When The Harvest-field Becomes A Battlefield
II Samuel 23:11-12
When a church is Christ centered and focused on the Kingdom, it is a church that kicks the devil right in the teeth!! When you have a church that is working for the Lord, you have a church that has the Devil’s attention. And when this happens, there is a battle headed your way. That Battle is what I would like to examine tonight.
In the preceding verses we are given a description of David’s mighty men. We ate told of Adino, Eleazar and Shammah. Shammah is the man I would like to consider. Notice:
2 Samuel 23:11 And after him was Shammah the son of Agee the Hararite.(Hay=Ra-Right) And the Philistines were gathered together into a troop, where was a piece of ground full of lentiles: and the people fled from the Philistines. 12 But he stood in the midst of the ground, and defended it, and slew the Philistines: and the LORD wrought a great victory.
Polycarp, the bishop of Smyrna, was apprehended and persecuted because of his faith in Christ. Once captured he asked for an hour in prayer, and his request was granted.Polycarp prayed so intently, that his guards repented that they had been instrumental in taking him. He was carried before the proconsul & condemned, to be burnt at the stake.The proconsul then urged him, saying, “Swear, and I will release thee;—reproach Christ.” Polycarp answered, “86 years have I served him, and he never once wronged me; how then shall I blaspheme my King, Who hath saved me?” He was tied to the stake and the fire was kindled, the flames encircled his body, like an arch, without touching him. The executioner, on seeing this, was ordered to pierce him with a sword. When he did a great quantity of blood flowed out and extinguished the fire. Yes, Polycarp eventually died for his faith, but he left a lasting impression on those who were present at his execution. (Source: Foxes Book Of Martyrs)
You see he had a choice…. Compromise or Courage! He was courageous in the face of death! He TOOK A STAND FOR HIS LORD! Christian, there will come a time when you will find yourself at a crossroad… The crossroad of courage and compromise. Which road will you take?
“The Christian life is not a playground, it is a battlefield” I want to look to the story of Shammah and preach on the subject “When The Harvest-field Becomes A Battlefield”
Let’s begin with the fact that:
I. Fighting This Battle Requires Caution
A. There Must Be Caution Concerning Your Adversary -“the Philistines gathered at Lehi attacked the Israelites in a field full of lentils”
There was constant turmoil between the Philistines and Israel. The Philistines had been defeated time and time again and still came back for more! Their persistence should have been motivation for Israel to remain on guard against the next attack. But that was not the case!
We have an adversary (the Devil) that has suffered the greatest defeat at Calvary but still returns to attack us. We are told in 1 Peter 5:8 ¶Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
When the Philistines came, the people were in the fields. The text reveals that this field was full of lentils (little peas), so the enemy came at harvest time.
This was a strategic move by the Philistines: The people were consumed with labor they were preparing to reap the harvest. They were not preparing for battle, they were working the fields. Our adversary will come against us in times of blessing and prosperity.
a) He will attack you personally when you are focused on Kingdom work
b) He will attack a church when it is focused on certain projects, events and programs.
Just like the Philistines; our adversary has a plan to attack the children of God. The Devil is “The Great Deceiver” He has deceived many and he seeks to deceive you as well! No attack you face, no temptation that you encounter is an accident. The attacks that come from our enemy are strategic and the consequences can be devastating.
B. There Must Be Caution Concerning Your Allies - “and the people fled from the Philistines”
The Philistines came roaring into this field and overwhelmed the people of Israel. This attack was so great that they all retreated! And there was Shammah all alone in the midst of this field under attack from the great Philistine army. The actions of Israel illustrate a current problem. Christians face an attack and they immediately flee in terror.
Consider what James said - James 4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
Resist - (anthistēmi - anth-is'-tay-mee) to stand against; oppose, withstand.
Just like the Israelites left Shammah alone you may find yourself having to take a stand when you are all alone!
The “People” referred to here were the Israelites…. God’s people! David had many fierce battles against the Philistines and had been victorious!! At this point in history God has wrought many great victories for His people over the Philistines. They had faced attacks before…. and experienced great triumph! But they did not take the time to consider past victories; they saw the threat and hit the road.
There may come a time when you feel all alone. You are facing an attack and all of your “brethren” seem to have left you to fend for yourself. What do you do when this occurs? Stand… Fight! …Trust in God to see you through!
Throughout history many men have faced incredible odds and came out on top as a result of their faithfulness to God! Consider:
1) Noah: Everyone thought he was a fool but God saved him and his family from the great flood!
2) Abraham: He battled doubt and discouragement yet God honored His promise and made him a great nation.
3) Elijah: He took a stand against Baal worship and God poured fire from heaven!
4) David: Took a stand and defeated Goliath!
5) Daniel: Faced the sentence in a Lions den and was not harmed!
6) The 3 Hebrew Children: Refused to bow to the idol that the King had erected!
7) John The Baptist: Refused to compromise the Word of God!
8) The Apostles: faced persecution and death as a result of their faithfulness to Christ!
