HeartQuest 101

The Yankees and the Phillies are going at it this week. I am not a huge baseball fan, at least not on TV, but I’ll admit that I tune in for a few moments to see what’s happening. I discovered a little World Series information that you might use to stump your friends:

• Although the Series began in 1903, two years went by without a World Series: 1904 (when the Pittsburgh Pirates refused to play) and 1994 (when the players’ strike shortened the season).
• There have been 22 ejections in the history of the World Series. Thirteen of them have been a result of arguing with the umpire. No one has been ejected more than Atlanta manager Bobby Cox.
• Each year, the winner and loser of the World Series split a revenue share from the event. In 1903, the Pittsburgh Pirates took home a winner’s share of $1,182. In 2008, the Philadelphia Phillies took home $351,504.48.
• In 1989, as the players were warming up in San Francisco for the third game, a 6.9-magnitude earthquake hit. The game was postponed for 10 days as disaster relief took place.
• The only non-U.S. team to win a World Series is the Toronto Blue Jays. They did so twice, in 1992 and 1993.
• There have been twenty World Series sweeps in history.
  • The American League has won / swept thirteen.
  • The National League has won / swept seven.
• Eight of the thirteen American League World Series sweeps were courtesy of the New York Yankees. In the National League only the New York Giants and Cincinnati Reds have had more than one Series sweep.

World Series Highs and Lows:

• The New York Yankees have won 27 World Championships, the most of any team.
• Eight franchises have not won a World Championship. This list includes the San Diego Padres, Houston Astros, Colorado Rockies, Milwaukee Brewers, Tampa Bay Rays, Texas Rangers, Washington Nationals, and Seattle Mariners.
• The last World Series title for the Chicago Cubs was in 1908. That’s more than 100 years ago—the longest drought in professional baseball.

From www.baseball-almanac.com

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Hold on one more time… I have revisited this story in the life of Moses and Joshua a few times but this lesson is key to accountability and men. (see Part 1, Part 2, Part 3)

“Moses, Aaron and Hur went up to the top of the hill, so it came about when Moses held his hand up that Israel prevailed, and when he let his hand down, Amalek prevailed.” (Exodus 17:10-11).

Men of today are engaged in a battle. Another item related to our Bible story is how Moses and the Israelites were able to win this battle in Exodus 17:12. Get this… if Moses was able to keep his hands up, the Israelites were winning. But, when Moses was tired and lowered his hands, the enemy began to win. So, Moses had two other men with him to help support his hands. When Moses was without strength, there was another man on each side to support him and hold him up. Our common enemy is battling for your soul, family, marriage, your children, your integrity and your reputation, your finances, your health, your thoughts. There is often a temptation to let our hands down because we are just plain tired, but don’t, that is when the enemy begins to prevail.

Solomon wisely wrote that we should not be alone (Ecclesiastes 4:12) and from the beginning God recognized that particular weakness in men (Genesis 2:18). So, where do you stand in regard to accountability with other men? We’re not suggesting that “Big Brother” invade your life, but we are stating the fact that without others to support us, challenge us, correct us, or even get in our face every once in a while when we do stupid things, we will go the way of the stragglers (Deuteronomy 25:18).

The Men of Steel is a gathering of men for Motivation, Encouragement and iNstruction; and yes, there is an element of informal accountability. Accountability cannot be forced, manufactured or assigned, but it will be found once you make the commitment to God and a connection to another man (realizing that he’s got your back and you’ve got his). There is strength in numbers. Be aware of your kryptonite, and don’t let it destroy you.

Join us most Saturdays at 7:30 in the Welcome Center.

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For the third time I want to revisit the story in the life of Moses and Joshua that encourages accountability between men. (see Part 1 and Part 2)

“And he named the place Massah and Meribah… and Amalek came and fought against Israel at Rephidim.” (Exodus 17:7, 8).

Where are they? Rephidim. “So what” you say? I discovered that Rephidim in Hebrew has different meanings. It could mean “supports” which is a convenient definition since it is here that Moses’ hands were supported by Aaron and Hur, which led to the Israelite victory (Exodus 17:11). Another definition I found is “rests” or “stays” or “resting places.” I see how these two definitions might be similar, since “rests” and “supports” appear to be the same idea.

