Sound Doctrine

Guest (Male): Biblical encouragement for the faint-hearted among us. Next on Sound Doctrine. If you're faint-hearted this morning, Jesus doesn't condemn you. And I want you to see this. If you're not right there where you think you ought to be, and if you're going through some things because of home, because of some things that are happening, you're just burned out a little bit, I want you to see that he doesn't condemn you. But he wants to encourage you this morning and bless you as David did to these.

Would you be described today as faint-hearted? As we open up 1 Samuel chapter 30, that's the reality for a third of David's men. They were bummed out, burned out, and blown out. But they didn't back out. And Pastor Jeff Johnson will explain why as we go along. God loves to give his strength and encouragement to the faint-hearted, so if that's you today, please keep listening. He turns things over now to Pastor Jeff for this message, first delivered at Calvary Chapel Downey.

Jeff Johnson: Verse 21: "David came to the 200 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."

And answered all the wicked men and the men of Belial, of those that went with David, and said, "Because they went not with us, we will not give them aught of the spoil that we have recovered, save to every man will we give him his wife and his children back, that they may lead them away and depart."

So David returns to greet the faint ones. Remember the ones we left behind with all the spoil? David comes back. And he always got those brothers of the prodigal. You know what I'm talking about? The guy that was always home. The prodigal went out and he did his thing and he blew it and he did this, that, and the other. He comes back and he gets everything. Kill the fatted calf, do this, do that. And the brother sitting there, "Well dad, you never did that for me."

"What's going on?" you know? And you always got those guys that are going to start griping. Well, we have them right here. These jealous troublemakers that are right in David's midst, part of the 400 men that went with him. Men of Belial, or men of foolishness, of wickedness, lacking God's love and lacking understanding of God's love. They're just kind of cold and hard.

Verse 23: "And said David, 'You shall not do so, my brethren, with that which the Lord has given us, who hath preserved us and delivered the company that came against us into our land. For who will hearken unto you in this matter? But as his part is that goes down to the battle, so shall his part be that tarrieth by the stuff. They shall part alike.'" In other words, they shall get equal parts.

My question was when I came to this portion is that, first of all, why couldn't the faint fight? Why didn't they go with David with the 400? Second question I had was why were they faint and weak to begin with? What was wrong with these that stayed behind? I think there are three reasons that I want to look at for a moment that I think we need to understand and that God already understands and I think we need to understand.

Number one is that they were totally blown out. They were totally blown away at David's change of heart. You see, David at one time was saying, "Don't touch God's anointed. Don't touch Saul." And they went, "Ooh, that's interesting." And then the next minute he's saying, "Let's go to battle with the Jews," you know? And they're looking at him going, "Man, David's really changed."

In other words, one moment he says one thing and the next another. He is very inconsistent, this guy. And they started to get totally blown out in looking at David. And you will do that if you get your eyes upon man. Man will blow your mind. He will let you down. And we're not to get our eyes upon man. We're to get our eyes fixed upon Jesus. He will never fail us. But this happens, doesn't it? People look at other people. And if you do that, you could get blown out.

Number two. The others in this group of 200 I think were bummed out. And the reason that they were bummed out is that their wives and their children were gone. They had lost everything. When they came home, everything was burned and everybody was gone and they started to get what? Discouraged.

I'll tell you this, if there is trouble in the home, if there is an—and they were hurting. They just couldn't go on. If you've got trouble with family at home, if you've got trouble with children at home, if you're struggling with things at home, it's going to be hard to just right be on the front lines all the time, you know? You're going to be weary. You're going to be faint.

And I think this is where they were at. They were just struggling with what had happened to their home. They just couldn't get it together to serve the Lord. They were bummed out. And the third thing that I see here is that they were burnout. They had been marching for three days straight. From the middle of Israel, that's in the northern part of the area of Jerusalem and Judah, they marched all the way three days down towards the Gaza Strip to the Brook Besor. Three days. They were weary.

If physically we are wore out, it will affect us spiritually. They couldn't go on anymore. There's this guy that his name was I think it's Charles Osborne. He was on the Johnny Carson show. And he was 92 years young. He had hiccups. And he's had these hiccups since 1922 due to some kind of rare deformity in his body. He would hiccup 10 to 40 times a minute.

