When the enemy deals a blow so hard that it affects us and all we love around us; what is our first response?  Is our first thought to fight back, seek revenge, take back what was taken from us?  Some of that will happen in David’s time when dealing with evil culture groups who are vicious and unrelenting; but not without asking God first for His take on the situation with what to do next. What we learn today is one very important life principle of discipline that David practiced often.  We see it clearly as we follow the adventures of David.  The principle is a two-part disciplined response by God’s leader to devasting circumstances.  First, David stopped to access the damage done, wept over the lives of those he loved, but in his distress— “David found strength in the Lord his God.”  Secondly, while his soldiers mourned in the valley of bitterness, “David inquired of the Lord

This same two-part disciplined principle is demonstrated perfectly by Jesus, Son of God, who came down from heaven to walk and talk with humanity.  This principle was most evident as Jesus preached and taught all who would listen.  This principle came loaded with power from on high as He provided help and healing for those without hope. John and the other gospels as well wrote what Jesus said about this important principle of life that we all must pursue!

The statement “I do nothing except what the Father tells me” is just one of the many similar quotes of Jesus as recorded throughout the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Specifically, you will find this principle clearly stated in John 5:19. It signifies Jesus’s complete dependence on and obedience to God the Father, emphasizing that Jesus responds to God first and acts only in accordance with God’s will and direction. This life principle highlights Jesus’s role as the Son of God, who operates in perfect unity with the Father, God—not independently. 

Perhaps now David’s well read, quoted often, and lovingly sung will have greater meaning for us now;

The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” Psalm 23

1 Samuel 30

David Destroys the Amalekites

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, ² 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.

³ When David and his men reached Ziklag, they found it destroyed by fire and their wives and sons and daughters taken captive. ⁴ So David and his men wept aloud until they had no strength left to weep. ⁵ David’s two wives had been captured—Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail, the widow of Nabal of Carmel. ⁶ 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.

⁷ Then David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelek, “Bring me the ephod.” Abiathar brought it to him, ⁸ 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.”

⁹ David and the six hundred men with him came to the Besor Valley, where some stayed behind. ¹⁰ Two hundred of them were too exhausted to cross the valley, but David and the other four hundred continued the pursuit.

¹¹ They found an Egyptian in a field and brought him to David. They gave him water to drink and food to eat— ¹² 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.

¹³ 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. ¹⁴ We raided the Negev of the Kerethites, some territory belonging to Judah and the Negev of Caleb. And we burned Ziklag.”

¹⁵ 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.”

¹⁶ 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. ¹⁷ 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. ¹⁸ David recovered everything the Amalekites had taken, including his two wives. ¹⁹ Nothing was missing: young or old, boy or girl, plunder or anything else they had taken. David brought everything back. ²⁰ He took all the flocks and herds, and his men drove them ahead of the other livestock, saying, “This is David’s plunder.”

²¹ 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. ²² 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.”

²³ 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. ²⁴ 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.” ²⁵ David made this a statute and ordinance for Israel from that day to this.

²⁶ 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.”

²⁷ David sent it to those who were in Bethel, Ramoth Negev and Jattir; ²⁸ to those in Aroer, Siphmoth, Eshtemoa ²⁹ and Rakal; to those in the towns of the Jerahmeelites and the Kenites; ³⁰ to those in Hormah, Bor Ashan, Athak ³¹ and Hebron; and to those in all the other places where he and his men had roamed.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Without consulting God first; we assume the position of a fool. Consumed with bitterness we respond to our “feelings” in foolhardy ways. 

So, prayerfully consider the examples of David and later Jesus!  Who are we to think we are better than Jesus, Son of God, perfect and without sin, who asked the Father before doing anything of significance as one who does not need to consult God? This is GOD, our all-knowing, all powerful, and forever faithful God, who works diligently on the behalf of those who love Him and whose hearts are committed to Him.  Seriously.  We need to get a grip!

“So, friends, we can now—without hesitation—walk right up to God, into “the Holy Place.” Jesus has cleared the way by the blood of his sacrifice, acting as our priest before God. The “curtain” into God’s presence is his body.

So let’s do it—full of belief, confident that we’re presentable inside and out. Let’s keep a firm grip on the promises that keep us going. He always keeps his word. Let’s see how inventive we can be in encouraging love and helping out, not avoiding worshiping together as some do but spurring each other on, especially as we see the big Day approaching.

If we give up and turn our backs on all we’ve learned, all we’ve been given, all the truth we now know, we repudiate Christ’s sacrifice and are left on our own to face the Judgment—and a mighty fierce judgment it will be! If the penalty for breaking the law of Moses is physical death, what do you think will happen if you turn on God’s Son, spit on the sacrifice that made you whole, and insult this most gracious Spirit? This is no light matter. God has warned us that he’ll hold us to account and make us pay. He was quite explicit: ‘Vengeance is mine, and I won’t overlook a thing’ and ‘God will judge his people.’ Nobody’s getting by with anything, believe me.”—Hebrews 10:19-31, MSG

God’s Word. Truth.

Lord,

Thank you for the life principle to always see you first, inquire from you our next steps of life. Then fill us with your power and strength do what you tell us to do!  I know you will.  May our thoughts and feelings be replaced by your wisdom and knowledge.  May we all seek you first in every detail of life for you are Life!  YOU are God. We are not.  Cleanse my heart, renew my mind, refresh my soul, and restore the joy of your salvation working from the inside out of me.

In Jesus Name, Amen