The Ghost of Ephraim
Psalm 78:9 11 -- “The children of Ephraim, being armed, and carrying bows, turned back in the day of battle.” “They kept not the covenant of God, and refused to walk in his law;” “And forgat his works, and his wonders that he had shewed them.”
l. INTRODUCTION -- FROM THE LIFE OF DAVID LIVINGSTONE
In a book entitled, “David Livingstone, His Life and Letters,” written by George Seaver, there are a great many illustrations of a man who was so focused that nothing held him from trying to reach Africa with a portion of the Gospel. In his efforts, there were a number of difficulties that he had to overcome.
When one looks at life, there appears to be one great reflection upon this short journey that men take, it is this: Life promises more than it fulfills, it suggests a good which it somehow fails to impart. The pages of history and of biography alike are blurred with the record of lost causes, quenched enthusiasm, unrealized ideals, and frustrated hopes. David Livingstone’s life is no exception from this particular fact.
He was a man who had to endure the hardship of squalid conditions, poor resources, struggles with attacks from wild animals, and even stricken by malaria several times. Yet there was something within Livingstone that refused to quit. Consider some of the entries in his dairy in 1873:
March 19 -- Thanks to the Almighty Preserver of men for sparing me thus far on the journey of life. Can I hope for ultimate success? So many obstacles have arisen. Let not Satan prevail over me, Oh! My good Lord Jesus! Nothing earthly will make me give up my work in despair. I encourage myself in the Lord my God and go forward.
April 10 -- I am pale, bloodless, and weak from bleeding profusely ever since the 31st of March; an artery gives off a copious stream, and takes away my strength. Oh, how I long to be permitted by the Over Power to finish my work.
April 12 -- Great loss of blood made me so weak I could hardly walk, but tottered along nearly two hours and then lay down quite done. Cooked coffee-our last- and went on, but in an hour I was compelled to lie down. Very unwilling to be carried, but on being pressed I allowed the men to help me along by relays to Chinama, where there is much cultivation.
Livingstone later died on April 29, 1873, have spent his whole energies on a focused task of accomplishing what he felt that God had called him to do. His life was full of deterrents and even detours but the purposes of God found their mark in his heart. He never turned back in the face of difficulty.
ll. PSALM 78
A. Background of Ephraim
-The heading of Psalm 78 informs us that it is a maschil. This is a particular psalm that is designed for instruction and for understanding. The other psalms that are maschil are: 32, 42, 45, 52, 53, 54, 55, 74, 88, 89, and 142.
-The text of Psalm 78 informs us that the children of Ephraim, being armed turned back in the day of battle. They were the descendants of Ephraim.
-Ephraim was the youngest son of Joseph who was born to him in the land of Egypt. The meaning of his name is full of promise. It means “God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction” (Gen. 41:52).
-When it came time for Jacob to die and he began to bless all of his children, he mistakenly conveyed a blessing to Ephraim, the youngest son, instead of Manasseh who was the eldest son of Joseph. It was a similar situation to when Jacob deceived Isaac into blessing him instead of Esau.
-Yet one must always understand that a strong past does not always provide for a secure future. One of the great dangers in my own life and in yours also is trying to live on yesterday’s blessings, on yesterday’s commitments, and on yesterday’s memories.
-The tribe of Ephraim was a valuable tribe to the nation of Israel. The tribe of Ephraim was one of the leading tribes from the appointment of Joshua to succeed Moses until the establishment of Saul as the king.
-During the Exodus, Ephraim was located on the west side of the Tabernacle, which would have been toward the rear wall of the Tabernacle. After the establishment of Canaan, the children of Ephraim had the most ideal location for their homeland.
-As a tribe they were very rich and along with this they were very adept in their military skills. Ephraim had a great heritage in its geographical relationship with God. It was here that Shiloh and Shechem were located. At Shiloh, the sanctuary of Israel was located in the tribe of Ephraim. Shechem was important because of the heritage that was associated with Abraham’s altars and with Jacob’s nearby wrestlings with the Lord.
-From the tribe of Ephraim came Joshua, Gideon, and Samuel. The tribe of Ephraim had everything that it needed to be successfully used by God. But there is more than the matter of outward appearances in the service of God (I am not so much speaking about the separation of holiness as I am about inward commitment). From the outside, everything looked well with Ephraim.
