Put Aside the Ranger, David, and Become the King
They took captive the women who were in it, from the youngest to the oldest, but they did not kill anyone. They simply carried them off and went on their way. When David and his men came to the city, they found it burned. Their wives, sons, and daughters had been taken captive. Then David and the men who were with him wept loudly until they could weep no more. David’s two wives had been taken captive – Ahinoam the Jezreelite and Abigail the Carmelite, Nabal’s widow. David was very upset, for the men were thinking of stoning him; each man grieved bitterly over his sons and daughters. But David drew strength from the Lord his God. 1 Samuel 30:2-6 NET Read More
All of the time up until now, David has been fighting. He was a shepherd, then he did a little work as a harp player/musical therapist, but once he went in and killed Goliath, he had become a warrior. We can’t know his motives, but we can see the fruit and the conversations he had about these battles. He fought Philistines to get his first wife and to protect Israel. He raided villages to attack the enemies of Israel.
Now he has returned to Ziklag from what was about to be a battle against his own countrymen and the Amalekites have stolen away all of their families. This was so unexpected that they didn’t leave any one at home to guard them. The Philistines didn’t want to bother them, and they were too far away from everyone else. But with the Philistine army away at a huge battle, the whole country is undefended, especially Ziklag, the land of the rebels.
You can tell from the last few chapters that David is starting to get off of his usual focus. Instead of fighting a righteous fight for God and God’s Kingdom, David is lying to the Philistines and benefiting from it. This is exaggerated by the king of Gath always vouching for him and saying what an honest person he is, etc. Every time the King of Gath says “You are so trustworthy!” you could just see David’s men wince and wonder how long their charade will last.
When we get off course of our mission, we are usually the last to notice. David’s men have got to be wondering what David’s plan is as he is the bodyguard of the King of Gath. His wives have to be wondering “How long are we gonna live out here like fugitives?” and all of Israel that isn’t behind Saul knows that David should be king.
The unexpected turn of events is our chance to recalibrate our course. The cancer diagnosis, or a parent going on hospice, or even the near pass from a crazy driver makes us change our schedules and activities to focus on more important things. This inciting incident doesn’t last long, but the decisions made in this moment are a big deal. Joseph Grenny talked about this at the GLS 2014 and called it a “moment of disproportionate influence.”
Every man grieved bitterly over his loss, but for the first time in several chapters, David’s closeness to God is mentioned.
David drew strength from the Lord his God.
That strength turned into action that would trigger a whole new set of events. They rescued every woman and child unharmed. They shared the plunder and began to give their spoils back to the Israeli villages that it originally came from.
In short, David begins to act like the King of Israel again.
God is constantly wooing us to follow Him and to turn more towards Him and away from ourselves. Sometimes it’s extreme, like the burning of Ziklag. Sometimes it’s subtle, like casual advice from a friend. Keep your eyes and heart open to see the Lord guide you, and take action on that guidance. His plan always brings salvation for all that turn His way.
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Extra credit if you were lured here by that title. I had to watch it too.