Where Is He?

Where is he?

1 Samuel 17:1-49

Where’s Waldo puzzles are quite the endeavor. You spend time looking for someone who is hidden in plain sight, barely distinguishable from his surroundings. Once you find him, it is rather anticlimactic. You circle him and move on.

Most of the world is not looking for Waldo, someone just blending in. They are looking for the ” îš-habbēnayim” (אִֽישׁ־ הַבֵּנַ֙יִם֙), the champion. That is the word used in 1 Samuel 17:4 and again in 17:23.  While the English rendering is champion, the literal meaning is “the man between two”. It is said that in Ancient Near East warfare two armies would sometimes send their representative warriors to fight each other so that there would not be needless bloodshed.

The Philistines had their champion in Goliath. Israel had . . . no one, at least not until David showed up and chose to the the “man between two”

Goliath, the Philistines’ champion, stood in full battle array. A giant of a man and a seasoned warrior, he taunted Israel. In contrast, there was David. He was a shepherd boy, likely in his teen years. He had no armor, no battle weapon, and no experience in war.

But David had a lot of reverence for God and faith to match. He also had the heart to stand up to the Philistines and defend Israel. Israel won the battle. It wasn’t because of their superior battle gear, better trained army, or brute force. They won because someone was willing to be their champion and stand up for God’s people.

We may not be standing on one mountain while an opposing army stands on the other hurling insults at us. But we do live in a world where is both darkness and light and these two are still at battle. Less than two weeks ago a Pakistani Christian was arrested on blasphemy charges. He is man who serves God and serves others in his capacity as a doctor. He is also a man with a family.  The blasphemy charges aren’t publicly know. But after his arrest things went from bad to worse. He lives in a world where it is said that a mob is more powerful than the police. In this case, a mob calmly, cold heartedly, set fire to Dr Kamran Masih’s home and clinic.

On the one side there is the Goliath like force of the mob who stands for hatred and calculated violence. On the other side there are those who follow God. Where is the champion willing to do battle on behalf of God’s people?  Well, it’s wherever you happen to be. You are the champion. You are the on who is “the man between two”. Through The Tide ministry you are equipping believers and sharing the Gospel with the lost. You make it possible for The Tide ministry to participate in Leader To Leader trips, bless children in orphanages, support theological education and continue broadcast ministries.

Like David, you recognize the need for all the earth to

“…know that there is a God… that the LORD does not deliver by sword or by spear; for the battle is the LORD’S”

In the coming weeks, as you learn more about The Tide Forward, we want to encourage you to be steadfast in your commitment to being the person in between, especially as we prayerfully and thoughtfully consider new areas where God is leading us.

Many people groups still have limited access to the Gospel. Many areas still see the powers of darkness rise up and taunt God’s people either through violence, intimidation, or ostracism. The Tide ministry remains committed to leading as many people as possible into a life-transforming relationship with Jesus Christ through heart language programming, discipleship and church planting, media players, and projects that meet practical needs.

To hear more about this next generation, what we call The Tide Forward vision, join us for our livestream on Saturday, October 24. You can get the link by clicking here.

We would be remiss not to mention that there is a Champion of Champions. There is one who stood between the powers of sin, death, and Hell and mankind. He is Jesus. He did not fight with weapons of war but with the sacrifice of His own life. He conquered death and Hell so that the blood of bulls and goats would no longer be shed. He desires that everyone place their trust in Him and give their lives to Him. If you do not have a relationship with Him, we encourage you to change that. Reach out to a trusted friend, a pastor, or The Tide ministry and let someone introduce you to Him.