Sermon
#1311
Title: WHO SHALL BE REWARDED?
Text: 1 Samuel 30:21-25
Reading: Matthew
19:27 - 20:16
Subject: David’s Statute For The Sharing of the Spoil
Date: Saturday Evening - January 31, 1998
Tape #
Introduction:
There
were six hundred men in Israel who lined up with David against Saul. They
forsook family, home, career, and friend to follow David, when it was most
unpopular to do so. They were willing to lay down their lives for David. They
followed David through thick and thin, preferring to be with David in caves, in
the wilderness, and upon the battlefield than to be with Saul in the palace.
A few of these men were the
bravest, most valiant men in Israel. But for the most part David’s men were a
rag-tag band of helpless, useless paupers, whose only hope of life was that
David might graciously receive them, defend them, protect them and lead them.
The scriptures say, “Everyone that was in distress, and everyone that was in debt, and
everyone that was discontented, gathered themselves unto (David); and he became
a captain over them” ((1 Sam.
22:2).
David, you know, was a type
of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of David. And his rag-tag army of nobodies
fairly well represents the church of our Lord Jesus Christ in this world (1
Cor. 1:26-29).
1 Corinthians
1:26-29 "For ye see your calling,
brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many
noble, are called: 27 But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to
confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound
the things which are mighty; 28 And base things of the world, and things which
are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to
nought things that are: 29 That no flesh should glory in his presence."
With
that in mind, I want you to look again at 1 Samuel 30:21-25. You will recall
the story leading up to our text.
1. While David and his men were away seeking peace and
safety by alignment with Achish and the Philistines, the Amalekites came to
Ziklag, burned the city and took all the wives, children, cattle, sheep, and
valuables that belonged to David and his men (vv. 1-6).
1
Samuel 30:1-6 "And it came
to pass, when David and his men were come to Ziklag on the third day, that the
Amalekites had invaded the south, and Ziklag, and smitten Ziklag, and burned it
with fire; 2 And had taken the women captives, that were therein: they slew not
any, either great or small, but carried them away, and went on their way. 3 So
David and his men came to the city, and, behold, it was burned with fire; and
their wives, and their sons, and their daughters, were taken captives. 4 Then
David and the people that were with him lifted up their voice and wept, until
they had no more power to weep. 5 And David's two wives were taken captives,
Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite. 6 And
David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the
soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his
daughters: but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God."
2. David turned to seek the counsel of the Lord and,
armed with the Spirit of God and the promise of God, he pursued the Amalekites (vv. 7-8).
1 Samuel
30:7-8 "And David said to Abiathar
the priest, Ahimelech's son, I pray thee, bring me hither the ephod. And
Abiathar brought thither the ephod to David. 8 And David inquired at the LORD,
saying, Shall I pursue after this troop? shall I overtake them? And he answered
him, Pursue: for thou shalt surely overtake them, and without fail recover
all."
3. As David pursued his enemies, some of his men had to
be left behind (vv. 9-10).
1 Samuel
30:9-10 "So David went, he and the
six hundred men that were with him, and came to the brook Besor, where those
that were left behind stayed. 10 But David pursued, he and four hundred men:
for two hundred abode behind, which were so faint that they could not go over
the brook Besor."
Two
hundred of the men were so faint that “they
could not go over the brook Besor.” They were “so faint that they could not follow David.’ We are not told that
they “would not go,” but that they “could
not go”. They would have gone if
they could have gone, but they simply did not have the strength and ability to
go. Therefore, they stayed “by the stuff,” while David and their four
hundred brethren pursued the Amalekites.
I repeat this because it is very
important - They would have gone if they could have gone, but they
simply did not have the strength and ability to go. Therefore, they stayed “by
the stuff,” while David and their four hundred brethren pursued the Amalekites.
4. At last David and his men caught their enemies and
thoroughly conquered them (vv. 11-20).
