II Samuel: Who Are the Amalekites of My Life?

 "And he said unto me, Who art though? And I answered him, I am an Amalekite." II Samuel 1:8

Do you ever read the Bible, and something sticks out at you—something you'd not otherwise thought about? 

This happens to me, usually when I've been studying a particular subject, or picked up on something I didn't know before, or something someone else pointed out that now I notice.

The Amalekites. That's the most recent subject.

Time and again, they keep popping up in the most unusual places. And here we go again.

They've been around a long time, even during Abraham's time (Genesis 14:7). Their kings bore the name, Agag (Numbers 24:7, I Samuel 15:8). And Haman (from the story of Esther, Esther 3:1) was the son of an Agagite, which scholars assume refers to the Amalekites.

The Bible refers to Amalek as the first of nations (Numbers 24:20). Balaam prophesied that Israel's king (King of Kings, the Lord Jesus Christ) would be higher than Agag, the Amalekite king (Numbers 24:7). 

Ten of the twelve spies that scouted the Promised Land noted the Amalekites dwelt in the land of the south and believed them to be stronger than the Israelites (Numbers 13:29-33). 

The Amalekites fought against the Israelites when they were enroute to the Promised Land (Numbers 14:39-45).

Wickedness abounded with the Amalekites, thus God determined to destroy them along with the other Canaanites. However, the Israelites lack of faith and lack of desire— resulted in their inability to defeat them. 

   "And ye shall make no league with the inhabitants of this land: and ye shall throw down their altars: but ye have not obeyed my voice: why have ye done this? Wherefore I also said, I will not drive them out from before you; but they shall be as thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare unto you." Judges 2:2-3

King Saul failed to kill the king of Agag (I Samuel 15), and later history, Haman (a descendant of Agag) sought to kill all the Jews. 

Now, in II Samuel, this young man lies to David about how Saul died.

Why?

At the end of I Samuel, we learn that Saul committed suicide.

Now, we see an Amalekite, enemy of the Israelites, taking credit for Saul's death. Perhaps, he assumed David would reward him—'the enemy of my enemy is my friend' type thinking.

David would have none of it. He and his men mourned Saul and Jonathan and the people of the Lord and the house of Israel. His answer to the young man?

  "How was thou not afraid to stretch forth thine hand to destroy the LORD's anointed? And David called one of the young men, and said, Go near, and fall upon him. And he smote him that he died. And David said unto him, Thy blood be upon thy head; for thy mouth hath testified against thee, saying, I have slain the LORD's anointed." II Samuel 1:13-16 

Wow. The consequences of pride and lying lead to death.

The Israelites lacked faith. They lacked understanding of what would cause them to stumble. They lacked the trust needed to conquer what would later be a continual thorn in their flesh, even to the point of almost wiping them out but for the courage of Esther. Consequences of disobedience brought on by lack of faith and understanding of God's protection and provision.

Yes. I have encountered Amalekites in my life. I live with the consequences. But I do not suffer eternal condemnation because my King of Kings is greater than my Amalekites' king. My Saviour is greater than my moments of weakness, my lack of understanding, my times of faithlessness, my failure to obey. My Saviour knew I would not be capable of living a sinless life or a perfect faithful life of obedience. So, He took all that upon Himself at the cross. I will one day cross the river of life into the Heavenly Kingdom and all of my Amalekites will be fully removed from my sight.

To God be all glory and honor and praise.

"And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS." Revelations 19:15-16

Remembering the Past

 "For the LORD thy God hath blessed thee in all the works of thy hand: he knoweth thy walking through this great wilderness: these forty years the LORD thy God hath been with thee: thou hast lacked nothing." Deuteronomy 2:7

The Israelites escaped Egypt by the hand of God. By His hand, they ate manna and quail. All that they needed, God provided. Protection in times of war, purification when the enemies within rebelled against God, and the clear presence of His Spirit in the cloud and the pillar of fire.

Now, they prepare to enter the Promised Land, and God promises to go before them and to fight for them.

The Israelites wandered for forty years because they lacked faith. Time and again, they chose to rebel rather than trust. God accused them of whoredoms, and not as we think, but of their heart and what they chose to see. 

"...that ye seek not after your own heart and your own eyes, after which ye use to go a whoring:" Numbers 15:39

Many times, they angered God. Many times, they wanted to give up and return to Egypt. Many times, they complained.

But here's the wonderful thing about our God. He forgave.

God's will prevailed. He had promised Abraham that all nations would be blessed by his 'seed'. From Adam and Eve, God set a plan in motion for the redemption of man. From before time and the creation of the universe, God knew what this course would be in order for Him to have fellowship with us.

And take note: He did it. Not us.

When the Israelites tried to do things on their own, without God, even though it was in pursuit of the land God promised to give to them, they failed. 

Perhaps one of the most difficult lessons I must learn (and it is a continual process), is that if I am worrying about my testimony, then I'm worrying about the god of people's opinion and that is not honoring God. The Holy Spirit works in the hearts and minds of others. That's not my work. Better to just live the best I can with my heart given over to God, than to worry about convincing someone else that I'm so holy. My testimony isn't in my 'doings', but it is revealed in my faith and trust in God despite my 'doings'.

