The Frightened Little Minister: Afraid of a Flea
(A Message to the Ministers of the Lord Jesus Christ)
(Preached Saturday Evening, June 13, 2020)
“After whom is the king of Israel come out? after whom dost thou pursue? after a dead dog, after a flea.”
(1 Samuel 24:14)
Why would you chase a flea? Why would the king of Israel, the leader of God’s people, the one man perceived by the whole world to be the greatest speaker, the greatest preacher, the greatest pastor of them; why would he leave his holy heavenly-granted duties… to pursue a dead dog… a flea?
Be careful, o’ young person who dares to seek to truly follow your Lord. Be careful:
- Less careful of what such a person would do to you, and
- More careful of when you too shall one day be tempted to become like
Be careful. Beware o’ man, beware o’ woman who would be a man or woman for God. Beware of that which is within you.
As it is written,
“Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.” (1 Corinthians 10:12)
And in another place, our Lord himself said,
“For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies.” (Matthew 15:19)
“Evil thoughts”… towards… a flea. “Murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies”: yes, oh yes, all these can come forth as monsters from the dark of the heart of a leader who was a leader of God but who then became… a fool pursuing a “dead dog”, instead of pursuing the living pleasures and purposes of our glorious God.
“Evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies”: yes, oh yes, in the histories of the past, and in the stories still being written today and tomorrow it is not the peculiar, but instead the common, the higher percentile of the way things turn out to be among those who were supposed to be shepherds lovingly taking care of the flock of God.
Yes, oh yes, when they should be remembered as,
“A good man [who] out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things:” (Matthew 12:35a)
They (will you too?) turn out to be like the many whom our Lord warned us would come:
“An evil man [who] out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.” (Matthew 12:35b)
King Saul was the very first king of Israel, who was anointed by the prophet Samuel and, in an evident manner before all, was filled with the Spirit of God, and yet… He became, quite arguably, the worst and most wicked king of them all.
And who was he chasing? Who was he so wickedly, so hatefully, so murderously hunting down?
Why, it was David! David, the sweet psalmist of God, the writer of the greatest praises ever recorded in The Book, the Bible, the Word of God. David, the “rudy” shepherd boy who through simple faith in God slew a lion, slew a bear, and, with the sling and the stone of a child, slew Goliath, that great fearsome enemy of all God’s people.
It was David! David, who had soothed the mood swings of Saul; who had so often lead Saul’s troops to victory, who had defended Saul’s kingdom, fought diligently for Saul’s personal honor, and who, even when so unjustly and unbiblically hunted, had twice saved Saul’s life while commanding those would have cut down that famous pastor-gone-wrong, “Destroy him not … the Lord’s anointed.” (1 Samuel 26:11)
How interesting it is… that both men had started out their lives as shepherds; although one is remembered for losing his father’s creatures, while the other for defending them. Both men were, in some manner, esteemed lower than others. Saul the Benjamite, was from the smallest tribe of all. David, the youngest son of Jesse, was the smallest brother of them all.
Ah, but the true contrast of these two is, as with all men, not found outside themselves, but rather within. As God had said to Samuel, when looking through those big burly older brothers of David, before being led to pick the littlest one of them all,
“For the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the lord looketh on the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7b)
So then, in the indicated differences between these two men, Why? Why would a king spend his most precious time… seeking a flee?
And wait! Is it not said in God’s Word,
“Now all these things happened unto them for examples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.” (1 Corinthians 10:11)
Ah, then… Let us rephrase the question to apply it today. In fact, young preacher, to whom this message is primarily given, this is what we are asking you to consider today, to understand now, and to never forget.
What makes the established church (the old minister and the old members) fear and actually try to stop a man or woman from rising up to do what Our Lord – in his Great Commission – told them to do? What makes these very religious but very wrong people try to stop those who are so youthfully inclined; try to stop those who are so excited about their Lord and his Word? Why do they so hotly pursue, so minutely seek… after a flea?
Why do those preachers and those church members, as the Bible revealed they would through one of the longest stories in the Bible and one of the clearest depictions of the religious gone pitifully wrong? Why, do these historical and now modern-day followers of wicked jealous demonized King Saul fight so hard to hold back those who are so newly set to actually do what they were commanded… commanded to do? Yes, to actually really “go … teach all nations, [and to then baptize] them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: [and, finally, to then teach] them to observe all things whatsoever [Jesus has] commanded [them. Yes, and to committedly do this for the rest of their lives, while assured by and always hearing the voice of the Lord himself who then promised them that he would then be with them] always, even unto the end of the world.” (Matthew 28:19-20)
Why?
I. Because God’s Spirit is with the flea!
“And Saul was afraid of David, because the Lord was with him, and was departed from Saul.” (1 Samuel 18:12)
“Why will the followers of wicked falsely and misguidedly-religious King Saul fear and try to stop you, o’ you who are so excited and so committedly resolved to rise up and finally do what Our Lord – in his Great Commission – told you to do?
II. Because God’s wisdom [yes, God’s word] is with the flea!
“Wherefore when Saul saw that he behaved himself very wisely, he was afraid of him.” (1 Samuel 18:15)
III. Because God’s love is with the flea!
“And Saul saw and knew that the Lord was with David, and that Michal Saul’s daughter loved him. And Saul was yet the more afraid of David; and Saul became David’s enemy continually.” (1 Samuel 18:28-29)
CONCLUSION: Their cure is your cure.
- Replace the fear of the people and fear of their voice – with surrendered reverence of God and of his Holy Word.
“And Saul said unto Samuel, I have sinned: for I have transgressed the commandment of the Lord, and thy words: because I feared the people, and obeyed their voice.” (1 Samuel 15:24)
O’ thou wrongly-religious followers of King Saul.
- You worry about what other preachers will say.
- You worry about what other church members will say.
- You worry about what people outside of the church will say.
O’ thou rightly surrendered followers of our Lord, the blessed “Son of David.”
- Reverently committedly continue to follow the Spirit of God!
- Reverently committedly continue to hearken to the Word of God!
- Reverently committedly continue to be immersed in and to shed abroad, far and wide, to everyone and to everywhere “the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Yes, oh yes, young ministerial student, soon to be released upon the world; we leave you with these words so fittingly phrased, in Romans 8:35-39, upon the pages of that Bible in your hand:
“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, ‘For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.’ Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:35-39)
OUTLINE:
The Frightened Little Minister: Afraid of a Flea
“After whom is the king of Israel come out? after whom dost thou pursue? after a dead dog, after a flea.” (1 Samuel 24:14)
- Because God’s Spirit was with the flea.
- Because God’s wisdom was with the flea.
- Because God’s love was with the flea.
“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?” (Romans 8:35)
WORSHIP: