Sermon

1 Chronicles 11:10-19 — At the risk of their lives: Memorial Day Weekend Reflections on the Christian Virtues of Sacrifice and Courage

May 28, 2006

This is the first Sunday in my nine years here that we have tried to offer some Christian reflection on Memorial Day. We do that with other days, as just a few Sundays ago we spoke of Christian family on Mother’s Day, and we routinely address the subject of Christian citizenship on the Sunday closest to July 4th. We admit that we need to be careful of this for we do not want to become known as Hallmark Baptist Church, having our sermon topics chosen by the national calendar. But it is not wrong at times to seize a moment to reflect on what a holiday means and, in particular, what it means for a Christian.

Memorial Day is in many ways a uniquely American holiday. In Europe November 11 is set aside by many nations as Remembrance Day to remember their military dead. This began after WWI.

Historians trace the American Memorial Day tradition back to those somber days following the Civil War. It was sometimes called Decoration Day, as relatives and friends of those who fell in battle would decorate with flowers and flags the graves of their departed loved ones. Waterloo, New York is sometimes called the birthplace of Memorial Day, because it began to observe the day on May 5, 1866 and each year thereafter and because two of its leading citizens, General John Murray and General John A. Logan, both veterans of the Union Army became advocates for a uniform national day of remembrance for the fallen war dead.

Memorial Day was not declared an official American holiday by Federal law until 1967. For some time it was celebrated on the fixed day of May 30th. Since 1971 it has been celebrated on the last Monday of the month of May. Many veterans have been bothered by the fact that Memorial Day is often overlooked as a national holiday. Many see Memorial Day weekend as merely the unofficial start of the summer vacation season, the end of the school year, the weekend of the big race (whether the Indy 500 or the Coca Cola 600), and time when community swimming pools open. Indeed, on Memorial Day of 2002 the VFW organization issued a statement noting: “Changing the date merely to create a three day weekend has undermined the very meaning of the day. No doubt, this has greatly contributed to the general public’s nonchalant observance of Memorial Day.”

By taking our time on this Lord’s Day to offer a Christian reflection on the Memorial Day holiday, we want in some small way to offer a corrective to this nonchalant attitude.

We must admittedly do so with some caution. We love this nation and we feel like that part of our duty as Christians is to live as good citizens of this land. Compare:

NKJV Matthew 22:21: And He said to them, "Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's."

NKJV Romans 13:1-7: 1 Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same. 4 For he is God's minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God's minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil. 5 Therefore you must be subject, not only because of wrath but also for conscience' sake. 6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for they are God's ministers attending continually to this very thing. 7 Render therefore to all their due: taxes to whom taxes are due, customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor.

NKJV 1 Timothy 2:1-3: 1 Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, 2 for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. 3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior,

NKJV 1 Peter 2:13-17 13 Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake, whether to the king as supreme, 14 or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good. 15 For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men — 16 as free, yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bondservants of God. 17 Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king.

On the other hand, we must recognize that this nation does not bear our ultimate hope. We are citizens of this earthly nation, this city of man, but our real home is in heaven, in the city of God. Our attitude is like that of the Patriarchs described in Hebrews 11:13-16:

NKJV Hebrews 11:13-16: 1 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. 14 For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland. 15 And truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.

This church is not an American church. This is an embassy or an outpost of the kingdom of God. We are loyal to this nation but it does not possess our ultimate allegiance.

We are thankful for this nation for the great good that God has providentially given to it.

We are thankful for the stability that we have in this nation. The news that broke just yesterday of the devastation caused by an earthquake in Indonesia that left at least 3,000 dead reminded us of that.

Most importantly, we are thankful for the spiritual and religious freedom that we enjoy in this nation. Today we are free to worship God according to the dictates of our conscience. And men are free to reject God and organized religion altogether. We want to win men by persuasion and not by coercion. That is not true everywhere in this world today. In fact, it is likely not true of most places, even places in the West. Just this past week I was speaking to a young man who is a missionary in Germany and he was telling how the government was requiring the editing of some sermons that were deemed offensive. He also told how Christian families were still struggling there for the freedom to educate their children at home.

