The Joy of Your Salvation

Synopsis     1Sam 30:13-22     11/9/2018

David and his men followed after the Amalekite raiders who had sacked Ziklag. Along the way, they discovered an Egyptian slave who had been abandoned by the Amalekite raiders. So, they fed him and gave him protection in exchange for information.

The Egyptian slave led David and his men to the Amalekite raiders. When they arrived, David and him men found the Amalekite raiders celebrating their great haul of booty. So David’s men engaged and defeated the Amalekites. And they recovered all of their people. Besides that, they also took possession of a great haul of plunder.

And so, David led his men and their families back. It wasn’t long before the four-hundred reunited with the forces that had been left behind at the Wadi Besor. As they did, there was some contention amongst the men on who should receive a share in the plunder.

David’s Family Restored

God restored David’s. Understandably, it was an extraordinary emotional relief. More than that, it was a great joy.

I try to imagine my family kidnapped and taken away. The horror and anguish of not knowing what happened would overwhelm. And the feeling of powerlessness in being able to help. And the uncertainty of knowing where to even begin to look for them.

David and his family experienced all of this. And as I reflect on this moment, it must not be lost on me: this was the future royal family of Israel. For some reason, God allowed even them to experience this heartache for a few days. If nothing else, it’s a sobering reminder that the distance from royalty to slavery was only ever a few moments in time.

But, for them the anguish was overcome with the joy of restoration. It was a joy that would be hard to forget.

The Joy of Salvation

Your returning to God was just that: a returning. In that moment you suddenly realized that God made your spirit to be happy in Him. He meant for your spirit to be happy in relationship with Jesus.

And on that day when you fully came to Him, this was your entire satisfaction. This was your joy.

So remember.

And re-enter.

Listen quietly to God in Prayer.

“Restore to me the gladness of your salvation; uphold me with a willing spirit.” Psalm 51:14

Look to the Lord and Act

Synopsis     1Sam 29:11-30:12     11/6/2018

The Philistines rejected David and his warriors. So, King Achish directed them to return to Ziklag immediately. This prevented David and his men from participating in the great Battle for Mount Gilboa.

The trip was nearly fifty miles long. So, it took several days to journey. And when David and his men arrived back to Ziklag, they were horrified. The Amalekites had raided their city. And they took all of the people to be sold into slavery. Additionally, the city was burned and in ruins.

Naturally, David’s warriors grieved. They wept loudly. And they blamed David for their misfortune. So much so, that they nearly stoned him in revolt.

But David looked to the Lord. He called the priest Abiathar. And then he conferred with God through the priest. He received word to pursue the Amalekite raiders. And so his men began the pursuit, though not all of them were able to press through the journey.

David Looked to the Lord

David knew the loneliness of leadership. And, in the moment of his greatest grief and a near mutiny against him, he sought the counsel of the Lord. He needed answers and direction. And so, though it was not his intention, he demonstrated what was most real and trustworthy in his life.

And God answered him. So, David pursued even though he and his men were nearly exhausted. He took action.

Look to the Lord and Act

Everyone interprets their circumstances. And most people are remarkably willing to interpret other people’s circumstances. But, David looked to the Lord for interpretation. So, if I respond like he did, then I’ll make it my business to look for God’s perspective. And like David, this could end up feeling a little bit lonely.

Loneliness: It can be disorienting. Feeling lonely when there are other people around is counter-intuitive. So my natural tendency is to think, “It shouldn’t be like this. How can I be lonely in the midst of a crowd?”

But loneliness isn’t my adversary. Instead, it’s a signal that what I need only God can provide.

So go to God. And then act.

Seek out the LORD and his might; constantly seek his face. Psalms 105:4

God’s Plan and My Plans

Synopsis     1Sam 29:3-10     11/4/2018

The Philistine commanders assembled their army for battle against King Saul and the army of Israel. The Philistines were ruled by a system of five kingdoms. And, each of these was centered on one of five major cities.

Accordingly, each city–state brought forces to the battleground. And from these, the Philistine leaders constructed their army. As the leaders prepared the Philistine army for the final push to Jezreel, they began the work of arranging their forces. The order of battle was a critical strategic concern.

It was at this point that the Philistine commanders realized that Achish, the king of Gath, had brought Hebrew fighters. Unsurprisingly, the commanders rejected Achish’s plan to include the Hebrews in the order of battle. And so, the other Philistine kings forced King Achish to send David and his men back to Ziklag.

David’s Plan, God’s Plan

This was the moment that David had waited for. He wanted to serve as the rear guard of the Philistine army. When the Philistines entered battle against Saul, David would surely have attacked. And from this advantageous position, he would have heroically won the battle for Israel.

Without a doubt, David was sure this would win great victory for Israel. And the victory would forever restore his place in Israel.

