THEY DID WHAT THEY COULD DO

Victor M. Eskew

 

INTRODUCTION

 

A.   The theme for OceanSide this year is:  “Doing What I Can Do.”  We discussed each component of this theme in our first lesson this morning.

 

B.   We want to continue to encourage us all to participate in our theme this year.

1.    Therefore, this lesson is also centered upon our theme.

2.    The title of the lesson is:  “They Did What They Could.”

 

C.   We are not the first of God’s children to do what can be done for the Lord and His cause.

 

I.             ABEL DID WHAT HE COULD DO

 

A.   Abel was one of the sons of Adam and Eve (Gen. 4:2).

 

B.   When called upon to offer a sacrifice, he did what he could do.

1.    Genesis 4:4

 

And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof.  And the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering.

 

2.    Hebrews 11:4

 

By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtain witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts:  and by it he being dead yet speaketh.

 

II.           JOSEPH DID WHAT HE COULD DO

 

A.   Joseph was the first son of Jacob through Rachel (Gen. 30:24).

 

B.   He was the youngest son in the family until Benjamin was born.

 

C.   He was greatly mistreated by his brothers and was eventually sold into slavery (Gen. 37:28).

 

D.   Joseph did what he could do in three areas.

1.    He kept himself morally pure by refusing the advances of Potipher’s wife (Gen. 37:12).

 

And she caught him by his garment, saying, Lie with me:  and he left his garment in her hand, and was fled forth.

 

2.    He remained loyal to God regardless of the circumstances in which he found himself (Gen. 41:16).

 

And Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, It is not in me:  God shall give Pharaoh an answer of peace.

 

3.    He did not seek any revenge on his brothers after his father’s death (Gen. 50:21).

Now therefore fear ye not:  I will nourish you, and your little ones.   And he comforted them, and spake kindly unto them.

 

III.         MIRIAM DID WHAT SHE COULD DO

 

A.   When Moses was born there was the threat of death upon the head of every Hebrew male that was born.

 

B.   When Moses’ parents could no longer hide him, they placed him into the care of God.

1.    He was placed in an ark of bulrushes and place at the edge of the Nile River (Exo. 2:3).

2.    In Exodus 2:4, we read about Miriam.

 

And his sister stood afar off, to wit what would be done to him.

 

C.   Eventually, Pharaoh’s daughter discovered the infant.  Miriam immediately sprang into action (Exo. 2:7).

 

Then said his sister to Pharaoh’s daughter, Shall I go and call to thee a nurse of the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for thee?

 

1.    Moses’ mother got to be with her child for those first few years of infancy.

2.    Moses’ parents could have an influence upon him by teaching him about God and God’s law in those years as well.

 

IV.         JAEL DID WHAT SHE COULD

 

A.   Jael lived in the period of the Judges. 

1.    She was the wife of Heber who was a Kenite. 

2.    Remember, Moses’ father-in-law was of the Kenites (Jud. 1:16).

 

B.   Israel had committed sins against God and had been taken into captivity by Jaban king of Canaan.

 

C.   When Israel cried out in repentance to God, he raised up Deborah and Balak to deliver them from Jabin’s oppression.

 

D.   When they fought against the Canaanites, they prevailed and Sisera, the captain of Jabin’s army fled to the house of Heber (Jud. 4:17).

 

E.   Jael took Sisera in and acted as if she was going to provide a safe haven for Sisera.  She gave him milk, a cover so he could sleep, and stood guard at the door of the tent.

 

F.    Jael’s action (Jud. 4:21)

 

Then Jael Heber’s wife took a nail of the tent, and took an hammer in her hand, and went softly unto him, and smote the nail into his temples, and fastened it into the ground:  for he was fast asleep and weary.  So he died.

 

1.    Jael’s action brought victory to the Israelites.

2.    Too, they were freed from the oppression of king Jabin.

 

 

V.           DAVID DID WHAT HE COULD

 

A.   The battle of David and Goliath is one of the most familiar stories of the Bible.  It ranks beside Noah and the flood.

