QT 11/17/2022 1 Sam 13:15b-23, Insurmountable pain

1 Samuel 13:15b–23 (ESV) —

15b And Saul numbered the people who were present with him, about six hundred men. 16 And Saul and Jonathan his son and the people who were present with them stayed in Geba of Benjamin, but the Philistines encamped in Michmash. 17 And raiders came out of the camp of the Philistines in three companies. One company turned toward Ophrah, to the land of Shual; 18 another company turned toward Beth-horon; and another company turned toward the border that looks down on the Valley of Zeboim toward the wilderness.

19 Now there was no blacksmith to be found throughout all the land of Israel, for the Philistines said, “Lest the Hebrews make themselves swords or spears.” 20 But every one of the Israelites went down to the Philistines to sharpen his plowshare, his mattock, his axe, or his sickle, 21 and the charge was two-thirds of a shekel for the plowshares and for the mattocks, and a third of a shekel for sharpening the axes and for setting the goads. 22 So on the day of the battle there was neither sword nor spear found in the hand of any of the people with Saul and Jonathan, but Saul and Jonathan his son had them. 23 And the garrison of the Philistines went out to the pass of Michmash.

 

NOTE: The Israelites were outnumbered greatly by the Philistines. They were surrounded as the three companies essentially cut them off from reinforcement. They had no weapons, since blacksmiths were denied them. So, they were technologically inferior to their enemy. They were economically at a disadvantage as well -- the Philistines charge them an exorbitant price just to maintain their agricultural tools. And their King really had no trust or faith in God. He did things in his own strength. This was a bad situation, although not as bad as Israel had faced in the past or would face again in the future.

 

We all face these situations in life. It may not be as bad as a situation in the past, nor one we will face in the future, or even something another has gone through, but at the moment it feels overwhelming and incredibly painful. There is an axiom, and I need to figure out how to write it out better, but it is this: Current pain hurts a lot, and almost always seems like an insurmountable mountain independent of the actual degree of pain. Maybe a better axiom: There is no such thing as degree of pain when you are hurting.

 

In tomorrow's passage, we see how God works in a situation where the leader does not know him.

 

PONDER:

1. Do I realize how I respond when pain hits?
2. Do I have any "Ebenezers" to remind me of God's help in times past?
3. How is my faith measured when life hurts a lot?

 

PRAYER: Father, I know I have not always responded well to pain. Even now, my constant neck pain is debilitating. I worry it will get worse. It is my thorn in the flesh for which I need your strength. I don't know what the future holds, but I do want to help people as they deal with insurmountable pain. Give us grace and mercy to live for you.