by John Carpenter | Feb 19, 2014 | Devotional
“And Benaiah — the son of Jehoiada — the son of a valiant man of Kabzeel — who had done many acts — he slew two lion-like men of Moab. He went down also and slew a lion in the midst of a pit in time of snow. (21) And he slew an Egyptian — a goodly man; and the Egyptian had a spear in his hand, but he went down to him with a staff and plucked the spear out of the Egyptian’s hand — and slew him with his own spear! (22) These things did Benaiah — the son of Jehoiada — and had the name among three mighty men.
This terse account of one of David’s mighty men was a favorite story that my father, Don Carpenter, would often tell to the boys around the campfire out here at Camp Del-Haven.
He would focus on the part where it says that Benaiah went down and slew a lion in the midst of a pit — in time of snow. He would wonderfully embellish the story by his describing a bitter cold night when outside an Israelite village Benaiah and all the people would hear the roar of a man-eating lion that had fallen into a pit that he had dug to catch him. And then he would tell how Benaiah must have put on his boots and big heavy coat, stick his big hunting knife in his belt, light his torch and walk through the middle of the village to the edge of town where the pit would be that he had dug. As he told this story — you could actually hear the crunch of Benaiah’s footsteps in the snow as he made his approach to the pit. Once he was there — he would stick the torch so it shed its light down in the pitch black darkness of the pit. Then he would describe how the lion would then roar and leap toward the torch in an effort to escape the pit he was in. Benaiah would then announce to the beast that their life and death encounter was inevitable to take place — and that he, the lion — could not win. He would then take his knife out of his belt — and would jump into the pit to do battle and slay the lion. When Benaiah climbed out of that pit — he went back to his home having triumphantly and forever silenced the roaring lion once and for all and thereby saving his people from the dreadful man-eater.
This, dear ones, draws a beautiful picture that describes just what our Lord Jesus Christ has done for His people! He has jumped into the dreaded pit of death to fight and win the battle that we could not even begin to fight. This He has done — when He went to the cross — and then to the grave — to then come out of the grave as the winner of the ultimate victory over our evil enemies — Satan and sin.
Ro.8:37 tells us: “…in all these things -we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us!” Christ our propitiation — our sovereign Savior and substitute — has fought the battle over our souls for us — and won for us the wonderful victory whereby we — by His great grace — may truly rejoice! He — the eternal Son of God could not lose. Our eternal redemption and justification is the fruit of His victory!
For Christ’s Glory Only!
-John Carpenter
“Fear ye not! Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord — Which He will show to you today… The Lord shall fight for you — and you shall hold your peace.” Ex.14:13-14
by John Carpenter | Jan 16, 2014 | Events, Ministry News
2014 Camp Session Dates
Required Staff Training – June 2-4
Session 1 – Boys and Girls 6-9 – June 16-19
Session 2 – Girls 10-12 – June 23-26
Session 3 – Boys 10-12 – July 7-10
Session 4 – Boys and Girls 6-9 – July 14-17
Session5 – Girls 10-12 – July 21-24
Session 6 – Boys 10-12 – July 28-31
by John Carpenter | Jan 16, 2014 | Ministry News
As always, dear ones, please do not forget to pray for those that God will send us as staff in order to minister with us this year. This is an ongoing need that must be filled with just the right persons whom the Spirit of the Lord prepares! And, then there is all the children in whose lives the seed of the Word of God has been planted — and is being continually cultivated. The times we are living in are fraught with danger and sinful degradation. Commit these boys and girls unto the preservation and protective power of our Lord Jesus Christ for their safety and development in Him. They are precious in His sight — and in our hearts as well.
by John Carpenter | Jan 16, 2014 | Devotional
“According as His divine power — hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness — through the (full) knowledge of Him that hath called us to glory and virtue; (4) whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises — that by these — ye might be partakers of the divine nature — having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.” 2Pe.1:3-4
The grace of God that makes a new creature of the true believing sinner is, indeed, a marvelous and wonderful thing! It is a divinely powerful thing! It affects everything that pertains to the life that is bent toward Godliness. The scriptures dogmatically declare from Rom.3:10 — that because we are born in sin — “there is none righteous -no not one”. This means that man from himself — by himself — is left completely unjustified before holy God.
How then can this be changed? Well, frankly, by us — it can’t! But, where the gospel of the glory of the divine power of God’s grace is concerned — things can be, by His doing — entirely different! Ro.4:5 delivers the wonderful news — “but to him that worketh not — but believeth on Him that justifieth the ungodly — his faith is counted for righteousness!”
This is what Peter is telling us when he says that through God’s divine power and His exceeding great and precious promises we have become partakers of His divine nature! It is in this way — we have escaped out of the awful grip of the corruption that is in this world through lust!
Of course, how all of this takes place in our lives and experiences is by virtue of the gospel truth that we have been placed by God — in His eternal Son, the Lord Jesus Christ — from before the foundation of the world! And, being a branch in Christ, the Vine, the justifying righteousness that we own — is His righteousness — because we are in Him. Being found in Him — God can find no fault in us! There are no accusations that can be truthfully made against us. Why? Because: “there is, therefore, now — no condemnation — to them that are in Christ Jesus…” “We are His workmanship — created in Christ Jesus — unto good works which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”
Pr.11:23 says: “The desire of the righteous — is only good!” Why is this the case? Even because as Ps.37:4 says: “Delight thyself also in the Lord — and He shall give thee the desires of thine heart.” By grace, His desires become our desires.
Whatever it may be that we have — that is good and Godly — we have because it has been graciously given unto us by God. 1Co.4:7 rightly asks it: “…what hast thou — that thou didst not receive? Now if, also, thou didst receive it — why dost thou glory as if thou hadst not received it?” This is good rich food for thought — for the new year!
For Christ’s Glory Only –
John Carpenter
by John Carpenter | Dec 16, 2013 | Camp News
Please remember that the reality is — that many times — for many of our children — this time of year can be a bitter/sweet experience. Many of these boys and girls must deal with a less than desirable set of circumstances in this lost and fallen world. We earnestly pray that those who have become a part of our camper family will be led of the Holy Spirit to remember the love and salvation of the Lord Jesus Christ — that has been faithfully presented to them out here at Del-Haven. Pray for these dear ones.
