We read in Luke 21:26, “men fainting at heart from fear, and expectation of the things coming on the world, for the powers of the heavens shall be shaken.” (YLT)
The disciples of Jesus enquired of Him as to what would be the signs that the end of days was close at hand. Jesus went on to explain in detail, all that would transpire in the last days before the second coming of the Lord. It was in this context that Jesus mentioned that men’s heart would faint with fear when they see all that would happen on the earth, and that the very powers of heaven would be shaken. The Greek root for the word ‘fainting with fear’ literally means ‘one wanting to give up their life.’
Before the year 2020, the world had faced many calamities, most of which were localized to one particular place, and would just be news to other parts of the world. For example, there may have been issues that the US, China, Russia or India encountered, which would be confined to that particular country only, with very little or no effect to other parts of the world. However, in recent times, the pandemic that we are confronted with, did not spared any part of the world, and this has created a sense of fear and panic in the hearts of people world-wide. As we go through this message, I hope God’s word will help us understand as to how we can cope with the fears that we are facing today.
Every day the messages that we receive, and the news that is being telecast has filled the hearts of many with dread. We will study the lives of two kings in the bible, both of whom heard news that made them fearful. However, there were men in their kingdom, who were not perturbed in any way by the same news, and we will study to understand why this was so.
The fearful challenge that the Israelites faced
When Saul was the King of Israel, the Philistines were constantly at war against the people of Israel. In one of these battles the Israelites were confronted with a strange challenge. Up until then the two armies would confront each other in battle, and one would win and the other be defeated. However, this was a peculiar battle.
We read in 1 Samuel 17:3-4, “And the Philistines stood on the mountain on the one side, and Israel stood on the mountain on the other side: and there was a valley between them. 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.” (ERV)
As the Israelite army stood on one side of the mountain, the Philistines stood on the other side. There was one man named Goliath from the Philistine army, who challenged the Israelites this way.
We read in 1 Samuel 17:10, And the Philistine saith, ‘I have reproached the ranks of Israel this day; give to me a man, and we fight together.’ (YLT)
This one man Goliath, challenged the Israelites to send one man from their side to fight against him. If that one man from the Israelite army was able to defeat Goliath then the Philistines would become their slaves, but on the other hand if Goliath won this duel then all of Israelites would become salves to the Philistines. This was a challenge that the Israelites had hitherto never confronted, which therefore it left them in a fearful predicament.
The pandemic that we encountered is one that we have never confronted thus far in our lives. It is a therefore a new kind of problem. Generally when faced with such unexpected calamities, it creates a sense of fear in the hearts of most people.
King Saul and his men were terrified
This was the reaction of Saul and his people to this confrontation by Goliath. We read in 1 Samuel 17:11, “When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid.”(ESV)
King Saul who was the king of Israel and his entire army were dismayed and terrified at the sight of Goliath. Goliath daunted them because of his height, his weighty armor, his experience as a warrior, and the Israelites were sure they could never conquer such a mighty warrior. Saul had in his army certain soldiers who served him, who were brothers from the same family. The father of these young men called his youngest son and sent him to take some food for his brothers who were in the battle front. This young man was David, who was sent to inquire about the welfare of his brothers.
David was undaunted by Goliath
When David entered the battle field, he observed the way Goliath taunted the Israelites, and how the Israelites fled from his presence. David who heard this ridicule from Goliath was unperturbed and this is what he said to King Saul.
In 1 Samuel 17:32, we read, “And David said to Saul, Let no man's heart fail because of him; thy servant will go and fight with this Philistine.” (ERV)
This young man David did not fear what the king and the army of Israel feared. Saul who was the King of Israel, who had experience of fighting many battles was terrified, whereas, David who was just a shepherd boy was courageous enough to face Goliath. Both King Saul and David encountered the same giant, but what was the reason that King Saul feared while David was so bold?
Saul was intimidated by Goliath’s strength
We can see the reason for Saul’s fear in 1 Samuel 17:33, And Saul said to David, “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him, for you are but a youth, and he has been a man of war from his youth.”(ESV)
Saul dissuaded David from considering such an option, as he perceived that if they as experienced men of war could not challenge the mighty Goliath, it would be impossible for David to do so, as he was only a young shepherd boy with absolutely no experience in warfare. Saul probably knew all of the feats that Goliath had performed earlier as a mighty man of war. Saul was also aware of Goliath’s height and the weight of the armor that shielded this strong man. In comparison, David was insignificant and therefore Saul discouraged David from going to war with Goliath. David was an inexperienced young man, whereas Goliath was a man of war from his youth. Interestingly, Saul has a good assessment of the strength of the enemy who stood before him.
Often like Saul we do careful research about the problems that we encounter. For instance, if we were to talk about the second wave of the pandemic, people will be ready to share so much of details about the same. There are those who are hooked on to the news and newspapers, and for such people a fearful outcome is unavoidable. The problem becomes much bigger as we dwell on this information for a long time, and the consequence is that fear grips our heart even without our realization. Have you noticed how there are many who even for a simple ailment, will immediately go to the internet to check out the symptoms. Much of the information shared may not even be authentic. However, they will spend so much time on this, and will end up with a sense of fearful apprehension. When fear takes over, our body produces certain stress hormones which will invariably bring down our immunity levels. In days gone by, if we had a fever, we would take some tablets to recover from the same. If the fever persisted, we would go to the doctor to get ourselves checked. However, today there is an overwhelming sense of fear that has gripped everyone that makes us run helter-skelter for every little ailment. We truly need to ask God to help us overcome these fears.
David’s confidence was in God
David had no fear to face Goliath and we can understand why it was this way from his response to King Saul.
We read in 1 Samuel 17:37, And David said, “The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” And Saul said to David, “Go, and the LORD be with you!” (ESV)
David shared his experiences of how he saved his sheep from the paws of a bear and the mouth of a lion. David literally saved the sheep from the jaws of death, and he did not share these accomplishments to show off his skill, but rather to help Saul realize that God was with him. David was therefore certain that the same God would help him triumph over Goliath. While David spoke about the mighty power of God that was manifested through him, Saul spoke about the strength of Goliath.
As long as we have our minds set on the fearful situation around us, we will be filled with dread. Instead, when we turn our eyes toward the Lord, who can help us tide through these fearful circumstances, we will certainly be able to come forth victorious. The question is what are we talking about the whole time? Instead of dwelling on the negative news and bad things that are happening around us, we should look back with gratitude to remind ourselves of all the hurdles that we overcame, only because the Lord was with us. We usually tend to look at the crisis situation that surrounds us, but instead we should also take a moment to thank God that so many have overcome these devastating times of sickness, have recovered and are doing well.
While Saul and his men continued day after day with constant terror in their hearts, David came into the same situation and realized that there was no need for any fear. David believed that he could overcome the giant with the might and strength of the Lord. When the enemy seemed enormous to Saul, the giant was a spec in the eyes of David whose eyes were fixed on the Almighty God. David won over Goliath with such ease only because he trusted in the Lord to help and deliver him from the hands of the mighty enemy.
If we want to conquer the fears that surround us at present, the only way we can do so is if we take our eyes off the circumstances around us and look to the Lord. David said this so beautifully in Psalm 121:1-2, “I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth.” (ESV) David had the complete assurance that his help would come from the Lord who was the make of heaven and earth.
The King of Israel who feared
When the King of Syria sent a letter to the King of Israel, the King of Israel was totally terrified. This was his response as recorded in 2 Kings 5:7, When the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes in dismay and said, “Am I God, that I can give life and take it away? Why is this man asking me to heal someone with leprosy? I can see that he’s just trying to pick a fight with me.” (NLT)
The King of Israel was seated on his throne when he received a letter from the commander of the Syrian army, whose name was Naaman. This letter was sent by the King of Syria with recommendation to the King of Israel, asking him to cure his commander Naaman of his leprosy. The King of Israel knew that this request was not a feasible one, as he did not have powers to heal someone, so he therefore assumed that the King of Syria was devising a reason whereby he could wage war against him. Not knowing how to respond to this situation, the King of Israel tore his clothes as he was terrified at the thought of it.
Elisha’s response of faith
Let us read the response of another man in the same kingdom of Israel.
