In the Christian life, the greatest joys come from the greatest victories, and the greatest victories come from the greatest battles. And the greatest battles are won as we take our stand, and then stand firm against our Enemy. It is in “the stand” that faith gets enlarged and testimonies are born and history gets written.
Going Deep // Focus: 1 Samuel 23:11-12
These are the names of David’s mightiest warriors. The first was Jashobeam the Hacmonite. The second was Eleazar son of Dodai, a descendant of Ahoah. Third in rank was Shammah son of Agee from Harar. One time the Philistines gathered at Lehi and attacked the Israelites in a field full of lentils. The Israelite army fled, but Shammah held his ground in the middle of the field and beat back the Philistines. So the Lord brought about a great victory.
In the Christian life, the greatest joys come from the greatest victories, and the greatest victories come from the greatest battles. And the greatest battles are won as we take our stand, and then stand firm against our Enemy. It is in “the stand” that faith gets enlarged and testimonies are born and history gets written.
Case in point is here in 2 Samuel 23. Shammah took a stand, and it was one for the history books. Shammah was one of King David’s three mightiest men. He stood his ground when no one else thought that was a wise thing to do. He fought when everybody fled. He risked his life when the odds weren’t in his favor. He stood courageously when there was no encouragement. And through this one man taking a stand in the middle of a bean field against the Philistines—then standing firm—God gave a great victory to Israel.
And the nation’s faith was enlarged…and the nation’s enemy was defeated…and the trajectory of the nation’s history was changed…and a warrior’s testimony was born!
Now in some part of your life—in the middle of your bean field—you need to stand your ground against an Enemy who’s intimidating and defeating you. You say, “I don’t have the courage of Shammah,” but remember, courage is not the absence of fear; it’s the willingness to take action in the teeth of fear. Today, if you will take your stand, this might just be the day your faith grows some muscles and your victory gets secured and your testimony is birthed!
The Apostle Paul said it this way, “Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you’ve done everything, to stand. Stand firm, then…” (Ephesians 6:13-14) Take your stand!
When Martin Luther stood before the Diet of Worms, he was accused of heresy. As he was condemned for stating that we are saved by faith alone and not by works, he declared to his critics, “My conscience is captive to the Word of God… Here I stand, I cannot do otherwise.”
Every believer who trusts God’s Word, who grasps their identity in Christ, who gets that their destiny is Abba’s child, knows when they can do nothing other than to take their stand—then stand firm. And the devil, with all the powers of darkness at his disposal, cannot withstand a standing believer.
In his book, The Good Life, Max Anders tells the story of a huckster who went to a wild-west town with a huge rattlesnake in a glass cage. The man covered the glass with a blanket and took it into a saloon. He told the people what was under the blanket and bet that the meanest, bravest man in town wouldn’t be able to hold his hand against the glass when the rattler struck. The townsfolk went wild. They found their toughest guy and told him about the bet.
Of course, that stoked his ego, so he couldn’t resist the opportunity to be the hero. He went into the saloon and they all bet on him! So the huckster tore off the blanket, and there was the biggest, meanest snake they’d ever seen. Suddenly annoyed by light and noise, the snake coiled, hissing, ready to strike. The tough guy broke into a cold sweat…but he had a reputation to protect, so finally, his hand touched the glass. And the snake struck with a fury.
Of course, the meanest, bravest man in town reflexively jerked his hand away. The rambunctious crowed was stunned into silence as the huckster collected their loot and high-tailed it out of town before they figured out they’d been duped.
What a powerful metaphor for the Christian life. Satan, the serpent, is real, he is fearsome, he is deadly, but there is a shatterproof glass between him and us—Jesus—and as long as we’re on the right side of that glass—in Christ—we can stand firm.
So take your stand, my friend: you win!
Please note: I reserve the right to delete comments that are offensive or off-topic.