Lord of the Breakthrough

I Chronicles 14:11 “So they came up to Baal-perazim; and David smote them there. Then David said, God hath broken in upon mine enemies by mine hand like the breaking forth of waters: therefore he called the name of that place Baal-perazim.”

What does the name Baal-perazim mean? Well, the word Baal just means “Lord,” and the word perazim means “breach” or “breakthrough.” So Baal-perazim means “Lord of the Breakthrough.” That is exactly why David named the place where God broke through his enemies “Baal-perazim.” God is a God of breakthroughs. He can break through by you or on you, but God will break through.

Let me ask you a question: Are you scared of water? Ok, do you have your answer? That may seem like a silly question, but let me explain. Is there cause to have fear-to feel scared-of a large body of water? Well, let me drop you in the middle of the Pacific Ocean without a life vest, and you would have good cause to be scared!

So, to get back to the original question, are you afraid of water? “Oh, yes!” you say. Does that mean you don’t drink water?! My question may seem tricky (and it was!), but the truth is, being scared of water depends on the amount you are talking about. A drop of water probably doesn’t frighten you, but you cannot sail a boat on a drop of water. On the other hand, you may drink water, but you cannot survive in the middle of the Pacific by yourself!

So what’s the point about water, and how does it relate to the passage this morning? The fact of the matter is, you would do better to hold back the forces of water than to try to hold back God. An ocean of water has power that far exceeds your abilities. God is a God of breakthroughs, and He will break through. How futile to try to work against Him!

You would be far better working with God than against Him. In the very next chapter of I Chronicles, David was speaking to the Levites about the ark and the trouble they had in moving it. He said, “The LORD our God made a breach upon us . . .” (15:13) God broke through the Philistines by David, but God made a breach on David and the children of Israel when they did not seek Him and mishandled the ark.