Category: Saturday Study

Elisha 8.24.24

Grab your Bibles, and let’s go deeper into the life and testimony of the prophet Elisha.

Elisha was a prophet whose faith and miracles were a great sign of an awesome God at work in and through him. 

In 2 Kings 2:1-14, we see Elijah’s handoff to Elisha. In this, Elisha is being given the ministry of Elijah. This is confirmed in the fact that Elijah’s cloak falls on him. Also, God parts the waters for him, just as this was a sign of God’s favor on the leadership of Moses and of Joshua before him. Leading up to this, we know that Elisha had served with Elijah for some time before succeeding him as prophet. When asked what Elijah could bless him with in his parting, Elisha requests a “double portion” of the spirit that was upon Elijah. In this, Elisha shows incredible wisdom, as he understands it is not enough to just seek success, but it is far better to have the Person who works in and through His people, namely the Holy Spirit of God. If we were offered one wish, we would likely burn it on something temporary, but not Elisha. He sees the lasting benefit of the Holy Spirit upon him. For those of us who are saved, we don’t realize how good we have it. Are you making the most of the fact that in Christ, the Holy Spirit is present and able to convict you of sin and guide you in all things? Let Elisha’s longing for the Holy Spirit be a great reminder to us today.

Ephesians 1:13-14 teaches us that the Holy Spirit is the seal of salvation for all those who believe: “… When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory” (NIV). Praise God for this!

In this exchange, Elisha faces a moment of decision. He could take up Elijah’s mantle of prophethood, the anointing of the Spirit, and the rejection by the world that went with it, or he could go his own way. Elisha goes on to be one of the greatest prophets in the history of God’s people. Although none of us are a prophet like Elisha, we, likewise, face a moment of decision when the Lord calls us. The question is will we take up His mantle and follow Him?

In 2 Kings 4:1-9, we read one of the most memorable testimonies of Elisha’s ministry. A widow is being threatened to have her sons taken, and Elisha tells her to take her little remaining oil and to pour it into large vats to be sold off. Once again, we see the sovereign hand of God working His supernatural ways to bring provision and blessing in a way only He can. The vats are filled, and the sons are spared. This stands as another marker that God can, and will, provide for His people. Our lives are His, and He will continue us for as long as He has determined. We need to remain in faith, and rest in Him, even when our situation seems bleak. Philippians 4:19-20 says, “my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen.”

I love the testimony of the wealthy woman we read about in 2 Kings 4:8-10, who provides a regular space in her home for the man of God who would often pass through. Many who are of wealth are often the ones who are pickier with their means and slower to share. But here we have one entrusted with much using it for God-honoring purposes. What are you doing with what God has entrusted to you? Now some of you are thinking, “But I am not rich like the woman in the story.” I want to encourage you to reconsider that view of your life. In 1 Timothy 6:17, Timothy is instructed to command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth. 

Here is our problem: Most of us hear this verse and we think that it is for someone else—someone rich. But most of us have a car! Some of us own more than one. Do you realize that only 8% of the people in the world own a car? That means 92% of the world looks at us and sees wealth. 

I went to Vietnam in 2013 on a mission trip where, in Ho Chi Minh City, there are 6.5 million people (the same as the entire state of Arizona), and only a tiny group of people own cars. The Vietnamese travel their family of four, and sometimes more, mainly by moped, because there is no way they can afford, in a lifetime, to buy a car. 

In the world, 780 million people don’t have access to clean drinking water. That is three-and-a-half times the population of the United States. This is the reason 3.4 million people die each year from water-related diseases. You and I are so wealthy that we can literally go to any hose bib in our city, open it up, and safely drink from it. But most of us won’t even do that—because it tastes bad—not because it’s contaminated, because chlorine tastes gross. Do you realize millions of people in this highly-advanced world don’t even know what it’s like to turn on a water source—any water source—and have something come out for them to drink? They don’t know what this is like.

How many freshly prepared meals and yummy snacks will you consume today? Over 800 million people will not eat anything today. Even the homeless in America can beg and get food in their bellies. Our homeless are wealthier than 800 million people around the world. 

So, we must read a text like this with new eyes and realize we have been entrusted with so much by God. Our response should not be guilt but to use it for His purposes. So, let me ask you, do you hoard what you have and consume it all, or are you looking for ways to invest into the kingdom and others who have need? God wants us to be good stewards of the resources and talents with which He entrusts us. The question is, are we leaving a legacy like this woman and investing those means into others?

In 2 Kings 6:8-23, we see another great example of God at work in and through Elisha. God gives Elisha the “gift of knowledge” (1 Corinthians 12:8-11; 1 Corinthians 14:6), by which he knows King Aram’s secret plans. With that gift, he is able to advise the King of Israel in the foiling of Aram’s every move. When the siege starts, God gives Elisha “spiritual vision” to see the armies of heaven protecting him. This no doubt helps Elisha remain calm and confident in the face of the enemy siege. When Elisha prays, God answers him by opening His servant’s eyes and blinding the enemy’s army. 

