INQUIRE OF THE LORD. 1st Samuel 30 When we have experienced God and enjoyed His guidance and fellowship, there is a high price if we allow anything to come between us. David's path of disobedience and association with the Philistines brought disaster instead of deliverance to him. The grace of God had been made plain to David when he and his followers had been sent back to Ziklag from Aphek and preserved from going to battle against their own people. However, disobedience has costs, and instead of a warm welcome from their families at Ziklag, the rod of God’s judgment took those who were nearest and dearest to David and left nothing but burnt ruins.
It was good that he could avoid going with the Philistines to battle against Israel. And it was a good thing to quickly leave the scene early in the morning to start the one-hundred-mile, three-day journey from Aphek to Ziklag. If our Lord stops us on the path of self-will and disobedience, that is a good thing. But it does not mean we will escape the consequences of our disobedience. "Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap" is not just a Bible verse but a principle of life. David and his men had raided the Amalekites, but when they were wrongfully gone away, the opportunity was there for the Amalekites to get revenge.
The powers of darkness take advantage when one, even a child of God, pursues their own path of self-interest, self-opinion, and self-preservation rather than the path of faith. God allows the wall of defense around His people to be breached to teach us needed lessons that we have not been willing to learn by reading His word and being led by the Holy Spirit. Gloom and defeat, disappointment, and disaster may be needed to get our attention and bring us to face ourselves.
We have the right to put confidence in the Lord when we have no confidence in ourselves or any other form of trust in man. When God leaves us to our own devices, we must accept the consequences that follow disobedience and self-will. When darkness settles over one’s soul, trying to blame others for what happens to us is vain. Bitterness and weeping have no value if repentance and change do not follow. A guilty conscience and the devil's accusations are not dealt with by remorse and regret.
In times of despair, we often look for someone to blame for what happened to us. If we criticize someone else and use them as a scapegoat for our mistakes instead of taking responsibility for our own actions, it will only be a short time before the lesson has to be learned again. Instead of avoiding our guilt, we should face it, repent to God, and, in faith, look for a solution to the problems we have caused by our willfulness.
David had nowhere to look and no one to guide him until he could only look up to God. Jonathan wasn’t there to help him find a way to escape. Achish couldn’t do anything for him, “But David encouraged himself in the Lord his God.” That was where there was light shining in the darkness. That was where faith took him out of the despair of unbelief. God was the only one who could give him courage, assurance, and rest in his world. David's grief-stricken men turned on him to the extent they were willing to kill him. David wisely turned back to God and finally came in humiliation and grief - but trusted the only One who could aid him in his despair and bring about a true recovery. The recovery began with him "encouraging himself in the Lord his God." When everything that tied him to earth was gone, all he had was his God. The shock of his loss brought his unbelief to an end, in which all he could do was "enquire of the Lord." There was no one to whom he could turn; there was nothing he could do by the force of his own will. He had nothing left but God.
When we are personally acquainted with God, we can say, “My God shall supply all your need.” He keeps His word and is always faithful to us, even when He chastises us because of His love for us. The same Father God who directs us in ways He knows are best is the One who loves us, wipes away the tears, and gives us joy. How gracious it is of our God to remain within calling distance of a "wayfaring man." In our helplessness, God can guide us when all other attractions and opinions have failed and been removed. In such times, specific requests are in order, and specific answers can be expected.
The true and honest heart that seeks the Lord will find the way open before us, even though it may lead to and through conflict and pain. Fellowship with others is sure to be a great encouragement even though their involvement in the work may differ greatly from what we are called to do. It is a principle that those who support the work and what is done by others are as much a part of that work as those who are publicly seen. To quietly bear the burdens and weight of support is as important as engaging in the public acts of leading, teaching, and preaching.
When we are back in fellowship with God, we can “Enquire at the Lord,” get divine guidance and take action confidently regarding the outcome. God works in us to show us His will and gives us the ability to do it and bring pleasure to Him. Being in touch with God and receiving answers in peace that rule our hearts and minds changes life from uncertainty and sadness to confidence and joy. God is gracious to us even when we drag our feet in disobedience because of other considerations.