But the idea of “resting places” intrigues me because it is here, at Rephidim, where the people of Israel were doing anything but resting.

First they were fussing about the lack of drinking water. So much were they ticked off at Moses that they intended to stone him and go back to Egypt (Exodus 17:3, 4). Leave it to the people of God to forsake all they know to be true… that God loves them, that Moses was God’s deliverer, that God provided for them… like the Red Sea crossing (Exodus 14:21), quail for dinner (Exodus 16:13), manna for breakfast (Exodus 16:14, 15, 31)… and then complain. Not much has changed in 3500 years. When life gets hard we tend to blame God rather than the enemy. Think about it, how many swear words do you know that include the name of or reference to Satan (the adversary) or Lucifer or the devil?

They were also fighting for their very existence. Rather than a honorable adversary who fought on the battlefield, they had an enemy that attacked the weak and weary (Deuteronomy 25:18). Remember that it was here at Rephidim that the people grumbled about having no water and turned against Moses (Exodus 17:1, 3). After the water came from the rock, perhaps Rephidim could be a “resting place” but they named the place Massah (from the root word “to test”) and Meribah (meaning strife or argument) (see Exodus 17:7).

My point here is that in a location called, “resting places” the enemy came to attack. After they received the refreshing waters from the rock (Exodus 17:6) and a full tummy of manna each morning, there was an enemy ready to fight against them. Our enemy comes to us when we are most comfortable and vulnerable. At times we have a false sense of security, believing that since everything is going our way, we are not in danger. I used to tell my teenagers, if you don’t bump into the devil every once in a while, you might just be travelling in the same direction.

Accountability and men… when you are comfortable, you will often compromise or slide into places that you never thought you’d be. Moses told the people they should not test God (Exodus 17:2, 7), so let us not test him by pushing ourselves up to the line we said we would never cross. In a moment of weakness we can cross that line and have enormous regrets. We are accountable to God, so let’s not fuss and fight with God or His leaders on earth because there is a real enemy out there who seeks to steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10). Come to the place of rest and keep watch. Allow God to bless your life while you offer thanksgiving and obedience to Him each day.

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In Part 1, I wrote about Moses and the Staff of God; emphasizing that we each are accountable to God to use that which He has given us to further His kingdom. Today I want to revisit this story in the life of Moses and Joshua that encourages accountability between men.

“Then Amalek came and fought against Israel at Rephidim.” (Exodus 17:8).

Remember who they are fighting, the Amalekites, perhaps the most savage and inhumane of the Canaanites.

• They were a nomadic tribe of formidable people that first attacked the Israelites after the Exodus at Rephidim (Exodus 17:8).
• They were descendants of Amalek, the grandson of Esau (Genesis 36:12) and they inhabited the desolate wasteland of the northeast Sinai peninsula and the Negev Desert.
• They were the first to attack Israel after the Exodus (Numbers 24:20). Israel won the initial battle (Exodus 17:8-16), but later was driven back into the Sinai wilderness by a coalition of Amalekites and Canaanites (Numbers 14:43, 45).
• From then on, the Amalekites waged a successful guerrilla war against Israel (Deuteronomy 25:17-19). Fighting even continued after Israel settled in the Promised Land.
• Because of their atrocities, God commanded Saul to exterminate the Amalekites (1 Samuel 15:2-3), but Saul disobeyed, and the Amalekites were not defeated completely until late in the eighth century B.C. (1 Chronicles 4:43). Interestingly, no archaeological data concerning the Amalekites has been discovered. Talk about God wiping them out (1 Samuel 15:3).

Now with the history lesson over, notice what is happening. According to Deuteronomy 25:18, they would attack the stragglers, those who were weak and weary. Think about how many men get attacked by the enemy simply because they are not keeping up with the right crowd.

Straggling behind is really all that most men need to do in order to have the enemy harass, capture, control and destroy them right before their (and their family’s) eyes. Stragglers don’t have their eyes on the prize, or their minds on the task before them. They wander through life underestimating the mission, tactics, power and the patience of the enemy. These enemies don’t come at you with a frontal assault, but will subtlety grab you when you least expect it; perhaps a moment of weakness at the computer late at night or on a business trip, or maybe joking with that attractive co-worker in the office break room. The stragglers were faint and weary (Deuteronomy 25:18). We need strength to defeat this enemy.

