1 Samuel 30
In our journey through the life of David, we’ve seen the highs of his being anointed by the prophet, Samuel, to be the next king and his victory over the giant Goliath. We have seen his lows of running for his life from the vengeful King Saul. David, the national hero of the battle between Israel and Philistia, is now a fugitive and exile living in Philistia under the tentative mercy of his enemies.
Things are looking dark for David.
They are about to get darker.
In 1 Samuel 30, we reconnect with the events of David’s life. David and his band of warriors had just been told to return to their homes because the Philistine generals didn’t trust them to fight alongside them. After a three-day journey, David and his band return to their refugee camp in Ziklag, but the town is gone. Instead of their waving wives and dancing children, they were greeted by destruction, devastation and charred remains. No loved ones. No friends. Just the ashes of their homes and dreams in the dust. The last thing David had to hold on to was now about to turn on him to destroy him. His men, bitter with pain and grief, were talking about stoning him to death.
Has your life ever looked like “Ziklag”? Have your dreams dissolved before your eyes? Have you lost a loved one or the love of your life? Does it seem like everything that could go wrong in your life has done just that? What have you done in response? What did David do in response? Well, he didn’t run for his life. He didn’t draw his sword to fight his men. David didn’t despair and doubt God and all the promises that God had made to him.
What did David do? “But David found strength in the Lord his God.” (1 Samuel 30:6)
And what did that do for David? It gave him hope. God hadn’t let him down before and wouldn’t let him down now. It gave him courage. If God could empower him to take down a giant, he could depend on God to empower him to face this “giant” problem in his life. It gave him the ability to act on his faith in God’s love and faithfulness. He rallied his men to chase the Amalekites and — though vastly outnumbered — totally defeated them and recovered their loved ones andall of the plunder.
“Nothing was missing: small or great, son or daughter, nor anything else that had been taken. David brought everything back.” (1 Samuel 30:19)
Look past your pain. Look past your problems. Listen to the stories of how God acts. Re-tell the stories of how God has blessed and led you in the past.
Listen to the promises of God to your heart. And believe. He willsee you through! He willact on your behalf! He is faithful! And He loves you!
—Terry Swenson, DMin, is director of University Spiritual Care.
