299 – Restoring The Stolen!

Sermon Study 299 – RESTORING THE STOLEN!

1 SAMUEL

Chapter 27

David was pursued by Saul – he escaped to the land of the Philistines with 600 men (where Saul will not search for him) and found Achish (Philistine ruler) who once feared David, but agreed to protect him from Saul in return for David’s loyalty. Daivd moved to a small Philistine town named Ziklag

Chapter 28

The Philistines planned to attack Saul & the Israelites… now that David was not against them and Samuel the prophet was dead and Saul the king was old. Saul sought the Lord for an answer, but did not receive it in time then he sought a physic “Witch of Endor” to get Samuel’s counsel… but Samuel’s advice was a rebuke… he & his sons will die in the hands of the Philistines.

Chapter 29

On the eve of the battle – the Philistines voted to not take David and his men to war with them against Israel. David reluctantly agreed (but was also relieved) and returned to Ziklag to only find that his town was destroyed and the women & children was taken captive.

Read: 1 Samuel 30:1-31

David and his men reached Ziklag on the third day. Now the Amalekites had raided the Negev and Ziklag. They had attacked Ziklag and burned it, [2] and had taken captive the women and all who were in it, both young and old. They killed none of them, but carried them off as they went on their way.

Note #1 – The enemies didn’t kill anyone b/c God didn’t allow them to.

[3] When David and his men came to Ziklag, they found it destroyed by fire and their wives and sons and daughters taken captive.

Note #2 - The enemy comes to steal & to destroy –

• John 10:10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

[4] So David and his men wept aloud until they had no strength left to weep. [5] David’s two wives had been captured--Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail, the widow of Nabal of Carmel. [6] David was greatly distressed because the men were talking of stoning him; each one was bitter in spirit because of his sons and daughters. But David found strength in the Lord his God.

Note #3 – Strength only comes from the Lord

[7] Then David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelech, "Bring me the ephod." Abiathar brought it to him, [8] and David inquired of the Lord, "Shall I pursue this raiding party? Will I overtake them?" "Pursue them," he answered. "You will certainly overtake them and succeed in the rescue."

Note #4 – We must receive guidance and wisdom from the Lord - The “ephod” - The inquiry was made by means of the ephod, the high priest’s apronlike garment which contained the Urim and Thummim, the sacred stones used to discern the will of God (cf. Ex. 28:30).

~ Exodus 28:30 - Also put the Urim and the Thummim in the breastpiece, so they may be over Aaron’s heart whenever he enters the presence of the Lord. Thus Aaron will always bear the means of making decisions for the Israelites over his heart before the Lord.

[9] David and the six hundred men with him came to the Besor Ravine, where some stayed behind, [10] for two hundred men were too exhausted to cross the ravine. But David and four hundred men continued the pursuit.

Note #5 – Though 200 of 600 men deserted David at the time of war… nothing slowed him down – he continued!

[11] They found an Egyptian in a field and brought him to David. They gave him water to drink and food to eat-- [12] part of a cake of pressed figs and two cakes of raisins. He ate and was revived, for he had not eaten any food or drunk any water for three days and three nights. [13] David asked him, "To whom do you belong, and where do you come from?" He said, "I am an Egyptian, the slave of an Amalekite. My master abandoned me when I became ill three days ago. [14] We raided the Negev of the Kerethites and the territory belonging to Judah and the Negev of Caleb. And we burned Ziklag." [15] David asked him, "Can you lead me down to this raiding party?" He answered, "Swear to me before God that you will not kill me or hand me over to my master, and I will take you down to them." [16] He led David down, and there they were, scattered over the countryside, eating, drinking and reveling because of the great amount of plunder they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from Judah.