So what? Do we not see the importance of accountability for men? We need other men to keep us moving forward, to keep us from straggling, to keep us focused on the important areas of our lives. Men, please don’t be caught straggling behind!

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In 2 Samuel 14, there seems to be a deep dissatisfaction about Absalom’s encounter with his father, and seemed to fuel a lot of bitterness. Beth Moore points out the fact that reuniting and reconciliation are two different things. Let’s take a look at 2 Samuel 15, where things go from bad to worse. David is no longer the courageous and confident that he once was.

1. It helps to know people in high places… who do you know who is in a high place?
2. What is your favorite conspiracy theory? Absalom will be conspiring a lot in this section.
3. What do “chariots, horses and 50 men” signal of Absalom’s ambitions? (2 Samuel 15:1, 1 Samuel 8:11) What goal do you see behind Absalom’s behavior?
4. As a victim of injustice, what would you make of Absalom’s two decrees? (2 Samuel 15:3-4) How about his greeting? (2 Samuel 15:5)
5. Why do you think Absalom waited four years to carry out his plot? (2 Samuel 15:7) When else has he waited patiently in devising evil plans? (2 Samuel 13:23, 13:38, 14:28)
6. How can David be so gullible? (2 Samuel 15:7-9) What do you know about the significant about Hebron? (2 Samuel 2:1, 4)
7. How did David respond to the news that “the hearts of the people are with Absalom”? (2 Samuel 15:13, 14)
8. What was David thinking at this point? What was he feeling? How could he run away since God had anointed him to be on the throne?
9. What was the significance of the ark? (2 Samuel 15:24, 29)
10. Where did David go? (2 Samuel 15:30) How would a reporter describe the mood and the scene this day?
11. What is the significance of this one key verse? (2 Samuel 15:31)
12. What special assignment did David have for Hushai? (2 Samuel 15:34) Skip ahead to the beginning of chapter 17. How did this work out?

A few questions for your consideration:

1. How did they all get to this point?
2. What do you do when someone you love is out of control?
3. When could this have been nipped in the bud?
4. This story makes an interesting point: we all need friends we can be sure are on our side when difficult times come. Who did David have on his side?
5. How can we develop the kind of relationships so that we know we have some friends on our side when the storm comes? How do you determine who is your friend?
6. What is the difference between an advisor or counselor and a friend? (1 Chronicles 27:33)
7. In your darkest times, is prayer and church your usual course of action? (2 Samuel 15:31, 32) How does God fit into your crisis resolution plan?

Take a look at Psalm 3… I’ll have some other insights on Sunday.

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The end of Absalom is getting closer… notice the correct advice of Ahithophel (2 Samuel 17:1-4), he urges Absalom to attack David’s troops immediately while David is still weary and weak. Then came the crafty advice of Hushai (2 Samuel 17:5-14, 23). He advises that the attack be delayed until a large number of soldiers throughout the land can be assembled, and then Absalom himself should lead them into battle (2 Samuel 17:11). Hushai’s plan is accepted, causing Ahithophel to go home and hang himself. This leads us to the main chapter for today.

