Encourage Yourself In The Lord
1 Samuel 30:6-8
6 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.
7 And David said to Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech’s son, I pray thee, bring me hither the ephod. And Abiathar brought thither the ephod to David.
8 And David inquired at the LORD, saying, Shall I pursue after this troop? shall I overtake them? And he answered him, Pursue: for thou shalt surely overtake them, and without fail recover all.
"...But David encouraged himself in the Lord" (1 Samuel 30:6)
We begin our message with these familiar words: And David was greatly distressed" (1 Samuel 30:6). He had just returned from Gath, where King Achish had said to him, "Thou art good in my sight, as an angel of God." With those praises ringing in his ears, David and his men returned to Ziklag, anxious to be reunited with their wives and children. They found their city burned to the ground, their homes destroyed, and their children and wives gone. The Amalekites had invaded while they were in Aphek and had taken captive all that was precious to David and his men.
What a horrible day in the life of this anointed man of God. "Then David and the people that were with him lifted up their voice and wept, until they had no more power to weep..." (1 Samuel 30:4)
The people rose up in anger, and there was talk of stoning David, because of their overwhelming grief. David himself was torn with grief, with not a tear left to shed. "And David was greatly distressed." They had come to the end of their rope, all hope gone and swallowed up in grief and despair.
Did all this calamity fall upon David because he was living in sin? Was he running from God? Far from it. If anything, David was running with God, but not understanding why the path led through such hard times.
Samuel had already anointed David king over Israel. He was declared to be a man after God’s own heart, chosen and set apart to lead God’s people. After a short time of acceptance in Saul’s court and a glorious ministry of victory upon victory, he was forced to escape for his life. The giant killer ended up hiding in a cave, wondering what he had done to endure such rejection and difficulty. Tearfully he had inquired of Jonathan, "What have I done? What is mine iniquity? And what is my sin... that my life is threatened?" (1 Samuel 20:1)
The high priest called David "the most faithful servant in all the kingdom." Even Saul recognized his goodness and anointing, saying to him:
"Thou art more righteous than I... I know well that the kingdom of Israel shall be established in thine hand..." (1 Samuel 24:17,20)
When Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed David "the Spirit of the Lord came upon him from that day forward" (1 Samuel 16:13). You have to begin here to understand David’s terrible distress at Ziklag that day.
He knew he was called, specially chosen, destined to the throne. He had a daily visitation of God’s Holy Spirit. He had a cause, he had zeal for the Lord, he was holy and burdened for the poor and needy. He lived a circumspect life that caused even his enemies to respect him.
Think of what must have gone through David’s mind as he stood over the burning ruins of his home, not knowing whether his family was dead or alive. He must have asked the question. Why? when thinking over the past few years, up to this very moment. "Why, if God is with me, did Saul try to kill me? Why was he so insanely jealous over me? Why, if I have been anointed, did I have to escape to Gath and pretend madness, acting like an insane fool? Why, if God’s Spirit is upon me, guiding me, did I have to hide out in caves? Why, if I’m a man after God’s heart, did I have to live in the wilderness, hunted down like a wild animal? Is this the reward of the anointed -- sleepless nights fearing for my life, harassed on all sides, living on handouts, and outcast?"
Now, after finally finding a home and enjoying a few months of peace, it all crumbles in unbelievable disaster. Ziklag is in ruins, all is lost. To make matters even worse, David’s closest associates were blaming him for the tragedy.
What a shoddy way for God to treat His anointed servant -- at least that is the way it appears on the surface. He is no longer the giant killer whose praises are being sung by admiring crowds. He is no longer the mighty man of faith and vision, looked upon with respect and love. Now he is in total rejection, on the verge of being stoned as a failure. David stands alone, stripped and confused -- in total despair.
What does a child of God do when discouragement sets in and he feels useless, like a complete failure, abandoned by God and rejected by those who once cared? His beloved friend Jonathan was nowhere in sight. How refreshing it might have been had he been able to talk to the one friend he knew would never let him down. Abigail had been taken from him. His parents were far away. Where shall he go for comfort? To whom shall he turn for encouragement?