Do you often feel like you are surrounded by the enemy? While we may not be facing a crisis as large as what Elisha was facing, it can certainly seem that way to us. We have the opportunity to look at such situations as opportunities to exercise our faith and obey God, rather than responding with fear. 

When we are surrounded and taunted by the enemy, we are tempted to look at our adversaries and cower in fear. When that happens, I find it helpful to follow Elisha’s example and remember that God is with me and has a plan for me. We too can pray, “O Lord, open my eyes so I may see,” so that His will and word is in full view as we look to honor Him with our lives.

By His grace and for His glory,

Pastor Joshua Kirstine

Disciples Church

Elijah 8.17.24

Grab your Bibles, and let’s go deeper into the life and testimony of the prophet Elijah.

1. Faith

1 Kings 17:1-16 

This account in 1 Kings 17 reminds me of one of my favorite parables I have told for years. It goes like this: 

Many years ago, a weary traveler hiked for miles across the desert with the hot sun beating down on his back. His water supply was gone, and he knew that if he didn’t find water soon to quench his thirst, he would surely die. In the distance, he spotted a deserted cabin, which brought hope that maybe water was to be found there. He made his way to the cabin and discovered an old well. He frantically pumped the handle of the well to draw water, but all that came from the pump was dust. Then he noticed a tin can tied to the pump with a note inside. The note said:

“Dear stranger: This pump is all right as of June 1932. I put a new sucker washer in it, and it should last for quite a few years. But the washer dries out and the pump needs to be primed. Under the white rock, I buried a jar of water, out of the sun and corked up. There’s enough water in it to prime the pump, but not if you drink some first. Pour about 1/4 of the water into the pump and let her soak for a minute to wet the leather washer. Then pour the rest medium fast and pump hard. You’ll get water. Have faith. This well has never run dry. When you get watered up, fill the bottle and put it back as you found it for the next stranger who comes this way. – Pete”

If your life hung in the balance, would you just consume the water you had as a guarantee, or would you have faith to pour the jar of water into the well as Old Pete’s note instructed? This is what faith is. In Webster’s Dictionary, there are 17 definitions for faith. There are so many definitions, and so many ideas of what faith is, that it becomes difficult to have this conversation about what faith really is. Thank God for Hebrews 11. 

Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 

Faith is a confidence that what you hope for will happen. It is a conviction that what you can’t see is real. Now, I don’t know about faith in Desert Pete, but faith in the living God is an absolute necessity. 

The parable about Desert Pete’s well helps us feel some of what the woman was feeling when Elijah told her to take her last flour and oil to make him a cake. She and her son were at the edge of starvation and death, and she was asked to trust that God would supernaturally keep her flour and oil supply full, if she would just have faith in Him and give her last to Elijah. 

It is one thing for us to trust in God when we have options or ways out. But when you are on the brink of death or great loss, or are experiencing great loss, do you trust in God? Do you trust that He is good and perfect in His ways and will? Do you trust His faithfulness to fulfill His promises? Faith in God is not an add-on to our life; it is what we put our entire life on. It is an all-in decision, much like the widow faced.

The woman put her faith in Elijah’s word from the Lord, and God was faithful and kept His promise. 

1 Kings 17:15-16 And she went and did as Elijah said. And she and he and her household ate for many days. The jar of flour was not spent, neither did the jug of oil become empty, according to the word of the Lord that he spoke by Elijah.

2. The Life-Giver

1 Kings 17:17-24 

Elijah was a faithful man of God who brought the widow’s son before Him in prayer, knowing if God willed him to live, he would. Did you notice he also acknowledged that it is God who ordained his death? Job makes this clear that it is God who gives life and who takes it away (Job 1:21) and who determines the number of our days (Job 14:5). Elijah gets this, and so he goes to the One who ultimately controls all these things. God listened to Elijah and put life back into the boy so he would live longer. Now, we are often guilty of giving praise to God only when He gives us what we want. We are guilty of saying, “God is good,” when He ordains a loved one lives longer instead of dies. But God is still good when He ordains a loved one’s time on earth is done, too. Our circumstances do not determine God’s goodness. He is good all the time. His ways are always perfect. He is God. If you remember our study of David, he prayed for his son to live; when God ordained he would not, David got up, took a bath, and went to the House of the Lord to worship God (2 Samuel 12:14-31). Why? Because God is worthy of our worship despite our circumstances. Do you believe this to be true? Do you still praise God for who He is and trust His will even when what you are experiencing, or facing in the moment, makes absolutely no sense to you?

In this event, Elijah proved to be a true prophet of God, as the woman declares of him: “Now I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of the Lord in your mouth is truth” (1 Kings 17:24).