We read in 2 Kings 5:8, Now Elisha, the man of God, hearing that the king of Israel had done this, sent to the king, saying, Why are you troubled? Send the man to me, so that he may see that there is a prophet in Israel. (BBE)
When the people heard the laments of the king, this was brought to the notice of the prophet Elisha who was also in Israel. Elisha told the king not to be fearful, but to send Naaman to him. While the King was troubled about the situation that he was presented with, Elisha was filled with faith, and asked that the problem be sent to him to handle. This was such a contrast in the way these two men responded to the same situation.
As soon as we hear of any calamity, our hearts are filled with fear. We need to ask God to help us be rid of these fears. Let us remember that our days of birth and death are all ordained by God, and in this time interval between them, nothing can destroy us, for the Lord will help us be victorious over these hardships. Instead of getting all upset and researching the internet for every little ailment, let us keep in mind that our bodies are the temple of the living God. The Lord does not live in temples made with hands, but dwells inside our bodies which are His temple. Since the Lord resides inside of us, He will help us triumph over every hardship and sickness if we put our faith and trust in Him. Often we concentrate on our impossible situations, not realizing that with God nothing is impossible.
Elisha honored God alone
Naaman was then summoned to the house of the prophet Elisha. Generally, when a person of high standing comes to our home, we will come rushing out of our homes to greet them. However, Elisha did not do so, as in his eyes the only one worthy of such honor was God alone.
We read in 2 Kings 5:10,“And Elisha sent a servant to him, saying, Go to Jordan, and after washing seven times in its waters your flesh will be well again and you will be clean.” (BBE)
Elisha just sent his servant to meet Naaman who stood outside his home, and told him to go the river Jordan and wash himself seven times in that water, so that his flesh would be healed and well. This leprosy that so bothered the king, was a very simple matter to the prophet of God.
The question to us is, do we esteem men or do we hold God in highest esteem?
Naaman received his miracle
Naaman went to the Jordan as Elisha instructed and dipped himself in the river seven times.
We read in 2 Kings 5:14, “So he went down and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God, and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.”(ESV)
There was an astounding miracle that took place. While the king was dismayed at the fact that he did not have the ability to heal a leper, the man of God knew that the all powerful God was with him. He trusted in God and declared the same to the Naaman, and the outcome was that Naaman’s leprous skin was healed, and was restored to be like that of a child.
I have placed two incidents before you. Goliath’s challenge which frightened King Saul and his men, but left David unperturbed and bold enough to defeat the giant. The King of Israel who was flustered when he received the letter from the King of Syria, and the prophet of God Elisha, who was full of faith, and helped Naaman receive his healing.
God was glorified
We read in 2 Kings 5:15, Then he returned to the man of God, he and all his company, and he came and stood before him. And he said, “Behold, I know that there is no God in all the earth but in Israel; so accept now a present from your servant.” (ESV)
This was the testimony of Naaman who received this miraculous healing from his leprosy. Here was a man from another country, glorifying the God of Israel and acknowledging that He was the true and living God.
Whenever we challenged with all sorts of hardships and difficult times, it is important that we and all those around us are able to recognize that there is no one like our God. There is no one who can perform wonders like our Lord. The calamities that come against us are not meant to destroy us, but to help us be conquerors, so that everyone will acknowledge that the Lord is with us. When we live this way we will certainly deal with fear the right way and overcome this sense of fear that seems to engulf us. Let us decide to not constantly dwell on this present situations, and the bad news that we hear constantly, but rather focus our attention on God. The Lord is the creator, our loving God, sovereign and He is able to do anything, for everything is under His control.
If you have not invited the Lord Jesus into your heart, this is an opportunity to invite Him into your life. When you do so, He comes in to help you deal with all the fears that grip your heart. The Lord will come in to give you courage so you will not fear anything, and grant you boldness to be victorious. Let me conclude with this statement, if we keep focusing on the problems at hand, we will only end up with this emotion called fear. On the other hand if we can keep our eyes focused on God and on His power to save, placing our faith in Him, we will most certainly overcome every problem and there will be no place for fear in our lives. Let us be reminded that where there is fear there will be no place for faith, but where there is faith there will be no room for fear.
Rev. F. Andrew Dixon
www.goodnewsfriends.net
Transcribed by: Sis. Esther Collins