1 Samuel
30:11-20 "And they found an
Egyptian in the field, and brought him to David, and gave him bread, and he did
eat; and they made him drink water; 12 And they gave him a piece of a cake of
figs, and two clusters of raisins: and when he had eaten, his spirit came again
to him: for he had eaten no bread, nor drunk any water, three days and three
nights. 13 And David said unto him, To whom belongest thou? and whence art
thou? And he said, I am a young man of Egypt, servant to an Amalekite; and my
master left me, because three days ago I fell sick. 14 We made an invasion upon
the south of the Cherethites, and upon the coast which belongeth to Judah, and
upon the south of Caleb; and we burned Ziklag with fire. 15 And David said to
him, Canst thou bring me down to this company? And he said, Swear unto me by
God, that thou wilt neither kill me, nor deliver me into the hands of my
master, and I will bring thee down to this company. 16 And when he had brought
him down, behold, they were spread abroad upon all the earth, eating and
drinking, and dancing, because of all the great spoil that they had taken out
of the land of the Philistines, and out of the land of Judah. 17 And David
smote them from the twilight even unto the evening of the next day: and there
escaped not a man of them, save four hundred young men, which rode upon camels,
and fled. 18 And David recovered all that the Amalekites had carried away: and
David rescued his two wives. 19 And there was nothing lacking to them, neither
small nor great, neither sons nor daughters, neither spoil, nor any thing that
they had taken to them: David recovered all. 20 And David took all the flocks
and the herds, which they drave before those other cattle, and said, This is
David's spoil."
David recovered all that the Amalekites
had taken from them. Nothing was lacking. David recovered all. And David also
gathered a great spoil from the Amalekites. Now David and his men are
marching back in triumph. As they approach the two hundred they left behind at
Besor, they put all the flocks and herds David had taken from the Amalekites in
the front, and shouted, as they came across the brook Besor, “This is David’s spoil!” Now read the
text with me (vv. 21-25).
1 Samuel
30:21-25 "And David came to the two
hundred men, which were so faint that they could not follow David, whom they
had made also to abide at the brook Besor: and they went forth to meet David,
and to meet the people that were with him: and when David came near to the
people, he saluted them. 22 Then answered all
the wicked men and men of Belial, of those that went with David, and said,
Because they went not with us, we will not give them ought of the spoil that we have recovered, save to every man
his wife and his children, that they may lead them away, and depart. 23 Then
said David, Ye shall not do so, my brethren, with that which the LORD hath given us, who hath preserved us, and
delivered the company that came against us into our hand. 24 For who will
hearken unto you in this matter? but as
his part is that goeth down to the battle, so shall his part be that tarrieth
by the stuff: they shall part alike. 25 And it was so from that day
forward, that he made it a statute and an ordinance for Israel unto this
day."
Some
of those who went with David to the battle were proud, wicked men, men of
Belial. They said, “We will not share the
spoil with these two hundred weak men who went not into the battle with us.
They are not as strong as we are. They have not done as much as we have. They
do not deserve to be ranked with us. And they shall not be rewarded with us. We
will allow them to have their wives and children, but no more. We have done
greater things than they; and we will have greater reward.” “The spoil that WE
HAVE RECOVERED!”
Does that sound like anyone you know? There
are many who teach that the rewards of heaven are earned by men upon the earth.
They tell us that God will distribute the crowns of glory according to the
merits of our labors, works and faithfulness upon the earth. These wicked,
self-righteous men of Belial will allow the poor weaklings are saved and will
get to heaven by grace. But, because they have not performed great works, they
shall not have all the fulness of heaven’s reward. Thus they attempt to mix the
works of men with the grace of God as the grounds of reward in heaven. Such a
mixture, we cannot and must not tolerate.
Proposition: All the blessings of grace come to
God’s elect freely, not by the merits of our works, but by the merits of
Christ’s righteousness and shed blood as our Substitute.
Today,
I want to address myself to this question: Who
Shall Be Rewarded? You will find the answer to that question in David’s
words to the wicked men of Belial (vv. 23-24).
