When David and his men saw the ruins and realized what had happened to their families, they wept until they could weep no more… David was now in great danger because all his men were very bitter about losing their sons and daughters, and they began to talk of stoning him. But David found strength in the Lord his God. 1 Samuel 30:3-4, 6
Read 1 Samuel 29-30.
God never promised that the Christian life would always be easy or simple. It makes me think of Lynn Anderson’s song that says, “I beg your pardon; I never promised you a rose garden.” As a matter of fact, Jesus told us to expect the opposite, that life would be full of trials and difficulties. As daunting as that sounds, however, we are encouraged by the knowledge that Christ gives us peace that passes all understanding, and that He has overcome the world.
I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world. John 16:33 NLT
When our lives seem full of chaos or disappointment, it is normal to experience negative emotions. It is part of being human. It’s OK to cry and be sad for a little while. However, we have the choice of moving forward with faith and finding our strength in the Lord, or we can continue down the slippery slope of discouragement and despair.
There is no shame when we find ourselves in a pit of despair for a limited time, but what we need to understand is that we don’t have to stay there. We have been given precious promises and abundant strength by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Christ has given us everything we need to walk in victory. The very same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead lives within us (Romans 8:11).
Do you realize what you have in Christ? David did. We will see today that when he faced one of the most painful and difficult moments of his life, he “found strength in the Lord his God” (30:6 NLT). I especially like the King James Version of this verse:
David encouraged himself in the Lord his God.
Every one of us has the same power that David did to encourage ourselves in the Lord as well. We don’t have to depend on someone else to lift us out. We have a direct line to the power of God ourselves!
How did David get here?
If you remember, David had gone to the Philistines for asylum, and he had become a fierce warrior on the side of the Philistines. Now that they were assembling themselves to attack Israel, David was in a quandary.
He and his men marched in the rear next to King Achish. This is quite interesting that he is marching alongside his former enemy to fight against his homeland.
When the Philistine commanders noticed David and his men marching with the Philistines, they threw a fit and demanded that the king send them back. There was a distrust among them, which is natural considering David’s history, and they feared that the Hebrews could easily turn against them.
While King Achish trusted David implicitly, for the sake of his commanders, he quietly sent David home. However, this hurt David’s feelings. He wondered what he could have possibly done to deserve this mistrust. The king explained that he considered David to be “a perfect angel of the Lord,” but it wouldn’t work out with his commanders. So, David departed.
Let’s take a quick moment for a flashback. Do you remember the Amalekites that God had commanded Saul to destroy? All men, women, children, and animals? He was not to leave a single person alive because of their wickedness before God. This was the very act of Saul’s utter disobedience that cost him the throne. He had tried to convince Samuel that he had obeyed, but only brought back the king and the choicest animals for sacrifice.
Interestingly, it was the Amalekites themselves who were already back into action. If Saul had obeyed God, or even if he had merely done what he had tried to convince Samuel he had done, this would not have happened.
When David returned to his town of Ziglag, he discovered to his horror that the Amalekites has ravaged the city, burning it to the ground, and had kidnapped all the women and children. This must have been the lowest point of David’s life so far. He and his men wept until they could weep no more!
The men turned on David and were ready to stone him out of bitterness from the loss of their wives and children.
At one of the darkest, most dreadful moments in David’s life, he knew directly where to go. He went straight to the Lord. He didn’t vent on Facebook or blow up his friends’ cell phones with his complaints or fears. He didn’t wallow in his dire predicament. He knew His God, and He knew Him well. He went straight to God and drew strength from Him.
After consulting the Lord, he led his men to chase after these raiders. They even found an Amalekite deserter along the way who helped them find their enemy. David and his men chased and slaughtered them all night and the next day and finally recovered everything and everyone that had been lost. What a glorious victory because David knew where to draw his strength and courage during a time of despair!