There are many more! Some were delivered and some died, but all were ultimately victorious because they took a stand!! There have been many more throughout the 2000 years of church history who have faced great attacks but remained faithful.
At this point, chances are that we will not face physical persecution… But it is a fact that we will face spiritual attack! … When this attack comes, will you flee or fight? Will you remain in the Harvest-field when it becomes a battle field? (Fun to be in a church when things are going good)
When you fight this battle it will require CAUTION!! But as we mover farther we will see that:
II. Fighting This Battle Requires Care - v12a Shammah held his ground and defended it.
The enemy came against Israel for only two reasons:
1. To inflict casualties
2. To destroy the crops.
If the Philistines could bring Israel to a place of hunger, they would be easily defeated and enslaved. The soldiers marched through their fields trampling down the crops.The people fled but Shammah stayed and fought the enemy! Why? Because he cared about the people (you know the ones who just abandoned him!)
Today our brethren, the church, he Word of God Jesus Christ & the Kingdom of God is under attack from the enemy….Do you care enough to fight? Do you care enough to stay in the Harvest-field when it becomes a battlefield? Or will you flee? Or have you already fled?
Where are the Shammah's that will stand up and fight for things of God! This man stayed in the harvest-field because he cared!!
III. Fighting This Battle Requires Courage –v12b in the midst of the ground
The Bible tells us that Shammah "stood" …”in the midst of the ground” . He determined in his heart that he would defend the harvest. He was willing to fight, even if it cost him his life!
We live in a country that is free…. It is free because some people were willing to stand and fight even if it cost them their lives….. What about the church? Is it not worth fighting and dying for?
It takes courage to take a stand against what is wrong!
Will you sit back and watch the church be defeated? Will you run and hide while the enemy bombards the body of Christ? Will you stand by and allow the Devil to hinder the work of God?
So many already have… This is why the church is in the shape she is in today! It is time we stand firm and become courageous! Courage is not easy! It is often uncomfortable and unpopular, but it IS REQUIRED IN THIS BATTLE!
IV. Fighting This Battle Requires Consistency – v12c and slew the Philistines:
Shammah slew the enemies of the people of God! If he had fled like all the others, he would have been defeated. The enemy would have prevailed!If he had started to fight and then left in the heat of the battle he would have been defeated! He had to remain consistent in the fight!
Jesus warned against those who start things and fail to finish in Luke 14:28 For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it? 29 Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him, 30 Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish.
There are many in the church today who began a task and then faced attack… they continued to fight for a while but when the battle continued to rage they surrendered and ran away defeated!!!
We need some people today who are willing to “Stay In The Harvest-field when it becomes a battlefield”
There are many present today who once stood in the midst of the harvest and served faithfully and you have faced an attack.
You have become apathetic, discouraged, depressed & defeated!
You faced attack and you were like the people of Israel and you fled.
As a result there is a Shammah left behind to fight your portion of the battle!
This breeds another problem: Many good solders who are willing to stay and fight in your stead are now weary from the battle.
Friend, This battle requires you to be consistent. - 1 Corinthians 15:58 ¶Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.
It is important that we understand the importance of possessing caution, care, courage, and consistency in the battle but most importantly we must grasp the fact that only the Lord can bring the victory!
V. Fighting This Battle Requires Comprehension – v12d So the Lord brought about a great victory.
God gave Shammah the ability to stand, fight and defeat the Philistines! Shammah may have held the sword, but it was God who won the battle!This faithful man of God faced incredible odds in this attack from the enemy! The key is that Shammah was willing to plant his feet and grasp his sword!
Remember what David proclaimed when facing Goliath? - 1 Samuel 17:47 and all this assembly shall know that the LORD saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the LORD'S, and he will give you into our hands.When we face spiritual battles we must remember that we cannot win apart from the Lord Jesus!
Conclusion:
Because God had one man who was willing to stand, many people were saved from starvation!
This message applies to each and ever child of God as an individual.
We are all in a battle with the enemy.
Our adversary (the Devil) does not mind us having a church at all. He doesn’t mind us fellowshipping, singing or Preaching!
But this church is being used by God to accomplish great things for the Kingdom.
1) Christ is being preached
2) People are being saved
3) Lives are being changed
4) Christians are being Discipled.
It is harvest time and the enemy would like nothing more than to surround this Harvest-field and turn it into a battle field. He wants to trample down the crops,, Scare off the people & defeat those that remain Will you be a Shammah? Will you stand and fight for the things of God?
If so then you must realize that this battle requires Caution, Care, Courage, Consistency & Comprehension.
Remember this, THE VICTORY IS THE LORD’S & HE WILL WIN THE BATTLE!
I will close with this… There were two men fishing one day. They were on the bank and a snake came near where they were. One man went to his truck and retrieved a shovel, walked over and chopped the snakes head off. He went to scoop the head of the snake up to throw it in the woods and the headless snake began to snap and bite at the shovel. The other man said look at that snake, he’s dead and he doesn’t even know it”
Friend, we may face battles daily, But always remember that our enemy has already been defeated. Jesus won the war at Calvary.