 

B.   When David came to the field of battle, heard the cry of the Philistine, and saw the cowardice of Saul and his army, David did what he could do (1 Sam. 17:32).

 

And David said to Saul, Let no man’s heart fail because of him; thy servant will go and fight with the Philistine.

 

C.   He did, and prevailed (1 Sam. 17:50).

 

So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone, and smote the Philistine, and slew him; but there was no sword in the hand of David.

 

VI.         DANIEL DID WHAT HE COULD DO

 

A.   Daniel was one of the youth of Israel taken captive by Nebuchadnezzar.

 

B.   By the providence of God, he became one of the king’s wise men (Dan. 1:19).

 

C.   Nebuchadnezzar dreamed a dream on one occasion and desired to know the dream’s interpretation.

1.    He called his wise men, but they could not interpret the dream because Nebuchadnezzar could not remember the actual dream.

2.    This angered Nebuchadnezzar.  Thus, he ordered the death of all the wise men (Dan. 2:12).

 

D.   Daniel heard of the king’s decree and did two things.

1.    First, he went in before the king, “and desired of the king that he would give him time, and that he would shew the king the interpretation” (Dan. 2:16).

2.    Second, he and his Hebrew friends went to God in prayer (Dan. 2:18).

 

That they would desire mercies of the God of heaven concerning the secret; that Daniel and his fellows should not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.

 

E.   Daniel’s efforts saved the wise men and allowed Nebuchadnezzar to know the interpretation of his dream.  In addition, Daniel was exalted to the position of “ruler over the whole province of Babylon, and chief of the governors over the wise men” (Dan. 2:48).

 

VII.       JOSEPH AND MARY DID WHAT THEY COULD

 

A.   Joseph and Mary were just a common couple who lived in Nazareth of Galilee.

 

B.   They were chosen to be the earthly parents of the Christ, the Son of God.  Both were told that Mary’s conception was of the Holy Ghost.

1.    Mary (Luke 1:35)

2.    Joseph (Matt. 1:20)

 

C.   NOTE:  Here is an imperfect couple raising the perfect Son of God.

1.    They presented Him to the Lord on the eighth day to be circumcised (Luke 2:22-24).

2.    They took Jesus to the Passover feast every year (Luke 2:41-42).

3.    The Bible tells us that Jesus was subject to his parents.  Therefore, they had rules that had to be followed in their home (Luke 2:51).

4.    Luke 2:52

 

And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.

 

D.   We do not know much about Joseph, but Mary is in the picture several times after He began His ministry.

1.    The wedding feast at Cana of Galilee (John 2:1-5)

2.    The foot of the cross (John 19:25)

3.    In the upper room following the Lord’s resurrection and ascension (Acts 1:14)

 

VIII.     OTHERS DID WHAT THEY COULD DO

 

A.   Several men did what they could do in preaching the gospel of Christ.

1.    Philip the evangelist

2.    Barnabas

3.    Timothy

4.    Titus

 

B.   Tabitha did what she could making coats and garments (Acts 9:39).

 

C.   Phebe did what she could as a servant of the church which was at Cenchrea (Rom. 16:1).

 

D.   The Philippians did what they could do in assisting Paul financially in his mission efforts (Phil. 1:5; 4:14-16).

 

E.   Lois and Eunice did what they could in passing on their faith to Timothy (2 Tim. 1:5).

 

F.    Gaius did what he could do assisting both his brethren and strangers (III John 5-6).

 

CONCLUSION

 

A.   We have only scratched the surface talking about the Bible characters who did what they could do for the Lord.

 

B.   We will close with one more example. 

1.    In Mark 14:3, a woman entered into the home of Simon, broke an alabaster box of expensive ointment, and poured it on Jesus’ head.

2.    Several in the room were filled with indignation and murmured against her (Mark 14:4-5).

3.    Jesus came to her defense.

a.    “Let her alone” (Mark 14:6).

b.    “She hath wrought a good work on me” (Mark 14:6).

c.    “She hath done what she could…” (Mark 14:8).

 

C.   Our theme for 2024 is:  “Doing What I Can Do.”  At the end of this year, my prayer is that Jesus will say of all of us:  “They have done what they could.”