In
1st
Samuel, we have the account of David being driven into the wilderness
by Saul’s attempts to kill him. David, a man who once was so
confident in the power of God, has lost that trust. In fact, David is
so low in his walk with God that he has turned to living with the
enemy, the Philistines.
And
isn’t that what happens in marriages? In the face of
disappointment? In the face of unmet expectations? As a result of a
failure to communicate, somewhere along the line Christian couples sometimes stop listening to their Creator and they begin to follow the advice of the enemy in how we
treat each other.
Revenge rather than compassion
Revenge rather than forgiveness
Revenge rather than patience
Revenge rather than love
If
you have time, please read chapter 30 of 1st
Samuel. Read and see how this man, someone who is called a man after
God’s own heart, handled what was just about the lowest moment in
his life.
For
those who don’t have time, here’s a summary of what happened.
David and his men returned to their encampment one day to find
everything gone. Their wives. Their children. Their livestock. All
was gone and the rest had been burned to the ground.
What to do?
Distraught with anguish.
Livid with rage.
Feeling helpless and
hopeless with the certainty that everything important to them was
gone for ever, these men turned on David. Unfairly blamed, his life in danger from the hands of his own men. Bitter with false accusation, this violent man was tempted to turn on his friends.
This at last was enough to
jerk David’s chain. It caused him to return to his senses and he
remembered the One who had taken him out of the sheep pen while still a boy and
promised to make him king. David asked God what to do and God said,
“Go get your stuff back.”
David
was up for it but a large number of his men just couldn’t do it.
They had nothing emotionally left - not even to rescue their own
families. They were broken. They were discouraged. They felt
hopeless. They were done. Two hundred men who refused to help their leader.
Long
story made shorter - David and the rest of the men went and got what
had been taken from every one. They were the ones who risked their lives. They were the ones who had to face the fact that the majority thought it wasn't worth the effort.
In
human terms, the ones who stayed home deserved nothing in return.
They weren’t giving anything to the rescue operation. Why should
they get anything? Here is what made David a man after God’s own
heart.
“All
will share in what the Lord has given us.”
Like
God does with us, David had compassion. Jesus gives to us His love,
even though we aren’t deserving of it. He does that for you. How
can we who have received freely, not give freely?
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