The Lord’s Fairness Doctrine
Meditation for the week of April 22, 2012
1 Samuel 30:24 For who will heed you in this matter? But as his part is who goes down to the battle, so shall his part be who stays by the supplies; they shall share alike."
Those who are on the front-lines fighting wars need to have a support team to feed, clothe, and shelter them. They need medical help and replenishment of their supplies. Their vehicles need to be maintained. A war simply could not be fought without proper support. Support in the US Military involves many more people than the number of those on the front-lines actually engaging the enemy. When David fought the Amalekites, he had 400 men fighting and 200 providing support. The 200 had become so tired that they could not continue on the front lines, but they were useful. They guarded the supplies. While some of those who actually did battle wanted all the rewards of battle and did not want to share with those who guarded the supplies, David made it a law in Israel that those guarding the stuff would share in the spoils of war equally with those who went to battle. David knew the importance of a having a support team.
David, of course, is a picture of the Lord in the new testament. We who are saved today are all engaged in a battle with the enemy. We preach the Gospel so that the enemy can be defeated and so that prisoners of the world, the flesh, and the devil can be set free. When the Lord wins a battle, he doesn’t take prisoners, he releases them. It is a great battle that we are fighting and it is one with many set backs but with the promise of ultimate complete victory. We who are on the winning side should be encouraged to believe that this battle is the Lord’s and that we can all play a part in winning it.
However, there are some that I know who feel that they are elderly or sick or poor or without any great gift and that they have no real value when it comes to this battle. I for one can vouch for the fact that we who have been on the “front-lines” could never survive without the support of all of those who are “staying by the supplies.”
Some are prayer warriors and yes prayer does make a difference. I remember staying in a home where I did not know my host and hostess. They were making supper out of an ice box because their refrigerator wasn’t working. They didn’t know me and they were nervous about keeping a preacher because they hadn’t done it before. The people who normally hosted preachers in that assembly could not do it that weekend. After the hostess got to know me and found out that I was just one of the regular folks, she told me that she had found my name in a published preacher list. Though she hadn’t met me before, she had been praying for me and my family daily. She not only made me a lovely meal and provided me a comfortable bed, but she was also laboring in prayer for me and my family. Do you think her work was necessary and that she will be rewarded for her part in the battle? I think she will have a greater reward than some of us who think our work is so important. She stayed by the stuff and in doing so gave me encouragement to continue to fight on even though I have to admit that sometimes I grow weary.
I have friends that I really don’t know very well, who have sent me gifts as partners with me in the Lord’s work at times when they could not have known how needy we were. Some have stood by us on a continual basis, and I am sure that they have stood by many others in that same way. The Lord had women who ministered to Him of their substance. I have had people on unemployment and widows who have ministered to me of their substance when I really should have been giving to them. They are people who have “stayed by the stuff.”
The Lord says that even a cup of cold water given to one of the least of His brethren is considered as having been given to Him (Matthew 25:40). For me a cup of cold water is a word of encouragement. Not a word of flattery but a word that is truthful and that refreshes. We all can use a cheer leader or two.
So if you have wondered if you are valuable to the Lord, I assure you that you are. Keep praying and serving and giving what you can. Keep encouraging those who are on the front-lines and believe that you will share equally with the front-line warriors when the spoils of war are divided. You will have your share of any reward in any battles that are won.
Bruce Collins