 A daily, Bible-based perspective of hope, encouragement and exhortation. <Previous Messages · Archives ·  Archive/print editionWednesday, September 16, 2009  Display of trophy mounts at Bass Pro Shop in Springfield, Missouri  Listen to us share this message on your audio player"Trophies Of Victory" "The priest replied, 'The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you killed in the Valley of Elah, is here; it is wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod. If you want it, take it; there is no sword here but that one.' David said, 'There is none like it; give it to me'" (1 Samuel 21:9). Whenever I'm near a Bass Pro Shops or Cabela's I like to stop and look around. (For those who may not be aware Bass Pro Shops and Cabela's are large sporting good stores that especially focus on hunting and fishing). Although I am not a hunter and only a nominal fisherman I nevertheless enjoy walking around these mega sports stores. This summer we went through the flagship Bass Pro Shop in Springfield, Missouri which, according to state statistics, is the single most attended tourist attraction in Missouri!  I enjoy looking at the large game trophies such as the photo above taken at the Springfield Bass Pro Shop. They collect these trophies from scores hunters for a very impressive display. Of course individual hunters and fishermen also like to display their trophies. Yesterday I visited with Darryl, a friend who had this beautiful mount of a Red Fox, which he had taken right on his own farm. This coming Sunday I'm speaking on David and Goliath and most who are even nominally Biblically literate know the story. * Our daily text records an interesting event that happened sometime after the famous battle. Following the battle David became a hero, more popular in the eyes of the people than King Saul, which caused Saul to go into an uncontrollable jealous rage. Most of the latter chapters of 1 Samuel record David fleeing from Saul's sword as he invariably pursued him day after day. It was a very despairing time and this led David to record his physical, emotional and spiritual battles which are revealed in several of the Psalms. We often find ourselves turning to these very Psalms when we too are dealing with battles of one sort or another. In today's Bible portion David is in need of a sword and Ahimelech the priest had for some reason been keeping Goliath's massive sword wrapped in a cloth. That must have been quite a trophy! Scripture records that Goliath's "spear shaft was like a weaver's rod, and its iron point weighed six hundred shekels" (1 Samuel 17:7). That's about 15 pounds! You can imagine if the iron point of Goliath's spear shaft weighed 15 pounds just how enormous his entire sword must have been! I'm intrigued by David's statement, "There is none like it; give it to me." I wonder what practical purpose David had in mind for this massive sword? Well it's certainly possible he had some functional use for it or perhaps he intended to recycle the materials. But in pondering this point I believe David's interest is not a practical use, but as a trophy, a powerful reminder of God's help during a past major conflict. Humanly speaking young David was no match for the mighty Goliath. He knew that. But he relied on God for the victory. His great battle cry was, "You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied" (1 Samuel 17:45). Abraham and his descendants frequently built altars when God brought about a supernatural phenomenon in their midst. It was a physical, visible way of giving thanks to God and acknowledging that apart from His intervention defeat was imminent. Each time people passed by the altar their forefathers erected, their faith was fortified as they recalled the miraculous work God had performed for His people. I wonder if Goliath's sword just may have been similar for David and his descendants; a visible reminder that he could still rely on God for the victory he sought at this difficult time in his life. The sword was a trophy of victory. Self-assurance and self-sufficiency will ultimately lead to certain defeat. But steadfast trust in Almighty God and acknowledgement that apart from Him we are powerless will lead us to ultimate victory. Be encouraged today, Stephen & Brooksyne Weber Daily prayer: Father, You provided David with supernatural courage, strength, and skill to defeat the bully of a giant, Goliath. You divided the waters of the Red Sea and the Jordan River so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the LORD is powerful and so that we might always be in reverential fear of Your sovereign supremacy. Nothing in ourselves will defeat the enemies we face, but "with God all things are possible." See Joshua 4:24, Matthew 19:26 * The entire story of David and Goliath is found in 1 Samuel 17. Brooksyne's Note: We may not have trophies of victory such as Goliath's huge sword, but the trophy of victory that each of us can display is the cross. I have several crosses hung throughout our house to remind us of the price that Jesus paid for our sins and the victory that is ours through faith in Him. It's amazing how an object representing scorn and death can bring about a representation of victory! We had a beautiful late summer day yesterday, which began with an early morning dental appointment for all of us that ended up taking all morning. Due to this and other scheduling issues we were unable to prepare a daily encouragement message yesterday. By the way: For those who regularly read our daily email posts we try to place up an announcement on the Daily Encouragement Net website if we are unable to post a new message. Here are some photos from our small portion of God's magnificent creation we saw yesterday in our travels.  