April 19 - 1 Samuel 30:1-31 | 1 Chronicles 12:20-22 | 1 Samuel 31:1-13 | 1 Chronicles 10:1-14 | 1 Chronicles 9:40-44 | 2 Samuel 4:4 | 2 Samuel 1:1-27

Good morning everyone,

When we left David yesterday, not being allowed to participate in the attack on Israel, he was headed back to his town of Ziklag. Today we read that when he got there he found the city burned to the ground and all of the women and children taken captive along with all of their goods. Obviously no one was happy about this, in fact, his men were talking about stoning him but … but … and get this because this is totally awesome, David turned back to the Lord. Oh how I absolutely love that. David had become depressed, he had backslidden, was doing worldly things, had quit talking to the Lord, but here when his wives and children had been taken away, his town burnt down his friends are turning against him, he no longer looks to the world for help, he doesn’t try to fix it in his own strength, no, David falls to his knees and finds strength and direction from the Lord. He asks God “Shall I pursue this raiding party? Will I overtake them?” God says “Yes, go.”

So David takes his six hundred men and pursues the Amalekites who stole from them, however along the way two hundred of the men found it to be too exhausting to go on. David says no problem stay here and guard the supplies while I, and the others, push on. They find their families unharmed and all of the plunder that had been taken from them and head back. Now when they get back to the two hundred guys that had remained behind, we’re told  “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.” But David said, “Yea … you need to rethink that. They will get the same share as you, everyone will get the same.” How is that important to us? Well, it lets us know that while the ones who go out and evangelize, or do missions, or boldly stand in front of an abortion center protesting, or anyone who goes to the front line of God’s battle field, will receive rewards when they get to heaven, so shall the little people, the ones who work behind the scenes, the ones who stay back and pray for those on the front line, they will get an equal share of the reward in heaven. Did I make that make sense? I hope so. God doesn’t play favorites. 

Chapter 31 finds Saul on the battle field wounded by an arrow. Jonathan and his two brothers are already dead, and Saul, knowing he is a goner, will fall on his sword in an attempt to take his own life though, it is thought to be a failed attempt because as we will read later, an Amalekite will go to David claiming he found Saul, laying on his sword, still alive and then killed him. Nonetheless, the Philistines, while collecting the plunder and checking out the who’s who of the slaughtered will find Saul dead and behead him. So ends the book of 1 Samuel.

Now in 2 Samuel, chapter 1, we get to that Amalekite I mentioned before, the one who tracks David down and informed him of the death of Jonathan, and also the death of king Saul claiming he was the one who struck the final blow to Saul and hands over Saul’s crown and the band from his arm. Oh how this broke David’s heart. You see, even though for years Saul sought to capture and perhaps even kill David, they had a history before that, and even a history through all of that. David loved Saul like a father and Jonathan like a brother. As I write this now, a tear falls down my cheek as I imagine how sorrowful David had to have been knowing he would never see these two men, who for decades had been such a huge part of his life, ever again. My mind’s eye sees him reflecting on the many times, in days gone by, he’d shared a meal with Saul, or seen the “atta boy” smile on Saul’s face when he’d returned from a victorious battle, or when Jonathan gifted his sword to him after he’d slain Goliath, or the time Jonathan sought him out to encourage him in God. Yes, David’s heart was mournful and melancholy as he wrote a lament for Saul and for Jonathan proclaiming “How the mighty have fallen. How the mighty have fallen” thus ending one season of David’s life. Ecclesiastes 3:1 reminds us “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.” God’s got big plans for David in his new season coming up and He’s got big plans for you and for me too if we will but let Him use us. Let’s live our lives on our knees forever seeking the will of God. Amen?

I pray you all have an amazing day, to God be the glory.

God bless you all…