1 Samuel
30:23-24 "Then said David, Ye shall
not do so, my brethren, with that which the LORD hath given us, who hath
preserved us, and delivered the company that came against us into our hand. 24
For who will hearken unto you in this matter? but as his part is that goeth
down to the battle, so shall his part be that tarrieth by the stuff: they shall
part alike."
Divisions: Today, I have a God-given word of comfort for my faint, weak and
weary brothers and sisters in the family of God. Those who think they are
mighty, strong, and deserving of special reward from God will hear nothing
pleasing to their proud hearts. But all who are the children of God, dependent
upon Christ alone, seeking acceptance with God only by grace through the blood
of Christ, will rejoice to hear what I have to say, I am sure.
1.
In the family of God there are many faint, weak brethren.
2.
Christ is especially the Lord of the faint and weak ones.
3.
The Lord Jesus Christ will come again to his faint ones.
4.
When Christ our Lord comes again, he will grant all his faint and weak
ones a full inheritance in glory.
I.
IN THE FAMILY OF GOD THERE
ARE MANY FAINT, WEAK BRETHREN.
It is true, there are some strong young men
and fathers among the saints. But there are many babes in grace too. And even
the strongest are, at times, weak. The mightiest hands sometimes hang down. The
most faithful soldier weakens in the knees at times. And in the army of Christ,
the strongest ones know their own weaknesses, and trust Christ as their
strength. As David had his weak ones, so does our Lord. No doubt, there are
some sitting here today whose faith is real, whose love is sincere; but, right
now, your strength is weakened. You are depressed in spirit, downcast in your
soul, and weak. If you could, you would go out to fight the Amalekites, but you
cannot. “The spirit indeed is willing; but the flesh is weak.” This faintness may be attributed to
many things, without excusing it in the least.
A.
In the case of David’s men,
these weak ones might have become faint because of great perplexity.
David had wrongfully sought to join forces
with Achish and the Philistines. David, who had slain Goliath, was seeking to
find terms of peace with the Philistines. David, who would not allow his men to
harm Saul, was trying to join forces with Saul’s most determined enemies. Would
David fight with the Philistines against Saul and Israel?
1. God’s people are often perplexed, weakened and hindered by the
misguided zeal, untempered words, and faulty examples of their God ordained
leaders.
I
am not talking now about false prophets. I am talking about faithful men who
err in their speech, conduct and attitude. When pastors, elders, deacons, and
teachers behave in a manner that is out of character and contrary to the gospel
of Christ, they do great harm to the family of God - Brethren, let us ever seek to adorn the gospel of Christ and mark a
plain path, by our example, for our brethren to follow.
·
Faith!
·
Faithfulness!
·
Commitment!
·
Contentment!
·
Encouragement!
2. David, in a time of weakness, unbelief and frustration, set before his
brethren an example of weakness, seeking safety by compromise; and many, in
perplexion, followed his example!
B. No doubt, these two hundred men became weak because
they looked at the events of providence, instead of looking to the God of
providence.
They saw Ziklag burning. Their wives were
gone. Their children were gone. Their cattle were gone. Everything in this
world they cherished was gone. These
were not ordinary trials. I have seen strong men break under far less
pressure. Who has not experienced this weakness? We look at our circumstances
and conclude the worst. When everything around us makes it appear that God is
against us, we have a hard time believing that God is for us.
1. These men could not pursue the Amalekites, they could not obey God’s
command (v. 8), because they looked to Ziklag’s ashes rather than God’s
promise!
They
tried to obey. They went as far as Besor. But they just could not go any
farther.
2. Child of God, never interpret the will of God by providence; but always
interpret providence by the will (revelation) of God.
Judge not the Lord by feeble
sense.
But trust Him for His grace:
Behind the frowning
providence
He hides a smiling face.
His purposes will ripen
fast,
Unfolding every hour:
The bud may have a bitter
taste,
But sweet will be the
flower.
3. The only cure for this weakness is faith (Rom. 8:28).
Romans 8:28 "And we know that all things work together
for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his
purpose."
