With All Your Strength (David) By Nate Williamson

So I grew up in the 1980s and 1990s and the big movies of the time had

muscle bound heroes like Arnold Schwartzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, Jean Claude

Van Damme, Chuck Norris… you get the point. And most action movies were the

same. Somebody killed their family, their girlfriend, blew up their house, kidnapped

their daughter or insulted them and so they had to make them pay. No forgiveness

just payback. And usually there were these tough guy taglines as they are blowing

stuff up. “I’ll be back. I’m your worst nightmare. Etc.” So I grew up thinking that real

strength was these muscle bound guys saying “Don’t do drugs” who were in all

reality taking steroids.

But the Bible and my Christian education conflicted with this viewpoint. I

remember having a friend in school who really struggled with Jesus because he

seemed so weak to him. How could Jesus be so tough when he let people mock

him, spit on him, beat him and then allow them to kill him on the cross?

Rambo would never let that happen!

We are studying Mark 12:29-31.

29  Jesus replied, “The most important commandment is this: ‘Listen, O Israel!

The Lord our God is the one and only Lord.  30  And you must love the Lord your God

with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ [g]   31  The second

is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ [h]  No other commandment is

greater than these.”

And today we are studying loving the Lord your God with all your strength.

But what does that strength look like? Does it look like Rambo blowing up a

Vietnamese concentration camp as he is rescuing POWs or does it look more like

Jesus laying down his life for all of humanity?

Well, sometimes loving the Lord your God with all your strength is to stand

up for him when no one else will. Sometimes God calls us to take political action like

being a voice for the unborn, oppressed, addicted or marginalized. We are going to

look at David this morning. One of his best known moments is when he had an

action hero moment. He faced the nine-foot tall warrior goliath in battle and

defeated him, cutting off his head. It was his love for the Lord that compelled him to

be the one to silence the pagan invader who was standing defiant against God and

his people.

But I don’t believe that is the greatest example in David’s life of loving the

Lord with all of his strength. It is much easier to fight sometimes than it is not to

fight. Let me give you an example. After David had defeated Goliath, life was good.

He became a prince after marrying the princess. He lived in the palace with Saul and

his family. He became a great warrior for Israel and the people really liked him. But

King Saul got jealous and in his jealousy, he tried to kill David more than once. So

David had to flee for his life. David never spoke bad about Saul or tried to rebel

against him. David simply loved the Lord and gave his all to what God called him to

and that made Saul jealous and afraid of him (he thought the people would choose

David king over him).

And so David had leave his wife, his home and the palace. He had to live in

the desert and hide out in caves. His family had to flee for their lives too as Saul was

coming after them to get to David so they joined him in the caves. Anyone who

helped David was in danger of being killed (Saul even killed priests that had helped

David). On top of that, every person who was in trouble with the law or rejected by

society found a friend in David and so joined him. So not only is David living a rough

life constantly on the run and living in discomfort because of his love for God, but he

also still had the pressure of providing for and protecting other people.

Meanwhile Saul spends all of his time trying to find David and kill him. This

took months. Which leads us to this moment in 1 Samuel 24. Saul is chasing David

with 3,000 men and while he is in the wilderness trying to find him, Saul’s tummy

starts to rumble and so he has to find a place to relieve himself. So he decides to do

his business in a cave. Unbeknownst to him, David and his men are in the back of the

cave.

And that is where we pick up 1 Samuel 24:4-22

4  “Now’s your opportunity!” David’s men whispered to him. “Today

the Lord is telling you, ‘I will certainly put your enemy into your power, to do with

as you wish.’” So David crept forward and cut off a piece of the hem of Saul’s robe.

5  But then David’s conscience began bothering him because he had cut Saul’s

robe. 6  He said to his men, “The Lord forbid that I should do this to my lord the king. I

shouldn’t attack the Lord’s anointed one, for the Lord himself has chosen him.”  7  So

David restrained his men and did not let them kill Saul.

After Saul had left the cave and gone on his way,  8  David came out and shouted after

him, “My lord the king!” And when Saul looked around, David bowed low before

him.

