Introduction

Hello, everyone. Today we turn to 1 Kings chapter 15. The theme of this chapter is this: a man’s life is full of warfare.

The stage of human history is simply one group finishing its performance and another taking over. What are they busy with? Fighting. One kills another; one defeats another. Good heavens. Romance of the Three Kingdoms is not unique to the Chinese. If you read the histories of other nations, you will find romances of three kingdoms, four kingdoms, five kingdoms, six kingdoms, and even eight hundred feudal lords. People live in this world: you fight me, I fight you; you undermine me, I undermine you. Is that not so? I raise tariffs on you; you raise tariffs on me. If things go badly, we go to war. The First World War broke out. Not many years after it ended, the Second World War began. Even now, there is no peace. What exactly is all this for?

Life is full of warfare. This vain life is full of pointless struggles. People live each day in fear and anxiety. It is not only on the battlefield; there is warfare in the marketplace as well. Is it not exhausting to live this way? It most certainly is.

This theme shows us how seriously people take their lives in this vain world. In truth, you have no choice but to take it seriously. Take an ordinary person. He must make a living. What does he do? He takes on a project. Why does he take on a project? To make money. Then the customers demand this and that, and he is kept endlessly busy.

How does one live through such a vain life? One moment, the boss stabs you in the back. The next moment, a subordinate does the same. A deadline approaches; then the customer demands this and demands that. If you fail to deliver, you are penalised. Good heavens.

Life without God is hard. It is not easy for a man to live, is it? You may say, “Pastor, is our life easy?” Where is the road of life? It is not easy. I know. But am I not telling you that there is an easier road? You may ask, “Is there such a road?” Yes, there is. Imitate David. That is the easier road, because David fought his battles by relying on the LORD God.

Did David have warfare? Yes, he did. How did David fight? He fought by relying on the LORD God. Goliath stood before him, a giant. Do you think David stood there trembling, wondering whether he might win or might not win, whether it might work or might fail? Tossing a coin, seeing it land on the wrong side, and then going anyway to see what would happen—only to be killed by the other side?

David did not do that. If a man trusts in God, and God helps him, who can stand before him? No one can stand before us. David therefore set a very good example.

In the Books of Kings, it says that so-and-so did not follow the example of his father David, but did evil in the sight of the LORD. Then what happened? Warfare. Today you fight me; tomorrow I fight you. Every day, your heart is in your throat. A soldier returns from the battlefield, and you immediately summon him: “Report!” He drops to one knee. Chinese history was much the same. The Chongzhen Emperor waited in Beijing for news. He sent out one imperial decree, then another. Yet all those commanders remained motionless, unwilling to move. Chongzhen was beside himself with anxiety. Then a soldier rushed in, dropped to one knee, and cried, “Report! Li Zicheng has arrived at the city gates.”

Chongzhen must have thought: Li Zicheng is at the gates. Is there any road left for me? Even unto death, Chongzhen did not know what the point of living this way was. Of course, he had a dream—to preserve the inheritance of the Ming dynasty, so that when he went down to the underworld, he could face his forefathers without shame. Have you been to Jingshan Park? The old crooked-neck tree is still there. What meaning was there in all that?

Liu Bang of the Liu family fought Xiang Yu. We all know the story of the Feast at Hongmen. In the end, Xiang Yu cut his own throat at the Wu River. What is man doing in this life? I do not know. But if a man has no God and does not truly trust in God, then he will simply go on tormenting himself. It is sheer torment.

A Man’s Life Is Full of Warfare

A few days ago, I saw a news report. A neighbour built a house right on the passageway, leaving only fifty centimetres of space. Where can you seek justice? He simply turned the road into his house. In villages today, farmers often encounter this kind of thing: “I will block your family’s road.” Once the road is blocked, the two families begin fighting.

Many years ago, there was a news story about a mother and son barely surviving, only to be bullied terribly by the local village tyrant. Later, the young man joined the army. After he was discharged, he killed the village tyrant and his entire family. He was arrested and sentenced to death. You see, without God, is this not how life becomes? Without God, you will certainly encounter all kinds of strange and unfortunate things.

