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Snapshot

The demand for defence

3d vision refers to a three-dimensional Computer Vision where the picture is made as real and tangible as can be.

David, the fearless captain of the most victorious army ever recorded in Israel’s history, needed to recruit men for his army someday. Unfortunately, he had little resources of time and money to do this. But the formation of an army was hurriedly required, which was not more important than the soldier’s visions for the future. Moreover, he was on the run from king Saul’s manhunt.

Laudably, David had recorded some victories in time past. This included the Goliath’s sling-slay and killing 200 philistines single-handedly in offering for redemption of his bride – princess Michal, the daughter of Saul. Hence, some men of Saul’s army, seeing his potential, held good prospects for recruitment into David’s army by easily decamping. But David made no pass at them lest, like Saul’s armour, coat of mail and bronze helmet, they become a hindrance to him.

Against the experienced army of Saul and their professional training, one would rarely believe the kind of men that made up David’s army.

1 Samuel 22:2 tells us the vision these men had for their future and that of Israel. All that was before their eyes 👀 was distress, debt, and discontentment. What on earth should a desert wanderer, who desperately needed shelter for his life from envious murderous king Saul, have to do with men who had no official military training? What financial support for the acquisition of arms and ammunition will these debtors offer?

Jesus compares to David

Only Jesus would show us, in character, how much a man after God’s own heart David was. Since Jesus was the most man after God’s own heart. And both David and Jesus draw many similarities from themselves with regards to attitudinal disposition. For example, in choosing disciples, the Pharisees were Saul’s contemporaries. Jesus did not select any of their students who were readily well-versed with the Old Testament portion of the Bible, who were normally under the tutelage of these teachers of the law of God. But after His death and resurrection, Jesus, however, chose some of them and saved some of the leading Pharisees themselves, just like the army of Saul would decamp after David had received the kingdom of Israel. We shall do well to observe the vision dimensions of these men one after the other consisting in distress, debt and discontentment (3D).

Dimension 1: Distress 😞

Distress has no synonym that attenuates its character. It is sorrow in every form and direction. That notwithstanding, distressed men constituted David’s army. What guts had David! They were in misery. Sorrow because they could not realize their potentials. They were sorrowful because there were no prospects for the youths in the land. The sin of the leader had pervaded the Israel and had drowned out bright future likelihoods. Nevertheless, they were anxious about the future because the hope for today had effaced! Saul had fulfilled the prophecy Samuel spelt about him. We read:

Why the distress?

King Saul had put the finest young men to his work. Mind the word “his work,” not to the work of Jehovah. We know all the deeds of Saul were evil before God, and most of it was because of pride and incomplete obedience. What was the hope of these men if David never comes to their rescue? Undoubtedly, it would have been an honour to be listed in the Israeli army. And obviously, only the finest breed of men made it. Take, for instance, Jesse was a man well-honoured by God. He must have trained his children as one to whom Eli’s rejection must have served as a warning. Since God honours only those who honour Him. Alas, 3 of his children were in Saul’s army (1 Samuel 17:13-28). But they did not make God’s choice as Israel’s king with such a refusal expressed by the word “reject (see 1 Samuel 16:7, NLT).”

Now, “Rejection” comes into play only when there has been a prior consideration. Therefore, for God to have said about 3 men listed in Saul’s army, “I have rejected him or not chosen (1 Samuel 16:7-9, NLT).” This connotes that God had been observing them as Jesse had done his part to dutifully raise them in fear of God. Pitifully, joining Saul’s army had turned their heart against God. In fulfilment to Samuel’s prophecies about Saul, their hearts which loved the Lord and burned with zeal for the God of Israel, had been stuffed with wrong expectations. They now longed for the beautiful women, best of vineyards, olive yards and fields Saul had as a reward for gallantry, not the glory of God. This was demonstrated by Saul’s promise of his daughter’s hand in marriage as well as tax exemption to anyone for Goliath’s conquest (see 1 Samuel 17:25).

Therefore, since the goal of battling was for materiality and not for the defence of God’s sovereignty over Israel, an infidel could curse the name of the Lord in the person of Goliath. No zeal burned right enough to spur confidence in any of Saul’s men to confront Goliath. It was a norm to be sinful in Saul’s army, and the soldiers were only maturing into their leader’s traits. They could never have been better than their master – Saul. Not in purity nor in holiness, nor in the sanctity of discernment. Invariably, since the Lord’s face is too holy to behold iniquity, his face was turned away from the army. And His favour with it. So dread before defeat, cowardice afore conquest was the order of Saul’s army.

Nevertheless, a few men who knew there was no future with this persistently dwindling trend were, like Gideon, distressed. They had no great solution but kept their discernment intact until the opportunity arrived when they could commit themselves to become the solutions. With this, David opened his arms wide to them, and they enlisted themselves with this “promising” destitute.

Riddle

The distressed soul

Are you distressed about the current state of Christianity as much as you are tired of your limitless sinful capacities? Does the future not present itself with any valuable prospects? If yes, then you have a good chance of enrollment in the army. Your supposed inhibition qualifies you for inclusion.

A philosopher will choose a student with bright sight; a scientist will neither choose the blind to be his follower. But here is Jesus gunning for people who are in distress – for, in Him alone, you can find rest. The scientist is yet to discover pills for distress, nor the psychologist a stress-eradicating therapy. But Jesus has it. He created the spirit, soul and body compartments of man and can manage its malfunctioning. With Jesus, the chains of distress will fall off, and your heart will be free: distress is an inhibition to the inward-sight of a man. Come to Jesus; if you wait until you are better, you will never come at all! Not the stressless but the distressed Jesus came to set free!

The distressed Christian

Perhaps, you have also progressed in your Christian life but your “easily besetting sins” have made the race a tough one for you, hence your distress? Have you also considered turning back? If you must turn at all, please turn to Jesus. He alone can take the turns of grief away. Bear in mind that sin, which Jesus came to save us from, is layered in us like onions. We reel it off by following Christ out of each uncovered layer. Your current distress might be arising due to the new layer discovered. If so, you may be making progress since your current stage of struggle is not at the former. The nearer we get to Christ, the more of our sins we tend to discover. It is a blessing! It makes us spiritually needy other than being filled with pride resulting from progress made in running this race set before us. And if destitute of spiritual things, seeing that only Christ can meet such needs, we shall have begged and begged till the whole kingdom of God has been given to us (Matthew 5:3) per our installmental requests for taking off of discovered layers of unchristlikeness. This is the salvation that must be endured till the end.

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