What can we do when a crisis comes? First, I suppose, We Can Do What Most People Do.
We can do what we see these people doing here. We can:
A. Despair.
(Read v. 4)
That is probably the most common response to such a crisis that there is. Who hasn’t, at one point or another, "lost it" emotionally in a time of extreme distress?
B. Be Angry.
Read v. 6a)
"This shouldn’t be happening" we think. "I don’t like this!" Then, close on the heals of anger, sometimes we may:
C. Look for Someone to Blame.
Who is being blamed here? David! He’s the leader. He’s the one who led them into the land of the Philistines (never mind the fact that each of them chose to follow David.) That doesn’t count. When you’re distressed in a crisis and angry, it is very common to look for someone to blame. Sometimes it is a leader.
In a crisis, we can do all these things and we’ll find little opposition to our actions because that’s the way nearly everybody in the world does it, so we’ll find plenty of understanding.
But let’s take stock here. When we’ve despaired and expressed our anger and blamed others, are we better off or worse? What has been done to resolve the crisis? Nothing! The despair hasn’t helped. The anger hasn’t helped. The blaming hasn’t helped. It never does. That is why we’re looking at this passage. These things, though common, are nonproductive.
Suppose they had vented their anger. Suppose they had picked up stones and killed David. Would it have made a difference? Would it have brought their loved ones and their property back?
Here is where we see David begin to distinguish himself as being someone worthy of our attention. You see, in a crisis, we can do all the things these people did, Or We Can Do What David Did.
David encouraged himself in the Lord. How did David encourage himself in the lord?
I. We Can Strengthen Ourselves in the Lord.
Paul wrote,(Ephesians 3:16).
"That He ( God ) would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man"
Believe it or nor, God was in this apparent tragedy. If David is to become the man God uses, he must be stripped of everything, including his reputation and self-will. He must cry out of his system the last tears of self-pity. He must face the full fury of loneliness and overcome it. He must put away all memory of applause and praise for what he had accomplished and draw his strength from God.
Encouraged = 2388. chazaq, khaw-zak’; to fasten upon; to seize, be strong (fig. courageous, strengthen, fortify), to bind, cleave, be established, fasten, fortify
Ephesians6:10
10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
This was God’s intention for David all along. This was the purpose behind all the hard times, the loneliness, the strange leadings of the Lord, God wanted David to get his eyes off all his enemies, off all his friends -- and draw from God the strength and encouragement he needed both now and in the future. David must learn to stand alone, dependent on God only and finding all he needed through personal communion and affection for the Lord.
II. Seek the Lord’s Guidance and Not Resort to Our Own Devises.
He must not look to others for guidance, for comfort, for strength -- not family, not friends, not associates. There would be no prophet to warn him, no priest to encourage him. Not even a child to hold his trembling hand. No brave soldiers to place a cup of cold water in his hand.
God fully intended that a crisis be allowed in David’s life that would force him to seek an answer within himself. For sixteen months David had lived with the Philistines, and he had been leaning too heavily on King Achish. God wanted to give David the kingdom; he was about to settle for Ziklag. In no way would God permit David to settle down in a place that depended on the flesh for survival. Could it be that David had grown tired of the struggle, weary of so many battles, so many hardships? Was he thinking he had earned the right to an easier lifestyle? Was he about to trade his crown for ease and security?
What a victorious sight -- David standing amid the ruins of his life -- rejoicing in God’s faithfulness and encouraging himself in the presence of the Lord. He came to see that all that really counts in the face of death and despair -- is a personal knowledge of God.
Once the lesson was learned, God opened the heavens and spoke clearly to David. Directions came loud and clear. David inquired, and God answered. "Without fail you will recover all." There was nothing lacking -- David recovered all.
From then on, David could look back and boast in the Lord, "In the day when I cried thou answeredst me, and strengthened me with strength in my soul..." (Psalm 138:3).
