Second Samuel 22, let's read
our text. Second Samuel 22, 34. You remember
this is David's song or psalm. that he wrote toward
the end of his life, number 34. He maketh my feet like hind's
feet and setteth me upon my high places. He teacheth my hands
to war so that a bow of steel is broken by mine arms. Thou hast also given me the shield
of that salvation and that gentleness have made me great. Let's pray
together. Father, thank you for all your
many, many blessings upon us. Thank you for bringing us together
tonight. Pray that you would meet with us, Lord, and we count
your promise so precious and vital that you might meet together
with us Strengthen each heart, Lord, encourage us. Give us peace and rest and comfort. In you alone, let us not find
anything we need anywhere else. In Christ's precious name, amen. Well, there in those three verses,
we get the title of our message tonight. He maketh, verse 34,
he maketh my feet like hind's feet. Verse 35, he teacheth my
hands to war. And verse 36, thou hast also
given. So we'll speak tonight on the
subject he maketh, teacheth, and giveth. A hind was a small
deer a doe, in this case here. And I haven't been deer hunting
in many, many years. But I hunted so much when I was
young that I know a little bit about deer. And one thing I know about them
is I still love to see one. Don't you? You just never get
tired. When I was a little kid, look,
there's a deer. And now I'm 55 years old. Look, there's a deer
over there. But talking about their feet
is interesting here. Two things about their feet I
believe are important. The first one is where do they
go? Where do their feet take them? I believe that's being
taught here. He makes my feet like Heinz feet. You want to learn that about
deer if you want to find one, if you want to hunt them or even
see them. I just like to take pictures of them even now and
when I can and just enjoy their beauty and how graceful they
are. But if you want to know, if you want to find out about
deer, find out where they go. That's what you're going to have
to know. Every deer hunter knows that a water source is important. You've got to find a lake or
a stream or something. And that's a good idea maybe
to hunt around there because sooner or later you know they're
going to come there. I used to hunt on a creek that
ran through the property that we leased in the hill country
of Texas. Glenn will recognize the name
Fredericksburg, Texas. And we would go there and we
had a deer lease we went to. And I can't tell you how many
deer and other animals I would see come down to that creek and
drink. Is there a spiritual lesson in
that? Well, Psalm 42.1 says this, as the heart panteth after the
water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. That's a deer
too. That's a different word for a
deer, a different kind of deer. It says this in the next verse,
my soul thirsteth for God, for the living God. When shall I
come and appear before God? Hmm. The psalmist longed for
that. Every believer knows if you want
to find another believer, you come to the water. The water of life, that's where
they'll be. They'll be hearing the gospel of the Savior and
refreshing themselves with the truth of redemption by his precious
blood. Because we never, ever get enough. By his grace, we never get enough. The other thing that everybody
knows about deer's feet is how swift they are and nimble. They
can run across rocky ground and never stumble. You never see
them stumble. They can jump incredibly high.
They can disappear in a minute. One minute you're seeing them,
and next thing you know, they're gone. This is the believer. Listen
to this, Proverbs 411, I have taught thee in the way of wisdom,
I have led thee in right paths. When thou goest, thy steps shall
not be straightened, and when thou runnest, thou shalt not
stumble. He maketh my feet like the feet
of a deer. How does a deer run so fast and
still know where to put every foot, every step without making
a mistake, Falling. Listen to Ephesians 5.15. See
then that you walk circumspectly. That means with exact, careful
precision. Think about where you put your
foot down every time you put it down. A deer can do that so
quickly, can't they? They know exactly where to step. Not as fools, but as wise, that's
clear. The next verse, redeeming the
time because the days are evil, wherefore be ye not unwise, but
understanding what the will of the Lord is. If you're gonna
be like that, if your feet are gonna be like Hans' feet and
you're gonna put them down in the right places in the right
way at the right time so that you don't stumble, you don't
fall, you don't hurt yourself, You'll have to know what God's
will is. And I'll tell you this, we could spend all night talking
about God's will, but you want to know what God's will is? God
is going to exalt his son and glorify his son and he's going
to save a people. That's what he's going to do. That's God's will. This is the
will of him that sent me that of all which he's given me, I
should lose nothing but raise him up again at the last day.
That's his glory and that's good for me because I'm one of those.