Today I was thinking: if I did not have God, how many such misfortunes would I have met? Thank the Lord. Brothers and sisters, you must know that there is a simple road. A village tyrant cannot control God. He is certainly not greater than God. Can our God not handle such matters? If you are constantly meeting misfortune—this person troubles you today, that person troubles you tomorrow—you need to know what is happening. There is an evil spirit upon a person, and the people around him are drawn to trouble him. Brothers and sisters, matters in the spiritual realm are no joke.

Rehoboam and Jeroboam both took life very seriously. If they were dissatisfied, they went to war. Did they not know that this life is deadly serious? David fought and won. Every battle David fought, he won. When David faced the giant, he brought him down. He also subdued the surrounding nations. Is that good or not? Did David have all those misfortunes? No. You may say that he did—Saul pursued him and tried to kill him. But that is not the point. Even while being pursued, David won every time. Is that not so? Life without God is difficult. You think the throne is important, and so you spend your days struggling for it.

Today, many among us are merely little soldiers. You work in customer service, run an online shop, manage operations, or do some other job. But let me tell you: if you are a little soldier, is it not the same? In this vain life, how can you live without God and without God’s blessing?

If you ask me why I do this, I am not seeking anything for myself. I simply hope that everyone can live a blessed life. You may ask, “Is that really so?” The benevolent see benevolence; the wise see wisdom. I believe this. Whether you believe it depends on your own lot. I believe that, even now, I do not know how many disasters God has kept from me. Things have gone well. As I walked on, I was promoted. Others wondered, “How did he rise so quickly? How did his salary increase so quickly? Why is everything going so well for him?” There is blessing.

So let me tell you today: spiritual victory is the key to a man’s life. If you think you have three heads and six arms, then go and be Nezha, relying on your two little spears and your Wind Fire Wheels. But later, even Nezha could not overcome Sun Wukong. There were victories and defeats on both sides. A man spends his life in warfare, winning some and losing some. Then that is the end of it. Is that not so? And all the while, his heart is in his throat.

Never rely on yourself. You do not even have three heads and six arms. Even if you did, you could not rely on yourself. Since you do not have them, whom will you rely on? I say, keep your head down and behave yourself. But someone says, “No! I will rely on my own strength!” Later he finds that strength is of little use. When a man lives under blessing, God’s power becomes his power.

This life is truly hard. If you gave me the post of county governor or provincial governor, I would not know what to do. I genuinely would not know. If you gave me the small target of one hundred million, even if I had one hundred million, I would not know what to do with it. Then it becomes fifty million. Then it becomes one million. And then he jumps off a building. Some reach their target of one hundred million, only to end up owing one hundred million.

Do you think I envy such people? I do not. I truly do not. Some say, “Lei Jun is remarkable!” But life is not easy, is it? He faces experts on every side. I would rather rely on my God through this life. I will rely on God all my life. To live in this world under God’s blessing, with as few misfortunes as possible—that is good. Misfortune is a curse.

Imitate your father David. You may say, “David is not my father.” It does not matter. Whether he is your father or not is beside the point. Whether he is Emperor Taizu of Song or Emperor Taizong of Tang does not matter either. Nor do your ancestors matter in this regard. We simply need someone worth imitating. What did he do? We do the same. He trusted in God. David trusted God in this way; very well, I will do the same. David was shrewd; very well, I will be shrewd too. Then life becomes good, full of joy, and your heart is steady. Is that not so? Do not let your tail rise because you have accomplished one thing, and then bang—it pushes against God’s throne. God sits on His throne and says, “Whose tail is so impressive that it can reach My throne?” God looks and says, “You? You little thing!”

Rehoboam and Jeroboam Were Constantly at War

Why were they constantly at war? Let me give you an example. In a family with many children, the children fight. Sometimes the parents are fair; sometimes they do not see what happened. Once, the elder child beats the younger one. The younger one complains, “Mum, he hit me!” The mother asks, “He hit you? I did not see it.” The younger says, “He hit me secretly!” Can he swallow that grievance? No, he cannot.

Then, when the parents are away, bang—he must win back that round. He cannot swallow that grievance. Everyone agrees that he cannot swallow it. So, fight! But is that God’s logic? No. It is foolishness. After the fight, the elder one goes to his mother and says, “Mum, he hit me!” The mother says, “I did not see it.” The elder one thinks, “Fine. Next time, we fight again. I lost the last round. I will win this one back.” That is the mentality of a gambler, is it not? He looks for another chance. It never ends.

