I Went To The Enemy’s Camp

I WENT TO THE ENEMY’S CAMP

1 Samuel 30:1-9, 16-20

INTRODUCTION

A. HUMOR

1. Johnny's father called home during a business trip to see how his son's basketball game had gone. Johnny came to the phone and told his dad, "I finally made a basket today." His father was excited. "Didn't help the team, Johnny?"

2. "Well," Johnny answered, "it was the winning point." Now Johnny's dad was ecstatic. "Son, that's wonderful. You are a hero with your very first basket!"

3. "Not exactly, Dad," Johnny explained. "I made the basket for the other team."

B. TEXT: 1 Sam. 30:1-9, 16-20

1 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. 3 When David and his men came to Ziklag, they found it destroyed by fire and their wives and sons and daughters taken captive. 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. 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." 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. 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. 17 David fought them from dusk until the evening of the next day, and none of them got away, except four hundred young men who rode off on camels and fled. 18 David recovered everything the Amalekites had taken, including his two wives. 19 Nothing was missing: young or old, boy or girl, plunder or anything else they had taken. David brought everything back.

C. THESIS

I. PROBLEM: PLEASING 2 KINGDOMS

A. LACK OF FAITH INSPIRES BAD MOVE

1. After a close call with King Saul, David weakened in his faith in God's protecting power. He decided to move to the Philistine territory. It's one thing to flee King Saul but another to move into the enemies territory. The church today, thinking it has to get along with the world, is trying to do the same thing. “But David thought to himself, "One of these days I will be destroyed by the hand of Saul. The best thing I can do is to escape to the land of the Philistines”(1Sam. 27:1).

2. Once David had made this decision, he had to seek the favor of the enemy also. “Then David said to Achish, "If I have found favor in your eyes, let a place be assigned to me in one of the country towns, that I may live there”(1 Sam. 27:5). His problem was, he was trying to please two kingdoms. It can't be done. You have to choose whom you’re going to serve.

B. FRUIT FROM THE TREE OF UNBELIEF

The entire reason that David and his men suffered the terrible loss at Ziklag, was probably due to David's weak faith; had he trusted in God and not in man (King Achish), he would never have suffered this terrible ordeal. We must stay in God's territory, even if it looks dangerous, because God promises to protect those under the shadow of His wings!

II. WHAT THE ENEMY STOLE

A. IT’S THE ENEMIES’ NATURE TO STEAL

1. We live in a land where things get stolen all the time. Statistics suggest we are a nation in trouble! But I don’t want to focus on the natural today.

2. In the spiritual realm, a kind of stealing is going on in many lives. Satan is in the business of ripping off things that don’t belong to him!

3. Jesus said in JOHN 10:10 “The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give life in all its fullness.”

4. Satan doesn’t need your car or your house or your money. But he is interested in stealing Spiritual treasures; things that have value with God and are of eternal significance.