The following pohotos were all taken along a stretch of the Elizabethtown Road in Lancaster County.   We thought this is was a rather cozy looking shed. Note the small front porch with rocking chairs!  and this one sure has an especially large pumpkin!  Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources Click on the link to open and play. (In some cases you may also need to click again to start the song.) "The Battle Belongs To The Lord" Video Jamie Owens-Collins "Praise The Lord" Video Russ Taff, a classic version! I recall how this song, which was popular in the eighties, ministered to me. It has great lyrics. Send a message to Stephen & Brooksyne |
 "We want to encourage you daily in your walk with Christ!" Personal Ministry Update Revised 05/08/09  Each weekday morning Brooksyne and I prepare these messages and distribute them at no cost to you and many others all over the world. Would you please consider a financial offering to support us in this daily encouragement ministry? Donations are tax deductible and will be receipted directly by my chaplaincy endorsing ministry. Thanks! See here for details. (2009 YTD financial offerings through 9/15/09: $8,100.00)SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION  Were you forwarded this edition of Daily Encouragement Net? If you desire you can receive your own free! To receive these "Daily Encouragement" devotionals each Monday-Friday through email see this page to subscribe. This newsletter is never sent unsolicited. It was sent to you because you either signed up to receive it OR a friend forwarded it to you. You can also subscribe to the rss feed. or as an email subscription update through feedburner. You can also subscribe to Daily Encouragement feed updates by email.Cancel: We respect and value your time and privacy. If these messages no longer meet your needs (providing encouragement) you can remove your address by merely use the link automatically inserted by the mailing list software at the very bottom of each email message. (To change addresses cancel your old address and then join again using your new address.) Weekly Version: The weekly version is intended for those who may not check their email regularly. It is merely the Friday message with a link to previous messages. To receive the free weekly version, send a blank email to this address. Please feel free to pass these messages on! "A Daily Prayer" - A blog simply posting the daily prayer. We keep this up each day since it's merely the prayer from the Daily Encouragement Net message! "A Little Foolishness" - Humor/satire blog (a great outlet for non-serious writing but at times with a subtle message!) Last updated with the story of Mildred Swanson, who joyfully discovers her "spiritual gift" is sending forwarded emails! (Note: This material is satire!) "Clear Minded" - Longer, periodic articles on specific issues impacting the faithful believer and church. (Actually this is my intent but I haven't done much with it!) "Hymns of Hope" - Brooksyne along with two friends made a CD using classic hymns. Brooksyne tells the background story of the 11 hymns. All of these songs are also available for download on the site.  Daily Encouragement Net is an affiliate of Christianbook.com. Any orders placed to Christian Book Distributers using this link or any specific product link to a recommended resource in a daily encouragement message will help our Daily Encouragement ministry through a small commission on the sale. Thank you for using these links when purchasing online through CBD!Personal Mission Statement "I am created by God to bring Him glory. Through God's Son Jesus Christ I have been redeemed and I make it my life's goal to please the Lord. My mission in life is to honor God through my faith and obedience and to prepare myself and all whom I may influence for eternity."  How to become a child of God Scripture references are from The Holy Bible: New International Version. © 1984 by International Bible Society; NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, New King James Version (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. and the King James Version. © Copyright 2009 Stephen C. Weber - All Rights Reserved Daily Encouragement Net Stephen & Brooksyne Weber 495 Kraybill Church Road - Mount Joy, PA 17552 Contact us  Endorsed chaplain "Living securely today anchored in God's solid foundation" www.dailyencouragement.net |
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