1. Why did David want to go into battle? (2 Samuel 18:2, 5)
2. How has David benefitted from the delay in Absalom’s attack? (2 Samuel 18:1-2)
3. Why didn’t Joab and the people want him to go into battle? (2 Samuel 18:3)
4. What are David’s specific instructions to Joab? (2 Samuel 18:5)
5. What do you make of the reoccurring phrase, “the young man, Absalom?” (2 Samuel 18:5, 12, 29, 32), perhaps the youthful rebel could still be forgiven.
6. How do you think this sounded to Joab, Abishai, and Ittai? (2 Samuel 18:5)
7. With all the betrayal going on, why does David trust these three generals? (2 Samuel 18:5)
8. How did Absalom die? (2 Samuel 18:9, 14, 15)
9. What irony do you see in Absalom’s getting hung up? (2 Samuel 18:9, 14:24, 25)
10. How does the man reporting to Joab respond to Joab’s rebuke? (2 Samuel 18:11, 12, 13)
11. What do you make of Joab disobeying King David’s order? (2 Samuel 18:5, 12)
12. What does Joab’s treatment of Absalom reveal about him? (2 Samuel 18:14)
13. What do they do with Absalom’s body (2 Samuel 18:17, 18) Notice the irony; a heap of stones and a monument to himself (similar to 1 Samuel 15:12). His death as a traitor remains far more memorable than his self-absorbed life. (Deuteronomy 21:20, 21, Joshua 7:26, 8:29)
14. Why did Ahimaaz want to run back to David, and persist in his request? (2 Samuel 18:19, 22, 23)
15. What did Joab fear if the truth be known? (2 Samuel 18:21, 31, 32), perhaps killing the Cushite was better than killing one of his soldiers.
16. Why did Ahimaaz lie when he was in front of the king? (2 Samuel 18:29, 20, 29)
17. What did David have on his mind when the got the word that they had won the war? (2 Samuel 18:24, 25, 26)
18. Why is David so preoccupied with Absalom’s safety more than his own? (2 Samuel 18:29)
19. Why did Ahimaaz waffle in his answer after being so eager about running to tell the king? (2 Samuel 18:28, 29)
20. Why didn’t the Cushite just say, “Absalom is dead”? (2 Samuel 18:31, 32)
21. How did David celebrate the victory? (2 Samuel 18:33) But David should have cried these tears long ago, intervening after the rape of his daughter.
22. This section sends a chill up the spine of any parent. Death would be easier than a life without our children.
23. How does David feel after Joab’s rebuke? (2 Samuel 19:5, 6, 7) Was Joab right in doing so?

Here are a few life application questions:

1. Why do you believe that our King is worth ten thousand of us? (2 Samuel 18:3)
2. These men were pawns in the hands of King David, what will you do tangibly to demonstrate your belief that Jesus is absolutely worthy of our sacrifice?
3. What news or information or sin are you hiding from the King? What will bring this hidden truth into the light?
4. From what enemies has God delivered you? Like David, what has preoccupied your mind from the reality of your current situation? What role does your faith and this small group play in your victory?
5. Think back over this long story. How could David have avoided this eventuality?
6. What regrets do you think David had at this point?
7. What is the lesson of this story for our lives? What break in relationship is happening in your family right now? Act quickly to make reconciliation, before it all spirals out of control.

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This is a topic that many men don’t want to discuss, accountability. We are ruggedly independent and often run from any outside accountability to others. We like being our own boss, at work, at home and in our private lives as well. This just might be the reason for the downfall of so many men today. If we are not accountable to another man who will get in our face when we go astray, we will likely find ourselves in a hole that keeps getting deeper and deeper.

We will look toward God and understand that we must be accountable to Him, knowing that one day we will all give an account for what we have done with the life He has given to us (Matthew 12:36, Luke 16:2, Romans 14:12, Hebrews 13:17). But that will usually not transfer to an earthly relationship. Our spiritual lives (or lack of one) can be hidden from others.

I was reminded of a story in the life of Moses and Joshua that encourages accountability between men. In the next few posts, I want to address various lessons we can learn from this interesting passage of Scripture.

“Moses said to Joshua, ‘Choose some of our men and go out to fight the Amalekites. Tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill with the staff of God in my hands’” (Exodus 17:9).

Moses’ staff represented his vocation as a shepherd. When God first met Moses in the desert at the burning bush (Exodus 3:2), he told him that he was going to use his staff to perform miracles and bring a people out of slavery (Exodus 4:17). God related to Moses through his vocation as a shepherd. Think about how God uses your vocation to allow you to bring glory to Him. There are things you can do, and people you will meet, that no one else can do. God has uniquely positioned you where you are to work through you, no matter what your vocation happens to be.

Moses later faced one of his enemies in the new land, the Amalekites (Exodus 17:8-16). Isn’t it just like real life to run into an old enemy not too long after a great victory (like the Hebrews leaving Egypt just two chapters earlier, Exodus 15:21). Back to the Amalekites, God told Moses to go to the top of the mountain and hold his staff up to heaven. As long as his staff was outstretched to heaven, Israel would win the battle. But if it was not uplifted, they would suffer defeat (Exodus 17:11).

Isn’t this an interesting picture? When we raise our “staff” up to the Lord, He becomes our protector. He is our defender. As long we offer up our staff before the Lord, He can work through it. He works on our behalf. When we lower it, we lose the blessing of God.