3. Will the True Prophets Please Stand Up?

1 Kings 18:20-40 

No look at Elijah’s life would be complete without a consideration of the most memorable event of his ministry: his confrontation with the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel. In this interaction, we see the true courage and faith that the office of God’s prophet required, as well as the power of God, Himself, to do amazing things. 

To set this event in context, know that King Ahab ruled about 150 years after David, and by that time, the northern kingdom of Israel was practicing the very evil that the Israelites were supposed to have driven out of the land, namely idolatry. Under the patronage of Queen Jezebel, prophets of the Canaanite god Baal had full reign to do what they wanted in Israel (1 Kings 19:1-2). These prophets brought paganism to the ancient Israelites. For his opposition to this pagan worship and the kings who endorsed it, Elijah was labeled the “troubler of Israel” by Ahab. This sparked a well-known confrontation between Elijah and the false prophets on Mount Carmel. Right there, before the people of Israel, Elijah called the nation to choose whom it would serve: the Lord, Yahweh, or Baal. It was not possible for them to serve both nor to be double-minded (as per 1 Kings 18:20–21). God is not interested in halfhearted vows or a part-time relationship (cf. Joshua 24:15; Psalm 119:113; Matthew 6:24; John 14:6).

From a human perspective, Elijah was outnumbered by the false prophets of Baal 450 to 1; however, that did not stop him from confronting them, for he knew who the true God was and who the imposters were. Elijah was so confident that he did everything possible to prove beyond any doubt that Yahweh is the true God. He even soaked the sacrifices, and built a moat, so that only a powerful fire from heaven could consume the offering. And that is exactly what happened (1 Kings 18:22–40). Grounded in the word of the Lord and trusting fully in God’s mighty power, Elijah stood down a powerful enemy and testified to divine truth.

Make this personal for yourself. Are you divided in your allegiance and devotion? Do you have things or people or a status that is equal to God in your life? It is many times easy to say “no,” but what does your life say about this? Think about the way you spend money and time. Who gets your radical devotion and first priority in your day and decisions? I believe many are willing to trust their hearts to God, but are you willing to trust your reputation, your family, your money, and your life to God? Is it truly and fully His? 

Another way to truly test this in your life is to really ask how utterly submitted you are to God’s word. Do you submit yourself to what He says about Himself, you, and the life you should live; or do you constantly ignore it and or make excuses for why you don’t submit fully to it in all areas of faith and life? 

4. The Still, Small Voice of God

1 Kings 19:1-18 

Elijah was faithful to God even when he stood alone. Elijah said to the Lord, “I have been very jealous for the Lord, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away.”

Are we so jealous for the glory and name of our Lord that we will daily put our lives on the line for Him? Are we willing to stand in the face of death and persecution to call out those who forsake the Lord and make a mockery of His name? These are hard questions to answer in the modern world in which we live, where the persecution of Christians has not reached most of our households. But the temperature is turning up. The question is, are we grounded in God and His word and in strong Bible-teaching, Bible-believing churches where we can unite and fight and testify of our Lord? 

When there is so much noise all around us, are we slowing down enough to get with God and His word, so we can hear His still, small voice? Are you letting the noise and the wicked culture that is all around us get you down, or are you standing strong in God and His word to carry on like Elijah? God saw that Elijah was faithful and devoted and called on him to go do great things. Praise God for this example. Praise God we have His living word to speak to us every day and direct our paths. May we turn off the noise and dive into His word and obey His commands on our lives!

5. Make Disciples

2 Kings 2:1-14 

Here we read the amazing end to Elijah’s life. He and Enoch were the only ones to be taken to heaven without dying. What a display as the fire of God was a holy escort to the presence of God in heaven. Elisha’s request was for Elijah’s ministry to be handed to him to carry on. What a massive honor this was. In the New Testament, God’s commission on our lives as the Church is to make disciples (Matthew 28:18). Elijah’s handoff to Elisha was a great Old Testament example of this kind of God-focused legacy being passed on. 

Who are you being discipled by? I mean who has full access to your life, who is teaching you the word of God, and who is helping you mature to the place of readiness that you can disciple others? If you have been discipled, then who are you discipling? One of the biggest markers that we stewarded our lives well for the Lord is that we were serious, not only about our faith in God, but about being trained and then training others. This could be your kids, church family, neighbors, or friends. 

Elisha being given the ministry of Elijah was confirmed in the fact that Elijah’s cloak fell on him. Also, God parted the waters for him, just as this was a sign of God’s favor on the leadership of Moses and of Joshua before him. 