• They possessed the skills and supplies in abundance to fight the battle, but that could not replace courage.
• They were well trained and capable with their weapons, but they lacked steadfastness.
• They were highly polished, impressive in their battle array, they were as smooth as a Marine drill time, running like a finely tuned machine, but fear captivated them.
• The sons of Ephraim loved Memorial Day parades and target practice but when the battle started, they became deserters.
• Their watchword was ease and their slogan was “make a good appearance.” But underneath all of that veneer of valor was the brittle plastic shell of surrender.
B. The Ghost of Ephraim
-Even today the Ghost of Ephraim continues to find its way into the church and into the home. The Ghost of Ephraim stirs when the battle begins. When the hot rays of hardship began to beat down they melt like butter on the back burner.
-They want a medicine man with a quick cure. They come for counsel but reject the demands of Scripture for repentance, for restoration of God’s method for living, and for the reestablishment of biblical relationships.
-The quitting habit creates a strange undertow that complicates matters rather than correcting the difficulties.
-Let’s just quit have become the household words.
• A marriage gets shaky and hits a few hard jolts. . . . “Let’s just quit!”
• When a personal dream or goal in life is met with hardship and struggle. . . . “Let’s just quit!”
• When job problems began to overwhelm men. . . . “Let’s just quit!”
• When a test is failed at school (high school or college). . . . “Let’s just quit!”
• When the pastor hits our heart with the Word of God. . . . “Let’s just quit!”
-One must understand there is not an achievement worth remembering that is not going to be stained with the blood of diligence and etched with the scars of disappointment. Running solves nothing. Quitting is not the solution. Giving up is not the answer. Escaping is not the remedy. None of these methods will solve anything, it only postpones a reckoning with reality at a later time in life.
-The battle that Ephraim ran from is not one particular battle in Scripture that they fought but rather the progress of their lifestyle. Hosea had the following to say about Ephraim:
Hosea 7:8 11 -- “Ephraim, he hath mixed himself among the people; Ephraim is a cake not turned.” “Strangers have devoured his strength, and he knoweth it not: yea, gray hairs are here and there upon him, yet he knoweth not.” “And the pride of Israel testifieth to his face: and they do not return to the LORD their God, nor seek him for all this.” “Ephraim also is like a silly dove without heart: they call to Egypt, they go to Assyria.”
-Ephraim, armed but insecure. Equipped but not active. Capable of rendering great service but turned back.
-We have all that we need to become a great man or woman of God. We have:
The grace of God.
The power of the Spirit.
Energy for His service.
Resources for personal growth!!!!
The teaching of the Word of God!!!!
-There are some who the Ghost of Ephraim seem to live with. They are constantly turning back:
Because of the ridicule of the world and even sometimes the criticism of the Church.
Because there is an inability to deny self.
Because they cannot forget their own ease.
Because they cannot bear the Cross in some form or another.
-Some do choose to go back and they go sorrowfully and live with constant discouragement. There will always be a stigma that marks the lives of those who are quitters. Quitters never win and winners will never quit.
C. The Traits of the Quitter
-There are certain traits to those who allow the ghost of Ephraim to continuously gnaw and nag at them.
Trials seem to bog them down. Trials never seem to make a positive effect on their own service to God.
There is an unbelief in the power of God. The power of God becomes benign and useless to them. This usually is related to a high content of doubt in their own relationship with God.
There is a sense of self-righteousness that consumes them. Self-righteousness will always keep one from changing into something positive.
There is an indifferent view of life. It is fatalistic as if there is nothing that we can do to change our surroundings. With the help of God, men can change there environment and their lot in life.
There is a fear of those who are around them. Too many times men become position oriented instead of Kingdom oriented. To become oriented around a position will reduce the effects of God in our lives. Seek to grow.
D. The Reasons For Ephraim’s Ghost
-There appears to be a strong reason for Ephraim’s ability to turn back in the day of battle. The reasons are given in Psalm 78:10-11.
They kept not the covenant of God.
They refused to walk in His Law.
They forgot His works and wonders that he had shown them.