Sometimes husbands and wives fight, and they drag out every old matter from decades ago. No one can remember who gained what advantage over whom in those trivial matters. But the resentment has piled up deeply. The waters run deep, do they not? Once, a husband and wife quarrelled. Why? The man said, “My mother died, and she would not wear mourning.” I asked, “What mourning?” He meant a piece of black cloth worn on the arm. I had never seen such a thing in Singapore. Yet he insisted that his wife wear that black cloth on her arm. She said, “Why should I go to work with a piece of black cloth on my arm?” Then I asked, “What happened to your father?” He said, “My father died.” I asked, “How did he die?” He had spent decades in combat with his wife. At eighty-eight, the old man jumped off a building. Good heavens. If he had lived to eight hundred, he would have fought for eight hundred years. Still quarrelling at eighty-eight. People simply cannot see through life.

Rehoboam and Jeroboam were like those two children. You stab me once; I stab you once. They kept themselves very busy, did they not? Neither could subdue the other, and neither would yield. You win this round; I win the next. You win one from me; I win one back from you. That was all they did for an entire lifetime. Could you not do something else? Brothers and sisters, do you understand? No one would yield. In the end, one has no choice but to yield to him. Indeed, you must admit it. At eighty-eight, if I cannot win it back, I will jump off a building. I will settle the score with you from upstairs!

Let me tell you today: if a man lives under a curse, he busies himself with these petty matters, and they are of no use at all. Do you understand? There is no use in all this. Today I hit you; tomorrow you hit me. When we read Chinese history, the story of Duke Zhuang of Zheng defeating Duan at Yan was also about two brothers. One became king; the other could not. So they created trouble. It is interesting that their mother interfered greatly, because mothers influence people.

Rehoboam married a wife called Maacah, and she bore Abijam. Maacah was the daughter of Absalom. How did Absalom die? He died in battle. His hair was caught in a tree, and Joab thrust him through with a spear. This is how people spend their lives, taking everything so seriously. Maacah, Absalom’s daughter, was equally muddled. Rehoboam’s wife was Maacah. She worshipped idols, this one and that one, pretended to be spiritual, and created endless stories. So Rehoboam and Jeroboam were constantly at war.

Either you defeat the other side and make him submit completely, or the other side defeats you. But neither could defeat the other. So they went on this way until they died. A vain lifetime is nothing but nonsense. Could you not do something better? Brothers and sisters, tell me, is that not so? There is a sister among us who had just repaid her debts when she was cheated again. Now she has begun another season of repaying debt. I tell you, when a man is under a curse, this is what happens.

In life, we often play out The Spring and Autumn Annals, Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Water Margin, and Dream of the Red Chamber. In the end, everyone puts on a performance of Journey to the West. Once you see this clearly, it is better to imitate David and rely on God throughout your life. How good that is. On the day I came to know God, I received the blessing of encountering Him. Before I met God, I relied on myself. I was just like Rehoboam and Jeroboam, wasting my days in nonsense. After I met God, living a blessed life became so good. Yet sometimes, after living under blessing for a while, people forget. Then they slip back in and begin quarrelling again.

Abijam King of Judah Was Constantly at War with Jeroboam

Abijam spent his life much like his father Rehoboam. Why? Because his mother was Maacah. Let me tell you: a mother has a profound influence on a person. You can often see the mother’s shadow in her child. Do not argue with me. Look carefully in the mirror. If your mother gave birth to you, you will certainly carry her shadow. Do you believe that? If your mother was sometimes unreasonable, you are probably the same. You are like that even now. Your mother’s stubbornness is also in you.

Sometimes mothers and daughters cannot stand each other. They are constantly competing with each other, are they not? Whether they are alike or unlike each other, there is no need to spend every day quarrelling.

As a pastor, I often have to resolve conflicts between mothers and daughters. Someone says, “Pastor, I am not the only one.” You certainly are not. This is a universal truth. There is a saying: “Three women make a drama.” But for a mother and daughter, you do not need three. Two are enough. They put on an excellent drama, entangling themselves every day in trivial matters.

Rehoboam’s warfare with Jeroboam was closely related to Maacah. In fact, Maacah, Abijam, Rehoboam, and Jeroboam were like two crickets trapped in a jar.

