Bouncing back after a setback...
As we conclude this series on discipleship, we're going to spend this week coming back to David - a man after God's heart.Today we reflect on dealing with setbacks.
The background to our passage is that David has been playing a dangerous game. He's pretending to be a mercenary working for the Philistines. They pay him to attack the Israelites, but he has actually been plundering Israel's enemies and then pretending he's attacked Israel. Then, just when the Philistines want David to join them in a big battle against Israel (where King Saul will be killed), some of the Philistine kings decide that they don't fully trust David and so they send him home.
But, it is "out of the frying pan and into the fire" because, while David and his men were away, the Amalekites raided the city where David, his men, and their families had taken shelter. Because the men were away, the women and children were easily overcome and were taken away by the Amalekites.
When David and his men returned, this awful shock awaited them. The men were devastated and blamed David. Someone had to pay! And so they talked of stoning David. After all, he was the leader. He should have forseen this. David had his own grief to contend with - he had lost his own family.
| 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. Then David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelech, "Bring me the ephod." Abiathar brought it to him, 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." (1Samuel30:6-8) |
- flee
- shift the blame
- mount a chase after the Amalekites
- sit in a heap
He did none - weary from travelling and many battles, with his spiritual resources at a low ebb, David found strength from the LORD his God.
The later part of the passage seems to indicate that David prayed. In this first part the implication simply seems to be that David said This is too big for me - You'd better help me! It may have been an arrow prayer (a skietgebed) or just a mental handover.
And then he chose to turn to God for guidance. God guided him to pursue the Amelekites and he rescues his people.
But the key moment is the handover - "I need you Lord!"