But God had already determined the outcome of the battle. Samuel had prophesied Saul and Jonathan’s death. David’s plan was not God’s plan.

God’s Plan and My Plans

In this respect, I am like David. I have all these plans. And they’re good plans. What’s more, they are plans that honor God and serve other people.

And God doesn’t hate my plans. It’s just that He has other plans. In fact, His plan is an ultimate plan. So, from His viewpoint, my job is to meet the challenge before me. But it’s never my job to create new challenges to meet.

Even so, my tendency is to build sandcastles of my own design. I sit on the beach thinking, “I’ve really accomplished something”. And then comes the tide and the wave. And I wonder that God refused to preserve my sandcastle.

Sure, He could have preserved it. But, to what end?

It’s time for me to choose to worship the God who controls tide and wave. And then I can let go of my idols –  and my sandcastles.

Will one who argues with the Almighty be corrected? Let him who would instruct God give answer! Job 40:2

You Suck – So What?

Synopsis     1Sam 28:17-29:2     11/2/2018

Saul and Samuel conversed. Samuel was dead but a medium from Endor had conjured his spirit at Saul’s request. Samuel informed Saul that the army of Israel would lose its battle against the Philistines. And Samuel also told Saul that both he and his sons would be killed the next day.

Samuel’s message devastated Saul. Because of his anxiety, he had not eaten for the entire day. In fact, he was so weak that the medium prepared a meal for him. After he ate, he felt revived. And then Saul returned to his army that was encamped at Jezreel.

Saul Missed The Boat

Saul is roundly criticized because he lived a failed life. At least, that is how his life is widely, and perhaps rightly, interpreted. But it never had to end this way. He could have chosen differently at any moment.

But he didn’t. God gave him potential. Like everyone, it came to him moment-by-moment. And moment-by-moment he consistently wasted what he had been given.

You Suck – So What?

In our time, it’s seems odd to even speak in these terms. The post-modern tendency is the want to believe that no one lives a “failed” life.

But despite this, we intuitively and rightly hang on to the language of success. Though we resist judging someone else’s life as a “failure”, we innately perceive success.

Successful people are those who have converted their potential into actual achievements. They had time. They had resources. And they had personal gifts. They used these to create value. And that’s what most people call success.

So, the opposite is failure.

But, here’s the rub: no one converts all their potential. Even the most successful people waste most of their time and resources. So, it’s fair to say that we have all failed.

And, of course, that’s the fundamental Christian claim. We have all failed. And especially, we have all failed our Creator. In other words, we have all lived failed lives. So it follows, we need a Savior.

And, God saved me. So now, I have a relationship with Him. Still, as I look at my life of wasted potential, I’m tempted to self-pity. I think to myself, “I SUCK”. I feel depressed.

OK, so let’s face that. Maybe it’s true. Maybe “you suck”. So what?

God has given you a new moment. He’s created for you one more moment in time. Use it.

Go out and love God. Go out and love your neighbor as yourself.

“Arise! Shine, for your light has come, the glory of the LORD has dawned upon you” Isaiah 60:1

“Wanting To Know” And Anxiety

Synopsis     1Sam 28:7-16     11/2/2018

The Philistines had massed for battle against Israel. In response, Saul mustered his forces on Gilboa.

Saul’s practice was to inquire of the Lord before entering into battle. However, God was silent to Saul. So in desperation, Saul decided to inquire through a medium. His advisors told him that there was a woman who practiced divination at the nearby town of Endor.

So Saul went there and inquired. He asked to speak with the deceased prophet Samuel. And so, the woman conjured Samuel. Through the medium, Samuel informed Saul that God had indeed taken the kingdom away from him and given it to David.

The Need to Control And The Wanting To Know 

Saul wanted to know what he was supposed to do. He wanted more information before he decided how to proceed in battle. And in his past experience, God had always communicated with him, either through prophets or in dreams or through the Urim and Thummim.

Saul was a tortured man. He lived with great anxiety. He spent his time focused on a future that he wanted to control but could not. Ideally, he was like many people; he wanted to live forever. And he wanted to rule Israel forever. But short of that, he wanted his descendants to rule after him. Still, in trying to force all these things he  wanted, he ended up disobeying the instructions of the prophet Samuel. And in the end, he persecuted David – a faithful and innocent man. And he killed nearly all the priests from the line of Eli.

He sought the Lord in vain because he had destroyed his relationship with God. His anxiety concerning the future drove him to self-destruct.

“Wanting To Know” And Anxiety

Fear is the appropriate response to something dangerous. So, when something is actually and immediately threatening my life, it’s right for me to feel afraid and react in fear – to fight or flee. That’s how I’m made. That’s how we’re all made.

