When David was dismissed from the army of the Philistines he did not go over to the camp of Israel, but, being expelled by Saul, observed an exact neutrality, and silently retired to his own city Ziklag, leaving the armies ready to engage. (Matthew Henry)
Vv. 1-6
David had been out pursuing his lie with Achish, the king of the Philistines. While he is with Achish, Amalek burns his home and carries off hsi family. Not only his, but all those who followed him.
Our compromise always effects others. Not hurting anyone but myself is a lie of the enemy.
The Amalekites had been around for years. As soon as God's people left Egypt, Amalek was there to fight them in the wilderness. That was maybe 500 years previous to David. Amalek represents the flesh throughout the Old Testament.
Saul had been told to kill the all 38 years previously, at the start of his rule. He did not, and his disobedience cost him the kingdom. Saul's refusal also cost David here.
If David had been in the land of Judah or at home rather than out living his lie before Achish, there would have been no problem.
1. Homes destroyed, burned.
2. Wives and children captive – carried off into slavery.
We need to be sure we are where the Lord wants us, or the results will not be pleasant.
Amalek, the flesh – attacked Israel.
* Moses and Joshua fought him.
* Saul was commanded to utterly destroy him, the flesh. He spaired
the best.
* David, as he was living his lie, Amalek came and destroyed his
home and carried off his family.
While we are pursuing the flesh, i.e., that which seems right in our own eyes, we can be assured that Amalek will move in. Note that David had not been gone for very long, maybe a few days. Amalek does not waste time moving against us. At the slightest opportunity, he will be on our case.
As we do what seems right to do, our families will be carried captive. As we are out doing what we feel is best, yet is not according to God's word, our families will also do what they feel is best.
NOTE—WHAT WE FEEL IS BEST MIGHT EVEN BE "SERVING GOD," BUT IF OUR PRIORITY IS WRONG IN THAT SERVICE, OUR FAMILIES ARE GONE. A MAN'S FIRST PRIORITY AFTER HIS PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH THE LORD MUST BE HIS WIFE AND FAMILY. A MAN'S QUALIFICATION FOR THE MINISTRY IS HIS FAMILY.
Moreover, Amalek, the flesh, is known for attacking God's people when they are at their weakest. Moses – Amalek attacked from the rear against the stragglers and the weak. He struck David while he and the army were away
The people wanted to kill David for allowing Amalek to do his dirty deed. That had good reason to want to kill him. If David had not been trying to fulfill his lie, it would not have happened. But then again, he had moved here on the advice of these very men, 23:3. Moreover, v. 13, David and his men fled whithersoever they could go without checking with the Lord.
The men refused to trust the Lord in Judah, and persuaded David not to go back to Judah, Now they want to stone him over the results of their lack of faith in returning to Judah.
Note that our advice fails, we want to pass the blame on to others.
Moreover, this event takes place just before David becomes king over Judah.
1. Achish refused his help.
2. Amalek burns his home, and carries off his wives.
3. The people had followed him all of these years now speak of stoning him.
4. Saul, the king of God's people, is looking for him to kill him
All looked utterly hopeless. Every man and instrument of man was against David. David is at the low point of his life. He was probably about 38-40 years old at this point, and it seemed as if all has come to an end. He had nothing at all left, but a pile of ashes at Ziklag, and a group of men who want to stone him. Of course, he got himself in this mess by listenting to his men, 23:3; by lying to Achish, 27:12, and by leaving his family and home at Zicklag unprotected.
To what level must we fall before we will look up to him? God in his mercy protected David's family and goods. Amalek could have killed all as David did when he went to battle. God in his mercy protected and prevented Amalek from doing the same.
When we reach the bottom, there is only one way to loook. All other means failed. David Sought men's help, and listened to men's advice. Now David encouraged himself in the Lord his God.
There is only one place we can get the courage tot try again, even after we have failed over and over. In the Lord our God. 2 Corinthians 4:9. Down but not forsaken...
Our own foolishness casts us down, but we do not have to stay there.
Wrong Way' Riegels takes off into history
Cal's captain loses his bearings and almost scores for the opposition in the Rose Bowl.
