May 01, 2014 - Thursday

Start Time: 7:23 A.M.

End Time: 7:55 A.M.

Title: David Destroys the Amalekites

Scripture: 1 Samuel 30:1 – 31

God’s Message / God’s Promise / God’s Commands:

→ David and his men reached Ziklag on the third day. Now the Amalekites had raided the Negev and Ziklag. They had attacked Ziklag and burned it, and had taken captive the women and everyone else in it, both young and old. They killed none of them, but carried them off as they went on their way. When David and his men reached Ziklag, they found it destroyed by fire and their wives and sons and daughters taken captive. So David and his men wept aloud until they had no strength left to weep. David’s two wives had been captured—Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail, the widow of Nabal of Carmel. David was greatly distressed because the men were talking of stoning him; each one was bitter in spirit because of his sons and daughters. But David found strength in the Lord his God.

NOTES:

Ø We find strength in the Lord our God in bitter times of our lives!  David went to battle with the Philistines but when Achish told him to go back to Ziklag and not join the war – that was already a sad news.  To top it off, when he and his men arrived home, they found it burned and their women and children and everything else captured by the Amalekites.  Every men were weeping aloud for what happened and they were greatly distressed, including David but David found strength in the Lord.  The same way will we find strength in God in bad times.  When things fall apart and everything is just at its worse situation, we can draw near to God for in Him, we can find our strength!  Amen!

→Then David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelek, “Bring me the ephod.” Abiathar brought it to him, and David inquired of the Lord, “Shall I pursue this raiding party? Will I overtake them?” “Pursue them,” he answered. “You will certainly overtake them and succeed in the rescue.” David and the six hundred men with him came to the Besor Valley, where some stayed behind. Two hundred of them were too exhausted to cross the valley, but David and the other four hundred continued the pursuit.

NOTES:

Ø When we put God first and seek His will at all times, He will give us answers that will satisfy both His plan and our heart’s desires!  We ought to inquire of God for every move we take especially actions that are stepping into a fine line of wrong intentions!  David was angry because of what the Amalekites did to them and his human nature speaks of revenge but when he found strength in God, though his nature speaks strongly to pursue the Amalekites, David place God first and inquired of His will rather than indulging his own will.  God will give us guidance when we seek of it and when we put Him first, He will provide us with direction that will not only satisfy His will but even our own desires!  When we carry it out, the intentions are no longer revenge but it becomes in pursuit of God’s will, making it good intention rather than giving in to your bad intention.

→ They found an Egyptian in a field and brought him to David. They gave him water to drink and food to eat— part of a cake of pressed figs and two cakes of raisins. He ate and was revived, for he had not eaten any food or drunk any water for three days and three nights. David asked him, “Who do you belong to? Where do you come from?” He said, “I am an Egyptian, the slave of an Amalekite. My master abandoned me when I became ill three days ago. We raided the Negev of the Kerethites, some territory belonging to Judah and the Negev of Caleb. And we burned Ziklag.”  David asked him, “Can you lead me down to this raiding party?” He answered, “Swear to me before God that you will not kill me or hand me over to my master, and I will take you down to them.”

NOTES:

Ø God gives us the right perspective on how to act in a mission without compromising ourselves and He provides us asset in our journey of winning God’s battles!  David and his men were ready to fight the Amalekites and found an Egyptian in a field, instead of not caring and being focus on their mission, David did not forget to show kindness to those who are in need.  This kindness led for the Egyptian to become their greatest asset against their enemy.  We should never forget to show kindness to those who need it because who knows what we get in return.  Even in a mission, we should not lose ourselves to it but remember that we carry a greater responsibility by becoming God’s physical representation on earth and our actions reflect on Him.  So David despite of his mission, did not forget what God will do when He finds someone in desperate need of care and love.  Hallelujah!  This did not divert David’s attention from his mission but it actually gave him better perspective on how to win his mission.  The same with us today, we ought to act as how Jesus would do.  We are focus on our mission but we do not lose ourselves to it that we end up, caught up in its web and eventually lose our personality or God’s Spirit in us.  Let us allow God to move in us.

→He led David down, and there they were, scattered over the countryside, eating, drinking and reveling because of the great amount of plunder they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from Judah.  David fought them from dusk until the evening of the next day, and none of them got away, except four hundred young men who rode off on camels and fled.  David recovered everything the Amalekites had taken, including his two wives. Nothing was missing: young or old, boy or girl, plunder or anything else they had taken. David brought everything back.  He took all the flocks and herds, and his men drove them ahead of the other livestock, saying, “This is David’s plunder.”  Then David came to the two hundred men who had been too exhausted to follow him and who were left behind at the Besor Valley. They came out to meet David and the men with him. As David and his men approached, he asked them how they were.  But all the evil men and troublemakers among David’s followers said, “Because they did not go out with us, we will not share with them the plunder we recovered. However, each man may take his wife and children and go.”  David replied, “No, my brothers, you must not do that with what the Lord has given us. He has protected us and delivered into our hands the raiding party that came against us.  Who will listen to what you say? The share of the man who stayed with the supplies is to be the same as that of him who went down to the battle. All will share alike.” David made this a statute and ordinance for Israel from that day to this. When David reached Ziklag, he sent some of the plunder to the elders of Judah, who were his friends, saying, “Here is a gift for you from the plunder of the Lord’s enemies.” David sent it to those who were in Bethel, Ramoth Negev and Jattir;  to those in Aroer,Siphmoth, Eshtemoa and Rakal; to those in the towns of the Jerahmeelites and the Kenites; to those in Hormah, Bor Ashan, Athak and Hebron; and to those in all the other places where he and his men had roamed.

NOTES:

Ø God’s love, grace and favor abounds and it brings fairness in a world of unjust!  People think, “no work, no pay” but God says, “God works and you get paid”!  This is how God works!  He does the heavy lifting for us and fight our battles but all of us share the win and the plunder!  We cannot boast of what we did and become selfish by not sharing our plunder because we did not win the battle, God did.  And He said that everything will be shared to His people, those who became part of the fight and even those who stayed behind.  We ought to have this mindset so that we will not have any reason to be selfish.  Praise Jesus because He did all the work and now, we are just enjoying the plunder and whether, we took part in the fight or not, we still get to enjoy the plunder!  Hallelujah!

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, thank You for Your will to fight our battles.  Thank You for the wins and the spoils You freely give us even when we did not participate or we did not do anything.  Thank You Lord for every victory comes from You and we cannot boast about what we did because everything is because of You.  Lord help us to remember this at all times that I may not become selfish and will always share what I have to others.  So that I will not claim anything of mine because in reality, there is nothing that belongs to me.  Lord thank You for Your wisdom that gives me the right perspective to face my battles.  Thank You because You give me assets in my journey that will help me overcome and win my fight.  Thank You because You always know my heart’s desire and when I seek only for Your will, You will satisfy those desires without compromising myself into making a wrong decision or sin.  Thank You Lord because when we focus on You, we will not lose ourselves in our daily battles and we will always act in the guidance of Your Spirit, reflecting Your works in the world.  Thank You Lord because in You we find our strength in bitter and difficult times of our lives.  Thank You for everything Lord and I see that Your love, grace and favor on us, always shows and comes first.  Thank You.  In Jesus’ Name, Amen!