Please stand as we recite the Shema and read the Word of God together.
The Shema
Hear O Israel!
The Lord is our God – the Lord Alone.
Love the Lord your God
With all your heart,
With all your soul,
And with all your might,
And love your neighbor as yourself. Amen.
Our corporate reading of the Word of God brings us this morning to 2 Samuel, Chapter 10.
2 Samuel 10, Now it happened afterwards that the king of the Ammonites died, and Hanun his son became king in his place. Then David said, "I will show kindness to Hanun the son of Nahash, just as his father showed kindness to me." So David sent some of his servants to console him concerning his father. But when David's servants came to the land of the Ammonites, the princes of the Ammonites said to Hanun their lord, "Do you think that David is honoring your father because he has sent consolers to you? Has David not sent his servants to you in order to search the city, to spy it out and overthrow it?" So Hanun took David's servants and shaved off half of their beards, and cut off their garments in the middle as far as their hips, and sent them away. When they told it to David, he sent to meet them, for the men were greatly humiliated. And the king said, "Stay at Jericho until your beards grow, and then return." Now when the sons of Ammon saw that they had become odious to David, the sons of Ammon sent and hired the Arameans of Beth-rehob and the Arameans of Zobah, 20,000 foot soldiers, and the king of Maacah with 1,000 men, and the men of Tob with 12,000 men. When David heard of it, he sent Joab and all the army, the mighty men. And the sons of Ammon came out and drew up in battle array at the entrance of the city, while the Arameans of Zobah and of Rehob and the men of Tob and Maacah were by themselves in the field. Now when Joab saw that the battle was set against him in front and in the rear, he selected from all the choice men of Israel, and arrayed them against the Arameans. But the remainder of the people he placed in the hand of Abishai his brother, and he arrayed them against the sons of Ammon. And he said, "If the Arameans are too strong for me, then you shall help me, but if the sons of Ammon are too strong for you, then I will come to help you. Be strong, and let us show ourselves courageous for the sake of our people and for the cities of our God; and may the Lord do what is good in His sight." So Joab and the people who were with him drew near to the battle against the Arameans, and they fled before him. When the sons of Ammon saw that the Arameans fled, they also fled before Abishai and entered the city. Then Joab returned from fighting against the sons of Ammon and came to Jerusalem. When the Arameans saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they gathered themselves together. And Hadadezer sent and brought out the Arameans who were beyond the River, and they came to Helam; and Shobach the commander of the army of Hadadezer led them. Now when it was told David, he gathered all Israel together and crossed the Jordan, and came to Helam. And the Arameans arrayed themselves to meet David and fought against him. But the Arameans fled before Israel, and David killed 700 charioteers of the Arameans and 40,000 horsemen and struck down Shobach the commander of their army, and he died there. When all the kings, servants of Hadadezer, saw that they were defeated by Israel, they made peace with Israel and served them. So the Arameans feared to help the sons of Ammon anymore. 
Thus reads the Word of The Lord. Thank You, Jehovah, for Your Word. You may be seated.
2 Sam 10:12, Be strong, and let us show ourselves courageous for the sake of our people and for the cities of our God; and may the Lord do what is good in His sight." 
	This morning, we have the account of part of the establishment of the peace that would surround the nation of Israel under the kingship of David. He was following the guidance of Jehovah in the dealing with those enemies of the Lord’s people who were encroaching upon and bringing war against Israel. 
	David, as newly ordained sovereign, tried to offer comfort to the son of the deceased king of the Ammonites. Not only was that overture rebuffed and the emissaries of David disgraced, but then the Ammonites summoned and paid the Arameans to fight against Israel. This morning’s text is the encouragement from Joab to the troops of Israel in the looming battle to fight as unto the Lord in the measure of their efforts of being strong and courageous. 
	This is a theme with which we have dealt in the past, but it is never too often nor is it a waste of time to consider and be encouraged together in our walk on this earth. We are ever to be strong and courageous in the Lord, always counting on Him to go before us in the every step that we tread on this earth. He will do what He will do, and we are but called to obey and follow as He so ordains and leads us forth in His victory over the every power of this age. 
	We continue to hear this encouragement as it was voiced through Moses to the Children of Israel, to Joshua, and to us as the children of God. Please return to the passage of Deut 31:6-8, and let us put ourselves before Moses and the Lord in the manner of our earnest willingness and desire to follow the Lord in courage and in the strength which He supplies through His Holy Spirit.
	Deut 31:6-8, Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or tremble at them, for the Lord your God is the one who goes with you. He will not fail you or forsake you." Then Moses called to Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel, "Be strong and courageous, for you shall go with this people into the land which the Lord has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall give it to them as an inheritance. And the Lord is the one who goes ahead of you; He will be with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear, or be dismayed." 
	Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or tremble at them, for the Lord your God is the one who goes with you. He will not fail you or forsake you."…And the Lord is the one who goes ahead of you; He will be with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear, or be dismayed."