By BRUCE LOWITT
© St. Petersburg Times, published September 26, 1999
On Jan. 1, 1929, when Roy Riegels went into the Rose Bowl against Georgia Tech, he was the center and captain of California's football team.
When he left the field, he was indelibly labeled "Wrong Way" Riegels.
The game was scoreless in the second quarter when the Bears drove to Tech's 25-yard line before losing the ball on downs. The next play was one of college football's most famous.
Stumpy Thomason of Georgia Tech was hit by Cal halfback Benny Lom and fumbled at the Tech 30 and Riegels scooped up the ball and took off.
"I was running toward the sidelines," he said the next day, "and when I picked up the ball I started to turn to my left toward Tech's goal. Somebody shoved me and I bounded right off into a tough tackler. In pivoting to get away from him, I completely lost my bearings."
Riegels headed at full speed toward his own goal line, his teammates and Tech players in pursuit with Lom shouting in vain that he was going the wrong way.
Riegels slowed as he approached the end zone and Lom, the first player to reach him, spun him around at the 1-yard line. Instantly Riegels was swarmed under by Tech players.
Cal, unable to advance the ball, had to punt, and Lom's kick was blocked out of the end zone for a safety. The two points were the difference between winning and losing.
In the Cal locker room at halftime, Riegels put a blanket around his shoulders, put his face in his hands and cried.
After several minutes, coach Clarence "Nibs" Price announced that the second-half starters would be the same as those in the first half.
All but Riegels began heading toward the field.
"Coach, I can't do it," he said. "I've ruined you. I've ruined my school. I've ruined myself. I couldn't face the crowd in that stadium to save my life."
Price told him, "Roy, get up and go back. The game is only half over."
According to accounts of the game, Riegels played a brilliant second half, particularly on defense, blocking a Georgia Tech punt.
But Tech scored in the third quarter on a 15-yard run by Thomason (the extra-point kick failed), offsetting Lom's 10-yard touchdown pass late in the fourth. The extra point left Cal trailing 8-7. That's how the game ended.
We serve the God of the second chance, the third, fourth... As many times as we are willing to look up from the bottom, he is willing to reach down from the top, and set our feet on the rock again. Proverbs 24:16.
Psalms 118:1 O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: because his mercy endureth for ever. (See also vv. 2, 3, 4, 29, &c.)
God's everlasting mercy is one of the major themes of the Old Testament – His Mercy endureth for ever promise is given 41 times in the Old Testament.
We need to have patience with others also. David's men should not have been clamoring for David's head because David was in the same fix as they were. However, David was the only one who encouraged himself in the Lord his God.
We should be loving others our fellow believers, and encouraging them to try again, instead of condemning them and telling them how wrong they are. "Here, get up and try again."
Do you suppose David learned his lesson here?
From here, he went to the throne.
If he had given up here at the low point of his life, he would have been finished. "What is the use. Nothing is going to turn out anyway. I am tired. The people are tired. Amalek has a three day head start, and has probably sold our wives and children already."
* encouragement in the Lord will give strength to go on when
all is hopeless.
* encouragement to try just one more time.
* encouragement to not give up.
* encouragement to claim one more promise, as David did here.
* encouragement to hang on and try again in whatever difficult
situation we find ourselves.
The measure of a man's character is what it takes to stop him. Here in the Lord, David was not going to stop. As we read in the Psalms statements such as, a reproach of men, and despised of people, and like Psalms 24, remember not the sins of my youth," and many other of David's writings, he wrote about experiences in his life. He did not write from theory but from practice.
Are we at the bottom of the pit? There is encouragement and strength in the Lord. Read some of the Psalms. It will be amazing how they fit every day life situations. But do not restrict our reading to the Psalms.
But David encouraged himself in the Lord his God. Where do we look for our encouragement? Men – they are often wrong, and will fail us. Circumstances – the enemy can control circumstances and keep them in a turmoil, with the Lord's permission to keep us from depending upon circumstances. Inner feelings – that will not work either, for all too ofthen they depend upon circumstances and men. Emotions change. The Lrod our god and his promises found in his word do not change.
30:8. Notice what David did. Enquired of the Lord... Every place else he had enquired failed, e.g. the Philistines. He should have done this enquiring of the Lord long ago, and he would not have had to go to the Philsitines to hide from Saul.
