Tarrying By The Stuff
TEXT: I Samuel 30:7-24
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 enquired 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.
9 So David went, he and the six hundred men that were with him, and came to the brook Besor, where those that were left behind stayed.
10 But David pursued, he and four hundred men: for two hundred abode behind, which were so faint that they could not go over the brook Besor.
11 And they found an Egyptian in the field, and brought him to David, and gave him bread, and he did eat; and they made him drink water;
12 And they gave him a piece of a cake of figs, and two clusters of raisins: and when he had eaten, his spirit came again to him: for he had eaten no bread, nor drunk any water, three days and three nights.
13 And David said unto him, To whom belongest thou? and whence art thou? And he said, I am a young man of Egypt, servant to an Amalekite; and my master left me, because three days agone I fell sick.
14 We made an invasion upon the south of the Cherethites, and upon the coast which belongeth to Judah, and upon the south of Caleb; and we burned Ziklag with fire.
15 And David said to him, Canst thou bring me down to this company? And he said, Swear unto me by God, that thou wilt neither kill me, nor deliver me into the hands of my master, and I will bring thee down to this company.
16 And when he had brought him down, behold, they were spread abroad upon all the earth, eating and drinking, and dancing, because of all the great spoil that they had taken out of the land of the Philistines, and out of the land of Judah.
17 And David smote them from the twilight even unto the evening of the next day: and there escaped not a man of them, save four hundred young men, which rode upon camels, and fled.
18 And David recovered all that the Amalekites had carried away: and David rescued his two wives.
19 And there was nothing lacking to them, neither small nor great, neither sons nor daughters, neither spoil, nor any thing that they had taken to them: David recovered all.
20 And David took all the flocks and the herds, which they drave before those other cattle, and said, This is David’s spoil.
21 And David came to the two hundred men, which were so faint that they could not follow David, whom they had made also to abide at the brook Besor: and they went forth to meet David, and to meet the people that were with him: and when David came near to the people, he saluted them.
22 Then answered all the wicked men and men of Belial, of those that went with David, and said, Because they went not with us, we will not give them ought of the spoil that we have recovered, save to every man his wife and his children, that they may lead them away, and depart.
23 Then said David, Ye shall not do so, my brethren, with that which the LORD hath given us, who hath preserved us, and delivered the company that came against us into our hand.
24 For who will hearken unto you in this matter? but as his part is that goeth down to the battle, so shall his part be that tarrieth by the stuff: they shall part alike.
{Tell the Story}
Introduction: The Condition of the Two Hundred
I. Unable—What do you do when you’re spiritually unable?
You Stay by the Stuff
1. When Prayer Seems a Chore
2. When Duty Seems a Burden
3. When the Questions Arise
II. Weak—What do you do when you’re physically weak?
You Stay by the Stuff
1. When You are Tired from the Battle
2. When Victory Seems Physically Beyond your Reach
3. When Others Seem to Be Able and You are Not
III. Not Alone—What do you do when feel you’re all alone?
You Stay by the Stuff
1. Like Elijah on Mt. Carmel
2. Like Elisha’s Servant on the Field of Battle (2 Kings 6:15)
3. Like the Lonely Shepherds at Christ’s Birth
I. STAY BY THE STUFF—WHAT STUFF?
A. The Stuff of God’s Word
--1. The Right Book
--2. The Right Doctrines
--3. The Right Attitude
B. The Stuff of God’s House
--1. The Place of God’s Choice
--2. The Place of the Saviour’s Price
--3. The Place of Fellowship
--4. The Place for Growth
--5. The Place for the End Times
C. The Stuff of God’s Worship
--1. In Its Proper Perspective—His Glory over Our Work
--2. In Its Proper Place—From Our Hearts as Well as our Minds
--3. In Its Proper Phase—
----a) In Quiet Times of Withdrawal
----b) In Rightful Times of Rest Isaiah 40:31 But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
II. STAY BY THE STUFF—WHY?
A. You Shall Be Rewarded for Your Faithfulness (I Corinthians 4:2 Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.)
B. Your King Too Shall Return
--1. Victorious in Battle—Have you Lived Victoriously?
--2. Spoils in Hand—What is that in Your Hand?
--3. Rewards to be Given—What have you done?
(Little Is Much) (I Wonder Have I Done My Best)
POINT: When you’re in the Battle STAY; when you’re tired STAY; when you are weak, STAY—STAY BY THE STUFF!