6. The Finished Work of the Cross

Matthew 17:1-13 

Puritan commentator Matthew Henry says that “there is a proneness in good men to expect the crown without the cross.” This is a comment on Matthew 17:1–8 and Peter’s desire to build “tents,” or “tabernacles” for Jesus, Moses, and Elijah on the Mount of Transfiguration. Peter is rebuked for his wish, indirectly. Once more, Peter has missed the entire picture about the Savior. He thinks it is time to celebrate the fullness of the Messianic Age according to Zechariah 14:16–19, a vision of the Feast of Booths on the Day of the Lord. But as Jesus has said, the full revelation of His glory can come only after the cross.

The Lord’s disciples were confused after Jesus mentioned His death, especially since they had just seen Elijah (Matthew 17:10). Based on Malachi 4:5–6, first-century Jews looked for Elijah’s return to restore righteousness in Israel and bring reconciliation between God’s people prior to the Messianic Age. As Malachi predicted, the new Elijah (as John the Baptist was known) was rejected, even executed by the authorities (Matthew 14:1–12). The stage was set for the Messiah to, likewise, be killed. In His ministry, atonement, and resurrection, Jesus finished the task necessary to bring repentance to Israel and His people of the nations. Today, He uses us to proclaim this work to the world. 

What a sight. What a revelation. May we not only be in awe of the work of God in and through Elijah and ultimately in and through Christ, but may we respond with a bold testimony of what Jesus has done on behalf of His people. May we be as bold as Elijah in our daily faith walk and testimony. May we run the race until our God-decided end, when we will reign with Him in holy heaven with the giants of our faith who have gone before us.

By His grace and for His glory,

Pastor Joshua Kirstine

Disciples Church

Solomon 8.10.24

As we look at the life of Solomon, we see a man that started out well and ended badly. You have read about the beginning of Solomon this week. This beginning was challenging, but it is important for us to understand the significance of a few of these events. Today, we will look at Solomon’s beginnings, God’s blessing of Solomon, the judgment of God on Solomon, and the consequences of Solomon’s action. We will then close with some reflection for us. 

First, David honors a promise made to put Solomon on the throne (1Chronicles 22:9, 2 Samuel 7:12). David acknowledges His promise to put Solomon on the throne. Not only does David say this, but puts his plan in motion to bring about the kingship of Solomon.

1 Kings 1:29-30 And the king swore saying, “As the Lord lives, who has redeemed my soul out of every adversity, as I swore to you by the Lord, the God of Israel, saying, ‘Solomon your son shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne in my place,’ even so will I do this day.”

There are a couple of things we should take note of here. First, notice David’s declaration about who God is and what He has done. Is there any doubt that David is trusting in God? David acknowledges God as his redeemer. David trusts God so much that he would not harm the person that was God’s anointed king. David waits until God has removed all obstacles. This is what real faith looks like. 

In 1 Kings 3, we see these words about Solomon: “Solomon loved the Lord, walking in the statutes of David his father …” It should be noted here that, two verses before this, it is stated that Solomon made a marriage alliance with the Pharaoh. This is an important note to remember. If you remember, in the Old Testament, Israel was not to make any alliances, but they were to trust in the Lord. Whenever we break God’s commands, bad things happen. I do not think Solomon realized that this was a slippery slope. Still, God blesses Solomon because he obeyed His statutes like David his father. 

Solomon is significant in that God asked him what He (God) might grant him (Solomon). How would you answer that question from God?Solomon asks for wisdom to guide the people of Israel. God is pleased with this decision and grants even more abundantly than what Solomon has asked for. 

If only we could end the story of Solomon there, but we cannot. Solomon builds the temple of God that David had wanted to build, but God had said, “No.” (2 Samuel 7:11, 1 Chronicles 22). We see that Solomon amasses slaves, land, gold, and women. 

1 Kings 11:1-9 Now King Solomon loved many foreign women, along with the daughter of Pharaoh … He had 700 wives, who wereprincesses, and 300 concubines. And his wives turned away his heart. For when Solomon was old his wives turned away his heart after other gods, and his heart was not wholly true to the Lord his God, as was the heart of David his father. For Solomon went after Ashtoreth … So Solomon did what was evil in the sight of the Lord … And the Lord was angry with Solomon because his heart had turned away from the Lord, the God of Israel who had appeared to him twice

I hope you feel the weight of these verses. There is a reason God told the Israelites not to collect foreign wives—they lead your heart astray. We see this multiple times in Scripture. This is one of the reasons why God tells us, in Corinthians, not to be unequally yoked with unbelievers,for what fellowship hath light with darkness, or God with idols. If we link ourselves to those who have a different worldview and are not surrendered to the Lordship of Christ, they will lead us astray. There are few things potent enough, or powerful enough, to pull someone way from the Lord than a love relationship with another who does not press them into Christ.

The Lord then promises to take the kingdom away from, and raise up adversaries against, Solomon. God tears the kingdom in half under Rehoboam, and from there the downward spiral of Israel progresses.Finally, we read that Solomon laid down with his fathers and slept.

