed Paul’s command to Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:3, there he said, "endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ". The word “endure” speaks of consistency. Mighty warriors are those who are willing to fight until the battle is over and the victory has been won.
There is no denying the fact that such endurance and consistency is not easy, but it is necessary. Furthermore, being a courageous and consistent warrior is possible. However, it is only possible when we possess confidence. This leads us to the fact that:
C. A WARRIOR MUST BE CONFIDENT
This mighty warrior fought so long and valiantly that when the battle was over “his hand stuck to the sword”. Even though he was greatly outnumbered and overpowered he continued to fight! He gripped his sword and fought for his Lord. The confidence that he possessed gave him the strength and endurance to fight until the battle was over and ultimately the victory was won.
As we fight the various battles in the Christian life, we should never place our confidence in our own abilities. If we do, defeat will soon follow. Our confidence must be placed in our all-powerful Lord. If we will be courageous, consistent, and confident enough to put our trust in Him, victory is not just a possibility, it is a guarantee.
- We have seen THE PARTICIPANTS IN THIS BATTLE, THE STRATEGY OF THE ENEMY, and THE MINDSET OF A WARRIOR; the final truth I would like to consider is:
IV. THE SOURCE OF VICTORY
v14 But they stationed themselves in the middle of that field, defended it, and killed the Philistines. So the Lord brought about a great victory.
Both scriptural accounts of this battle inform us that it was God who secured the victory in the midst of this field of barley. It was God who equipped Eleazar with the desire, skill, ability, and power to fight this battle. Ultimately it was God who gave Eleazar the victory over his enemies. Eleazar may have been holding the sword, but God was fighting the battle!
As followers of Christ we will face many spiritual battles. When the enemy launches an attack against us, we must remember that the battle is the Lord’s. He simply requires us to be courageous, consistent, and confident in Him. Like Eleazar we face a great and powerful adversary with many weapons and people at his disposal. But we serve the Lord God almighty and He will secure the victory if we will trust in Him.
The king that meant so much to Eleazar had a long history with these wicked Philistines. Even before he was anointed as king of Israel, in fact at a time when he was just a young shepherd boy, David went up against a mighty warrior of the Philistines, a great giant named Goliath. The Bible tells us that it was God who wrought a great victory in that battle as well. The Philistines came against the people of God and David would not let such an attack stand. As many supposedly “mighty men” cowered in fear, young David marched up to their renowned warrior and said, “You come to me with a sword, with a spear, 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 and take your head from you. And this day I will give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. Then all this assembly shall know that the Lord does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord’s, and He will give you into our hands.”
That young ruddy shepherd boy did not have the power and ability to defeat a 9-foot giant, Eleazar did not have the power and ability to defend a barley field against a troop of Philistines, but God did, and He chose to empower His faithful servants and allow them to share in a great victory.
Our scheming adversary’s tactics have not changed, nor has his goal of destruction. Satan is still attacking the people of God in the same manner as he did in the days of King David. He still strategizes and seeks to turn the harvest field into a battlefield. Tragically, as it was in Eleazar's day, great multitudes of people who profess devotion to the King are fleeing the scene of the battle, abandoning the harvest, their fellow soldiers, and their King.
Would you be willing to assess your current status in the Lord’s army? Are you willing to admit that though there was a time when you were a mighty warrior for the cause of Christ, but currently you are inactive in the battle because somewhere along the way the enemy attacked and you ran away and hid in fear. Maybe you are one who was willing to stand your ground in the beginning but over time the battle intensified and after a while you grew weary and as a result you dropped you sword and fled the battlefield.
If this is the case for you, the great news is that you have the opportunity to be restored and you can rejoin the fight. Furthermore, there is a great need for you to link up shoulder to shoulder and fight alongside your brothers and sisters in Christ.
How will you respond to the attacks of the enemy? Will you stand idly by while the enemy ransacks the church? Will you flee when he attacks your fellow soldiers? Or will you, take a stand for your King and His cause? Are you willing to fight regardless of the consequences? Are you willing to endure until the victory is won?
I encourage you to resolve to stand and fight even while others are running away. There is a great need in the church today for some mighty warriors that are courageous, consistent, and confident. There is a need for men and women of God who will remain steadfast and cling to their sword “When The Harvest Field Becomes A Battlefield”.
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