Today we want to acknowledge that we have this freedom in our land because men and women in each generation of this nation from the Revolutionary War, to the War of 1812, to the Civil War, to the Spanish-American War, to WWI, to WWII, to conflicts in Korea, Vietnam, Kuwait, Iraq, and Afghanistan, have been willing to bear the sword under the rightful authority of civil government to defend our liberty.

Today we acknowledge that many, though not all, who have done so were men and women who were believers in the Lord Jesus Christ and who did so as part of their Christian citizenship.

Today we also acknowledge that courage and self- sacrifice are inherently Christian virtues. Today we acknowledge a debt of gratitude to those who have died to protect and preserve our freedom and we also look to them as models for how our discipleship in Christ is to be lived with similar courage and selflessness.

As I was thinking about this topic today, an episode in Scripture kept coming to my mind. It comes from the Old Testament and from the life of David.

David was an Old Testament renaissance man. He was a shepherd, a poet, a musician, a politician, a master administrator. He was also a solider and leader of men in battle. David was on one those leaders who drew men to himself like a magnet. The Bible in several places describes the “band of brothers” who were drawn to David. They are called David’s “Mighty Men.” We read about these men here in 1 Chronicles 11 and also in 2 Samuel 23.

First, the setting. King Saul has died in battle (see 1 Chron 10). Saul died disgracefully taking his own life. David is made king (11:1-3). The shepherd will become a shepherd king (see v. 2b). David next takes the city of Jerusalem (11:4-9). And next we hear of this formation of a group of loyal men, brothers in arms, around him (vv. 10-47).

In v. 10 we are told that the “heads of the mighty men …. Strengthened themselves with him in his kingdom.” But note at the end of v. 10 that this was not accomplished merely through the scheming of man, but it was “according to the word of the Lord.”

In v. 11 the Chronicler begins to number the Mighty Men and the first he mentions is a man named Jashobeam the son of a Hachmonite. He is called a “chief of the captains [alt: chief of the thirty; there were about thirty chief leaders].” He had killed over 300 men in one battle, so he was a fierce and able warrior.
Next, in v. 12 we hear of Eleazar. Here we also learn that among the thirty or so captains there were apparently three choice men who were closest to David. The third is not explicitly named here. We think of the parallel with Jesus who from among the disciples drew twelve, and then, from these, three especially close to himself (Peter, James, and John).

In vv. 13-14 the Chronicler describes one episode in which Eleazar was with David against their ancient foes the Philistines. The battle was in a field of barley, and “the people fled from the Philistines” (v. 13). There was a retreat. The people were fearful and they withdrew.

But what did the three Mighty Men do? In v. 14 we are told that “they stationed themselves [NKJV notes: Lit. took their stand] in the middle of that field, defended it, and killed the Philistines.” This passage alone is worth a sermon. Can’t you see the spiritual application? When the enemy is fierce and when the people are being overwhelmed in the onslaught, God calls on a few Mighty Men to take their stand. We need men in the church today who will plant their feet firmly in the soil of the faith and say, “We will not be moved.” We will not give ground to the devil. We will not compromise our convictions. We will hold on to the good deposit.

If that part of the verse alone is a sermon, look at the last line of v. 14: “So the Lord brought about a great victory.” Meditate well on this. It does not say, “The Mighty Men (admirable as they are) brought about a great victory.” It does not say, “David brought a great victory.” It is utterly God-centered. That is the point of every military story in the OT. If Israel ever wins, it is only because God wills it. See the prayer of Asa in 2 Chronicles 14:11:

NKJV 2 Chronicles 14:11 And Asa cried out to the LORD his God, and said, "LORD, it is nothing for You to help, whether with many or with those who have no power; help us, O LORD our God, for we rest on You, and in Your name we go against this multitude. O LORD, You are our God; do not let man prevail against You!"

The theme of Scripture from first to last is: To God be the glory, great things he has done!