During his life, Solomon wrote Song of Solomon, Ecclesiastes, and most of Proverbs. It is amazing that someone who knew so much could still slide down the slope of sin so late in life. Solomon was old, the text says, when he was corrupted by his wives. 

Now that we have looked briefly at the life of Solomon, there are some lessons we can glean from it. I hope these are a blessing to you as you meditate on this text. 

1. God is merciful and gracious; His steadfast love endures. All through this story, we see God’s promises being fulfilled. We also see God’s mercy and grace, by letting David live and giving him a second son with Bathsheba. We see God blessing in spite of the sin of polygamy. This was culturally accepted but was not God’s design for marriage—one man and one woman. God had every right to destroy David and Solomon, but He didn’t. He mercifully walked with them and blessed them. Even in the end, He was merciful to Solomon. God had every right to take the kingdom immediately from Solomon, but He did not.He left it, because His servant David walked in His statues. God is gracious to us in sending His son in our place to pay for our sins. 

2. Slippery are the slopes of sin. The small foxes spoil the vineyard. Solomon started making small concessions; then his pleasure ran away with him, and he compromised his beliefs. The saying going goes, “Sin will take us further than we want to go, keep us longer than we want to stay, and cost us more than we want to pay.” I don’t think, if Solomon had known the consequences of his sins, he would have been willing to take the same course of action. In what ways are you allowing small sin to take you down a path you do not want to go? Sin’s pleasures are fleeting. 

3. Guard your life until the end. 1 Kings 11:4 tells us that when Solomon was old, his wives turned his heart away from God. We need to finish the race strong. The law of inertia states that an object will stay in motion unless acted upon; this acting upon will create friction. Friction in an engine will wear down its parts so they need to be replaced, or the engine stops moving. When we continually surround ourselves with the world’s thoughts and actions, they will wear us down. This was the case with Solomon. His pagan wives and their constant influences on him, slowly wore him down over time. Please heed the warning in this text to guard your heart. We are to go into the world and glorify God, but we are not of the world. We need to make sure that we are spending time with God and fellow believers who will not let us hold to, nor be molded by, the world, and they will help catch us when we slip. Ways in which to guard our heart are to pray, study of the word, being in biblical friendships/accountability, and not spending all our time in the world. We need go out into the world and actively seek to proclaim Christ. 

4. We must keep Solomon’s point of view in mind. In Ecclesiastes 1:14he says, “I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind.” Without God, human wisdom (2:14–16), labor (2:18–23), amassing things (2:26), life itself (3:18–22), competition (4:4), selfish overwork (4:7-8), power and authority (4:16), greed (5:10), wealth and accolades (6:1-2), and perfunctory religion (8:10–14) are meaningless. When Solomon says, “Everything is meaningless,” he does not mean that everything in the world has no value. Rather, his point is that all human efforts apart from God’s will are meaningless. Solomon had it all, and he had tried everything, but when he left God out of the equation, nothing satisfied him. That’s why Solomon ends his book this way: “Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind” (Ecclesiastes 12:13).

I hope you have grown from this brief look at Solomon. The Lord used him greatly, and it is sad to read those lines in chapter 11 that say Solomon’s heart was turned away from God. But, we can see that little missteps along the way lead to bigger missteps. Spend some time with the Lord and ask Him to show you how you are misstepping. Confess them and repent (change your practices). Seek His commands in Scripture, and diligently obey them so you can remain steadfast in your fighting this battle for your King.

By His grace and for His glory,

Pastor Joshua Kirstine

Disciples Church

Jonathan 8.3.24

Grab your Bibles and let’s go deeper into 1 Samuel and the life of Jonathan. 

We start out this week with the garrison of the Philistines encamped at Mikmash while the army of Israel, under Saul, are hiding in caves. The garrison of the Philistines is protected on three sides by sharp (literally, toothy) rock. Saul has 600 men with him. We see again how the lack of Saul’s faith in God leads him to ungodly behavior. This is in great contrast to his son, Jonathan. Praise God for His work in Jonathan that he did not follow in Saul’s footsteps. Even if we are godly, there are things that we do not want our children to follow us in doing. Jonathan was godly. He did everything for God’s glory and trusted in His name. Saul did everything to protect his own power and authority. 

Jonathan proceeds to sneak away from camp with his armor bearer (squire) with him, not telling anyone else. Jonathan knows his father would prevent him from doing this. 

1 Samuel 14:6 Jonathan said to the young man who carried his armor, “Come, let us go over to the garrison of these uncircumcised. It may be that the Lord will work for us, for nothing can hinder the Lord from saving by many or by few.” 

First, by calling them “uncircumcised”, Jonathan is saying these are not people that are part of the Covenant. They are not God’s Covenant people. 