By his grace. Do you know what the will of
the Lord is? You ever ask yourself that? I'll tell you this. You know how I know what his
will is. Look. At what his gospel accomplishes. And you'll know what his will
is. Because whatever he wants, he
gets. His will is always accomplished. So what does his gospel accomplish?
Well, it exalts his son, doesn't it? It's the gospel of Jesus
Christ and what he did for sinners. The glory of God in redeeming
wretched, vile sinners like us on Calvary by the precious blood
of his son. That's what the gospel, every
time the gospel is preached, Paul said, it's a savor of Christ,
a sweet smelling savor of Christ. In those that are saved and in
those that perish, Christ is exalted. I'll tell you what else the gospel
does you know what the gospel accomplishes the salvation of
God's people We don't have to guess what God's will is do we
just look what he's doing look what he's always done He exalted his son when that
serpent was raised in the wilderness he exalted his son in the Garden
of Eden He's always been in that business He hath in these last
days spoken by his son, but he's always spoken of his son. Everybody
that's ever spoken for God spoke of Christ. It is the power of God unto salvation. Walk knowing that, run knowing
that. You'll know where to put your
feet if you know him. In that context listen I've just
read you Ephesians 5 15. You know how that chapter starts
listen to this be you therefore followers of God as dear children
and walk in love It tells us how to walk. He makes our feet
like hands feet as Christ also hath loved us and hath given
himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God Not an offer,
an offering. He didn't give himself to us
an offer. He gave himself for us an offering. And a sacrifice to God for a
sweet-smelling savor. Walk, walk, according to that
love. him giving himself for us an
offering. So we learn from a deer about
where they go and how they get there. Why does a deer go where it does?
And why is it so sure-footed? You know why, even in the natural
sense, you know why deer are like that? Because God made them
like that. If you're going to be like that,
it's going to happen the same way. God makes you that way. It's
just who he is, isn't it? It's just who a deer is. That's
just a deer. That's how they are. That's how
God's people are, too, because he made us. Created in Christ
Jesus. Created anew. See those words in the text again?
And in the title of the message? He maketh. He maketh. So it is with the believer. We're
not that way by nature. If you don't know Christ, you're
gonna go all the wrong places and you're gonna be stumbling
and falling and crawling all the way to them and in between
them. But he maketh our feet like hinds
feet. God gives us a new nature. Christ
in us is the hope of glory. Is it possible for us to stumble?
Of course it is. But that's because we still have
that old nature too. But as you look to Christ, as
you look to him, as you follow him, as you trust in him, you'll
never stumble. And if you look away and stumble,
he'll catch you. If you're his, you look away
from him and begin to sink beneath the waves, you're still okay. Because it doesn't depend on
you. Your sure-footedness is a wonderful thing, but it doesn't
save you. He does. He makes us pretty sure-footed
as believers. I've seen that about believers.
But that's not our salvation. That's not our hope. He setteth me upon my high places,
David said. Where are these high places?
First thing we need to know about the high places is how did you
get there? He set me there. That's what he said, isn't it?
He set me there. Do we not see this in everything
we look at in the word of God? He's gonna get all the glory,
isn't he? If there was any glory in there for us, I think we might
have found it by now, you reckon? I'm not looking for any, by his
grace. He set you there. But my feet,
Chris, are like Han's feet, you said. Yeah, but even that being
the case, there is a place you're only gonna be if he sets you
there. You're never gonna make it there unless he sets you there
now. He gives us grace and wisdom
to run the race, but it is not our running of the race that
gets us across the finish line. It's just not. You know that,
don't you? We do follow Christ by faith,
but it's not our faith. It's not our following of him
that keeps us from falling. If he don't have hold of your
hand, you're gonna fall. He holds our hand. He is able,
Jude 24. Now unto him that is able to
keep you from falling. You're not able to keep yourself
from falling, but he can keep you from falling and to present
you faultless. Because you see, that's what
falling is in the spiritual sense. It's sin. It's falling into our
sin. It's falling into trusting self.
It's falling into looking away from Christ and looking to self. And to present you faultless
before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy. That's the
high place. He sets me upon my high places.
And that's what that is. Faultless before the presence
of His glory. You're not ever going to get
higher than that. Because there is nothing higher than that.
