Lake Ellen Men’s 2007 Winter Retreat – Living Light

Fighting Light

I Samuel 17

Saturday Evening

BAND OF BROTHERS tells the story of Easy Company, 506th Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division, U.S. Army. Drawn from interviews with survivors of Easy Company, as well as soldiers' journals and letters, BAND OF BROTHERS chronicles the experiences of these young men who knew extraordinary bravery and extraordinary fear under extraordinary circumstances.

They were an elite rifle company parachuting into France early on D-Day morning, behind enemy lines. They also fought in the Battle of the Bulge, liberated a concentration camp and captured Hitler's Eagle's Nest at Berchtesgarden. They were a unit that suffered enormous casualties, and whose lives became legend through the book by Steven Ambrose and the film series done by Tom Hanks and Steven Spielburg.

When the men of Easy Company jumped from their C-47 Skytrains into enemy territory, early on the morning of D-Day, June 6, 1944, they carried with them an incredible amount of supplies. Paratroopers carried an average of 70 pounds of equipment. Officers averaged 90 pounds of gear. With their parachute, the men jumped at 90 to 120 pounds over their body weight.

Their orders were to get behind the enemy lines, and do as much damage as possible to prevent the Germans from sending reinforcements to the Normandy beaches.  They were jumping into unknown territory and needed to be prepared for any encounter or conditions. Under those circumstances, it was prudent for them to take all they could physically handle.

On the morning of the invasion, the few men of Easy Company who had survived the jump and found their way to a base camp were given the responsibility of taking out an enemy artillery installation of four 105-mm howitzers that was shelling Utah beach. A group of less than a dozen was charged with the mission. Please watch the following clip from the film series.

[Clip from Band of Brothers episode 2 “Weapons and ammo only!”]

“Weapons and Ammo Only!”

There are times in the conflict when we have the luxury of being fully supplied, and relatively comfortable at base camp. The Greek IV Conference this weekend in Indianapolis would be one of those times. Surrounded by fellow soldiers in Christ, Christian books at our disposal, well fed, our swords are at our side and comfortable racks to sleep on. All things considered, it’s not too bad. Such is the nature of a base camp – even in enemy territory. But wars are not won from base camp. If the battle is to be won, the soldiers have to leave the relative comfort of the base and engage the enemy head – on.

It is in those encounters that we take the battle to the enemy. He will sit back and lob shells at us as long as we will let him – eventually we need to take the fight to him, break up the enemy strongholds and push him into submission. Such is the nature of battle – physically and spiritually. Those are times of “weapons and ammo.” Times when we throw off the “extras” so that we can move quickly and efficiently. They are times of highest risk – and greatest victory.

Come with me onto the battlefield and let me give you an example. Turn in your Bibles to I Samuel chapter 17. I’ve been doing my personal Bible study in I & II Samuel for about 5 months now, and I’ve got to tell you, I get so much out of these great stories I first heard in Sunday School all those years ago. In I Samuel 17, we read the story of a young spiritual warrior named David taking on an impressive enemy in the person of Goliath. 

Read I Samuel 17

I want us to focus our thoughts tonight on one phrase from verse 48 – we read there, “David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet [Goliath].”

David ran quickly to the battle – he was in “weapons and ammo” mode. Pack light, move quick, attack the enemy. I want us to quickly look at four ways David ran toward the battle. I’m just going to point out these observations – I’m going to leave it to you to ponder them and apply them to your situation in your own study time.

First, I see David running quickly to the battle with confidence. David never forgot whom he was facing, and he never forgot who he was.

When David saw Goliath, his first response, in verse 26, was, “Who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?” When David identified the enemy as “uncircumcised,” he was making a statement about Goliath that every other person in the army of Israel understood. Circumcision was a physical reminder and mark of the Covenant – it identified the Jewish people as the people of God – those chosen by God to be His own people. They were the inheritors of God’s promise, the recipients of His blessing. Those “uncircumcised” were far more than people of a different race or culture – they were outside the promise of God – they were the “unchosen,” if you will. When David asked that question, “Who is this uncircumcised Philistine?” He was basically saying, “Who does this dog think he is?” When Goliath later says, “Am I a dog that you come out to me with a stick?” He hit it right on the head – David did see him as a dog – a mangy, mixed-breed mutt worth nothing but contempt from the people of Israel.” “Who is this uncircumcised Philistine?” David never lost sight of who he was facing.