	What a comfort and an encouragement is ours if we will hold onto this truth in the midst of all the storms and gales of this present age. That is why it is not a burden to spend the time with each other with the supportive proclamation that Our God goes before us always, without fail and ever victorious beyond all comprehension. So often we find ourselves looking at the measure of each day caught up in the grind and the tedious and repetitive moral and emotional and physical distress and exhaustion that accompanies taking the stand for the Lord no matter what!
	We deal with the constant bombardment of the various media that assault our every sense. Everywhere we look, everywhere we go, in every corner of home, neighborhood, social endeavor, and political determination there is the ceaseless assault from this age to give in, to compromise, to mingle, to let go of our holy stand in the Lord. At times, we feel like we are alone in holding to what we know is right and honoring to the Lord. This is especially even as the church in America seems more and more promoting the plans and schemes of this world rather than the Holiness and the Righteousness of God and His Word.  
	There is that constant denouncement of the things that Yahweh has put forth as right and proper. The pressures of this age, even from the so-called Christian circles are fanning the flames of political and social correctness and moral relativism. We are told that these are more important and more appropriate than what the writers of the Bible have written so so long ago, when times were different and the social norms were less enlightened. 
	Against all these lies and social manipulations, we take the stand that God is the One in charge. What He put into place is still the banner under which we will not surrender. His victory then is still and forever our victory today, despite the current social norms which are leading so many unto utter and eternal damnation. We will heed the encouragement of the Lord through Moses and through so many others to Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or tremble at them, for the Lord your God is the one who goes with you. He will not fail you or forsake you.”
	Another one of those great encouragers of the people of God was Joshua, the one who led the nation of Israel into the Promised Land. His was a stand for the Lord from before he became the leader of the nation. We remember the faithful and encouraging spy who went into the land with Caleb and held to the fact that the Lord would go before the people if they would but trust God and enter into the land, even though there were giants there. 
As detailed in Num 14:7-9, these two knew that the Lord would win the every battle as those who followed Jehovah would but obey and trust in Him. Num 14:7-9, and they spoke to all the congregation of the sons of Israel, saying, "The land which we passed through to spy out is an exceedingly good land. If the Lord is pleased with us, then He will bring us into this land, and give it to us — a land which flows with milk and honey. Only do not rebel against the Lord; and do not fear the people of the land, for they shall be our prey. Their protection has been removed from them, and the Lord is with us; do not fear them."
	That was the focus of Jehovah’s encouragement, as detailed in Josh 1:6-9, to Joshua and to the children of that first generation as they were about to do what their parents had utterly refused to undertake. The children were on the cusp of entering into the Promised Land with the Lord going before them. The land was filled with nations mightier and stronger in the weaponry and the might of that age. However, the Israelites, as the nation of the Lord God Almighty, were not alone in this task. 
	Josh 1:6-9, Be strong and courageous, for you shall give this people possession of the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. Only be strong and very courageous; be careful to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may have success wherever you go. This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." 
	The response of this generation of Israelites was encapsulated in the manner in which they assured Joshua and the Lord that they would follow Jehovah and Joshua wherever and however God directed. This is recorded in verses 17+18 of this first chapter of the Book of Joshua. They would be strong and courageous and do all that was required of them to inhabit the land of God’s promise to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. They were so committed to following the Lord and Joshua that they declared the utmost penalty to any who would disobey. They also asked Joshua to be strong and courageous as he would lead them forth, echoing the words of the Lord and Moses.
	Josh 1:17+18, Just as we obeyed Moses in all things, so we will obey you; only may the Lord your God be with you, as He was with Moses. Anyone who rebels against your command and does not obey your words in all that you command him, shall be put to death; only be strong and courageous." 
	They had learned what Jehovah had taught them in the wilderness. They knew Who went before them and the manner in which they were to trust and obey the Lord in all that He declared unto them. 
We find this expressed later in the conquest of the land as the various tribes began to move into the territories that they had been given. One such example is when the tribe of Dan was on the threshold of inhabiting their allotment. They had sent out spies to see what was before them and the report of those spies was an encouragement to follow through with the instructions of God as detailed in Judg 18:9+10.
	Judg 18:9+10, And they said, "Arise, and let us go up against them; for we have seen the land, and behold, it is very good. And will you sit still? Do not delay to go, to enter, to possess the land. When you enter, you shall come to a secure people with a spacious land; for God has given it into your hand, a place where there is no lack of anything that is on the earth." 
	They were encouraged, as are we, over and over and over again to trust the Lord as He directs us to move and to do all that is His plan and purpose for us on this earth. We are to be strong and courageous, not in ourselves in any measure, but in the power and the wisdom and the strength and the victory of God. If we ever try to do something on our own, we will not succeed. We may have some earthly achievement for a time, but nothing of eternal value will come into being unless it is God Who does it! 