To stand faultless in the presence of the glory of God in Christ
Jesus. That's high. That's high. Listen
to Ephesians 2, 4, but God who is rich in mercy, for his great
love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath
quickened us together in Christ, by grace are you saved. and hath
raised us up together and made us sit together in heavenly places
in Christ. Do you think that's what David
was talking about? He setteth me upon my high places. Whenever you're setting high
in any sense, he sets you there. It doesn't matter if it's an
earthly throne, if it's as head of a household or a company or
anything. He set you there. But the highest place of all,
He's raised us up and made us sit. Isn't that what David, he
saideth me. He made us sit together in heavenly
places in Christ Jesus. That in the ages to come, he
might show the exceeding riches of his grace and his kindness
toward us through Christ Jesus. It almost sounds like he sat
us down in Christ in order to show us throughout all eternity
what it really means that he put us in Christ. What he did for us is gonna take
all of the ages of eternity to praise him enough for, and it'll
still never be enough. Being in my high places is simply
being in Christ, and he set me there. Where else could it be? Let me
ask you that. If you think about a high place,
where else could it be? John 6, 44, no man can come to
me except the Father which hath sent me draw him and I will raise
him up. We have both in that verse, the
high place and how we got there. Don't we? You think about that. The Father which hath sent me
will draw you to me, and I will raise you up. At the last day, oh my, God took
you from where you were by nature. drew you to his son the Lord
Jesus Christ and also from eternity now think about it this way too
from eternity you've been in Christ as far as God is concerned
you've always been in Christ Jesus you experienced that at
some time of his choosing an appointment but listen to first
Corinthians 126 you see your calling brethren how that not
many wise men after the flesh not many mighty and Not many
noble are called, but God hath chosen the foolish things of
the world to confound the wise. God hath chosen the weak things
of the world to confound the things which are mighty, and
base things of the world and things which are despised hath
God chosen, and things, yea, and things which are not to bring
to naught the things that are that no flesh should glory in
his presence. but of Him, of that God that
chose you in spite of you. He chose you in spite of the
fact that you were weak and foolish and base and foul and a nothing. But of Him are you in Christ
Jesus, who is made, who of God is made unto us wisdom and righteousness
and sanctification and redemption. According as it is written. He
that glorieth letting glory in the Lord. He said of me How do
we come to be in Christ Jesus he said of me in my high places And something somebody said about
being in a high place That's true of the believer When you're
in a high place you have a better perspective on everything, don't
you? I You can see a lot more and you can see things better.
You're not looking through the trees and whatnot. You can see
more and you can see better. Listen to Philippians three,
eight, yay, doubtless. And I count all things, but loss
for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus, my Lord, for
whom I have suffered the loss of all things. and do count them
but done, that I may win Christ." When you're in the high place,
which is Him, then everything that was important to you, that
was valuable to you, that was a priority to you, it's garbage
now. And you know what matters? Him.
I count all of that but done that I may win Christ and be
found in him. You're in the high place if you
can see like that. You mean that Christ, Paul, that
you hated so bad that you persecuted everybody that even mentioned
his name? That one that you tried to imprison and kill everyone
who loved him? Yeah. That everything that I
did before, everything I was before, everything I trusted
before, that's all gone now. And I'm glad. I don't want anything
to do with it. And he who before I despised
is now everything to me. That don't happen by a decision
that you make. Look how God treated Paul, who
was then Saul of Tarsus, if you think that's how it happens.
He goaded him, he blinded him, he put him in the dust and broke
him. He broke him. He broke probably the proudest
man on the face of the earth at that time. He broke him. You see, in order to see things
from the high place, you've got to be brought low first. That's
the way God does it now, and so it has to be that way. You've
got to be brought low. We see things differently now
from a high place with eyes that only God can give. For the love of Christ constraineth
us because we thus judge. It hadn't always been this way.
But now, today, as I stand before you, I thus judge. That if he
died for all, then all were dead. That's why he entered into death,
to bring us out. That he might be the firstborn
among many brethren, all of those for whom he died. And that he
died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live
unto themselves. That's how I reckon things now.
That it's not about me, it's about him. We thus judge. That he died for
us because we were dead, and now that we live, we should not
live for ourselves, but unto him which died for us and rose
again. Do you reckon things that way?
You're in the high place. You're in him. We see everything
from a whole new perspective, because he saideth me in my high
places. And then verse 35, he teacheth. He teacheth my hands to war,
so that a bow of steel is broken by mine arms. He teacheth me
to war, so that when I do battle, I'm good at it." That's just
simply what that's saying. You don't want to be on the other
side, because he teacheth me. Now think about, always in the
scripture, every lesson is a spiritual one. It just is. It's always
spiritual. So what does this mean? You don't
go to war every day. Yes you do, if you're a believer.