He would not have had to lose his wives, children and material possessions.
From where do we seek our encouragement. God's word? Others" Where do we enquire when we are down looking up? God's word? Others? Maybe God allows some of these things to happen to us to get our attention directed the proper way.
V. 8. David enquired of the Lord.
David was not where he should have been, Judah.
David should not have lied to the King to protect himself.
David should not have been willing to go to war against Israel.
Would he have fought? We do not know. I am sure he would not have. The results of the above – his home, Ziklag, was burned while he was out doing his thaing. That is, living his lie. And his wives carried off as slaves.
We can rest assured that while we are doing what seems best at the time, even religious work, we will also lose all.
David here went to the bottom of the pit as the result of his own foolishness. His own stubbornness or willingness to take the advice of hsi friends over the word of God to go back to Juday. Then he had to lie to cover this. He got himself into theis mess by failing to follow the Lord.
Now he turns back to the Lrod who once again starts working in his life. The beauty of being one of His!! If we will return, he is there. God uses even the wrath of men to praise him.
Psalms 76:10 Surely the {g} wrath of man shall praise thee: the remainder of wrath shalt thou restrain.
(g) For the end will show that the enemy was able to bring nothing to pass: also you will bridle their rage that they will not accomplish their purpose. (Geneva)
V. 8. Seems like the the only time David seeks the Lrod is when he is in a fix. Maybe God sees that we stay in a fix, so we will keep seeking him. Realy, David here is only seeking God as he gets ready to go to war, both here and in 23:4.
Do we seek him daily as we prepare for daily war?
Notice the results:
1. He pursues the enemy, Amalek.
2. He catchs up.
3. He fights and wins.
4. He spoils them.
5. He takes the spoil to many cities of Judah.
God turns the bad into good. All things work together for good... even when the all things are things that should not have happened if we had sought God's advice in them.
Proverbs 24:16 For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again.
God in his mercy, many times, protects his children even when theymove on their own instead of seekign his face, but how much more can he work if we would seek his face?
30:9 (6/19/84)
David pursued with 600 men. No time to rest from returning
from livign hsi lie with
Ashich.
We are facing some amazing and maybe terrifying things. The time for rest is over. We are in thsi mess because his people have been at rest too long.
David leaves 200 at the Brook Besor because they could not keep up. Tehy were exausted because the march back from the battle front had been 70 miles, non-stop.
1. David encourages himself in the Lord.
2. David enquires of the Lrod.
3. David Exercises for the Lord, so he went on.
4. David exerts himself for the Lord, but he went on.
5. David engaged with the Lord's help.
6. David embattled for the Lord, with the Lord's help.
7. David emerged victorious with the Lord. V. 18
So can we, if we will keep going depending on the Lord's help.
Did David learned his lesson here?
We also should learn in the battle that we can keep going no matter how many failures we have faced, for we serve a god of encouragement to get up and try again.
V. 11. They found... God provided an Egyptian. When we are in the way of the way of the Lord, he will provide. Notice: David was in Gods way here. He had sought God's advice, and was doing as God directed, but the way was so hard and tireing that 200 of the 600 had to be left behind.
It is hard to make up lost ground (David lost it), but God will provide the way with help and strength to make it up, if we want to make it up.
Joel 2:25 And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpiller, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you.
V. 17. David smpte... all save 400... who fled. Amalek still not destoyed completely. No matter how thorough we are in dealing with the flesh, there will always still be some more there to deal with. He will not be done away with completely until we leave this body of flesh.
V. 23. There were some wicked men of the 400 who wanted to keep all the spoil gained in the battle.
David says, "The Lord gave the spoil to us; it is not ours." And David devided it equally.
1 Corinthians 4:6 And these things, brethren, I have in a figure transferred to myself and to Apollos for your sakes; that ye might learn in us not to think of men above that which is written, that no one of you be puffed up for one against another. 7 ¶ For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?
We do not have anything which has not been provided by God. Why do we treat it like our own?
V. 25. Sent spoil to the elders... Amalek had raided into Judah, v. 14. So David sends the ppoil taken by Amalek back to Judah.