God builds that faith and trust in me through life experiences and the reading and preaching of His Word. I can look at the stories of the men and women of the Bible and learn what a great God I serve. And, I can look through my life and see how time and time again He provided and protected and brought me great pleasure. 

To God be all glory and honor and praise! Amen and Amen!

"Turn you, and take your journey,...Behold, I set the land before you: go in and possess the land which the LORD sware unto your fathers,...Dread not, neither be afraid of them. The LORD your God which goeth before you, he shall fight for you, according to all that he did for you in Egypt before your eyes; And in the wilderness, where thou hast seen how that the LORD thy God bare thee, as a man doth bear his son, in all the way that ye went, until ye came into this place." Deuteronomy 1:7-30

Understanding Leviticus: Part 1

 "O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day." Psalm 119:97

Genesis to Deuteronomy make up the law, according to Jewish tradition. The psalmist, therefore, refers to the laws presented in these books. 

I feel the same as he. I love these first five books of the Bible.

These books contain the knowledge of God, of His great love for mankind, of His holiness, His mercy, His righteousness, His judgments--all that we need to learn about the Creator of this world.

When Jesus spoke of the law, these books were His source. When the apostles spoke of the Scriptures, they were not referencing any of the New Testament books (except when Peter referenced Paul's writings in II Peter 3:15). Rather, they referenced all the books of the Old Testament. 

If we approach the latter chapters of Exodus through to the end of Deuteronomy as lists of do's and don'ts, we miss the purpose behind them completely. The laws in these books revealed God's heart.

Through the many sacrifices and ceremonial rites, God revealed His plan for the coming Savior of the World. Through the details of how to build the tabernacle, He gives the Israelites pictures of His plans for them and all men, of Who He is and Who men are, of His desire for a relationship with us.

The law given then, pictured what would later be accomplished through Christ in perfection. The imperfect law could not do what the perfect Man, Christ the Messiah, has done.

"For the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did; by the which we draw nigh unto God." Hebrews 7:19

If we only had the law, it would point us to Christ, just as it did the thousands of Christians of the first century.

Is it important for us today? Yes! But often rejected by those who perhaps do not understand the value of the pictures God gave the Israelites of His master plan to save all men.

To understand Leviticus, one must delve into the symbolism God used to help the Israelites remember Who God was and what God had planned to do through them.

Over time, I hope to share with you what I am learning through my study in Leviticus. Perhaps you'll be able to say as the psalmist did:

"Thou through thy commandments hast made me wiser than mine enemies: for they are ever with me. I have more understanding than all my teachers: for thy testimonies are my meditation. I understand more than the ancients, because I keep thy precepts....Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way." Psalm 119:98-104

Job: From Grief to Worship

 "Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped," Job 1:20

All of what Job had, both of family and treasures, had just been stripped from him. It did hurt. He rent his robe, a sign of great grief. He shaved his head. A sign of shame. He fell on the ground. 

I'm thinking that there was an inner struggle at that moment. I'm wondering if Job was battling the desire to give over to the grief and the anger and the bitterness that would no doubt be pushing at the edges of his thoughts. I'm thinking that the battle was fierce, that his thoughts were running to and fro. Scattered. Untrappable. 

And then he falls down and does what a man of great faith would do. Worshipped.

Instead of continuing fighting the battle inside him, he turned his thoughts to God and who God was, and says:

"Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD." Job 1:21

This sets an example for us to follow in times of grief. 

When we experience great loss, often we have a hard time comprehending what really just happened. Our minds shoot out thoughts in a million different directions leaving us feeling overwhelmed and dropping us to the ground. We need to get re-aligned. Refocus somehow on something that is good and comforting and able to bring order to what has become chaotic. 

And worshipping God puts everything into perspective.

Worshipping God:

1. turns our eyes back to the Creator of all, Sovereign over all;
2. reminds us that all that we have is His and nothing we have is really ours;
3. pulls us into the loving and wonderful arms of our Heavenly Father who desires to comfort us and bring us peace and order.

Worshipping God puts everything back into perspective.

Job gives us an example of how to cope in a tough situation.

Now before you beat yourself up, remember God's grace. Remember that He knows we are made of dust ("for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return" Genesis 3:19; "For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust." Psalm 103:14). He knows our limitations and knows we are weak.

And He knows what we can chose to be or do. 

If we are willing to bow before Him, trust Him, and wait, He will bring order and peace and joy once more. To Him be all glory, honor and praise.

 

"...weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning." Psalm 30:5

"They that sow in tears shall reap in joy." Psalm 126:5

"To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the plating of the LORD, that he might be glorified." Isaiah 61:3

Trust God and Have Rest

 "Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him:..." Job 13:15

Job sat among the ashes. His friends were terrible comforters saying nasty things about him. And from a purely human point of view, God had abandoned Job. 

Yet, Job set his mind to trust God.

Job bore the burden of great loss, of illness, and now of bitter friends. I don't think anyone would deny that this was a heavy burden to bear. However, Job demonstrated in these words the secret behind Sabbath keeping.