And there's only one reason to war. What does that mean, that
we go to war? We battle. He that warreth entangleth not
himself in the affairs of this life, that he may please him
who hath chosen him to be a soldier." What do you mean we war, Crip?
Well, there's only one reason to war. You have an enemy. That's
why people war, don't they? They have enemies. There's an
enemy that's got to be defeated. It's them or me. We cannot coexist. Somebody's going to die. Is that
what war is? It comes to that in earthly matters,
doesn't it? It comes to that. Nothing wrong
with people dying as long as the right ones are dying. It
comes to that. We gotta be honest about that,
don't we? Sometimes it comes to that. You have an enemy and you must
win, you must defeat them. The victory is vital over that
enemy. You have an enemy and you need
to not have an enemy. And that happens one way, war. You fight earthly warfare with
your hands. Whether you're pulling a trigger
or swinging a sword, whatever age in which you were born, it
doesn't matter. You do it with your hands, don't you? With your
mind and your heart and your hands. He teacheth my hands to
war. Now that's, your hands aren't
just gonna do what they're supposed to do without something happening
up here and something happening in here. It's not just up here
either, is it? You may Just killing people is not a
good thing. It's got to happen in here too, doesn't it? The means used are physical weapons
in the hands that wield them. That's what David is talking
about, specifically. But in spiritual warfare, our
weapon is the word of God. When the Lord Jesus Christ did
business with Satan that day, you remember that? There's the
son of God and the devil. And what was the battle going
on? There wasn't any swords drawn or anything like that, but it
was no less a war. And you remember what our Lord
kept doing? It is written. It is written. It is written.
You're going to win the same way. It is written, man shall not
live by bread alone. It is written, thou shalt not
tempt the Lord thy God. But one thing is the same. The
weapons are different, whether you're talking about physical
war or spiritual war. But one thing is the same. God's
got to teach you. God's got to teach you now. If
God doesn't do something in here, you'll be fighting on the wrong
side in this world and in every other sense. There are a lot of people that
go to war every day and there couldn't be anything more evil
than for them to do what they're doing. God's got to teach you
now, doesn't he? It's the same in spiritual things.
John 6, 45, and really here's the thing, you know, when I say
that this is our weapon, I don't mean that you go around using
the word of God, you know, as a weapon. This is our weapon
in this sense, that everything that this book
says, you know what this book says from the first word to the
last? Christ is all. Christ is the
victory. Christ is your hope. If you're
going to win, you're going to win because of Him. If you're
going to have peace tonight, you're going to have it in Him,
the Prince of Peace. If you're going to have comfort, it's going
to be in His arms. If you're going to be safe, it's
going to be in His arms. That's how this is our weapon,
not because we can wield something and win something, because this
shows us how we win. It really shows us that we've
already won, is what it shows us. Isn't that right? Listen, John 6, 45, it is written
in the prophets, and they shall all be taught of God. David said,
he teacheth my hands to war. What does God teach? Every man,
therefore, that hath heard and hath learned of the Father cometh
unto me. If God taught you, you're going
to Christ because that's all he teaches. That's all he has
ever taught a sinner to do is go to Christ. Am I right about
that? Everything you need, everything you have, everything you want
as a believer is in him. Every man therefore that hath
heard and hath learned of the Father cometh to me. That's how
you fight Satan. That's how you fight your own
evil nature. You run to him. You want to know how to win victory
over every enemy you have? That's it. You run to Christ. That's how. And that's the only
way. And how do you come to Christ
by God teaching you who he is and what he did and why he did
it and where he is right now? That's the message of this book. And then. He maketh he teacheth. And verse
36, thou hast also given. He made me. What did Paul say? I am what
I am by the grace of God. He makes my feet like Heinz feet. He makes everything about me
what it is. I am what I am by his grace as a believer. He teaches. He teaches. Everything I need
to know. I guarantee if you need to know
it as a believer, you'll know it. And it all boils
down to one thing, doesn't it? And he giveth. He giveth me the
shield of salvation, and thy gentleness hath made me great. The shield of thy salvation Do
you know what the purpose of a shield is in battle? When you're
in a great and fierce conflict where you need a shield, either
you get hit or the shield gets hit. That's what a shield is. It takes the blows, it takes
the damage, it takes the punishment, it takes the force, it takes
everything. And you're protected. The enemy does all he can to
pierce you, to run you through, to destroy you, to punish you.
