Protecting the Pea Patch
2 Samuel
23:11-12
Introduction: 2 Sam. Chapter 23 tells us about David's
mighty men. These were a group of highly trained soldiers who fought with David
and aided him in his victories. Among these men were three who served as David's
personal bodyguards. Today, I want to focus on one of these three special men.
His name is Shammah. He is described as a man who took a stand against
overwhelming odds and won a great victory by the help of the Lord. He is a man
from whom we could learn much.
The Bible tells us that the Philistines
attacked the people of God. When they came, all the people ran away. All, that
is, except one man named Shammah! He took his stand in a field of lentils, or
peas and he won a great victory. I would like us to take just a few minutes
this evening to look at this man Shammah and what he did just a little closer.
He teaches a lesson that we need to learn today. It is that lesson that I want
to focus in on as I preach about Protecting The Pea Patch When Others Run Away.
Three aspects of this story help us see that
there is a time to take a stand. There is a time to fight, even when others are
running away.
I. V. 11 IT WAS A TIME OF GREAT CONFLICT
The Bible is clear when it tells us that the
Philistines were attacking the people of God. It was a time of great conflict
for the children of
A. When The Enemy Came - These verses tell
us that when the Philistines came, the people in the fields fled away. This
lets us know that the enemy most likely came during the time of the harvest. It
was the time when most of the people were occupied in the business of getting
the crops in. They would be busy working and they would not be prepared for
war.
What a lesson for the church! How many times
do we find ourselves engaged in the busy work of our lives and in the busy work
of the church when we come under attack from the enemy? I think that too often,
we are like the
God would have His people be prepared! He
has not left us without warning - 1 Pet. 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring
lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Neither has He left us
without an example - Neh. 4:16-18 And it came to pass from that
time forth, that the
half of my servants wrought in the work, and the other half of them held both
the spears, the shields, and the bows, and the habergeons; and the rulers were behind all the house
of Judah. Neh 4:17 They which builded on the wall, and they that
bare burdens, with those that laded, every one with one of his hands wrought in the work, and with
the other hand held
a weapon. Neh 4:18 For the builders, every one had his sword
girded by his side, and so
builded. And he that sounded the trumpet was by me. Let us learn to watch while we work lest the enemy find an inroad
against us, even while we do that which is good.
B. Why The Enemy Came - The enemy came
against
The same is true concerning our enemy the
devil. He comes for those same two reasons: to inflict casualties and to
destroy the crop. He attacks us so that he might weaken us so that we will be
easier to enslave to his will.
I want to let you in on a secret today. The
devil and the world do not mind us having a church down here at all. They don't
mind us singing. They don't mind us preaching. They don't mind anything we do!
However, when we decide that we are going to get serious about serving God,
then trouble will come. The devil will attack us when we pray in a fervent
spirit. He will attack us when we reach out and begin to witness for the glory
of God. He will attack us when we start to praise the name of the Lord in this
place. He will attack us when we decide that we are not satisfied to be like
all the other churches around us. When we decide that we are going to take a
stand for the Lord, look out! Trouble is on the way! As long as we are doing
nothing, we are no threat to the devil at all! But, just let a few people down
at the house of God get excited about Jesus and look out, the enemy will invade
our pea patch and try to stomp down our crop!
C. What The Enemy Found - This verse tells
us that when the enemy came, all the people fled from before them. What the enemy
found was no opposition! They would march into the fields and the people would
flee in terror!
Sounds just like some of the church doesn't
it? Things will be going along just fine and the devil will stir up trouble.
He'll use someone in the church to start a ruckus. When this happens, 99% of
the people in the church flee from the scene of the battle. No one wants to
take a stand. After all, we don't want to hurt anyone's feelings! We need to
realize that this is the reason many churches are falling apart! No one has had
the courage to stand up against the attack of the enemy, look them in the eye
and say, "By the grace of God, you will not destroy this pea patch!"
My friends, we are engaged in the greatest struggle that the world has ever
known! God is working to reach the world for His Name's sake and the devil is
fighting Him every step of the way. All the while, God has placed His church in
the world to be a light for God's glory. And, many times, we won't even take a
stand to protect that which the Lord has given us. God give us some who will
take a stand!
