Moving On

May 16, 2025

David, restored as king of Israel, is growing older, and whilst the battles against the Philistines continue, his strength is not what it used to be. In 2 Sam 21:15 we read that he became ‘exhausted’, and as a result, his men begged him not to be actively involved in battle anymore, for fear that he might be killed.

This must have been a difficult decision, but Israel’s victories were not dependent on David, as the rest of the chapter makes clear. Other men (Sibbekai the Hushathite, Elhanan son of Jair and Jonathan, David’s brother) are named as killing Philistine opponents. The chapter reminds us not only of our human frailty but of the fact that victory is dependent on God. He will raise up leaders and ensure His work continues.

Some themes which are found in this chapter include:

  • the absolute importance of covenant in God’s eyes (regardless of time spans)
  • the necessity of atonement through sacrifice (foreshadowing Jesus’s sacrifice for us on the cross)
  • the ongoing nature of battles in life (the Philistines are still there, causing trouble!)
  • how to deal with exhaustion
  • how victory comes through God and not through any one individual
  • how God raises up people to bring about the victory He has planned
  • how the ‘next generation’ has a part to play in the work of God.

Old Sins Have Long Shadows

May 16, 2025

In 2 Samuel 21 we see the importance of covenants to God. Famine comes upon the land of Israel because of Saul’s decision to annihilate the Gibeonites, and atonement for this sin is required. The back story to this is found in Joshua 9 and 10 when Israel first entered the promised land. The people of Gibeon saw Israel’s success in defeating Jericho and Ai, and decided to make peace through deception, pretending they had come from far away. God’s people did not inquire of the Lord and made a covenant not to harm them; centuries later, this covenant still applied.

Saul, presumably, did not feel that a covenant made hundreds of years before had any relevance to him, but God does not forget promises made, and blessings and curses are the result of how we respond to these. He is a covenant-keeping God and expects the same of His people. David, seeking God as to the reason for the famine on the land, is told that this is because of Saul’s actions against the Gibeonites and he asks them what they want. He hands over seven of Saul’s descendants to be killed as atonement, sparing Mephibosheth because of his own covenant to Jonathan.

The story may seem harsh to us, but it reminds us very clearly of the importance of making promises and keeping them, and the binding nature of covenant. We do well to understand this before making vows (see Eccl 5:4, Matt 5:37, Mal 2:13-16). We cannot live as though the past has no impact on the present. ‘Old sins have long shadows’, as the proverb goes, and we do well to seek God for guidance in these matters.

Just Another Sunday?

May 11, 2025

Dave spoke this morning from Luke 12:16-20 on ‘Just Another Sunday?’ It’s very easy for us to feel that one day is little different from another, and certainly it can come as a shock when God breaks into our everyday ordinariness and does amazing things. Imagine how Noah felt after years of building the ark when the rain waters finally started to come! Imagine how Moses felt after years of being a shepherd when suddenly a bush began to burn and not be consumed! Imagine how David felt when he was plucked from the obscurity of being the youngest in his family and a shepherd boy and was anointed by Samuel to be the future king of Israel. Imagine Mary’s ordinary day being disrupted by an angelic visit from Gabriel.
The Bible reminds us that Jesus is coming again and we need to be prepared for this day. In the parable Jesus told, a man who seemed to have all he needed was confronted by God, who demanded his life from him. The man thought he had plenty of time left to tear down barns and build bigger ones, but this was not the case. We never know what a day will bring or what will happen; we need to live each moment with our eyes on spiritual things.
The challenge to us is to not assume all will be as it was. God moves and changes the ordinary. God transforms the ordinary into something extraordinary. We must learn to rely on God and His timing to transform our ordniariness. We look in faith for God to accomplish the transformations He has promised and we live each moment looking to Him and for Him in all we are and do.