And I think this guy's life was tremendously affected by this. In fact, he was sharing about how he couldn't hold food down and he had a special way of trying to get the food down before he hiccuped. And it was just miserable. It affected his life daily. And each of us have hiccups in our life. Each of us go through things that weaken us for ministry. We have things that come in front.

And we begin to get faint-hearted. And that happens, doesn't it? You get tired. You get burned out and it's just that's what takes place. You get faint and you need some time to be restored. But even though these individuals were blown out, they were bummed out, and they were burnout, they didn't back out. And I think we need to see that.

They didn't resign from David. They didn't pull back. They still followed after David. They're still going after him. They're still hanging in there, even though they didn't go all the way to the battle. If you want to find out, and someone has said this and I think it's true—I've never tried it really—if a guy owns a dog and you're wondering, "Is that his dog?" just watch the dog and him as they walk.

And when he turns the next corner, if the dog follows as he turns, it's his dog. That's how you can tell if it's a guy's dog. These guys are still following David. They're still going after him. They're still hanging in there, even though they didn't go all the way to the battle. They did what they could. They stayed and they watched the stuff.

And because they stood by David during the good times and during the bad times, they would also be rewarded and they would reap of the benefit because of that. An equal share of what those in the front line received was going to be theirs. Our wall of prayer, because as I went back there, I started to pray for each one of them.

And as I thought about this, all of what they're doing, we receive half the spoils. The blessing in the souls that are being saved and touched out there are going to our account also because we're staying behind with the stuff. I remember the first time I saw this in the scriptures and I was very busy with the first part of my ministry and I was going so fast.

I was going so many places. I was traveling a lot and my wife and kids were just sitting at home, "Bye, dad," you know? I was going everywhere and then I gave them this scripture and I said, "Honey, did you see this? You get half of everything. The blessings and all that as I go, you know, it's to your account as you pray behind and as the kids are left behind." And that's true.

Half the spoils. Treasures in heaven. This is God's economy. Look at it and mark it. As we give, we will also receive rewards. So because you're here this morning, because you've gathered, because you have followed to this point and you are here, you're going to reap of what happens this morning in the rewards. Equal part.

If you're faint-hearted this morning, Jesus doesn't condemn you. And I want you to see this. If you're not right there where you think you ought to be, and if you're going through some things because of home, because of some things that are happening, you're just burned out a little bit, I want you to see that he doesn't condemn you.

But he wants to encourage you this morning and bless you as David did to these. He came back to them and he didn't complain at them. And he didn't get down on them. He encouraged them. So much so he gave them half the stuff. And there was a few guys that said, "Hey, wait a minute. What are you doing? We're the ones that went out and did all the fighting. We're the ones that did..." you know, and David reminded them, "Hey, it's the Lord that did this. It's the Lord."

But these, notice, didn't back out. They didn't throw in the towel. And let me encourage you if you're feeling faint this morning that you not just give up, but you continue to preserve, stay by the stuff, do what you know you need to do, and he's going to encourage you. And he's going to bless you in your life. Hang in there and do what you can. He will bless you.

Now, there's three things that I see here. Number one, it's the reality of the faint-hearted. You just have them. Number two, it's the rejoicing that they experience. And number three, it's the reward that they receive. So number one is the reality. One-third of David's men were faint-hearted. I started to think, you know what? I bet you we have about one-third here this morning.

That you really love the Lord. You want to do what you can, but you're frustrated, you're faint-hearted this morning. You're really going through it. It seemed like, "I can't go on," you know, you just you need encouragement. Now, we've looked at why. What are the reasons why? Well, the first reason was maybe you had your eyes on man. You got bummed out or blown out.

And then maybe you got burnout a little bit because you were used so much and then you just kind of experienced burnout. And God wants to restore you this morning. God wants to be with you and encourage you. But remember, they didn't back out and so don't give up. The rejoicing will come. And the rejoicing is in verse 21, when David went back to them and he met them.

And then it says he saluted them. Besor, Besor, the brook there, it means good news. And as they saw David come back, that's first of all, they couldn't believe it. "Here comes David!" And yet the Jesus says, "I'm coming soon." That's good news, isn't it? Wherefore comfort one another with these words. Jesus is coming soon.