But anxiety is basically having the “fear-feeling” kind of value response, and then acting in fear, when there is nothing actually, immediately threatening. Anxious feelings anticipate the bad that hasn’t even arrived – that isn’t actually here. True enough, maybe it will come. But then, maybe it won’t.

So let’s make a commitment – you and me. Let’s wait to cross the fear bridge until we actually have something to fear.

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat [or drink], or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?” Matt 6:25

You Will Be Misunderstood And That’s OK

Synopsis     1Sam 27:7-28:6     11/1/2018

David took protection from the Philistine king Achish. Initially he lived with Achish in the city of Gath. Later, Achish gave him the village of Ziklag where he and his men could live.

David and Achish had an understanding. Basically, David was to raid and pillage in order to get booty. Achish received a portion of this. In exchange, Achish gave David protection from Saul. This went on for one year and four months.

David began raiding nearby villages. Achish thought that David was raiding against Israelite villages. For this reason, he believed that David had created an irreversible chasm between his army and the Israelite people. However, in reality David was raiding nearby villages controlled by other peoples.

Achish became fond of David and trusted him. He even named David his “permanent bodyguard”. Soon thereafter, the Philistines went to war against Israel. As the Philistines prepared for the battle against Israel, Achish insisted that David and his men fight alongside the Philistines. And David agreed.

David Was Misunderstood By Achish

Achish interpreted David’s behavior in the light of his own values. He thought he understood David. But he really didn’t. And David was astute. He realized that Achich was misinterpreting his motives and actions. He even capitalized on Achish’s naivety

You Will Be Misunderstood And That’s OK.

If you’re doing God’s will – if you are a Christ follower, then you will be misunderstood. This is no surprise.

Someone who does not share your values or your motivations can only interpret your behavior in the light of their own experience. And man’s ways are simply not the same as the life God has called you to live.

So you, Christ-follower, have abandoned yourself to the will of God. And the more complete this abandonment, the more completely misunderstood you will be by anyone who does not share this motivation.

“For our boast is this, the testimony of our conscience that we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially toward you, with the simplicity and sincerity of God, [and] not by human wisdom but by the grace of God.” 2Cor 1:12

You Work For The Lord

Synopsis     1Sam 26:21-27:6     10/31/2018

David entered Saul’s camp and took his spear and water jug. This was the second time that David had easy opportunity to kill the king but refused. David then went to a nearby hilltop and questioned Saul at a distance in front of the entire army. He asked why Saul continued to pursue him even though David had never acted unfaithfully.

Once again, Saul acknowledged his error. He then asked David to return. But David was wary of Saul. After the encounter, he decided to seek protection with the Philistines. So he approached Achish, the king of Gath.

Achish allowed David to stay with the Philistines. Eventually, David asked to live in a smaller town away from Gath. Achish gave David the town of Ziklag.

The Lord Repays Everyone’s Righteousness and Faithfulness

David held the belief that God repays everyone according to their actions – whether or not they are righteous and faithful.

For David, everything came from the Lord. Even personal protection came from God. Therefore, he was careful to do nothing that could injure his relationship with God.

You Work For The Lord

I work for the Lord. He has a claim over everything I do. And I acknowledge that claim. When I work – I work for Him. When I relate to my wife, He wants me to support His plans for her life. And, when I parent, He wants me to agree with His plans for lives of my children. This is right. And this is faith.

So, this is righteousness and faithfulness: to respond to others in accordance with God’s plan for each precious life.

My protection. My hope. And my joy are all tied to understanding this.

“Look, the heavens, even the highest heavens, belong to the LORD, your God, as well as the earth and everything on it.” Deut 10:14

Confidence In God’s Faithfulness

Synopsis     1Sam 26:11-20     10/30/2018

David and Abishai had entered Saul’s camp while Saul and all the soldiers slept. Although Abishai asked permission to kill Saul, David refused. Instead he opted to take Saul’s spear and his personal water jug that had been located near his head as he slept.

The two men then made their way to a nearby hilltop. Abner was the general in charge of Saul’s forces. In the morning, David addressed the army by castigating Abner. David teased Abner because he had left the king unguarded in the night.

Finally, Saul responded to David. At this point, David spoke to Saul. He challenged Saul concerning whether or not his persecution of David and David’s men was based on a word from God. Or, if Saul’s persecution was based on the intrigue of men at Saul’s court.

David Meets Saul With Confidence

It’s important to note that this encounter is nothing like the first encounter with Saul in the cave. At that time, David happened to be in a cave where Saul entered to relieve himself. Afterward, David spoke to Saul alone after he left the cave.

But this encounter was a different set of circumstances. David was fully in charge of the situation. He had scouts. And he had forces at this disposal. He could have challenged Saul directly.