·
Trust the wisdom of God.
·
Trust the goodness of God.
·
Trust the promise of God.
C. No doubt these men became faint because the task
before them was great.
They were a small band of men going out to do
battle with a great, well-equipped, mighty army. Though they had both the
command of God and the promise of God, they could not think of anything except
their own weakness and the Amalekites’ strength.
The fear of failure and defeat made them too weak to fight. It is hard to be very
severe with these faint ones when you realize that they were very much like us,
isn’t it? The most powerful successful foe in the world is fear!
1. Fear makes every enemy a
giant - Faith slays the giant.
2. Fear makes every path a
mountain - Faith levels the mountain.
3. Fear makes the feet heavy -
Faith makes the wings swift.
4. Fear makes the brook Besor a
torrential river - Faith crosses the brook, swimming if necessary, building a
bridge if necessary, but faith crosses the brook.
5. Fear makes every tree a
forest - Faith clears the forest, one tree at a time.
6. Fear is sizing the obstacle
- Faith is obeying the will of God.
7. Fear looks to the strength
of the enemy - Faith looks to the promise of God.
Apply
this to the church and the work of the gospel. Fear says, “We can’t do that!”
Faith says, “By the grace of God, for the glory of Christ, according to the
will of God, we will do what God has given us to do.”
II. God has many faint, weak
children in his family. But, secondly, I want you to see that CHRIST IS ESPECIALLY THE LORD OF HIS
FAINT AND WEAK ONES.
David was captain over a bunch of weak
ragamuffins. Everyone that was in distress, in debt and discontent were the
ones who gathered to David. In this too, he was a type of Christ. A poor
wretch, head over heels in debt, without a penny to pay, good for nothing,
worthless, I came to Christ. No one else would have me. But he graciously
received me and became Captain over me.
We
are not among those self-praising, mighty ones, who have accomplished great
feats of holiness and wonders of righteousness, by which (they suppose) they
have made themselves so great before God that now, by their mighty progress,
God has become a debtor to them. Just last week, I received an article from a
man who claims to preach the gospel of God’s grace. He was very upset with
something I have written. And, in criticizing my doctrine, he went to great
lengths to defend what he called “progressive righteousness”!
We
have no part with such men. We mourn our weaknesses, iniquities, transgressions
and sin. But we rejoice in the faithfulness of our dear Lord. He delights to be
the Lord of sinners who need him. He will not cast them off because they need
him.
A.
Though we are often in
distress, by reason of our own weakness, Christ is touched with the feeling of
our infirmities.
Though it was through David’s sin that Ziklag
was burned, the Lord did not forsake him, or even punish him, but graciously
rewarded him. Though it was through weakness that these men stayed behind at
Besor, David still used them and rewarded them as if they had single-handedly
defeated the Amalekites.
1. Our Lord chastens us, but
never punishes us.
2. He reproves us, but never
renounces us.
3. He never forsakes or ceases
to love his own (Heb. 13:5).
Hebrews 13:5 "Let your conversation be without
covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I
will never leave thee, nor forsake thee."
·
He loves all his children with the same love.
·
He is with us, even when we stray, especially when we stray.
·
He protects us even when we sin, especially when we sin.
B. It is because we are weak and need him that Christ
is ever present and willing to help us, defend us, protect us and provide for
us (Isa. 43:1-5; Heb. 4:16).
Isaiah 43:1-5 "But now thus saith the LORD that
created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have
redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine. 2 When thou
passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they
shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be
burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. 3 For I am the LORD thy God,
the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour: I gave Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia and
Seba for thee. 4 Since thou wast precious in my sight, thou hast been
honourable, and I have loved thee: therefore will I give men for thee, and
people for thy life. 5 Fear not: for I am with thee: I will bring thy seed from
the east, and gather thee from the west."
Hebrews 4:16 "Let us therefore come boldly unto the
throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of
need."