In the outreach of the Lord's work, we must consider every person we contact to be of equal value. Children are as important as adults. The poor are as important as the rich and should be treated equally. The simple man and the intellectual are both precious to God. The illiterate and the educated are valuable in the kingdom of God. The Egyptian slave of the hard-hearted Amalekite was spared and served to guide David and the four hundred men with him to where they could defeat the Amalekites.
When we minister with grace and mercy to the needs of others, we will find God ministering with grace and mercy to us. Being strong in faith is not an accident but the result of the choices we make. Not all believers are called to do the same things, but each is to fulfill their duties and obligations to God and people in the sphere of their own capabilities.
The poor, injured, rejected Amalekite servant abandoned by his master in “The dark paths of sin” was shown mercy and delivered from bondage. Forgiveness, justification, and acceptance are not deserved by people but can be granted to those who put their trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. David had learned from his own servitude to Saul and Achish, both hard kings, how to act in kindness to those in a similar condition to the one where he was found.
What joy there was when God gave them the great victory over the Amalekite raiders. David and the four hundred men with him defeated them all, and the remaining survivors, four hundred young men, escaped on camels. Everything that was lost was recovered, and great plunder was also taken. God completely reversed the effects of David's unbelief, and David gave God all the glory. Even more than that, David showed his appreciation to those who had sheltered him in the past when Saul was chasing him by giving them part of what had been taken from the Amalekites. When he said to them, "Behold, a present for you of the spoil of the enemies of the Lord," he was again acting as a shepherd of God's people.
God is a God of restoration, and His grace abounds much more where sin abounds. Acts of kindness done to others as a demonstration of our appreciation for who they are or what they have done are never out of date. All we are and have we have received from the Lord. We owe everything to our Lord, and we serve Him when we meet the needs of others. Ministering to the needs of the weak brother or needy sister in difficult situations is acting as our Lord Jesus did when He was here on earth among the people. He has left us an example that "we should follow in His steps."
There will generally be some dissenters when we finally take action and do what is right and fair with everyone involved in a matter of urgency. This action may not only be for those of our own group and persuasion but also for those who “Stay by the stuff” and the “Elders of Judah,” to whom the ties of spiritual life link us. Not all family members think, believe, or act similarly. We are to “Do good unto all men, especially to those of the household of faith” who may not have the spiritual heritage we have been privileged to have.
Ziklag, where David's loss of faith and failure to walk as God's anointed king should take place, was also the place of his recovery. Where everything is taken away from us is where we should return and return to our faithful Lord in faith. God's faithfulness to us and His unchanging purposes are often demonstrated there, and we return to living by faith. To inquire of the Lord when we sense a cooling of our interest in spiritual things and an embarrassment when we are marked out as a servant of the Lord is a wise first step to stop a downward drift in our lives. When we have called a halt and identified problem areas that we know are potentially damaging to our testimony, real repentance to God and a real commitment to live by faith are the challenges we must heed.
When all you had is gone, and those you love are taken, where can one turn for some hope? Let us never forget nor ever be mistaken; God is near us. He hears our cries and compels us to rise up and go forward in faith. He knows every reason and arranges everything that happens to us to bring about His own plan. We may not understand the purpose or what will please Him until His “David” sits on His throne.
The encouragement found in the Lord alone is available to us at all times. When the sky seems dark, and we want sunshine, His Word is the only sure place to find encouragement. God is ready to answer when I call to Him. He is waiting for me to step forward in faith and do what I know is right despite what others might think. From Him comes the power men of faith need to rise above the darkness surrounding us. Victory is there, waiting for us to finish the course before us. I can be encouraged when what I pray is specific, and His answers are plain to me. When I can’t get any answer, I remind myself that God is faithful to defeat every foe.
His Word also encourages me to keep listening to Him and telling me how to get what I need. I hardly know which way to go, and even though it seems I am near the end of the rope, something sent from God comes. I must hasten to amend my plans, knowing God wants to bless me in the way He chooses. With assurance, I trust Him, leaving the problem to Him. He does far more than I could ever ask or think.
What needs to be done, or who needs to do it? He will deal with it, and I can turn away from the brink of making a serious mistake, so I dare not look back. I thank God for dealing with me by His grace and giving me the wisdom I lack, and now, He bids me again to move forward with Him in faith.