But more importantly, David never forgot who He was – in spite of the talk of everyone around him. David was confident that he was a warrior for God. Never in this account do we see him hesitate to take on the enemy – he was confident in his identity in the army of the Living God. He never forgot that, despite the less-than-confident talk around him. First his brothers let him have it – with sneering, contemptuous words. Look at verse 28 – “Why have you come down here? And what have you done with those few sheep in the dessert? You just came to watch the battle?” 

Man! Talk about harsh – but doesn’t that just sound like brothers? Yeah, I am amazed by how the Bible portrays life so accurately! I can just hear a bunch of older brothers in this situation saying exactly the same words! David is an interesting character – it wasn’t just his brothers who treated him with contempt – when Samuel was told to come and anoint one of the sons of Jesse as future king of Isreal, and Samuel told Jesse to call his sons to dinner – each one came before the prophet, and one by one God said, “No, not this one.” One by one they came, until they stopped coming – Samuel was confused, because He was certain God had chose one of Jesse’s sons – so he asked if these were all the boys, and then Jesse said, “Well, there is the youngest, but he is tending the sheep.” I have pondered that situation a number of times, and I have to tell you, I don’t think David grew up in a very healthy home. I think he had it tough – mostly forgotten – and when he is remembered, it is in very condescending terms.

When he was brought before the king, he faced similar discouraging words. Look at verse 35, “You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him, you are only a boy!” You know, I have never met President Bush, but if I had a chance to talk to him, I hope he wouldn’t say something like that to me!

But David never forgot who he was. He knew he was a son of Israel – a part of a chosen race. His poetry tells us that David knew that while others may have forgotten about him, God never did. 

1 O Lord, you have searched me and you know me. 2 You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. 3 You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. 4 Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O Lord. 5 You hem me in--behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me. 6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.

Though others may have seen David as too young, too week, too insignificant He knew that in God’s eyes, he was a warrior – destined for victory! David ran to the battle in confidence! This is self-confidence in the best sense of the word – he was confident in his identity as a child or God a Warrior for the kingdom of heaven!

David also ran to the battle in Faith.

David never forgot Who was fighting for him. His self-confidence was based in God-confidence. Throughout this story, we read of the fear that was rampant through the Israeli army. Verse 11 tells us that the king and all the army were terrified every time Goliath came up and made his challenge. Verse 24 says that whenever the Israelites saw Goliath they ran from him in great fear. Through the camp of the Israelites walks one young man without fear – and he was able to clearly see the fear in the men around him – he said to the king, in verse 32, “Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine…” 

David was able to see it that the people of Israel had lost heart – they lost the ability to see beyond their immediate situation. They were looking at the battle with the wrong eyes. They were preoccupied with the physical size, the technological advancement and the words of intimidation from the enemy, and it caused them to lose heart. In Iraq, our enemy knows that if they can get our nation to lose heart, they will win the war. If we get caught up in the short term, and the cut and run, we will be defeated – the enemy knows that even though they are overmatched in technology and resources, if they can attack the heart, they will win. Your spiritual enemy knows that about you too. You have superior weapons and resources – “the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating to the soul and spirit, judging thoughts and the attitudes of the heart.” You have all the armor of God at your disposal, and you are promised that you are “more than conquerors through Him who loved us.” But if the enemy can cause you to lose heart, you will not even get in the battle. 

David looked at the battle through the eyes of faith. Over and over we read the same statements from David:

To the king: “The Lord who delivered me from the lion and the bear will do it again.” 

