Sermon – There Is Hope After Ziklag Burns

Sermon – There is Hope After Ziklag Burns

Scripture -1Samuel 30:1-9 “And it came to pass, when David and his men were come to Ziklag on the third day, that the Amalekites had invaded the south, and Ziklag, and smitten Ziklag, and burned it with fire; And had taken the women captives, that were therein: they slew not any, either great or small, but carried them away, and went on their way. So, David and his men came to the city, and, behold, it was burned with fire; and their wives, and their sons, and their daughters, were taken captives. Then David and the people that were with him lifted up their voice and wept, until they had no more power to weep. And David's two wives were taken captives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite. 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. 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. 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.”

Introduction: How do you find hope after major loss and grief. Grief is the experience of coping with loss. Most of us think of grief as happening in the painful period following the death of a loved one. But grief can accompany any event that disrupts or challenges our sense of normalcy or ourselves. This includes the loss of connections that define us. David had been known for his leadership ability, wise counsel and godly character. And now, Ziklag his gift from King Ashish and his safe haven is burned to the ground, his family members and wives captured, and David has no answers. What do you do when you lose your home, your family, your entire city? What do you do to soothe the pain? In the midst of tragedy and grief, people oftentimes begin assessing blame; they look for a scapegoat. Our text from the life of David, David, our hero in that very position.

Early in my Christian walk I somehow reached the erroneous conclusion that if you love God and do what His Word says then nothing bad will ever happen to you. This idea was reinforced by teachers and preachers who claimed that people who knew how to exercise their faith and operate under the anointing and walk in the Spirit would never get sick, become depressed, lose money, or come under spiritual attack. Time and experience are patient teachers, and in their classroom, I learned a different view of life.

Today’s lesson highlights a season in the life of David, “a man after God’s own heart”, the “sweet psalmist of Israel.” Surely a man after God’s own heart will never have to experience terrible trials, afflictions, suffering, misunderstanding, rejection, pain or misfortune! But in David we see that even someone who is after God’s own heart, someone who seeks Him early and often, someone who desires Him more than anything else – yes, that kind of person, especially that kind of person, will be called upon to endure some of the most excruciating physical, emotional, and spiritual trials imaginable. David’s journey to the throne was interrupted by the jealousy of King Saul. He suffered so much harassment for king Saul, he was forced to leave his homeland. David’s love for God and respect for God’s delegated authority would not allow him to kill King Saul. For his own protection and for the protection of those he led, he sought shelter among the Philistines. If he could find a haven, his life would be more bearable. Anything seems better than hiding from king Saul, anything would be better than living in a cave. What’s the worst thing that could happen? So, David made a decision. The circumstances forced him into a “do or die” situation. His response to this test would either confirm his destiny as king or destroy him completely. There would be no warning for what was about to happen, and there would be no second chances.

King Achish of the Philistines had accepted David as a defector from Israel and had even given David his own Philistine city to live in – the city of Ziklag – where David and his 600 men, along with all their families could live in peace. He was still loyal to his home country, but was able to deceive King Achish about his actions. In fact, during those 16 months that David lived in Ziklag, David had told Achish that he had been raiding the cities of Israel, but in reality, David had been attacking the enemies of Israel and leaving no survivors to tell Achish what had really happened. God would use Ziklag to prepare David for His promise. The word Ziklag means to “press someone or something to reveal what is inside”. Ziklag represents a spiritual land in which we may find ourselves as we walk with God.