When God told Moses He was going to use his staff to bring a people out of bondage, he first had to lay his staff down on the ground (Exodus 4:3). God changed it into a snake and then God told Moses to pick it up by the tail. God was telling Moses to take authority over the snake. When Moses picked up the staff, the scripture tells us it is no longer Moses’ staff, but it is now the staff of God (Exodus 4:20, 17:9).

The lesson for us is to continually offer up our work lives to the Lord and see His protection and blessing upon us as we continually raise our work to the Lord for His use. You are not in your current place of employment or in your vocation for no reason. You are in the place where you can influence others for the kingdom’s sake, if we all look at that vocation as God’s opportunity for service toward others. Once we change our perspective on the work we do, we just might find better purpose, meaning, joy and significance in the task. Be accountable to God, and use the “staff of God” to live life victoriously.

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Christianity is about being “others oriented.” It’s relational. When Jesus called his closest men, they came out of the everyday work life, fishermen, tax collectors, political activists, rather than the religious community. The problem is that not many people in a local church are called to full time vocational Christian service. Men have their careers and need to make a living, and time is valuable to take care of business, family, chores and relaxation. Who has time for people or anything else?

I remember my younger days and looking forward to the future. Automation and machines would make life so much easier that Americans would have shorter work weeks and lots more free time. With the emergence of the computer and the simpler life we’d enjoy from our modern conveniences, our biggest challenge was supposed to be choosing how to spend all this extra time we’d have on our hands.

I look at life today and think, “What a cruel joke.”

Have you ever seen a day when people were this strung out with work demands, longer hours, tighter deadlines, breakneck schedules, and higher expectations? Whatever little time and energy is left at the end of earning a paycheck, running errands, and keeping our homes in working order usually ends up stretched out on the sofa with a cold drink; and then hope that no one will bother us. At this pace, we just don’t have time for people.

Check out what Jesus said to the disciples in Mark 10:35-45. I believe they may have had their own ideas on theology and what pleased God, and basically wanted to follow God on their own terms, as long as Jesus did what they wanted Him to do (Mark 10:35). When we try the same thing, Jesus reminds us that we just don’t know what we are asking for (Mark 10:38). We don’t get it, just like the Twelve. We always think we know best. In our ignorance and selfishness we would never expect the same answer (Mark 10:39). We don’t expect to be treated in the same fashion as Jesus Himself; abused, beaten, misunderstood, homeless, poor and eventually executed. These never make our to-do lists. We (as did the disciples) want to sit at the left and right hand of God, to have a place of honor and comfort, were we belong (Mark 10:37). Problem is that if Jesus did not spare his closest men from hardship, why should we expect anything less?

So what was the specific instruction of Jesus for the disciples? Jesus did not come to be served, but to serve (Mark 10:45). To me, this means that we are to be “others oriented” and always looking for opportunities to serve people. While men are in a vocation in the real world, we have to realize that we are always “on call.” An opportunity arises and the pager goes off, we must decide to do the right thing or to ignore the page. When you’re on call, ignoring a page is not an option.

What an opportunity, then, for men to make the love of Christ stand out in a crowd—every time you forsake the sofa in order to meet a need, serve a brother, or help a neighbor. The sky light is open for us to “shine like stars in the universe” (Philippians 2:15) and see God’s face light up.

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David was strongly attached to Absalom and he has been absent for three years, but the fear of public opinion made him hesitant to grant him a full pardon. Joab, David’s general, had obviously witnessed David’s irresponsibility toward Absalom long enough and he devised a plan to get David’s attention.

Think about these questions:

1. How could David long for Absalom. Absalom had killed his other son, Amnon. Why isn’t he mad at him? (2 Samuel 14:1)
2. What do we learn about God from 2 Samuel 14:14?
3. What do you think about the whole ruse orchestrated by Joab. What was the point?
4. How did David know Joab was involved? (2 Samuel 14:19)
5. If David longed for Absalom, why did he have to be talked into taking him back? (2 Samuel 14:1, 21)
6. How is the relationship between father and son now? (2 Samuel 14:21, 24, 28, 33)
7. If you were casting Absalom in a movie, what actor might you choose? (2 Samuel 14:25)
8. Tamar, we have heard that name before. Who was Tamar? (2 Samuel 14:27)
   There used to be a song called, “We didn’t start the fire.” Who did start the fire? (2 Samuel 14:30) What is the fire about?
9. Have you heard the adage, “negative attention is better than no attention”? How do you see that demonstrated here? Where have you seen this demonstrated in real life?
10. Is all better now? (2 Samuel 14:33). There may be forgiveness and reconciliation, but is it all sealed with a kiss?