See the final sentence from the verse “nothing can hinder the Lord from saving by many or by few.” This is Jonathan’s faith coming out. This is like David’s statement against Goliath, “I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel.” The continued trust in YHWH is shown in verse 10, “But if they say, ‘Come up to us,’ then we will go up, for the Lord has given them into our hand. And this shall be the sign to us.”

As we continue, we see that the Philistines mock Jonathan and his armor bearer (1 Samuel 14:11-12). They allow them to come up, then Jonathan and his armor bearer set to work. They kill 20 men, one right after another, in their first surge. Half a furrow is half a row that oxen could plow in a field. The idea is that it is a very short distance. Jonathan and his squire route that garrison. We read that the rest of the Philistines started shaking like leaves and ran. The Philistines’ fleeing is noticed by Israel and they do a headcount and realize Jonathan is missing; they then proceed to chase the Philistines. This is an amazing story; the obedience of one man saves many. 

Jonathan was obedient to God and conquered the Philistines’ garrison. This points us to Jesus who was also obedient. Romans tells us through one man’s disobedience sin entered the world, and through one man’s [Jesus’] obedience the many will be made righteous. Jonathan’s faith foreshadows Jesus’ perfect faith. We are to trust in Christ as the payment for our sin.

Humble Yourself for the Good of Others and the Glory of God

Second, Jonathan’s submission to the plan of God is dethroning. This is one of the great narratives (historic story) in Scripture. Jonathan and David were best friends—their hearts (souls–innermost being) were knit together in love. Understand, that this is a brotherly love at its best. This is not a sinful, homosexual, nor an off-color relationship. It is a description of two men who have something very deep in common and have bonded in a very God-honoring way.

1 Samuel 18:1-4 As soon as he had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. And Saul took him that day and would not let him return to his father’s house. Then Jonathan made a covenant with David, because he loved him as his own soul. And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was on him and gave it to David, and his armor, and even his sword and his bow and his belt.

Jonathan was the son of Saul, the king of Israel. He was next in line to be the king of Israel. What makes this exchange so amazing is the fact that we essentially see Jonathan giving up his birthright to David. They covenanted together. Covenants are made based on trustworthy relationships, and they are made before God. A covenant should not ever be broken for any reason. For example, the covenant of marriage is only completed by death. 

Jonathan shows sacrificial love and great humble submission as he takes off his earthly vestments, his robe (signifying importance) and takes off his armor. This is saying, “you are more important than I am; I will lay down my life for your protection.” His sword is a representation of his duty to administer justice, and the bow is a representation of provision of food. Jonathan gives up the throne, willingly! Jonathan gives David the means to defend, rule, and provide. These are not some extra items—this is HIS armor, HIS sword and HIS bow. Now, realize, that the text doesn’t tell us that Jonathan knows David is anointed by Samuel to be the next king. Jonathan bows and submits himself to the plan of God which, literally, is giving up his throne. How many of us would be humble enough to see this through and not fight and argue if God called us to this? What a testimony in that Jonathan did not prize these things or this lifetime position above God’s plan. 

1 Samuel 18:3-4 And Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as himself. Jonathan took off the robe he was wearing and gave it to David, along with his tunic, and even his sword, his bow and his belt.

It is a symbolic gesture saying, “I give up my glory to you. I make myself nothing that you might become something. I become poor that you might become rich. I become a nobody that you might become a somebody.”

Do you see what he is doing? The less kingly he acts, the more like a king he becomes. 

So, how do we move from me-centered to other-centered, from vain, selfish, and prideful to serving, loving, and humble?

There is one who can clearly show us, inspire us, and make it possible for us to be humble. Jesus!

Philippians 2:5-8 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

To kill the poison of pride, we have to embrace a life in humility; this is only attainable if we are healed and redefined by Jesus!

Listen closely, because this is the good news for us today! We talked earlier about the popular Secular, self-esteem that we run after in sin. There is a Gospel self-esteem. We only have this esteem in Christ!

Jesus gave up His esteem in order to give you and me a lasting esteem. It’s what we have spent our entire lives running from—the sense of not being noticed, the possibility of not getting picked, the horrible feeling of not being loved. Jesus, instead of running from these things, ran straight toward them!

The only way to look away from self, so that you can truly look towards others, is to first look to Jesus! The good news is God humbled Himself to put on flesh and walk among us, to be ridiculed by us, to be picked on. Because of His humility, He didn’t stand up and level them with His truth. His mission was to free them with His sacrifice. 

Jesus humbled Himself to death so we could finally be humbled in the gift of life! 

How can you and I be liberated from the dominating power of the world’s empty definitions of greatness? Jesus.

How can you and I experience the lasting joy of being fully known and still fully loved? Jesus.

How can you and I experience the satisfaction of Christ’s definition of who we are and no longer long the world’s definitions that never leave us satisfied? Jesus!

Jesus is the true Jonathan who took off His robe that was rightfully His as put it on us, so that we might have lasting life; so that we might have lasting joy. 