I once watched a video. Has anyone among us seen cricket fighting? Crickets are also called chirping insects. Two crickets are placed together and begin fighting. At first, they are fine, moving around inside. You do not provoke me, and I do not provoke you. But then a person says, “Why are you two not biting each other?” So he takes a thin bamboo straw, very thin indeed, and teases one cricket on this side, then the other on that side. The crickets do not understand. One thinks, “Why are you provoking me?” Then the two begin biting each other.

Let me tell you: mothers and daughters, Rehoboam and Jeroboam, Abijam and Jeroboam—they are all like this. Demons take a thin straw and stir them up, and then they begin biting each other. Is that not so? Has man not been played? The demon moves that thin straw, and they begin to bite and quarrel. I tell you, if a man imitates David, he will have this wisdom. Do you understand? When you have this wisdom, you will not fall into such a tragic state.

Can you receive this? You must step out of it. When you realise, “Ah, you wretched fellow, you are stirring me up with a thin straw,” then the matter is settled. Is that not so? When the mother opens her mouth, she comes with that thin straw. When the daughter opens her mouth, she thrusts the straw right back. Then they discover that demons were working behind it all. As they go on, they become two crickets. How did they become crickets? They were played.

How many years did Abijam reign? Not many. While Jeroboam was still alive, Abijam fought for a few years and died. In Jeroboam’s eighteenth year as king, Rehoboam died. He fought and worried until he was exhausted. In Jeroboam’s twentieth year, Abijam reigned for two years and died. He worried too much, did he not? Every day, a soldier would rush into the palace: “Report!” One had barely left when another rushed in: “Report!” Those two years were filled with nothing but reports. Was that not exhausting? If a man does not have this wisdom, he becomes a cricket. He becomes a fighting insect, reigns as one for two years, and dies. Are people not often played in this world? Have they not been played?

Asa and Baasha Were Constantly at War

Now there was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all their days. (1 Kings 15:16)

Then Asa took all the silver and gold that remained in the treasuries of the house of the LORD and the treasuries of the king’s house, and delivered them into the hands of his servants. And King Asa sent them to Ben-hadad, the son of Tabrimmon, the son of Hezion, king of Syria, who dwelt in Damascus. (1 Kings 15:18)

This was the way life went. Rehoboam was gone. Jeroboam was gone. Abijam was gone. Then Nadab, Jeroboam’s son, was killed. Next came Asa and Baasha. One group finishes singing, and another takes the stage. Is this not the whole of human history? What meaning is there in it? I used to read a little history. After reading more, one becomes weary of the affairs of this world. I also felt that perhaps when a man sees through worldly matters a little more clearly, he becomes more detached.

But detachment does not solve the problem. There will still be people who come and provoke you. You rent a house, and someone cheats you of your deposit and refuses to let you move in. What do you do then? If detachment worked, I would not need to believe in the Lord. Look at Asa. Asa’s grandmother was Maacah. From childhood, Asa watched his father Abijam, his grandfather Rehoboam, and his grandmother Maacah. After watching them, he thought: What are all of you doing? Every day, you provoke one another. Either someone provokes you, or you provoke someone else. How boring. So Asa learned a lesson: No, this is not the life I want.

Asa calculated the family line. Abijam was his father. Rehoboam was his grandfather. Solomon was his great-grandfather. David was his great-great-grandfather. He said, “No. I must imitate my great-great-grandfather David. I do not want to be Absalom. I do not want to be Rehoboam. I do not want to be Abijam. I will be David.” Asa therefore imitated David. Did he still have constant warfare? Yes. Because Baasha came to provoke him for no reason. Baasha had fought Abijam continually before. When Asa came to the throne, he thought, “I do not want to fight with you any longer.” Yet Baasha still came to trouble him.

And Baasha king of Israel came up against Judah, and built Ramah, that he might permit no one to go out or come in to Asa king of Judah. (1 Kings 15:17)

He wanted to seal the border. Why? He would not allow trade across the border. You see, Asa could not even avoid it. Asa was in a difficult position. “Look, I imitate my father David, and yet you still come to trouble me? I have already removed my grandmother Maacah from her position. I destroyed the idols she worshipped. I cut down her obscene image and burned it by the Brook Kidron. I removed the perverted persons from the land. I also removed all the idols my fathers had made.” Only the high places were not removed. Why? Because he did not dare. Would you dare touch the common people? If you removed those high places, the people would fight you. They would say, “I burn offerings here every day. Now you will not allow me to burn here?”