What?

Yes. The Sabbath is about rest. The Sabbath day is a picture of the inner rest a person can receive when he has peace with God, fully trusting Him for his life. F. B. Meyer (an 19th Century preacher) put it this way: 

The pause in the outward business of life was but a parable of that inner hush, which is not for one day but for all days; not for one race but for all men; not for the Hereafter only but for Now. (F.B. Meyer, The Secret of Guidance. © 2018 Merchant Books, p. 41) 

The true strength of Job came through that trust in God's goodness. The decision made to do so enabled Job to wait in faith and not foolishly deny the existence or love of God. Job later says: 

   For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: (Job 19:25)

 This doesn't mean Job didn't struggle. It doesn't mean he didn't feel hurt or abandoned. It simply means that settling in his heart to surrender his life to trusting God was a choice. One that took strength and faith to execute. He determined to push onto God the burden he was feeling, though he did so clumsily. He didn't understand, and he wanted understanding. He struggled to see the goodness of God in all of this, and that caused him to question God. But in the depths of his soul, he chose to trust.

Trusting when you can't see what will come is difficult. It is a tough exercise. But when you release you grip of worry on the unknown and open your arms abandoning your hold on your situation, leaving it wholly in God's hands you'll receive serenity. You'll receive that perfect, wonderous, awesome and amazing true Sabbath rest. Peace and joy will push out the fears, anxiety, torture, worry, handwringing, blame-casting, anger, tears, and whatever else you did when you weren't trusting God.

Job fought for this Sabbath rest, and discovered in the end, that the Lord would sustain him, even bless him. Not sure we can answer the question 'Why' in every situation we face, but we can answer each situation with trust in God's goodness, love, and willingness to carry our burdens.

"Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved." Psalm 55:22

God in Control

 "...although thou movedst me against him, to destroy him without cause." Job 2:3

Satan comes again to present himself to God, and I can see God smile with a twinkle in His eye, before he says, "Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? and still he holdeth fast his integrity, although thou movedst me against him, to destroy him without cause."  (Job 2:3).

I've drawn the conclusion that no one (including God) has singular motives. We're complex people. We may set out with a specific objective, but we secretly (even fooling ourselves), have at least two, and likely more, reasons for the actions taken. 

We're not specifically given God's motives for once more putting Job up in front of Satan. We can probably come up with several:

• Job hadn't learn the lesson of who God was. 
• God wanted us to have an example of holding to faith under difficult circumstances. 
• God wanted to prove His glory and control.
• And more. 

However, here we see Satan had motives, and God allowed him to fulfill them. 

But note: God specifically pointed Job out to Satan (Job 1:8; 2:3). It seems one of God's intentions was to test Job (as seen in the last chapters of the book). Job would become our example. He would be a testimony of God's Sovereignty, of our frailty, and of our need to remain faithful.

The ultimate point being God is in control. We must trust that. Trusting that enables us to be faithful. Trials in our life strengthen our understanding of that truth. 

Question is, are we willing to surrender to God using these trials?

Lord, thank you for Your sovereignty in my life, for weaving and putting the puzzle or threads of my life together for Your glory and Honor--always. 

"Behold, God is great, and we know him not,..." Job 36:26

Meet Job

 "And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?" Job 1:8

Job: a man who loved and served God. One God praised; whose faith made God proud. He wasn't a nobody. Job held great wealth and prestige. He had a family that he loved, and he interceded with God on their behalf.

So why did God point him out to Satan?

I confess, I'm afraid of pondering that question too deeply. Why? Because of what God says to Job:

Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge? Gird up now thy loins like a man; for I will demand of thee, and answer thou me. Job 38:2-3

I think if the voice of God came out of a whirlwind and spoke those words to me, I'd run and hide. So, I reason, if God answered Job this way, how much fiercer would He answer me, who lacks the faith of Job? 

I'm not really sure Job was written to give us the answer to, "Why do bad things happen to good people?" I just don't believe any human being in this present age, on this present earth, can even come close to comprehending God's answer. But perhaps, in reading it under the tutelage of the Holy Spirit, we can grasp the specific message God has for us as individuals.

The beauty of God's Word blossoms before our eyes when His Holy Spirit ministers directly to our hearts while we read it. The answer we seek may not be written in plain English, but the answer we need to hear blooms in our spirit releasing a fragrance that calms and assures. I think when this happens, the value of what we read increases a hundredfold.

Perhaps, if we approached Job with a heart open to hear the Holy Spirit, we'll find a message that shatters our fears, burns up our anxiety, and heals our wounded spirits. 

Perhaps, approaching God with a willingness to accept His love may penetrate our hearts like a scalpel cutting away cancer, as well as produce the soothing effect of a healing balm...perhaps if we can be open to look for the good that may flow from circumstances we'd rather not be placed in, maybe we'd be able to respond as Job did and find peace in it:

I know that thou canst do every thing, and that no thought can be withholden from thee. Who is he that hideth counsel without knowledge? therefore have I uttered that I understood not; things too wonderful for me, which I knew not....I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee. Job 42:2-5