To the enemy: “The Lord will deliver you to me…” 

To everyone gathered there to see the fight: “The battle is the Lord’s”

You see, David was able to do what I call “Sanctified math.” He knew that

“Me + God = Overwhelming Force”

David never forgot who was fighting for him, and he ran quickly to the battle with faith.

Thirdly, David ran quickly to the battle unhindered.

When David finally convinced the king to allow him to fight Goliath, he tried to dress David in his own armor. The king was still seeing with the physical eyes of a lost heart. But when David tried on the armor, it didn’t fit, so he took them off. When we are traveling with “weapons and ammo only,” we don’t want a bunch of stuff tangling our feet and tripping us. Anything that is not helping us in the battle quickly becomes a hindrance in the battle – it has to go.

The writer of Hebrews reminds us of this same truth. In Hebrews 12:1-4 we are told to “throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” Most of us have no problem identifying the sin that so easily entangles us – after all, it easily entangles! We are familiar with it, and we know it well – but that does not change the effectiveness of its snare! But there’s more to this concept than the sin that entangles – there’s “everything that hinders.” When Saul tried to put his armor on David, it wasn’t a bad thing – it was a good, normal part of warfare for the average soldier – but for David it was a hindrance. The same can be true of any of us – we can get so concerned about the armor, and the training, and the preparation that we never actually get in the battle. Don’t get me wrong – every one of us needs to be trained and equipped for the battle – BUT in the church today I don’t see much “battle fatigue” – what I see is “training lethargy.” Rick Warren, in The Purpose Driven Life, writes, “The last thing many believers need today is to go to another Bible study. They already know more than they are putting into practice. What they need are more serving experiences in which they can exercise their spiritual muscle.” [i] Training and preparation can never replace involvement – we must move from training camp into action!

When it comes to enemy encounters, we need to be lean, mean fightin’ machines! George S. Patton said,

I don't want to hear any reports that we're holding our positions. We're not holding anything. Let the enemy do that…We are constantly advancing..."

Jesus said similar words, “I will build my church, a church so expansive with energy that not even the gates of hell will be able keep it out.” (Matthew 16:18 MSG) The kingdom of God is to be constantly advancing – continually pressing against the gates of hell – pushing back the kingdom of darkness and advancing the kingdom of light. We do that when we get out of the bibles studies, out of the churches, and into the world – telling others about Jesus. We don’t need to know more – we need to do more!

David also ran quickly to the battle with skill. In verse 49, we read, “Reaching into his bag, and taking out a stone, he slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead and he fell facedown on the ground.” He did this, while running into the battle – I think it is safe to guess that this was not the first time David had slung a stone. He advanced against the enemy with the smooth and efficient movements of a skilled warrior.

But David wasn’t a soldier! We have just seen that he didn’t have any armor or even a sword! He hadn’t been trained – he was just a kid wandering the battlefield – resented by his older brothers who were the “real soldiers.” And yet David obviously ran at the battle with skill. Where did this skill come from? In verses 34 and 35, we see David outline for the king his training – when a bear or lion would attack his flock, David was able to defend his flock, and destroy the threat.

Here’s the point – the previous battles of life had prepared David for the battle he now faced. I’m sure that there were countless battles that David had faced along the way as a shepherd. Dogs and wolves, even thieves tried to thin the flock. Rescuing lost sheep from precarious, life-threatening situations must have gotten routine for him. The bear and the lion were just the two biggest challenges he had faced thus far. I don’t know about you, but taking on a bear or a lion would seem like a pretty huge battle – and I’m sure that when David was in the middle of wrestling a lamb from the jaws of a lion, he thought it couldn’t get much worse, but those were just preparatory for the warrior David. 

Here’s the point – the battles we face today – big and small – are meant to prepare us for the big battles ahead. They may seem like the biggest battles of our lives – but you can count on even greater challenges as you move deeper into the battle zone of life. 

Finally, David ran quickly to the battle line in victory. Verse 50 tells us,

So David triumphed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone; without a sword in his hand he struck down the Philistine and killed him.

