| “He [a man named Eleazar] arose, and smote the Philistines until his hand was weary, and his hand clave unto the sword” (2 Samuel 23:10). |
| “Barnabas … exhorted them all, that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lord” (Acts 11:22-23). |
| In English there are two very opposite meanings for the word “cleave” (or “clave” in the past tense). It can mean to split apart. We would use it this way when we talk about “cleaving a piece of wood.” There may be a big pile of logs waiting to be split for the fire, and you might say you needed to “cleave” them into smaller pieces. But then what about what Eleazar did with his sword? He hung onto it so tightly that it was as though, when the battle was over, he could hardly get his hand pried from the handle of the sword. Both of our verses today have this second meaning. |
| In order to cleave to something, we must have purpose of heart as in our second verse. We must have determination to accomplish something that comes from the heart! We build this kind of character trait when we are young. The teen years you are in right now are probably the most formative of your life. That is a serious thought! You are building a character and habits that will most likely follow you throughout your life. |
| In earlier meditations we have seen how Joseph, even though traded off by his brothers to be a slave in Egypt, pleased his God and Lord, and this was noticed by Pharaoh. In very hostile surroundings, he let his light shine and he was rewarded (down here on earth) for his faithfulness when he was made a ruler in Egypt. |
| Later we see Naaman’s wife’s maid doing the same thing. She was in a hostile country and yet she was kind and thoughtful and true to the Lord. When Naaman came back from being healed from his leprosy, I imagine he was very kind to her. Perhaps he even let her go home to her family! |
| And then there is Daniel. Once again, he was a young person carried away to a conquering country, where he purposed in his heart not to defile himself. He was made a ruler, eventually delivered from the den of lions, and lived to an old age. |
| As you progress in your teens, you may head off to university or to a workplace. These environments are often hostile to the Bible and the Lord Jesus. With purpose of heart, we need to cleave to the truth of God’s Word and shine for Him. It does not always end up that we are honored as the three examples today were. Tomorrow we will see someone else who put the Lord first, but who was not given the honor he deserved, at least not in this world. |