It is not our goodness, but our sinfulness
that qualifies us for mercy. The strong do not need Christ’s strength. The
righteous do not need his grace. The rich do not need his help. The Son of God
still goes home and eats with publicans and sinners. He is especially the Lord
of the needy. The needy need mercy!
·
There is nothing we would not do for our Savior if we could; but we
cannot do what we would.
III. Thirdly, THE LORD JESUS CHRIST WILL COME AGAIN TO
HIS FAINT ONES.
As soon as David had finished his business
with the Amalekites, he returned to his faint, weak men at Besor. And he was
determined to make them know the joy of his accomplishments. David came to the
two hundred who could not follow him, and saluted them, asked about their
well-being! That is a picture of Christ!
A.
Though our Lord hides
himself from us for a time, for our own good, that we may seek after him, he
will return to those who need him.
Illustration: Peter
(Mark 16:7).
Mark 16:7 "But go your way, tell his disciples and Peter that he goeth before you into
Galilee: there shall ye see him, as he said unto you."
And
the poor, faint, weak and needy ones will be overjoyed to see him again (Song
3:1-4).
B. Soon, our Lord Jesus will come again to call his
faint ones home, and we will go out with anxious hearts to meet him (1
Thess. 4:17-18).
1 Thessalonians
4:17-18 "Then we which are alive
and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the
Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 18 Wherefore comfort
one another with these words."
O blessed day! Our faintings
will then be over forever!
IV. AND WHEN
CHRIST OUR LORD COMES AGAIN, HE WILL GRANT ALL HIS FAINT AND WEAK ONES A FULL
INHERITANCE IN GLORY (2 Sam. 2:3).
2 Samuel
2:3 "And his men that were with him
did David bring up, every man with his household: and they dwelt in the cities
of Hebron."
As
David became an advocate for these two hundred faint men in the teeth of their
accusers, the Lord Jesus Christ shall be Advocate for us in the day of judgment
(vv. 23-24).
1 Samuel
30:23-24 "Then said David, Ye shall
not do so, my brethren, with that which the LORD hath given us, who hath
preserved us, and delivered the company that came against us into our hand. 24
For who will hearken unto you in this matter? but as his part is that goeth
down to the battle, so shall his part be that tarrieth by the stuff: they shall
part alike."
Look
at the reasons David gave for giving all his men an equal share in his spoils,
and you will discover why we insist that all God’s saints will have all the
fulness of the glories of heaven.
A.
The rewards of heaven are
Christ’s spoils, not ours!
“This is
David’s spoil!”
B. The church of God is one body, and we are one with
Christ!
Notice how David uses that
word “us.”
C. The glories of heaven are all gifts of divine grace.
“That which the Lord hath given us!”
Human merit
has nothing to do with heaven’s glory.
·
The crowns are crowns of grace.
·
The thrones are thrones of grace.
·
The mansions are mansions of grace.
·
The songs are songs of grace.
D. The weak and faint believer serves Christ just as
fully and sincerely as the strong and zealous.
These men could not go to battle. They were
too weak. But they could and did stay by the stuff.
1. If they had not stayed by
the stuff, the other men could not have won the victory.
2. They were more fearful, but
not less earnest or useful than their stronger brethren.
3. Our Lord honors those who do
what they can for him.
·
The Widow.
·
Martha and Mary.
·
The Woman (Mark 14:6-8).
Mark 14:6-8 "And Jesus said, Let her alone; why
trouble ye her? she hath wrought a good
work on me. 7 For ye have the poor with you always, and whensoever ye will
ye may do them good: but me ye have not always. 8 She hath done what she could: she is come aforehand to anoint my
body to the burying."
E.
These men received their
reward because it was the will of the king (Lk. 12:32; v. 25).
Luke 12:32 "Fear not, little flock; for it is your
Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom."
1 Samuel
30:25 "And it was so from that day
forward, that he made it a statute and an ordinance for Israel unto this
day."
Application:
I
am seeking recruits for the King of glory. He wants the needy! If Christ is so
kind to the weak, how much more we who are weak should be.