Let’s look at some details in this chapter:

Joab sets up a story about a woman and her prodigal son (2 Samuel 14:2, 3). It could work; after all, he saw Nathan use a story to get David’s attention back in 2 Samuel 12:1-7.

The woman tells the story (2 Samuel 14:4-7) and David tries to blow her off (2 Samuel 14:8), perhaps David doesn’t want to be blamed for defending a guilty son!

She says that she will take any blame from sparing the son (2 Samuel 14:9). David tells the woman to bring her persecutors before him (2 Samuel 14:10).

The avenger of blood (2 Samuel 14:11) is a specific term identifying the nearest relative of the deceased who would seek to put to death the murderer (Numbers 35:6–28; Deuteronomy 19:1–13; Matthew 27:25).

She mentions that death is irreversible and that God acts in accordance with mercy (2 Samuel 14:14) as in David’s own experience (2 Samuel 12:13), and the king should do the same.

Those who were wanting to kill the woman and her son were like the people David feared whom resented what Absalom had done and would have stood against a pardon for him (2 Samuel 14:15, 16).

David finally gets it (2 Samuel 14:19), that Joab is behind this woman and her story.
Joab is excited that Absalom is coming back, as selfish as his motives really were (2 Samuel 14:22).

While Absalom returned to Jerusalem, the estrangement continued (2 Samuel 14:24, 28). Everything looked good on the outside, but none of it came form the heart. David summoned Absalom to appease him, not to accept him. Absalom wanted David to look him in the eye rather than to beg for forgiveness. He requests an audience with the king, but nothing, he finally sets fire to Joab’s field to get his attention… like acting out, or manipulation of others. It was like Absalom was saying, “accept me or kill me.” By the time David finally received Absalom, (2 Samuel 14:33) his son’s heart had already grown cold and bitter (see chapter 15).

Application Questions:

1. This story is a story about resolving old conflicts. What could David or Joab or Absalom done to make this better?
2. Have you known anyone who kept a fire of conflict stoked for decades?
3. How can we settle old conflicts?

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We have been studying the life of David in our Sunday morning Bible study and something struck me the other day. It’s no secret that Kim and I have been called by God to minister to the Lord through a local congregation, but if we are not careful, we can lose focus on how we got into the ministry in the first place. Let’s take a look at Saul for a moment…

In 1 Samuel 18:7, 8, 9, Saul is imploding as a leader. He’s got anger issues. He’s got jealousy issues. He’s got evil spirit issues. He’s a madman who’s got fear issues (1 Samuel 18:10, 11). I believe it is all because Saul forgot who had called him in the first place. He was more concerned about his popularity ratings with people than pleasing God. The people praised David more than the king (1 Samuel 18:7), “Saul has killed his thousands, and David his tens of thousands!”

This made Saul very angry. “What’s this?” he said. “The people credit David with ten thousands and me with only thousands. Next they’ll be making him their king!” So from that time on Saul kept a jealous eye on David.” Saul forgot who had made him king! Saul was afraid of the people appointing David, but Saul wasn’t appointed by people. He was anointed by God.

If you forget who called you, you’ll run into trouble. You’ll become a people pleaser. You’ll feel threatened because of your insecurities. And the fear of man will be your downfall. David was Saul’s greatest asset, but Saul was threatened because of his insecurities.

Mark Batterson at National Community Church in DC writes:

Can I offer this simple reminder to pastors? You weren’t appointed by a denomination or elected by a congregation or ratified by a board. You were anointed by God. And if you forget, you’ll leadership will implode. I’m not saying you aren’t accountable to a denomination or congregation or board. But never forget your ultimate accountability is to the one who anointed you in the first place.

For David, he understood the anointing (1 Samuel 15:17), “The Lord has anointed you king of Israel.”

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