Good Morning! - 2010.07.14 - 1Samuel 30.6 - David Comforts Himself in the Lord

And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God. (1Samuel 30:6)

Saul was the king of Israel and his jealousy and fear of David had driven him mad to be rid of David. He was at the top of Saul's "Most Wanted" list. So David and his men were camping out with the Philistines, the arch enemies of Israel. The Philistines marshaled their troops to fight against Israel and David and his men were in the rear with King Achish. But the leaders of King Achish insisted that David and his men could not go to battle with them against David's nation of Israel. So David's men returned to their home base at Ziklag.

When they got "home" to Ziklag, it had been burned to the ground and their wives, sons and daughters hd been taken captive. Not only so, but David's men were talking of stoning David for having made such a blunder in leaving their families alone at Ziklag. At this point, they think that the Amalekites have possibly taken their families off somewhere to kill them or to make them permanent slaves. It is against this background that we find David in our text for today.

Did you ever make a gigantic blunder and everybody was mad at you and even the family dog growled at you? David had made a great blunder. Here he was not the lone shepherd boy who killed the giant Goliath. He was not in his glory of being praised by the women of Israel for his great military victories. It looked like his choice was to submit to being stoned by his own men or he could commit suicide. What to do?

This is where knowing the Lord over a long period of time really paid off. He didn't decide to get drunk or run away and hide. He went alone to talk to God about it. This is one of the most encouraging statements to be found anywhere in the Bible. What do you do when you are at the end of your rope and it looks hopeless?

I think that sometimes the Lord either puts us into such a tight spot, or at least allows to put ourselves in such a bad situation so that we will get on our knees and talk to Him. It was during several times like this that David wrote some of his best Psalms. He writes: , "The LORD is good … Let the redeemed of the LORD say so." David found this to be true.

What a mighty refuge is the Lord our God. Sometimes we are the tallest when we are on our knees.Ω