Pam Padgett ... teacher
To keep from being killed by Saul, David and his men escaped to the
land of the Philistines, going to Achish, the son of Maoch, king of
Gath. The families of David and his men were with them, and Achish gave
the town of Ziklag for them to live. When the Philistines gathered to
fight with Israel, Achish wanted David and his men to go to battle with
them, but the princes of the Philistines did not. David and his men returned to Ziklag. (1 Sam. 27-29)
When David and his men returned to Ziklag, however, they found that
the Amalekites had taken their wives and children captive and had burned
Ziklag. David and his men greatly grieved ...
1 Samuel 30:1 And it came to pass, when David and his men were
come to Ziklag on the third day, that the Amalekites had invaded the
south, and Ziklag, and smitten Ziklag, and burned it with fire; 2 And
had taken the women captives, that were therein: they slew not any,
either great or small, but carried them away, and went on their way. 3
So David and his men came to the city, and, behold, it was burned with
fire; and their wives, and their sons, and their daughters, were taken
captives. 4 Then David and the people that were with him lifted up their
voice and wept, until they had no more power to weep. 5 And David's two
wives were taken captives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the
wife of Nabal the Carmelite.
David was further distressed when the people turned against him,
speaking of stoning him in their grief. But David didn't react against
the people or try to win their support by reasonings. Instead, David
encouraged himself in God ...
1 Samuel 30:6 And David was greatly distressed; for the people
spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved,
every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the Lord his God.
encourage: give support, confidence, hope, advice to; to give active help or to raise confidence to the point where one dares to do what is difficult
David didn't look to his men to give him support, confidence, hope,
advice. David encouraged himself in God, looking to God to support him
and give him confidence, hope, and show him what to do. And David did what God told him ...
1 Samuel 30:7 And David said to Abiathar the
priest, Ahimelech's son, I pray thee, bring me hither the ephod. And
Abiathar brought thither the ephod to David. 8 And David enquired at the Lord,
saying, Shall I pursue after this troop? shall I overtake them? And he
answered him, Pursue: for thou shalt surely overtake them, and without
fail recover all. 9 So David went, he and the six hundred men that were
with him, and came to the brook Besor, where those that were left behind
stayed. 10 But David pursued, he and four hundred men: for two hundred
abode behind, which were so faint that they could not go over the brook
Besor.
The servant of one of the Amalekites was found left in a field
because he had fallen ill. He was brought to David and given food.
David asked the young man to take them to where the Amalekites were. In
exchange for not being given back to his master, the young man did as
David asked. David and his men killed all but four hundred of the Amalekites, and all that had been taken was recovered; nothing was lacking ....
1 Samuel 30:16 And when he had brought him down,
behold, they were spread abroad upon all the earth, eating and drinking,
and dancing, because of all the great spoil that they had taken out of
the land of the Philistines, and out of the land of Judah. 17 And David
smote them from the twilight even unto the evening of the next day: and
there escaped not a man of them, save four hundred young men, which rode
upon camels, and fled. 18 And David recovered all that the Amalekites
had carried away: and David rescued his two wives. 19 And there was
nothing lacking to them, neither small nor great, neither sons nor
daughters, neither spoil, nor any thing that they had taken to them:
David recovered all.
David encouraged himself in God, turning to God and asking what to do, then doing that. David's hope was in God, not man.
It isn't wise for us to depend on others, no matter how well-meaning, to give us support, confidence, hope, advice. Like David, it is God who can provide these things for us, giving us the ability to do according to HIS will for us. We turn to God and do as HE shows us, encouraging ourselves in God, not man.