In Singapore, the seventh-month Hungry Ghost Festival has just passed. People burn paper offerings all over the streets. When I park my car there, it is covered with ash. When the wind blows, paper ash fills the air. Is that filthy or not? It is filthy. Does the government dare to stop it? No. In China, do they dare to stop such things? No. People say it is world heritage, cultural heritage, custom. In Indonesia, they burn things, and the haze drifts over. Singaporeans themselves burn paper offerings too. It is tradition, they say. You cannot interfere.

So perhaps Baasha did not initially intend to attack Asa. But the high places were not removed. “You little fellow, I will trouble you.” So he came to trouble him. And do you know what Asa did? Asa was interesting. He did not want war. He was like Trump in those days: “I do not want war. Do not force me into war.” Asa came up with a strategy. He took gold, silver, and precious articles to the king of Syria, and used money to buy peace. He gave money to the king of Syria. The Syrian king sent troops. Ben-hadad sent troops. Once he attacked Baasha, Baasha withdrew his forces to deal with Syria. This is called relieving Zhao by besieging Wei. Interesting, is it not? Do not think that only China had its Spring and Autumn period and Warring States period. Such things exist everywhere. And do not think that only we had Three Kingdoms. Everywhere there are three kingdoms, four kingdoms, five kingdoms, six kingdoms, and seven kingdoms.

Later, Asa developed a disease in his feet and died. This life, this vain life, is truly boring, is it not? Perhaps I have conveyed something pessimistic. But I would rather convey faith, so that we may walk out of this vain life. We walk out by taking up authority in the spiritual world and trusting in God. We must destroy those thin straws that disturb us. We must leap out of the state of fighting crickets and become honourable people today. Without God, how can a man become honourable? He cannot. Therefore, by relying on our God and on the Lord Jesus who loves us, we are more than conquerors in all these things.

Baasha Killed Nadab

You should know that Jeroboam had more than one son. His many sons fought one another with schemes and cunning. In the end, Nadab obtained the throne. Never think that there is family affection in a royal household. Every person is your competitor. After Nadab became king, he continued in the same way. How did he do it? It was just like China. The stories of Duke Zhuang of Zheng and Duan at Yan were the same in Nadab’s household. It is the same everywhere.

Before political interest, family affection is worthless. Nadab emerged from a fierce struggle and finally outlived Jeroboam. Then he became king. After becoming king, he became another little cricket. The thin straw continued to provoke Nadab. So Nadab led the army of Israel to besiege Gibbethon. What for? To fight. This battle dragged on. The people inside Gibbethon were competitive and unyielding. The city could not be taken. Nadab surrounded it tightly, with layers upon layers of soldiers, determined to capture Gibbethon.

Then what happened? There was a commander called Baasha. Baasha was smarter than Nadab. Nadab was somewhat foolish, and Baasha killed him. Baasha put on the imperial robe and became king. Why? Because Nadab was so occupied with fighting Gibbethon that he forgot his own throne was unstable. You must understand: to be king is to carry your head in your hands. It is no joke. There are many people more capable than you.

After Baasha killed him, he became king and reigned for twenty-four years. Then he too continued to be played by demons. What hardship. Tell me, which one of them lived like a proper man? They only lived like crickets. Like fighting crickets, fighting cocks, fighting dogs, or fighting bulls. If you live like a cricket, what kind of life is that? It is still better to rely on God.

I am thankful that over these years, I have avoided one struggle after another. I do not want to play games of dogs fighting. I only want to trust in God. Occasionally, I become confused. But after a while, I wake up again. In this world, many things become utterly meaningless. Within me is a hope of eternal glory. I want to share this hope with everyone. I simply do not know whether you have the blessing to receive such spiritual blessing and such grace. Do you understand? In this life, we must never become crickets. Today, we will no longer be crickets. Today, we will become people who bear the image of God.

Imitate David. In every circumstance, be as shrewd as David. In every circumstance, do not be deceived by the devil or live in lies. Do not grow into the likeness of a cricket, battered and bruised, half dead from fighting. Do not live according to the logic of this world.

In the third year of Asa king of Judah, Baasha the son of Ahijah became king over all Israel in Tirzah, and reigned twenty-four years. (1 Kings 15:33)

Let me tell you, if you think with your heels, you already know what those twenty-four years would be like.

May God bless you all!