But instead, he showed his prowess by walking into Saul’s camp and taking Saul’s possessions. He didn’t steal. Instead, he demonstrated that he was fully in control. Saul could no longer reach him. And even under these circumstances, he refused to kill Saul. This was his evidence of his faithfulness.

Confidence in God’s Faithfulness

This has been a journey for you. The choice to follow Christ hasn’t come without cost. And at first, you felt the constant harassment of evil.

But now you’re coming to the place where you see things more for what they actually are. And because of this you are able to speak wisdom into the circumstances around you. You are able to speak wisdom even into the lives of people who treat you like their adversary.

It’s not pride. This is the mark of David. You are progressing along the way. You have begun to gain confidence in God’s faithfulness. Still plenty to learn and do. Yet, you’ve come to the point where some of these experiences with Jesus could never really be taken away.

“He will shelter you with his pinions, and under his wings you may take refuge; his faithfulness is a protecting shield.” Psalm 91:4

Success and Self-Control

Synopsis     1Sam25:43-26:10     10/29/2018

Beside Abigail, David also married Ahinoam. She was a woman from Jezreel which was a city in central Israel.

Saul heard that David was in the wilderness near Ziph. So, once again, Saul went to the region to pursue David. However, this time David was aware of Saul’s movements. David was established now and more prepared to meet the challenge of Saul’s army.

Saul camped near Hachilah, along the side of the road. David’s scouts reported the location of Saul’s army. So, David determined to go to Saul. He asked some of his most trusted men if they wanted to accompany him. Abishai, the brother of Joab, volunteered.

The two men went to Saul’s camp and found Saul and his general Abner both asleep. In fact, the entire army was asleep. Abishai wanted to kill Saul. But, once again, David refused to kill “the Lord’s anointed”.

David’s Self-Control

David wasn’t perfect. But when he made thoughtful decisions, his goal was to do that which was pleasing in God’s sight. In this case, David understood that to strike Saul was the same as to fight against the one, true, God who had chosen Saul to be king.

In his life’s story, there isn’t any record where David deliberately and knowingly crossed against God’s purposes. That was his rule. This is where he was disciplined. For him, it was the line that couldn’t be crossed.

Success and Self-Control

Self-control is the foundation of a successful life.

But what do I really control? It’s kind of a challenging question. There are so many things in my environment that I don’t control. Maybe for some of them I have influence, but not really control.

Alternatively, people say I can control my responses. And there’s clearly some merit to this idea. Though my experience makes it pretty clear that most people struggle with having real control over their responses. And this doesn’t really address what happens when I’m reacting – especially when I’m reacting out of some habit.

But the one thing that really does seem to be indivisibly under my control is where I chose to give my attention. Deliberately choosing to pay attention – this is true temperance. Because everything in environment, everything that I respond to, first begins with the attention I pay to it.

David paid attention to God. He paid attention to what God wanted. That was his discipline. And by directing his attention first to what God wanted, his actions followed naturally. Hence, he did what God wanted. And he did it not because he was following a rote knowledge of God’s commands. Instead, he gave attention to the things that were important to God.

Wherever I give my attention – my values and my thoughts and my actions will inevitably follow.

“The patient are better than warriors, and those who rule their temper, better than the conqueror of a city.” Prov 16:32

Is It Better To Be Right Or Successful?

Synopsis     1Sam 25:32-42     10/28/2018

Abigail presented gifts to David and his men. She hoped to atone for Nabal’s foolish insults. And David accepted her gifts. What’s more, he acknowledged that Abigail was a woman of incredible wisdom.

Abigail returned to her home. When she did, she found Nabal hosting a banquet. And he had drunk far too much. So, she chose not to tell him about the gifts she offered David until the next day. In the morning, she told Nabal of her encounter with David and his men. Nabal was immediately struck with symptoms that resembled a stroke. He languished for ten days before finally dying.

When David heard of Nabal’s death, he sent messengers to Abigail. They proposed marriage on David’s behalf. Abigail accepted with great humility. And then, she immediately departed to meet David at his stronghold.

David Took the High Road

Abigail’s plea for mercy was an encouragement to David. More specifically, it was an effort to remind David to take the “high road” and not stoop to paying Nabal back.

Abigail persuaded David with her appeal. He showed mercy to her and to Nabal’s entire house. It was an act of grace.

Is It Better To Be Right Or Successful?

David was faced with the choice of whether to be right or to be successful. To be right, in this sense, means to contest with another person. It means – I don’t care if I’m successful as long as everyone acknowledges that I’ m correct.

Wisdom, on the other hand, means to effectively order the things under my control. It means knowing how to be successful. And very often when working with other people, it means letting go of the need to be acknowledged.

The God of all Creation has imbued you with the creative power of wisdom. So let go of everything else and work through wisdom.

“Beloved, do not look for revenge but leave room for the wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” Rom 12:19

 

 

.