Be encouraged. The Lord is coming back and he's going to encourage us. And those that are faint-hearted, this is encouragement enough for the church that is believing this. The people that are believing this that the Lord is coming back is a church and a people that are experiencing revival. Because if Jesus is coming back, we don't have much time.

And if we don't have much time, we better get busy. And there's things happening. The third thing and the final thing here is that reward. After rejoicing comes the reward. For even the faint are useful. What can the faint do? Well, you can stand by the stuff. "Oh, I thought I was useless." No, no, no. You stand by the stuff. Well, in verse 22 they said, "Well, they're not going to get anything.

All they did was hang out here behind while we were up there fighting. Oh, we'll give them their women and their children back, you know, and then they can just go on their way. But we're keeping the spoils, David. There is no way they're going to get it." And David turns around in verse 23 and says, "Yes way. You will give them half of everything."

And that blew them away. An equal part. Maybe you can't go, but what can you do? You can pray. You can pray. Preaching is very important. They need to hear the gospel. But unless prayer goes out before the preaching, it's worthless. Prayer is powerful. Even more so than preaching. Because prayer goes out to soften the hearts, to open up those lives that are so hard.

As the preaching goes forth, then the hearts are receptive and lives are changed. You can give. You can even go on a short-term missionary trip to go encourage those that are back there and to be a part of the team that is basically going to encourage them and be with them and minister to them. That's a blessing.

Maybe you can't go yourself on a long-term thing and you want to be a missionary but you can't, so you're faint and you go, "What can I do? I'm no good." Well, you can do a lot of things and you get half the spoils. Notice David talks about "us" in verse 23 a lot. He says, "The Lord hath given us, who hath preserved us, that came against us."

He's including the 200 and the 400. We are all "us." We are all one body. God gave the victory, we all receive the reward. As we gather together. And I love that part. God works and it is all brought us together. We are one body in Christ. And this is why I think it's so important that when in Hebrews 10:25 it says, "Don't forsake yourselves gathering together as the manner of some is in these days, especially as we see the coming of the Lord is near, we should gather even more so."

Why? Because when we come into this place, we are all as one, together, to receive the reward, to get blessed. You can't get blessed, you can't hear the word of the Lord unless you come into the presence of the Lord with God's people. The congregation is so important. And I know a lot of people like to golf on Sunday.

They say, "Well, I can be out there in the creation of God. And as I'm hitting the ball, I'll say, 'Bless God,'" you know, and it's kind of my worship as the ball goes forth. But it's not like here, is it? And it will never be like here because there's nothing like God's people coming together, worshipping the Lord, seeking the Lord, and as God comes down upon us to speak to our hearts, there is nothing like it.

You'll never find anything like it. So gather together even more so as we see the Lord coming. And then look at verse 25. "And it was so from that day forward that he made it a statute and an ordinance for Israel unto this day." So forever after that, it was always those who stood by the stuff got half.

And that's just the way it is because we need those guys standing by the stuff, guarding the stuff. Being back there at the home base. It's the sending base. They're important. So much important they get half. And when David came to Ziklag, he sent of the spoil unto the elders of Judah, even to his friends, saying, "Behold, a present for you, a gift for you, of the spoil of the enemies of the Lord."

David is so shrewd here. He is so wise. You see, he was out of it for quite a while with the enemy, right? And he's just said, "I'm back!" And here's some gifts. I just want you to know and I just want to thank you for being with me through the time I was going through my thing and this is just a little blessing for you. And this is the spoils of the enemy.

And he had so much he gave it to those in Judah all around. And in verse 27 on, it tells the areas that he went to. And it says that to them which are in Bethel—and I won't even go through the rest of them. Verse 31. Because you can go ahead and do it in front of a mirror if you want and you'll mess it up just like I mess it up.

All right? Verse 31. "And to them which were in Hebron"—very important, Hebron. "And to all the places where David himself and his men were wont to haunt." I like that last part. Where they hung out. Where they were wont to haunt. Hebron. You know, Ziklag's calamity. And sometimes we look at our calamities and our adversities, you know, as something horrible that's happened to us, and yet it's the Lord working in your life.