I. It Was A Time Of Great Conflict
II. V. 12a IT WAS A TIME OF GREAT COURAGE
A. Shammah's Resolve - The Bible tells us
that Shammah "stood". He resolved in his heart that he would fight
for that pea patch. He made up his mind that he would not run away from the
battle. Maybe he had run before, but not this time! Today, he would stand and
he would fight, even if it cost him his life! You see, Shammah knew that there
are some things worth fighting for!
So it is in the church! We could just stand
back and watch the church go the way of the world. We could just run away and
hide while the enemy tramples everything we love under his feet. Or, we could
decide today that we will take a stand! We could make up our minds that we are
tired of seeing the devil hinder the work of God. We could resolve in our
hearts today that there are some things that are worth fighting for!
B. Shammah's Reason - Why did Shammah fight?
He knew that without food, the people would perish. He knew the people had to
eat and that if they were going to eat, the fields had to be defended! I'll say
it again; Shammah knew that some things were worth fighting for!
Let me just suggest a few things this
morning that are worth fighting for in this day and time. The church, the lost,
the Word of God, old-fashioned praying, preaching and praising the Lord, clean
living, the reputation of the church, our families, our young people, etc.
These things are so important that they are literally worth dying for! Where
are the Shammah's that will stand up and fight for things of God!
C. Shammah's Reward - The Bible tells us
that Shammah slew the enemies of the people of God! Because he fought, he
enjoyed a great victory! If he had run away like all the others, he would have
been a coward and he would have been defeated. The enemy would have prevailed!
Friends, we must take a stand for the things
of the Lord! We must take our stand for that which is right and for that which
is important. If we don’t, then who will? If we, who claim to love the things
of God, don’t take our stand and fight for what we believe in, then when these
things are lost, we must not complain. When the enemy has secured the victory
and the cause of Christ has been hindered, then we who refused to fight the
"good fight of faith" have no one to blame but ourselves! If we want
the reward of victory, then we must arm ourselves, stand our ground and fight
for the glory of God.
I. It Was A Time Of Great Conflict
II. It Was A Time Of Great Courage
III. V. 12b IT WAS A TIME OF GREAT CONQUEST
A. The Lord Defeated The Enemy - This last
part of verse 12 tells us that the One who really won the victory was God! He
gave Shammah the ability to stand. He gave Shammah the power to fight. He gave
Shammah the skill to win. He gave Shammah the victory over his enemies. Shammah
may have held the sword, but it was God Who fought the battle!
It was the same when David walked into the
valley against Goliath, or when Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego stood their ground,
or when Daniel continued to pray in spite of what the kind commanded. Men take
their stand because they are empowered by God! He gives the victory!
B. The Lord Defended The Ground - Because
God had one man who was willing to stand, the fields were protected and the
people were saved from starvation and from slavery!
Think about this with me for a moment. If we
do not stand, Satan will certainly take everything from the church he can get
his hands on. If he takes away the Bible, what will the following generations
eat? If he takes away our desire to witness, who will tell the Good News? If he
takes away our will to pray, who will call on the Father and stand in the gap
for this world. If we do not fight, then we will certainly lose those things
that give us power and make us great for the glory of God. If we do not fight
today, then people starve tomorrow. If the field is not protected now, those
who follow will have no harvest to enjoy.
Conclusion: The enemy is still attacking the people of
God just as he did through the Philistines. And, just like, it was then, so
people are still fleeing from the scene of the battle. People are abandoning
the harvest and are choosing to flee rather than fight. Where do stand tonight?
Are you willing to stand idly by while the enemy ransacks the church? Or, like
Shammah, are you willing to take your stand for God, regardless of the
consequences and fight until the victory is won. Will you stay in the pea patch
while other are running away? Why not come before the Lord this morning and
tell Him that you know some things are worth dying for. Tell Him that you will
take your stand for Him and that you will be found in the battle, regardless of
what others do. Will you stay in the pea patch this morning?