WHAT A BRUOHAHA IN A PRECARIOUS SITUATION – The Church Of Christ, 15 Grey Street, Warri

THEME: FINDING STRENGTH IN GOD

Text: 1 SAMUEL 30:1-6

By: ADEOYE, EMMANUEL (EVANG.)

BRUOHAHA IS A SITUATION THAT CAUSES UPSET, ANGER, OR CONFUSION

PRECARIOUS IS A SITUATION WHEN YOU ARE NOT IN COMPLETE CONTROL OF EVENTS AND MIGHT FAIL IN WHAT YOU ARE DOING AT ANY MOMENT

1 SAM 30:1-6
Now it happened, when David and his men came to Ziklag, on the third day, that the Amalekites had invaded the South and Ziklag, and smitten Ziklag, burned it with fire,

2 And had taken captive the women and those who were there, from small to great; they did not kill anyone, but carried them away and went their way.

3 So David and his men came to the city, and there it was, burned with fire; and their wives, their sons, and their daughters had been taken captive.

4 Then David and the people who were with him lifted up their voices and wept, until they had no more power to weep.

5 And David’s two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the widow of Nabal the Carmelite, had been taken captive.

6 Now David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and his daughters. BUT DAVID STRENGTHENED HIMSELF IN THE LORD HIS GOD.

David and his band were kept from fighting with the Philistines, but they still had a battle to fight, this time with the Amalekites, the sworn enemies of the Lord and of the Jews (Ex 17:8-16; Deut 25:17). Because Saul had won an incomplete victory over the Amalekites (1 Sam 15:1-11), they were still free to attack God’s people.

Perhaps the Lord permitted this raid on Ziklag to encourage David to get out of enemy territory and go back to Judah where he belonged. The Amalekite leaders knew that David was at Gath and that all attention was focused on the confrontation between Israel and the Philistines. This was a perfect time to retaliate against David for his raids and to pick up some booty as well.

Since most of the men were with David, the residents of Ziklag could put up no resistance and the invaders simply kidnapped the people and took whatever wealth they could find. They burned the city, an act of vengeance on their part but perhaps a message from the Lord that it was time for David to think about returning to Judah.

We can but imagine the horror and grief of David and his 600 men who had never lost a battle. Their city was burned, their wealth had been confiscated, and their wives and children had been kidnapped. It was the mercy of the Lord that the Amalekites spared the lives of the women and children, for in their raids David and his men had certainly killed their share of enemy women and children.

The verb “carried them away” (30:2) is literally “drove them off” and paints the picture of animals being driven off by the herdsmen. The men wore themselves out in weeping and David was “greatly distressed,” a verb that means he was pressed into a tight corner, the way a potter would press clay into a mold.

Different people react in different ways to the same circumstances, because what life does to us depends on what life finds in us. Some of the people wanted to stone David, which was certainly a foolish response. They needed their leader now more than ever, and how would his death solve their problem? We don’t blame the men for being grieved, but we question their allowing their hearts to run ahead of their heads.

David knew that the encouragement he needed could only come from the Lord. He ordered Abiathar the priest to bring the ephod and together they sought the will of the Lord. Saul had consulted the Lord but had received no answer (28:3-6), but the Lord graciously replied to David’s request. David was hardly in a place of complete obedience, but God answered him just the same (Ps 103:3-10).

Assured by the Lord that his pursuit of the enemy would meet with success, David and his men took off on their beasts and traveled sixteen miles to the brook Besor where 200 men had to stop because they were exhausted. (The Hebrew word translated “faint” means “dead tired.”) That might have discouraged David, but he and his 400 men continued to travel. But where should they go? The Lord hadn’t told them where the Amalekites were camped, but David trusted the Lord to guide him.

It was then that they found an Egyptian slave whom his Amalekite master had abandoned because he was ill. The man could have perished in the wilderness, but the Lord had kept him alive for the sake of His servant David. The slave’s master must have been an important man because his servant knew the plans of the Amalekite raiding party and could lead David to their camp. The master hoped that the man would die, but the Lord kept him alive so David could rescue the families that had been kidnapped.

In their exuberant false confidence, the Amalekites were celebrating their great victory when David and his men attacked and caught the camp by surprise. They killed all the Amalekites, except 400 young men who escaped, rescued all the people who had been kidnapped, and recovered all the belongings that had been taken from Ziklag. It was a total victory for David, but it was also a profitable victory, because David took the wealth and booty of the Amalekites and claimed it for himself.

As you review what the Lord did for David in that dark hour in his life, you can better understand how He helps His people when problems and crises come into their lives. First, the Lord encouraged David so that he didn’t despair but trusted the Lord to help him. Whenever a crisis comes, we need the courage to face it, and we must not try to blame others or pretend that nothing is wrong. The Lord also gave David wisdom to know what to do and the strength to do it.

He and his men were weary, but the Lord enabled David and 400 of his men to persevere in their quest for the Amalekite invaders. The Lord also provided David with the facts he needed so he could find where the enemy was camping in that vast wilderness. When we step out by faith and trust the Lord, He will guide us when we need it. Finally, God gave David and his men the strength they needed to defeat the enemy and recover the prisoners and their wealth.

“Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass” (Ps 37:5).

LESSONS TO TAKE HOME