Everything that you and I stand to gain is because of what Jesus gave up. 

In response to this, Saul gets mad at Jonathan and tells him, he is giving up the kingdom. Jonathan doesn’t let things, positions, or power get in the way of his relationship with his God. If you reread the passages and look for the ways Jonathan trusted and humbly submitting himself to God, you will be blessed. Even in the attack on the garrison, Jonathan had no guarantee he would live, but he willingly pressed on to fulfill God’s plan to extend the kingdom according to the promises of Old Testament Israel. 

If we were next-in-line to be king, would we willing give up that plan for God’s plan, stepping aside to let someone else be king and have authority, wealth, and power? To spend our lives in obscurity is often more challenging than to go out in a blaze for God’s glory. Would we forsake our lives to extend the kingdom of God? Are we willing to serve Him in any capacity: scrubbing toilets, picking up trash, giving up the American dream, packing up and going to a foreign country, giving up hobbies to spend time discipling our kids? Are we willing to dethrone ourselves and our plans for the plan of God? 

Jonathan’s and David’s relationship is an example of what a godly friendship looks like. Each person trusts the other. Each knows the other has his best interest in mind, humbly submitting to one another, trusting each other for advice, supporting each other to do the plan of God even to the point of denying oneself benefits and pleasures. How many of us have someone we trust like this—that we would willing submit to, listen to, forsake pleasures for their greatness, like-minded in our faith, pushing one another in a closer walk with God?

Legacy Influences Others After You’re Gone

In the text this week, we read that Jonathan was killed in battle along with his three brothers. This is important for us to understand. God took Jonathans life, opening the way for David to fulfill his role. In 2 Samuel 9:1-9, we see the legacy of Jonathan. David brings the only living heir, who was crippled, to live in the house of the king and provide for him. Jonathan’s legacy was powerful. He was a mighty warrior; he was son to the king; he was a trustworthy friend. The most powerful part of Jonathan’s legacy is the fact that he was a man that followed after God. Jonathan submitted, willingly, to the plan of God—trusting in God’s sovereign plan and not in the results he desired, not in what he could gain, nor in fame. In life, and in death, Jonathan was obedient to God. 

What kind of legacy are you leaving? Are you a parent like Saul? Are you an obedient servant like Jonathan? Are you seeking the kingdom of God first? Are you trusting, by faith, in the promises of God? Are you following in the little things, the minor stuff? These are the building blocks of great faith. Are you willing to dethrone yourself? 

What little patterns of faith are you establishing in your own life. Faith is shown by obedience. We see how Jonathan was obedient. How are you being obedient? God tells us, “If you love me you will keep my commandants.” Are you doing this—loving the Lord your God above everything, loving your neighbor as yourself, loving your wife, training up your children in the word, reading and studying the word? These are the little things. Spend some time this week evaluating the little things in your life and asking yourself if you are being faithful to God in them? 

By His grace and for His glory,

Pastor Joshua Kirstine

Disciples Church

David 7.27.24

Grab your Bibles, and let’s go deeper into 1 and 2 Samuel and the life of King David. 

Few biblical figures are as important in God’s plan of redemption as David, the son of Jesse. He is the second king of Israel and the one with whom the Almighty makes an everlasting covenant for the good of the world. David is a model of loyalty, the writer of over half of the book of Psalms, and is an example of godliness for redeemed sinners because even though he sinned greatly, he still remained steadfast after God’s commands and practiced true repentance. 

It was in the middle of a great national crisis that David was selected to rule over the nation of Israel. After Saul proved to be a great failure, the Lord came to the prophet Samuel and instructed him to anoint a new monarch who would replace him. This is where we picked up in our reading, in 1 Samuel 16. After a long process of having each of Jesse’s oldest and most charismatic sons stand before Samuel one at a time so that he might discern which of the lads the Lord had chosen to be the new king, it was God’s will to choose the youngest and “least likely” candidate in David. In this, God teaches us a very important life lesson: “For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7).

When the Lord selected David to be His chosen king, He wanted a man who understood the need to be a man “after [God’s] own heart” (1 Samuel 13:14). David was surely this, as he was the least of his brothers and a humble shepherd who did not otherwise aspire to greatness.

Now it’s important we understand that David was a man after God’s own heart not because he was without sin, but because he was in tune with the Holy Spirit, and he repented when he had sinned. Men and women after God’s own heart are also sensitive to the work of the Holy Spirit, and we respond when He convicts us of sin and guides us in righteousness. One of the best ways to be sensitive to the Spirit is to study God’s written word, that we might hear Him when He calls. We must also be regularly in prayer and committed to our local church, where members and elders are tasked by God to encourage us in holiness and admonish us for sin. Our fight against sin and the temptations of this world are too real not to make these God-given things a priority in our lives. 