9  Then he shouted to Saul, “Why do you listen to the people who say I am trying to

harm you?  10  This very day you can see with your own eyes it isn’t true. For

the Lord placed you at my mercy back there in the cave. Some of my men told me to

kill you, but I spared you. For I said, ‘I will never harm the king—he is the Lord’s

anointed one.’ 11  Look, my father, at what I have in my hand. It is a piece of the hem of

your robe! I cut it off, but I didn’t kill you. This proves that I am not trying to harm

you and that I have not sinned against you, even though you have been hunting for

me to kill me.12  “May the Lord judge between us. Perhaps the Lord will punish you for what you are trying to do to me, but I will never harm you.  13  As that old proverb says, ‘From evil people come evil deeds.’ So you can be sure I will never harm you.  14  Who is the king of Israel trying to catch anyway? Should he spend his time chasing one who is

as worthless as a dead dog or a single flea?  15  May the Lord therefore judge which of

us is right and punish the guilty one. He is my advocate, and he will rescue me from

your power!” 16  When David had finished speaking, Saul called back, “Is that really you, my son David?” Then he began to cry.  17  And he said to David, “You are a better man than I am, for you have repaid me good for evil.  18  Yes, you have been amazingly kind to me today, for when the Lord put me in a place where you could have killed me, you

didn’t do it. 19  Who else would let his enemy get away when he had him in his power?

May the Lord reward you well for the kindness you have shown me today.  20  And now

I realize that you are surely going to be king, and that the kingdom of Israel will

flourish under your rule. 21  Now swear to me by the Lord that when that happens you

will not kill my family and destroy my line of descendants!” 22  So David promised this to Saul with an oath. Then Saul went home, but David and his men went back to their stronghold.

David has a choice to flex his muscles and show his own strength. He can kill

Saul and be free to return home and become king like God had promised him. But

we are not called to do things in our own strength, but to love the Lord with all of

our strength.

David came close to killing Saul. He crept close enough to do it. But when he

got close enough, he only cut off a corner of his cloak. Even that much aggression

toward Saul brought such remorse on David because he had done that to God’s

anointed king.

You see David knew that he was going to be king. God had promised it. And a

person of faith trusts God at his promises. But to make it happen in his own strength

was the wrong way. To kill Saul in cold-blooded murder was to become like

Saul. David could see clearly where that road led. As David would take those steps

to gain power, he would always be looking over his shoulder as well. And it wouldn’t

be love that compelled him to kill Saul but fear and the desire for power. That is not

the way to love the Lord with all your strength.

Instead, because David loved God with all of his strength, he showed grace to

Saul. When you love God with all your strength, he enables you to have the

strength to love other people the way he does.

And what is the result of this kind of strength? Conviction on Saul. He sees

clearly in the moment and understands God’s grace and love. There is no bloodshed

or conflict. No one loses their lives and God is glorified.

You see, real strength is one that enables us to love, forgive and show grace

especially when you are wronged. Love is the greatest force in the universe. And

when love flexes its muscles, it doesn’t destroy but builds up. It doesn’t kill, but

brings life. It doesn’t divide but heals.

That is why Jesus says in Matthew 5;38-48

38  “You have heard the law that says the punishment must match the injury: ‘An eye

for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’ [o]   39  But I say, do not resist an evil person! If

someone slaps you on the right cheek, offer the other cheek also.  40  If you are sued in

court and your shirt is taken from you, give your coat, too.  41  If a soldier demands

that you carry his gear for a mile, [p]  carry it two miles.  42  Give to those who ask, and

don’t turn away from those who want to borrow.

43  “You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ [q]  and hate your

enemy. 44  But I say, love your enemies! [r]  Pray for those who persecute you!  45  In that

way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his

sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust

alike.  46  If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even

corrupt tax collectors do that much.  47  If you are kind only to your friends, [s]  how are

you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that.  48  But you are to be perfect,

even as your Father in heaven is perfect. Love God with all your strength. And that strength may look like weakness to the rest of the world, but gives space so love can conquer all. That is true strength and it awesome and transforming. That makes you true hero. Let’s pray.