Accordingly, we need to be taught and admonished and instructed and encouraged to obey the Lord to the very infinitesimal degree. Let it be nothing of us, but all of Him, always in line with His will and His plan and His purpose unto His glory. 
That is the heart that is courageous and strong in the Lord. That is the walk which manifests God’s glory above all else, and willingly sets forth against any and all forces that would strive to knock us off our foundation of service. It is complete and absolute fealty to God and God, Alone!
One of the men of Israel who early on in the kingdom of Israel manifested this heart of trust and obedience and absolute reliance upon God was Jonathan, the son of King Saul. He counted on God to direct and to bring forth His victorious stand against the forces of those arrayed against the people of God.  
We find the heart of this trust in Jehovah by Jonathan detailed for us in 1 Sam 14:6. In the fight for survival against the Philistines, Jonathan faced overwhelming odds. Yet, he put his trust in the Lord, not out of a foolish craving for honor and for respect among the people, but because these were the enemies who were threatening the nation and the witness of God. Jonathan was not foolishly advancing against the large force of the enemy on his own merit and strength. He was only willing to go into this battle if that was the direction of the Lord. And, if Yahweh did so direct, Jonathan and his armor bearer would bring that battle against the wickedness of the age through the power and might of God, and God Alone.
	1 Sam 14:6, Then Jonathan said to the young man who was carrying his armor, "Come and let us cross over to the garrison of these uncircumcised; perhaps the Lord will work for us, for the Lord is not restrained to save by many or by few." 
	Jonathan knew that God was not limited by numbers. There might be hoards of the enemy arrayed against but two of the people of God, but if that was the battle that God directed, then He would be the One Who would grant the victory, no matter what the odds. As the enemies were taunting the two men, as recounted in 1 Sam 14:12, Jonathan could confidently tell his helper that it was the Lord Who had already gained the triumph. 
1 Sam 14:12, So the men of the garrison hailed Jonathan and his armor bearer and said, "Come up to us and we will tell you something." And Jonathan said to his armor bearer, "Come up after me, for the Lord has given them into the hands of Israel." 
	Another young Israelite who knew that the victory was always the Lord’s as God would direct and man would obey, was David. In 1 Sam 17:32, we find that this young shepherd boy was encouraging not only Saul, the king, but the entire army of Israel gathered together against the Philistines. The Philistines had the superior weapons and they had the numerical advantage, and they had the giant, Goliath. David, however, reminded the Israelites that they had Jehovah. It was not the numbers or the technological advancements that would determine the outcome of the battle. It was the Hand of Jehovah that would bring down all the power of heaven against any force that was arrayed against Him and His people. They were not to be afraid of even this giant.
	1 Sam 17:32, And David said to Saul, "Let no man's heart fail on account of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine." In one of the great Biblical encouragements to trust in the Lord against any force of darkness, David, a young shepherd boy, maybe 12 years old at most, was chosen to fight the great warrior of the Philistines. 
Goliath was a battle veteran, having killed unknown numbers of men. He was scarred with the marks of battle after battle, skilled in the manner of taking men’s lives. He was confident in his battle prowess and ability to deal out death to any and all who opposed him.
	Yet David went forth into this situation with the full confidence in God to prevail. As the shepherd fully recounted to King Saul in 1 Sam 17:37, Jehovah had protected David from predators greater and mightier than a young lad. This was no different. He was going against this giant of a man in the trust in God to bring forth the victory against all odds and any size and terrorizing taunts and ridicule. 
	1 Sam 17:37, And David said, "The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine." And Saul said to David, "Go, and may the Lord be with you." 
	As we well know the outcome of this fight, the Lord prevailed in His faithful protection of David. The heart after God was so in evidence as this young boy showed, through his obedience and trust, that God is the Sovereign in all the manner of His going before those whom He leads into action. 
	As David so proclaimed to Goliath at the onset of that conflict, as recorded in 1 Sam 17:45-48, it was for the testimony of the Lord and for the sake of the knowledge of His glory that God would deliver David from the death that Goliath was so determined to deliver.
	1 Sam 17:45-48, Then David said to the Philistine, "You come to me with a sword, a spear, and 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 taunted. This day the Lord will deliver you up into my hands, and I will strike you down and remove your head from you. And I will give the dead bodies of the army of the Philistines this day to the birds of the sky and 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 does not deliver by sword or by spear; for the battle is the Lord's and He will give you into our hands." 
The Lord is the victory of all who trust and obey as He directs and teaches and guides and encourages by His might and His mercy and His grace. That is why we need to learn to be strong and courageous in our trust of the awesome power of His might and the wisdom of His Omniscience. So be it.
Be strong, and let us show ourselves courageous for the sake of our people and for the cities of our God; and may the Lord do what is good in His sight." Amen.

This morning’s benediction is Rom 1:16. For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. Amen.