In v. 15 we now have a companion episode about the three Might Men. They went down to the place called “the rock of David” or “the cave of Adullam.” This tells us something of David’s precarious position. Under King Saul he had spent much time hiding in caves as an outlaw. Now he is vying for the throne of Israel but he has enemies within and without and his headquarters is in a cave! The Philistines are on his heels, camped in the Valley of Rephaim.

In v. 16 more detail is given. David is in this cave garrison while his enemy is encamped in Bethlehem. It is fairly important in terms of the holy history that is to follow for Israel to control this little town of Bethlehem, whose Hebrew name means “house of bread.” As we shall see here is is strategic because it has that resource every army in an arid region would desire. It has a water source, a well.

In v. 17 we are told that David says with longing, “Oh, that someone would give me a drink of water from the well of Bethlehem, which is by the gate.” Deprivation has always been a part of the war experience. War has always meant that men have had to do without the essentials. To go without proper food or water or clothing or sleep. Here we see the ancient specter of deprivation on the battlefield.

Leaders must be very careful of what they say. David’s word are heard by his loyal men and in v. 18 we have a record of one of the most heroic deeds ever recorded. More than anything this act tells us the kind of man David was. His men loved and respected and honored him so much that when they heard he wanted a drink from that well they were willing to do anything to satisfy their leader. His wish was their command.

Now I think they likely misunderstood David’s word. He was not, I do not think, thinking of slaking his own thirst. He wanted to drink of the well of Bethlehem after his army had taken the gate. But they took his words literally.

So they break through enemy lines, probably through force of arms, go into the very midst of the enemy camp, and they draw water for their king. And then they take this prize back to David and they have the honor of giving him what he asked for. Don’t you love to give someone you respect something he asks for?
But note what David does with this costly gift. Does he guzzle it down? Note in 18b it says, “Nevertheless David would not drink it, but poured it out to the Lord.”

What was David doing? Was he rebuking his men? Was he saying, “Look you fools, I want to capture the gate of Bethlehem from the enemy not get a drink to satisfy my own thirst.” That would have dishonored what his men had done for him. This would have been an extreme act of ingratitude.

No. The key is that David poured it out “to the Lord.” He did not accept their act of valor as something for his own personal benefit and enjoyment but he offered it to the Lord.

Note well what David says in v. 19 as he pours out this water:

Far be it for me, Oh my God, that I should do this! Shall I drink the blood of these men who have put their lives in jeopardy? For at the risk of their lives they brought it.

What is the spiritual point David is making? He is saying, God I will not take what these men have won by their bravery and courage and skill in arms and the risking of their life’s blood and use it merely for my personal gain. But I will take it and I will offer it up to you. I will use it to honor you.

I want to draw two spiritual applications from this passage:

First, a Memorial Day application.

Brothers and sisters we are the beneficiaries of the sacrifice of men and women who not only risked their lives but of thousands who lost their lives. As the saying goes, they gave all their tomorrows for all of our todays. Because of their sacrifices we have the freedoms we have today. You can take that hard won freedom and you can use it selfishly. You can use your freedom to enrich yourself. You can use your liberty to pursue hedonistic pleasure. You can use the freedom of religion to practice freedom from religion.

Or you can take that freedom we have been given and you can pour it out to the Lord. You can serve God with reckless abandon. You can use your resources to preach the gospel, to encourage the persecuted church. You can be passionate about God and the things of God.

Which will you do? Use it for yourself or pour it out to the Lord?

Second, a picture of the Gospel application.

It is hard to read a story about the life of David and not see a foreshadowing of the Son of David.

Here is a picture of a thirsty man who longs for something to drink. Here is a picture of men going to the gate of Bethlehem trying to find water. And years later, out of Bethlehem will come one who will say,

NKJV John 4:14 “but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.”

Jeffrey T. Riddle
Pastor, Jefferson Park Baptist Church

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Sermon

1 Chronicles 11:10-19 — At the risk of their lives: Memorial Day Weekend Reflections on the Christian Virtues of Sacrifice and Courage

May 28, 2006

Jeffrey T. Riddle Pastor, Jefferson Park Baptist Church

Jeffrey T. Riddle
Pastor, Jefferson Park Baptist Church