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.
B. THINGS STOLEN FROM THE CHURCH
1. For example: our PURPOSE FOR LIVING. Because there is no purpose in life, people turn to Drugs, alcohol, meaningless relationships, career achievements, pleasure, etc. Something – anything to fill the void! God made man to find fulfillment in Him, and His awareness has been stolen from millions of youth in America.
2. OUR FIRST LOVE FOR JESUS. Yes we still love the Lord; We still come to Church; but what happened to all the energy and passion? Our zeal and our intensity don’t evaporate. Satan steals the hot embers, We get ripped off! Some might say, “Well when I got saved, I was an energetic teenager!” But if we wait on Him our youth will be renewed like the eagle’s. There is no end to the power God wants to exhibit in our lives. The bible has no retirement plan. God can keep his people on fire for Him and can keep us sharp and intense. We need to be honest and admit what has really happened. We have been ripped off!
3. YOUR UNIQUE CALLING & GIFTS; the gift to serve others, to sing, to preach, to be a missionary. Ten years ago there was a stirring inside of you. But you got discouraged; somebody let you down, something went wrong in your church; you tried twice, but somebody criticized you. Soon the dream was gone and you thought the calling wasn’t real! You got ripped off!
4. HOME BURGLARIES. Why do Christian couples and families have so much trouble? Satan fully intends to destroy our marriages, our relationship with our family. This is a real area of spiritual warfare! No honest man or woman will deny that the devil makes major assaults on their marriage and families. Why is satan so intent on breaking up families and churches? So he can destroy the power and influence those structures have.
C. DAVID’S LOSS: HIS 2 WIVES Remember, David represents the church. The loss of his two wives represents the loss of two main qualities from the church.
1. Ahinoam of Jezreel. According to the previous chapter (1 Samuel 29:1) the fountain of Jezreel was also called “Goliaths fountain,” because it was thought to be the location where David defeated Goliath! His wife Ahinoam represents the David's victory over Goliath and thus represents the Church’s knowledge of its victory over the enemy. The devil wants to steal the spirit of conquest and victory from the Church, if he can!
2. Abigail, the widow of Nabal of Carmel. Abigail was the wife of Nabal and interceded before David to dissuade him from a rash and violent act he would later regret. She represents all that is tender and openhearted in the Church. The enemy wants to steal our tender hearts and our spiritual victory.
III. DRAWING ON DIVINE RESOURCES
A. "DAVID ENCOURAGED HIMSELF IN THE LORD" Vs. 6
1. He remembered God's call upon his life: he thought back to how God helped him kill the bear and the lion, defeat Goliath, and defeat the Philistine armies – the many victories of God in his life!
2. He remembered God's promises.
3. Faith was rekindled in his heart and he remembered God's delivering power! He was buoyed by these revelations. “Buoyancy” is the tendency to float or rise when submerged. It is a characteristic of true children of God. You can't keep them down. "The righteous may fall seven times but seven times will get back up again."
B. DAVID INQUIRED OF THE LORD
1. He sought the Lord for direction, he didn't just set out after the enemy -- only to possibly be defeated and suffer worse calamity.
2. He sought the Lord until he heard from God. He persevered in the midst of dangerous circumstances(his men were planning to stone him).
3. HE GOT GOD’S ASSURANCE: "Pursue and Recover All." We have here the story of a man who was extraordinary; not like other men. Other men accepted the normal, natural. But he pressed for higher ground, pressed to regain, not by natural means, but by spiritual.
IV. HE WENT TO THE ENEMY’S CAMP & TOOK BACK WHAT HE’D STOLEN FROM HIM
A. DAVID PURSUED(left behind)
1. At one point, while pursuing what had been stolen from him, David realized he would not be able to regain what he’d lost without leaving his baggage behind(30:10,24). All of the baggage was weighing them down.
2. In addition, when they encountered the enemy in battle, the baggage could hinder their warfare, so David made the decision to leave it behind. We might say that David left behind his fears, his ego, his pride, his prospering, and his carnal reasoning, in order to accomplish his goal. It was only then that David could go on in the power of God's Spirit.
3. We may have to leave some things behind too, if we want to regain what was taken from us and to defeat the enemy. What is it you need to be freed from – to leave behind – in order to have full liberty to wage war against the enemy?
B. A. WE NEED TO KNOW WHAT IS OURS!
1. Revival: pursue & recover.
2. IF IT IS OURS, WE OUGHT NOT TO LET ANYONE TAKE IT FROM US.
3. WE MAY HAVE TO FIGHT THE Good Fight Of Faith to retain it. There are things that are ours -- but we will never have them unless we "pursue and recover all."
4. DAVID'S OUTCOME
a. Defeated a superior force (fought 20 hours, still 400 men fled from David's 400)
b. RECOVERED ALL (not most). Not one missing.
c. Obtained much spoil. Spoil is God’s reward for engaging in His battles. It pays to take a stand!
CONCLUSION
A. ILLUSTRATION
1. General George Patton of WW II fame was a great student of the history of warfare. During the battles of North Africa, Patton’s troops and tanks were engaged in a series of attacks and counter-attacks with the German Panzer Divisions under the command of General Erwin Rommell, generally considered the greatest battlefield commander ever.
2. Patton’s forces did not fall for one of Rommell’s traps, and in fact, successfully counter-attacked and defeated the Germans. Patton watched the battle unfold, and at the moment he saw the battle turn, he stood up in his staff car and cried out, "Rommell, I read your book I read your book" He was referring to Rommell’s book on warfare. Patton had learned Rommell’s strategy, had planned his moves accordingly, and defeated him.
3. Satan has written no books, but God has exposed the enemy’s schemes in order that Satan might not outwit us. “I do so with Christ’s authority…so that Satan will not outsmart us. For we are familiar with his evil schemes” (II Cor. 2:10-11 NLT).
B. ALTAR CALL
1. WHAT HAS THE DEVIL STOLEN FROM YOU? What is your Ziklag? City of your dreams?
a. YEARS WASTED WHILE LOST?
b. BROKEN RELATIONSHIPS?
c. JOY/INTIMACY WITH GOD?
d. SPIRITUAL POWER?
2. The Church needs to pursue and regain its spiritual fervor and power.
a. Will you sit there and weep like David's men or get up, inquire of the Lord, and Pursue & Recover All?
b. Take a stand now for what is yours. Take it back for the kingdom.
3. Go after your family! My son, my daughter, My wife, my husband, My friend, my family, My potential in life. Satan has no feelings of sympathy for you. If you don’t resist him he’ll rip you off every week all year every year!
4. Jesus can revive your fire, Renew your relationships, Your call can bloom again. You can recover the faith that satan stole from you. God can revive faith in our souls if we ask him! He will bring faith back through His Word! Romans 10:17 “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”
5. The only question is Do we believe God will recover stolen property? Or do we think our situation is impossible! “Ah Lord God -- Behold thou hast made heaven and earth by Thy great power and outstretched arms; there is nothing too hard for thee.”