But if you're going to live, the shield takes the punishment
instead. That's salvation. That's why
it's called the shield of salvation. That's what saves you, the shield,
the one who took every blow in your place. David sang it in this very song
in verse 31 of 2 Samuel 22, Psalm 18. As for God, his way is perfect. The word of the Lord is tried.
He is a buckler, a shield. to all them that trust in him.
You trust in him, you'll never take one blow from the sword
of God's justice, not one. You say, you know, something
bad happened, God's punishing me. Not if you're his, he ain't.
Not if you're his. The Lord Jesus Christ took every
hit. It was his blood that was shed
and not mine. It was his brow. that was broken
and not mine, it was his body that was crushed and not mine.
Like the ark upon which fell the rain, which pictured God's
wrath, the rain fell on that ark and not upon those who were
safe inside. That ark is Christ. None of God's
wrath can touch those who are in Christ. It cannot fall upon
them. One of God's loved and chosen
ones for whom Christ died, not one drop of his wrath can ever
fall. Christ is the ark, and he is
a buckler to those that trust in him. And his gentleness hath made me great. The word gentleness there means
to be afflicted, to be humbled, to be bowed down. It was by his
humility that I am exalted. Let this mind be in you, which
was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, thought
it not robbery to be equal with God. You think about that. But made himself of no reputation
and took upon him the form of a servant and was made in the
likeness of men. And being found in fashion as
a man, he humbled himself. That's the definition of the
word gentleness in our text. And became obedient unto death,
even the death of the cross, wherefore God hath also highly
exalted him. And given him a name which is
above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should
bow. Of things in heaven and things
in earth and things under the earth, And that every tongue
should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. You think about that.
Think about every sinner that ever lived on this earth. Past,
present, and future. Not just confessing it in their
heart, but with their tongue. That one. That Jesus of Nazareth. That
Lamb of God. that Son of God, that One who
died on the cross, that One who rose again, that One, that Jesus Christ is
Lord. To the glory of God the Father,
and we're in Him. We're exalted in Him. I'm great,
I'm exalted in Him. And it's because of His humility,
His affliction, that it is so, his gentleness. How are you great,
Chris? You're calling yourself great.
Well, that sounds kind of proud. Well, I'll tell you this, I'm
perfectly holy. Does that sound great to you? That sounds pretty
good, doesn't it? Because of his gentleness, I'm
great. I'm seated on the throne of God,
not as a rival, but as a joint heir of Jesus
Christ. That sounds pretty great, doesn't
it? In Christ Jesus, if we suffer
with him, we'll reign with him. You know what the Lord said about
his sheep? You are the light of this world. That's pretty
great. He's the sun and we're the moon. He is the light. But as he shines through his
people now in this world. In Hebrews 11, 38, Paul said
that the world is not worthy of those who believe in Christ.
I would agree with that. It's hard for me to, I can't
think of myself that way. I'm not worthy of anything. But I kind of see you that way.
This world's not worthy of you. It's just not. Because of Him. Because of Him. By His humility
and suffering and affliction, gentleness, None of this is because there's
anything great in us There's not even any good in us By nature
that is in our flesh The good in us is Christ in us the hope
of our glory. It is the Lord doing This he
worketh in us both to will and to do of his good. That's why
this world is not worthy of a believer a Believer is not where he ought
to have thrown all of us in hell and When anybody that declares the
truth of Christ this world's not worthy of that It's the Lord's doing and he
had to be brought low That we might be exalted even the death
of the cross And we are exalted in him and with him You know
the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and If you ever get to thinking,
you know, getting a little bit proud, you can be proud of grace. That's a great contradiction
in terms, isn't it? If you needed grace, then you
don't have anything to be proud of, do you? Needing his grace
means that you are scum. You are wretched and vile and
ought to go to hell. So let's not be proud of grace.
If you ever start, think about this. For you know the grace
of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your
sakes, he became poor. This is the teaching of our taste.
His gentleness has made us great. Yet for your sakes, he became
poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich. Do you feel rich
tonight? I kind of do. And it's because
of Christ and what he did for me. Let's
pray.