The Number 40…

May 4, 2025

Life begins at 40, they say.Tonight at our Little Big Church service we looked at the number 40, which features in many Bible stories such as the flood (where it rained for 40 days and 40 nights according to Genesis 7:12), Moses on Mount Sinai for forty days (Ex 24:18, Ex 34:1-28) and the Israelite spies searching the land of Canaan for 40 days. (Num 13:25) God gave Nineveh 40 days to repent and turn from their sins (Jonah 3:4) and the Israelites ate manna and wandered in the desert for 40 years. (Ex 16:35) Jesus was in the wilderness being tempted by the devil having fasted for 40 days (Matt 4:1-11)… and of course, what happened 40 days after the resurrection was His ascension into heaven!

Sir Isaac Newton said that ‘What goes up must come down’, and whilst this applies to gravity, it is true that just as Jesus ascended into heaven in front of His disciples (see Acts 1:1-11), He will also return to earth in the same way (see Matt 24:28-31), returning for His people (1 Thess 4:16-18, Titus 2:13). We remember and celebrate the Ascension each year whilst looking ahead to the return of our Lord Jesus Christ in glory! The story isn’t over yet; there is much more to come!

The Gift Of Endurance

May 4, 2025

Garry spoke from Colossians 1:9-14, Paul’s prayer that the Colossians may have great endurance and patience. Sometimes we possess innate gifts from God, talents that we have from birth and which can be nurtured and developed. Other gifts come directly from the Holy Spirit, often termed the ‘gifts of the Spirit‘ (listed in 1 Cor 12, including gifts of inspiration such as the ability to speak in other languages or interpret these or the gift of prophecy, gifts of revelation (e.g. messages of wisdom and knowledge and the discernment of spirits) and gifts of power (faith, healing, miraculous powers.)) The Holy Spirit gives other gifts, however. In Ex 31:1-6 we read how He gave Bezalel ‘wisdom… understanding… knowledge… and… all kinds of skills to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, to cut and set stones, to work in wood, and to engage in all knids of crafts.’ God is able to give us different gifts to fulfil His purpose at specific times.
God can give us the gift of prayer (see Rom 8:26), the gift of hope (Rom 15:13) and the gift of encouragement (2 Thess 2:16-17). We all have different gifts (Rom 12:5-8). and certainly encouragement is needed if we are to persevere and endure (see Acts 4:36-37, Acts 11:22-26). Paul prayed for the Colossians to have the ability to endure, to persevere, to hold fast. He had experienced pressures far beyond his own ability to endure (see 2 Cor 1:8-9). but had seen God’s help and deliverance in his own life, which encouraged him to pray for the Colossians too. This gift of endurance helps us to be faithful witnesses for Christ.
Endurance is about more than grim determination and ‘clinging on to the bitter end.’ The endurance God gives is fuelled by the joy which He also provides and therefore we can be strengthened, can rejoice and can hold on, knowing that we have been rescued by God and can trust Him to see us through.

Ongoing Problems In The Life of David

May 2, 2025

David’s return to ruling was not without problems. In 2 Samuel 20 we see how Sheba, a Benjamite described as a troublemaker, led a rebellion which many tribes of Israel joined. We are reminded of the fickleness of followers and how easy it is to influence people through catchy slogans which can seem to promise much but which lack substance. David, frustrated by Amasa’s delays, sends Abishai to deal with Sheba, and once more we see the influence of Joab when Amasa is ruthlessly killed by Joab in the manner of Judas (greeting him as ‘brother’ with a kiss and then stabbing him to death.) Joab’s ruthlessness and tendency to violence would have seen a greater death toll as he went on to pursue Sheba, wholesale slaughter of the town of Abel Beth Maakah being prevented by a wise woman who sacrificed Sheba to save the lives of the rest of the people in the town. Throughout this chapter, we see the violence and ruthlessness which are an inevitable part of war and how Joab’s influence remains a part of David’s life, even when he has apparently been removed from power.
The chapter underlines for us how easy it is to lose control of people and how disunity can spread like wildfire. Though the rebellion of Sheba is put down, the tensions between the tribe of Judah and the other tribes of Israel remain, leading eventually to a totally divided kingdom after David’s death. It is not easy to rule wisely, and even though the chapter ends with a reminder of the many people David trusted to help with ruling, there is a sense that we live in a far from perfect world, where few seek God and His way of living. We need constantly to make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace (Eph 4:2-3) and to find out what pleases the Lord and then act accordingly. (Eph 5:10-11)