Despite being anointed as king over Israel in his father’s (Jesse’s) house, David did not take the throne right away. He was pressed immediately into the service of King Saul. It was in the first part of his time serving the king that David displayed many of the heroic qualities that would be so closely associated with him later.

It is in 1 Samuel 17 that we get a front row seat to one of the most famous fights in all of history and the true public coming-out party of David as a strong and worthy leader. The phrase “David and Goliath” has become the illustration of the underdog overcoming the favored champion. Soon after David entered the court of the king, the Philistines moved to attack the nation of Israel. As was common then, the armies of each nation stood opposite one another on two mountains with a valley in between them as they squared off for battle. From their vantage point, the Philistines and their champion, Goliath, engaged in a bit of psychological warfare, taunting Israel and boasting of their military superiority. This was also the usual way for armies to face each other before battle, and the clear atmosphere of the land of Palestine made it easy for shouts to be heard up to a mile away. What this meant was Saul and his army heard Goliath, and Scripture says they were “greatly afraid.” Even though King Saul and his armies were greatly afraid of Goliath and the encroaching Philistine army, David rose to the occasion, not in his own ability or reputation as a victorious warrior, but in the strength and name of God. David trusted God to do His perfect will. 

1 Samuel 17:45-47 Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head. And I will give the dead bodies of the host of the Philistines this day to the birds of the air and to the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, and that all this assembly may know that the Lord saves not with sword and spear. For the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give you into our hand.”

Like David, we should not fear when we are pressed into service; indeed, we should be the first to volunteer to face potential suffering for the sake of Christ. We can be sure that God will give us the final victory when we fight for Him according to His ways. Though there will be some casualties on our side, the war’s outcome is decided, and all those who suffer now will be raised in triumph in the world to come. 

I Samuel 17:48-51 When the Philistine arose and came and drew near to meet David, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet the Philistine. And David put his hand in his bag and took out a stone and slung it and struck the Philistine on his forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the ground. So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and struck the Philistine and killed him. There was no sword in the hand of David. Then David ran and stood over the Philistine and took his sword and drew it out of its sheath and killed him and cut off his head with it. When the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled.

God surely gave a great victory to David and the Israelites that day, as the Giant was slain, and the Philistines fled. But this is not just a story of moral inspiration that it has commonly been made out to be. It is a great foreshadowing of the truer and better David, Jesus Christ, without whom all of our victories on earth are but a broken plastic trophy with no lasting value. Jesus is the one who defeated the true giant in our place. He is our victor and the one who gives a dead people new life to go out and make much of God’s name among all the nations. While David’s faith to stand up to the giant, who should have brutally slaughtered him, is great and worthy of following, it is Jesus, our bloodied champion over sin and eternal death, to whom David points us, that matters most. 

David was eventually made king, and the greatest king in ancient Israel he would be. He was a poet, musician, warrior, and great leader; He was “a man after God’s own heart” because of his extraordinary devotion to the Lord. But, David was not perfect or sinless by any means. Instead, he is also remembered as one of history’s greatest sinners. 2 Samuel 11 tells the famous story of David’s adultery with Bathsheba and murder of her husband Uriah to try to cover his guilt and sin. 

Like many of our own daily sins, David saw something he shouldn’t look upon. Instead of turning away, he pursued the lust in his heart of the sin. Instead of confessing of the sin and repenting from it, he tried to cover it up by having Bathsheba’s husband killed. How often does our engagement in sin slip fast and hard into addiction or more consequential sin? Oh, how we must fight our sin every day. This is why we are desperate for God’s word to instruct us and lead us unto righteousness. This is why we lean on the Holy Spirit in prayer and petition, not just over our Cheerios but all day long. This is why we do not make decisions alone but lean into our blood-bought family for godly counsel, encouragement, and admonishment when needed. We cannot fight this fight alone, nor should we when Christ has given us so much to armor ourselves and fight for His holy name. 

Like God has done for us in Christ, He mercifully forgave David when he acknowledged his sin, but this does not mean his transgression had no horizontal consequences. This we see in 2 Samuel 12, as Nathan faithfully brings to mind and heart God’s view and judgment on David’s sin. David would lose the child in Bathsheba’s womb, but David would not curse God for His righteous judgment; instead, David would worship the Lord even after these consequences were brought to pass. This showed that he acknowledged his guilt and the justice of God’s verdict. This is a huge example to us today. Many things that come about in this life, or consequences we or loved ones face, set the table for us to be angry at God and sinfully curse Him instead of trusting His ways are always good and righteous and perfect. 

Do you harbor lingering bitterness toward the Lord over the consequences you suffer from your sin or the hardships and loss that come with this broken world in which we live? We must always have faith in God. He is God and worthy of our praise no matter the situation. Circumstances do not EVER change the fact that God is worthy of our praise and due our trust and faith in Him. 

By His grace and for His glory,

Pastor Joshua Kirstine

Disciples Church