We are living in a day in which the Lord needs Christians who are not tossed about by every wind and wave of doctrine; who have discernment and are not being deceived; who do not have to depend on someone else for their happiness or spiritual strength -- but who have been tested and tried and have proven that the very life of God is in them, providing grace and mercy to help in every need. Christ has been revealed not only to them, but in them. They are drawing on the strength of their inner man, according to the riches of God’s glory through His Spirit. How did David Strenghten himself in the Lord? How did David Seek God’s Guidance? He turned his thoughts toward God.
III. We Must Turn Our Thoughts Toward God.
In other words we must correct our thinking. If we think depressing thoughts we will be depressed. If we think delightfull thoughts we will be filled with delight and joy.
Acts 26:2
2 I think myself happy, king Agrippa, because I shall answer for myself this day before thee touching all the things whereof I am accused of the Jews:
We must fill our minds with the knowledge of God and His word if we are to live in victory.
"This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the emptiness of their mind... Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart... but ye have not so learned Christ..." (Ephesians 4:17-20)
Paul is addressing Ephesian Christians, warning them not to live empty, confused lives. He makes it very clear that the emptiness and darkness in them was not caused by demonic activity, but rather it was the result of ignorance concerning God’s great provision for them. They had not learned that the Lord Jesus Christ was sufficient and all powerful.
Paul said, "Ye did not learn Christ that way." In other words, "I taught an all-sufficient, all-powerful, complete Christ." Yet how few of them understood it. Many were still being tossed about by every wind and wave of doctrine; some were still giving place to the devil; others had bitterness and malice; some were involved in fornication, covetousness and all manner of uncleanness. We know this is true because Paul had to warn them against these very things.
Think of the multitudes of Christians today who live defeated, and broken lives, in their body, mind, and spirit. They confess that Jesus is their Lord; but they are still empty, fearful, and worried. They have no joy, no spark, no excitement in the Lord.
Is it because the devil has gained power? Have the demon powers invaded the kingdom of almighty God? Have the principalities and powers of darkness succeeded in deceiving God’s elect? I say no. The darkness is in our own minds. It is the result of our own spiritual blindness because we have not opened our hearts to the knowledge of the supremacy of Christ. We are alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in us. We have before us a Bible filled with glorious truth about God’s dominion and fullness invested in Jesus Christ, but we never do comprehend it, let alone appropriate it. It is not what Satan is doing to or in us, but rather what we have refused to believe about Christ.
We should spend all our study time searching out what the Word declares about Christ’s victory, his glory, His absolute power and authority. Otherwise we can end up as experts on Satan’s power and still be alienated from the life of God through ignorance of Christ’s supreme power and ability.
That is why Paul focused on no other truth but the lordship and dominion of Christ. He said, "That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of his power to usward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power..." (Ephesians 1:17-19)
We have filled our minds with the wrong things. To often we spend our time thinking about what satin can do to us, when we should be thinking about what God has done, is doing, and will continue to do for us. Not only for us but in us and through us.
We do not need a new revelation about satan’s power, we do not need to study darkness or demons. I believe as Paul did, that we desperately need a new and liberating revelation of the riches of Christ, the glory of Christ, the greatness of His power, His absolute dominion over all.
"And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it..." (Colossians 2:15).
"...Now shall the prince of this world be cast out..." (John 12:31).
"...That through death. he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil..." (Hebrews 2:9-17).
Christ destroyed the power of the devil. The Greek word here means "to make of none effect" or "useless." Why should any Christian be nervous or intimidated by the powers of the one who has been stripped and made totally ineffective against us? Christ has drained Satan of all power -- He has cast him down and held him up to open shame.
The "god of this world" has been crippled, and we are not overestimate his power. The children of the Lord are not of this world. They are not under any dominion from sin or Satan. Christ took from Satan the keys of death and delivered us from the bondage of the fear of it. Now, through the victory of the Cross we fear neither death, sin, nor the devil. Our glorified Christ declared, "I have the keys of death and hell" (Revelation 1:18).
It is time to look at Satan as God sees him -- defeated, useless, without power or strength. Satan fell as lightning from the heavens and he has never regained power.