“So David Triumphed…” David moved confident in his identity, with faith in God, in a swift manner. He boldly took on a physically superior enemy with audacity and skill

When Easy Company set out against the German stronghold, they traveled light – “weapons and ammo only.” They moved swiftly, skillfully and confidently. They engaged the enemy boldly, and their tactics and audacity overwhelmed a fixed, fortified enemy. The tactics they developed on a field map laid on top of a crate in their base camp are now taught to every student at the US Military Academy at West Point. 

Today David’s actions serve as a lesson in warfare for each of us – students of spiritual warfare. David ran to battle confident in his identity as a child of Israel. Do you face your challenges remembering the promise of Scripture that “we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us”? Never forget who you are!  You are a child of God! A joint heir with Christ! And you already have the victory in Him!

David ran quickly into the battle with Faith in God. He never forgot that the battle was the Lord’s – not his. He was able to trust in the God of the universe for the outcome, realizing that his job was simply to be obedient, faithful and courageous. In Acts 18:9&10, Jesus appeared to Paul in a vision and said, “Do not be afraid. Keep on speaking, do not be silent, for I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you…” That is our promise. We are never without superior cover from the Lord of Lord and King of Kings!

David ran into the battle unhindered – he wouldn’t allow anything – obviously bad or seemingly good – to deter him from his mission. If you look around your Christian life and find yourself in the relative comfort of base camp – never encountering the enemy – you need to throw off the stuff that is entangling you and rush the enemy. Start taking a stand for Christ – take a bold stand for Biblical truth – defend your faith in the public arena – share the truth of Christ with those who are held captive by the enemy. Do that a time or two, and you’ll find yourself in the fight.

David ran to the battle with skill. We would be fools to rush into battle without learning the skills of battle. Learn well the lessons of past encounters – lean heavily on your comrades and allow them to push you to deeper levels of skill and effectiveness. Read and study your Bible – spend quality time in prayer over your battle zone. Find a battle buddy who will fight along side you. 

David ran to the battle to victory. Men and women, we will win the war. No matter how great the battle you face, no matter how great the giant seems to be, you will be victorious. We have the words of Jesus – these are not empty words of a human leader who speak of victory only hoping for the best outcome – we have the words of a divine leader who already knows the end of the story, and in his commissioning message to us when we received our orders He said this,

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always to the very end of the age.”

Our marching orders flow from His authority. It is in ultimate power and might that we advance boldly against our enemy – from victory unto victory.

Let’s pray.
I am a soldier in the army of my God.

I am a soldier in the army of my God.
The Lord Jesus Christ is my commanding officer.
The Holy Bible is my code of conduct,

Faith, prayer and the Word are my weapons of warfare.
I have been taught by the Holy Spirit--
Trained by experience, tried by adversity and tested by fire.
I am a volunteer in this army, and I am enlisted for eternity.
I will either retire in this army at the rapture or die in this army;
but I will not get out, sell out, be talked out, or pushed out.
I am faithful, reliable, capable, and dependable.
If my God needs me, I am there.
I am a soldier. I am not a baby.

I do not need to be pampered, petted,

primed up, pumped up, picked up, or pepped up.
I am a soldier.
No one has to call me, remind me, write me, visit me, entice me, or lure me.
I am a soldier.
I am not a wimp.
I am in place saluting my King, obeying His orders, praising His name, and building His kingdom!
No one has to send me flowers gifts, food, cards, candy or give me handouts.
I do not need to be cuddled, cradled, cared for, or catered to.
I am committed.
I cannot have my feelings hurt bad enough to turn me around.
I cannot be discouraged enough to turn me aside.
I cannot lose enough to cause me to quit.
If I end up with nothing, I will still come out ahead.
I will win.
My God has, and will continue, to supply all of my needs.
I am more than a conqueror.
I will always triumph.
I can do all things through Christ.
Devils cannot defeat me.
People cannot disillusion me.
Weather cannot weary me.
Sickness cannot stop me.
Battles cannot beat me.
Money cannot buy me.
Governments cannot silence me and

Hell cannot handle me.
I am a soldier.
Even death cannot destroy me.