02. Warriors Join David, Heavenly Reward, Extremist Groups in Scripture

We are the specifically selected men defecting from the enemy, to join the ranks of Heaven’s Armies

1 Chronicles 12 – The Warriors join David”

“12 These were the men who came to David at Ziklag, while he was banished from the presence of Saul son of Kish (they were among the warriors who helped him in battle; 2 they were armed with bows and were able to shoot arrows or to sling stones right-handed or left-handed; they were relatives of Saul from the tribe of Benjamin): 3 Ahiezer their chief and Joash the sons of Shemaah the Gibeathite; Jeziel and Pelet the sons of Azmaveth; Berakah, Jehu the Anathothite, 4 and Ishmaiah the Gibeonite, a mighty warrior among the Thirty, who was a leader of the Thirty; Jeremiah, Jahaziel, Johanan, Jozabad the Gederathite,[a] 5 Eluzai, Jerimoth, Bealiah, Shemariah and Shephatiah the Haruphite; 6 Elkanah, Ishiah, Azarel, Joezer and Jashobeam the Korahites; 7 and Joelah and Zebadiah the sons of Jeroham from Gedor. 8 Some Gadites defected to David at his stronghold in the wilderness. They were brave warriors, ready for battle and able to handle the shield and spear. Their faces were the faces of lions, and they were as swift as gazelles in the mountains. 9 Ezer was the chief, Obadiah the second in command, Eliab the third, 10 Mishmannah the fourth, Jeremiah the fifth, 11 Attai the sixth, Eliel the seventh, 12 Johanan the eighth, Elzabad the ninth, 13 Jeremiah the tenth and Makbannai the eleventh. 14 These Gadites were army commanders; the least was a match for a hundred, and the greatest for a thousand. 15 It was they who crossed the Jordan in the first month when it was overflowing all its banks, and they put to flight everyone living in the valleys, to the east and to the west. 16 Other Benjamites and some men from Judah also came to David in his stronghold. 17 David went out to meet them and said to them, “If you have come to me in peace to help me, I am ready for you to join me. But if you have come to betray me to my enemies when my hands are free from violence, may the God of our ancestors see it and judge you.” 18 Then the Spirit came on Amasai, chief of the Thirty, and he said: “We are yours, David! We are with you, son of Jesse! Success, success to you, and success to those who help you, for your God will help you.” So, David received them and made them leaders of his raiding bands. 19 Some of the tribe of Manasseh defected to David when he went with the Philistines to fight against Saul. (He and his men did not help the Philistines because, after consultation, their rulers sent him away. They said, “It will cost us our heads if he deserts to his master Saul.”) 20 When David went to Ziklag, these were the men of Manasseh who defected to him: Adnah, Jozabad, Jediael, Michael, Jozabad, Elihu and Zillethai, leaders of units of a thousand in Manasseh. 21 They helped David against raiding bands, for all of them were brave warriors, and they were commanders in his army. 22 Day after day men came to help David, until he had a great army, like the army of God.”

God’s Preparation in Our Lives

Romans 5:2-4:

2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope.

We will study key individuals in the Bible and how God’s preparation in their lives provided them with the necessary knowledge to be activated at their appointed time for God’s Kingdom.

How if we step out of our calling for God and try to go at things on our own, we often fall or lose our anointing in the spirit, as we will discuss in depth in a future session when we talk about Saul and Samuel; as well as, David and bringing the Ark of The Covenant into Jerusalem.

We accept that we are stewards of this ministry and carrying out God’s calling in our lives

Jeremiah 10:23: I know, LORD, that our lives are not our own. We are not able to plan our own course.

An understanding that this ministry is not our, God has bestowed it on us as stewards, and if we deviate from His guidance then all of this can be taken away from us and given to someone else at any moment.

Indirect Connection

1. Men learn by doing. We rarely connect directly. We tend to size each other up in action and in work. 2. Men determine things while we are in motion. It’s one of God’s gift to us, men

This Sounds Like Right-wing Extremism - Two Extreme Groups of The Bible:

1. The Zealot During Jesus’ Time - Zealots, were members of a Jewish sect noted in the 1st Century, known for their uncompromising opposition to pagan Rome and the polytheism it professed. The Zealots were an aggressive political party whose concern for the national and religious life of the Jewish people led them to despise even Jews who sought peace and conciliation with the Roman authorities. A census of Galilee ordered by Rome in AD 6 spurred the Zealots to rally the populace to noncompliance on the grounds that agreement was an implicit acknowledgment by Jews of the right of pagans to rule their nation.

2. The Sicarii - Extremists among the Zealots turned to terrorism and assassination and became known as Sicarii. (Greek sikarioi, “dagger men”). They frequented public places with hidden daggers to strike down persons friendly to Rome. In the first revolt against Rome (AD 66–70) the Zealots played a leading role, and at Masada in 73 they committed suicide rather than surrender the fortress, but they were still a force to be reckoned with in the first part of the following century. A few scholars see a possible relationship between the Zealots and the Jewish religious community mentioned in the Dead Sea Scrolls.

All Right-wing extremist groups and para-militia groups you read about all end up adopting one philosophy; that not enough is being done, so they take matters into their own hands. When they do this they say, “We know better than God.” “we are above the rule of law and above God’s word and scripture.”

Joshua 24:12: “And I sent the hornet before you, which drove them out before you, the two kings of the Amorites; it was not by your sword or by your bow.”

Romans 12:19: “19 Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saithe the Lord.”

Striving in whatever we do, whatever we say, and however we act, must comply with God’s word and should be tested by God’s word. God’s word becomes a filter by which by which we teach, and we hold God’s word in the highest place and priority. If you ever hear something or feel like what we are doing goes against scripture, we urge you to bring it to our attention so that we can discuss it together and so that we can all grow and become better.

How can we make sure that we are teaching sound theology that is solely based on scripture and God’s word? How would you know?

The problem with the church today is discerning whether or not the Holt Spirit is present or not. Because even if the Holy Spirit started with the church, only the church would know if the Holy Spirit has gone away but the people would have no idea because the church is still carrying on its good works. Paraphrased from RT Kendall’s Book, Holy Fire.

The same can be said of us and our ministry. We hold true to the fact that works alone do not get you into heaven. You can’t buy your way in and you cannot work your way in. The irony of the concentration camps during WWII is most terribly depicted by the sign at Auschwitz that said, “Arbeit macht frei” – “Work Will Set You Free” in German.

We do believe that works we do here does store of gifts for us in heaven and we want to be rewarded for what we do here in the name of God’s Kingdom. That is scripturally based.