-Desperate things happen to men who do not keep the covenants of God. By forsaking the covenants of God, by refusing to walk in His Law, there will be no spiritual fruit grown in our lives. There will be a robbery of worship and of praise. There will be no good works motivated by the Spirit in our lives. Ultimately, God will not be able to use our lives to bring light to the lives of those who are in darkness. We will not have the desired effect that God wants us to have in a world the is lost.
lll. AN ILLUSTRATION -- WHEN YOUR BACK IS AGAINST THE WALL, PAT RILEY, NBA COACH
The Los Angeles Lakers were dominating the Boston Celtics in the final round of the 1984 National Basketball Association championship. The Lakers beat Boston on their home floor in Game 1. They beat them by 33 points in Game 3. They were ahead by 10 points in Game 4 and cruising and then it all changed.
Two days after losing the deciding seventh game, the Lakers were back in Los Angeles for their last team meeting. Coach Pat Riley looked at the young faces and said, “Even though we lost, they can’t take away our pride and our dignity; we own those. We are not chokers or losers. We are champions who simply lost a championship.”
The Lakers came back for the 1984-1985 season sharply focused. All year long, they heard about how they were a “show time” team that folded as soon as things got tough. The Celtics and their fans referred to us as the L.A. Fakers. Abuse and sarcasm were heaped on, and the Lakers had to take it. Yet still they achieved a tremendous season and ripped through the place at a high pace. On May 27, they got to face their tormentor, the Celtics, in Boston Garden.
The next day’s headlines called Game 1 of the 1985 finals The Memorial Day Massacre. A 148-114 humiliation was the most embarrassing game in the history of the Lakers franchise. The Lakers saw themselves become exactly what they had been called: choke artists, underachievers. The troubling question was why was it that every time the Lakers faced the Celtics, they became paralyzed with fear.
Before they went out for Game 2, the Lakers gathered in the dinghy locker room of the Boston Garden. The players were sitting there, ready to listen and to believe. Every now and then, you have your back pushed up against a wall. It seems like there is nobody you can depend on but yourself. That is how the Lakers felt on that day. If they lost, the choke reputation would be chiseled into stone, a permanent verdict. If they won, they had an opportunity to prove they could keep on winning. It was a do or die situation.
Coach Riley faced Kareem Abdul Jabbar, the star center, and said, “When I saw you and your father on the bus today, it made me realize what this whole moment is about. You spent a lot of time with Big Al today. Maybe you needed that voice. Maybe everyone in this room needs to hear that kind of voice right now--the voice of your dad, the voice of somebody in the past who was there when you didn’t think you could get the job done.”
“A lot of you don’t think you can win today. A lot of you don’t think you can beat the Celtics. I want each of you to close your eyes and listen.” And they did.
And Riley began his tale, “When I was nine years old my dad told my brothers, Lee and Lenny, to take me down to Lincoln Heights and get me involved in the basketball games. They would throw me into a game and I would get pushed and shoved. Day after day, I ran home crying and hid in the garage. I didn’t want anything to do with basketball.”
“This went on for two or three weeks. One night, I didn’t come to the dinner table, so my dad got up and walked out to the garage where he found me hunkered down in a corner. He picked me up, put his arm around me, and walked to the kitchen. My brother Lee was upset with him. ‘Why do you make us take him down there? He doesn’t want to play. He’s too young.’
“My father stood up and staring at Lee, said, ‘I want you to take him there because I want you to teach him not to be afraid, that there should be no fear. Teach him that competition brings out the very best and the very worst in us. Right now, it’s bring out the worst, but if he sticks with it, it’s going to bring out the best.’ He then looked at his nine-year-old, teary-eyed son and said, ‘Pat, you have to go back there.’
So Coach Riley told his players, “I thought I was never going to be able to get over being hurt and afraid, but I eventually did get over it.” As he was talking, he was slowly pacing back and forth the locker room. Looking at the players, he saw that Michael Cooper was crying. A couple of other players looked as if they would start crying too.
Coach Riley went on, “I don’t know what it is going to take for us to win tonight but I do believe that we are going out there like warriors, and that would make our fathers proud.”
The Lakers won the game. They also won three of the next four games. The 1985 championship was won by the Lakers. Seven times in Laker history, the NBA Finals had been lost to those adversaries. Now the Celtic Myth was slain and the choke image with it.
During the off season, Michael Cooper told Coach Riley that the pregame message had gone deep for him. As a boy, Cooper had a grievous leg wound, an ugly cut through the muscle. Doctors did not think he would ever walk correctly again, much less become an athlete. He was sustained through those times by a wonderful mother and devoted uncle. So he had heard those voices.