All things are working for the good for those that love the Lord and are called according to his purpose. And so David's calamity in Ziklag, the houses being burnt, but he got all of his family back. And yet he is brought now to the place of Hebron. And this is where it's going to take place, Hebron. Eventually, those in Hebron are going to ask him to be their leader.

I mean, everything is working out. And eventually all of Israel will ask them to be their king. I mean, God's hand is in David's life. Look over at 2 Samuel chapter 2 verse 1. I want to read ahead a little bit because this kind of adds to this. It says that it came to pass after this that David inquired of the Lord saying, "Shall I go up to any of the cities of Judah?"

And the Lord said unto him, "Go up." And David said, "Whither shall I go up?" And he said, "Go unto Hebron." So David went thither, his two wives. Verse 3: "And his men that were with him did David bring up." And notice, "every man with his household and they dwelt in the cities of Hebron." You see, God's promise here is that he will bring us up.

But not just us up, what the blessing is, he will bring up our household. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, you shall be saved and what? And your household. And you might be a little faint-hearted right now about your household and they're really going through it and, "God, what are you doing?" you know, "I mean, save them!" Well, bring them out tonight. No.

See, Toy Maker's Dream? No. Listen, bring them to the gospel. Bring them to a place where they can hear the good news of Jesus. Why? Have you invited them to church? "Oh, not yet. I don't know if they're ready for it." Well, ask them. "Well, they turned me down last month." Ask them again this month.

You never know when you're going to hit them at a low point and they'll say, "Okay, quit bugging me. I'll go," you know? And then they find—they show up and then they hear the word of the Lord and the Lord pulls on their heart by his spirit and they get saved. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, it's going to bring you up and he's going to bring up your household.

All of the men's households were brought up. It's hope, man, that the Lord wants to give us for our loved ones. Keep praying. Keep seeking the Lord, because God's working behind the scenes. But remember this, if you remember anything this morning, remember this: the words of Jesus as I started out.

He said, "Come unto me all ye that are labor and heavy laden and I'll give you soul rest. I'll give you rest for your troubled soul, calm the raging storm that's going on in your life. You come to me and I'll bless you. Learn of me and I'll bless you. Come to me and I'll not only bring you up, but through your life, I'll bless your household." God help us.

Guest (Male): Today on Sound Doctrine, we brought you the reality of the faint-hearted. Then the rejoicing that they experience, and finally the reward that they receive. This is just part of Pastor Jeff Johnson's study of 1 Samuel, and he'll be right back.

If you enjoyed today's message from Pastor Jeff Johnson from the book of 1 Samuel, I'd like to remind you that you can hear it again on several different venues. First, you can go online to sounddoctrineradio.org where you can hear today's study as well as make a donation to this radio outreach. That's at sounddoctrineradio.org. You can also listen at oneplace.com and through the Sound Doctrine Radio app. I should also mention Sound Doctrine can be heard wherever you enjoy podcasts, including Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Let's look to the Lord in prayer now as we close.

Jeff Johnson: And so Father, this morning, we thank you first of all now for meeting us in this place and speaking to us through your word. For the words that you speak, they are spirit and they are life. And Jesus, thank you for being here in a very personal way and by your spirit to tug on hearts and lives to come to you this morning. That Lord, you have called us to meet here, to watch you work a work in each of our hearts.

For those that are faint-hearted, to encourage and to exhort. And Lord, we thank you for the comfort of your spirit here this morning, that you have given us great and precious promises that we would hold on to your word, that you will bring restoration, that you will intervene, not only in our lives but in our family's lives. But Lord, first of all, those who are hurting need to come.

And so Lord, by your spirit this morning, as we as we wait upon you, we ask Lord that you would tug on hearts and that you would bring those that are hurting, that Lord you would give them each a rest for their soul as they come. As they as David make that decision there at the crossroads, ready now to come, that you will bless each of their lives as they come.

Guest (Male): Well, we have one more study to go in 1 Samuel and we'll have that for you next time on Sound Doctrine with Pastor Jeff. A presentation of Calvary Chapel Downey.