2 Samuel 23:11-12
STAYING IN THE PEA PATCH
Intro: 2 Sam. 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 others who served as David's
personal bodyguards. These men and their exploits are
described in these verses. Tonight, I want to focus in
on one of these three special men. This man's name is
Shammah. He is described for us 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 this evening.
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 for 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 us a lesson
that we need to learn this evening. It is that lesson that
I want to focus in on as I preach about Staying In The
Pea Patch.
There are three aspects of this story that 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
(Ill. 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 Israel. Notice what the Bible
reveals about this time.)
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.)
(Ill. This is still when the enemy comes! You see,
harvest time is a time of great joy. People are
working hard to get the crops in the barns so they
can rest from their labors and enjoy the fruits of
the harvest. Their attention is so focused on what
they are doing that they are not prepared to go to
battle. When the enemy comes, he catches them
unprepared and easily defeated.)
(Ill. When does the enemy come against us?
Often, he will come in the midst of great blessing
and great victory. Often, he will come when we
are involved in doing wonderful things for the
Lord. He will come when our minds are occupied
with other things.)
(Ill. 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
church of Ephesus, Rev. 2:1-7, they were busy
for the Lord, but they did not even realize that the
enemy had inflicted a mortal wound in their heart.
They were so busy doing good things that they
did not see the enemy when he attacked and
wounded them.)
(Ill. God would have His people be prepared! He
has not left us without warning - 1 Pet. 5:8.
Neither has He left us without an example - Neh.
4:16-18. 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 Israel for only two reasons: 1.) To inflict
casualties and 2.) To destroy the crops. The
Philistines knew that if they could wound their
enemies and bring them to a place of hunger,
they would be easily defeated and enslaved. So,
those soldiers would march through the fields
trampling down the crops and slaughtering all that
stood in their way.
(Ill. 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.)
(Ill. I want to let you in on a secret this evening.
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!
(Ill. Sounds just like 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! I want you
to know that this is the reason many churches are
falling apart tonight! 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 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!)
Ill. This is exactly what the Philistines found when they
came to Israel this time. Because it was not only a time
of a great conflict, but also......
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!
(Ill. 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 tonight 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 tonight that
there are some things that we 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!
(Ill. Let me just suggest a few things this evening
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!
(Ill. 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 do, then who will? If we, who claim to love the
things of God, do not 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!
(Ill. 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!)
(Ill. When we face the spiritual battles of life, we
need to remember that those battles are the
Lord's, 2 Chron. 20:15; Psa. 35:1; 1 Sam. 17:47.
Therefore, when you fight the battles, whether
you win or lose, you have done what the Lord
requires, you have been faithful! That is what he
demands!)
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!
(Ill. 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.)
Conc: 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 evening 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 evening?