All of us have at least one great voice deep inside. People are products of their environments. A lucky few are born into situations in which positive messages abound. Others grow up hearing messages of fear and failure which they must block out to hear the positive. But the positive and courageous voice will always emerge, somewhere, sometime, for all of us. Listen for it, and your breakthroughs will come.
Fear of failure will lead you to despair, wrong decisions, and host of other problems. However, when the voice comes through it will counsel courage, that affirms your life and your ability, and it will position you to do your very best.
lV. CONCLUSION
-The Spirit has the ability to summon things within every one of us. There are shreds of the ghost of Ephraim within every person who has every been filled with the Spirit.
Romans 7:18 25 -- “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.” “For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.” “Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.” “I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.” “For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:” “But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.” “O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?” “I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.”
-I am convinced that some of the hottest battles of life are ordered by God. He places us in the situations to build and strengthen the purposes that He is trying to refine. -God’s High Favorites are those who refuse to quit and give up.
Jacob’s Great Wrestling Match -- It was a place where he had his back to the wall. He forgot about how formidable that Esau was and got a grip of the angel of the Lord.
Joseph’s Pit -- There is a value in the pit. Joseph went from the Pit, to the Prison, before reaching the Pinnacle. It was the plan of God.
Daniel’s Lion Den -- There again is the pattern that urges us to pursue excellence regardless of the cost that is required of us.
-When the devil comes in with his deception and tells you to quit, there are a multitude of Scriptures that places us out of his reach:
Ephesians 2:6 7 -- “And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:” “That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.”
Ephesians 3:19 21 -- “And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.” “Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,” “Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.”
Micah 7:7 10 -- “Therefore I will look unto the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me.” “Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the LORD shall be a light unto me.” “I will bear the indignation of the LORD, because I have sinned against him, until he plead my cause, and execute judgment for me: he will bring me forth to the light, and I shall behold his righteousness.” “Then she that is mine enemy shall see it, and shame shall cover her which said unto me, Where is the LORD thy God? mine eyes shall behold her: now shall she be trodden down as the mire of the streets.”
Psalm 27:1 3 -- “The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” “When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell.” “Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident.”
Isaiah 44:1 8 -- “Yet now hear, O Jacob my servant; and Israel, whom I have chosen:” “Thus saith the LORD that made thee, and formed thee from the womb, which will help thee; Fear not, O Jacob, my servant; and thou, Jesurun, whom I have chosen.” “For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour my spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring:” “And they shall spring up as among the grass, as willows by the water courses.” “One shall say, I am the LORD’s; and another shall call himself by the name of Jacob; and another shall subscribe with his hand unto the LORD, and surname himself by the name of Israel.” “Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God.” “And who, as I, shall call, and shall declare it, and set it in order for me, since I appointed the ancient people? and the things that are coming, and shall come, let them shew unto them.” “Fear ye not, neither be afraid: have not I told thee from that time, and have declared it? ye are even my witnesses. Is there a God beside me? yea, there is no God; I know not any.”
Proverbs 3:5 6 -- “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.” “In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”
Psalm 18:32 46 -- “It is God that girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way perfect.” “He maketh my feet like hinds’ feet, and setteth me upon my high places.” “He teacheth my hands to war, so that a bow of steel is broken by mine arms.” “Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation: and thy right hand hath holden me up, and thy gentleness hath made me great.” “Thou hast enlarged my steps under me, that my feet did not slip.” “I have pursued mine enemies, and overtaken them: neither did I turn again till they were consumed.” “I have wounded them that they were not able to rise: they are fallen under my feet.” “For thou hast girded me with strength unto the battle: thou hast subdued under me those that rose up against me.” “Thou hast also given me the necks of mine enemies; that I might destroy them that hate me.” “They cried, but there was none to save them: even unto the LORD, but he answered them not.” “Then did I beat them small as the dust before the wind: I did cast them out as the dirt in the streets.” “Thou hast delivered me from the strivings of the people; and thou hast made me the head of the heathen: a people whom I have not known shall serve me.” “As soon as they hear of me, they shall obey me: the strangers shall submit themselves unto me.” “The strangers shall fade away, and be afraid out of their close places.” “The LORD liveth; and blessed be my rock; and let the God of my salvation be exalted.”
Philip Harrelson
barnabas14@yahoo.com
