1 Samuel Chapter 29 Verses 1 – 5

 I talked briefly about this last week, that God preserved David even in

his predicament so that he wouldn’t end up going to battle against

Israel. The Philistines princes are smart! They don’t care that he has

defected and that he has formed a bond with Achish. This would most

certainly be a chance for David to gain favor with Saul! Meet him on

the battle field as his enemy and then once again prove to him that he

is not!

 It’s a wonder they don’t just kill him right here! Or at least attack him.

God protected him in this moment also, undoubtedly! AND, they

know who he is…, they know he is the giant slayer, they know the

song and dance ascribed to him throughout the land! They didn’t trust

him and it could be that perhaps they didn’t want to pick a fight with

him either.

1 Samuel Chapter 29 Verses 6 – 7

 This must have grieved David’s heart. David may have been upright in

the sight of Achish but only because David was deceiving him.

Making him to believe that he was attacking Israelites on his

escapades but in truth he was attacking Philistines… Achish says, “As

the Lord lives, you have been upright…” No doubt that caused a groan

in the heart of David…

 That’s an especially grievous groan for me. Not so sure about

everyone. But to be someone who presents as one thing but in truth is

another is something that makes me lose all self-respect and quakes

my self-worth. Makes me question myself! Disappoints and

destabilizes. It’s a horrible moment and I have to believe, (at least I

want to believe), in this moment David has a bit of a catastrophic

turning point type moment with himself… After all that God has done

for him, this is NOT who he is… Perhaps it comes later, I know it

does in fact, and maybe not this second for how David responds…

1 Samuel Chapter 29 Verse 8

 Many commentators go the route that David is so gone, so in the flesh

in this moment, that he actually wants to fight and kill his people. I

can’t get there. It could be that David is playing the part, or it could be

that he had devised a plan with his men to specifically target Saul on

the battlefield, or some other plan to not be found out but also not to

kill his own people…, we simply don’t know. But to conclude that

David genuinely wanted to kill his people…, up until now that has not

been the case, why would it be the case here?

1 Samuel Chapter 29 Verses 9 – 11

 However you want to spin how this scene played out, here’s the

outcome. God preserved David. Even as David was in the wrong place

at the wrong time with the wrong people and doing the wrong things,

God’s mercy and grace was upon him. Now, it’s not always that

way…, and I would dare say, don’t count on it… Consequence and

lessons and allowances of truly terrible things can also happen, but in

this scene with Daivd we also get a glimpse of incredible divine

protection and mercy!

1 Samuel Chapter 30 Verses 1 – 5

 An incredible continuation and multiplication of God’s grace! (Odd

statement but you’ll have to believe that by faith because I know the

end of this chapter!) By removing him from the battle at Aphek, God

guided him back to where he was staying only to find that the enemies

of his people, the Amalekites, had attacked, burned the city, left all the

men and taken all of the women and children, including his family!!

(Ok spoiler alert, he gets them all back unharmed!) Incredible

providence and grace of God upon David!!!

 I hope you stop and think sometimes of the linear progression of

improbable things and happenings and conversations and

circumstances that sometimes lead to incredible outcomes! Like this

just happened but wouldn’t have happened unless this, this, and this

hadn’t of happened…! And then you perceive the face of God upon

you. Just watching you, watching over you, guiding even the steps and

situations around you to bring you to where you are… That moment of

gratitude is everything!!!

1 Samuel Chapter 30 Verse 6

 YES! There it is! This is proof of faith. He’s been stumbling, sliding,

lapsing and slipping for the past year and half…, but he’s back! This

is the mark of the one who is anointed and filled with the Holy Spirit!

Not sinlessness but repentance! Recovery! Reversion and

reestablishing!!!

 The enemy wants nothing more than to beat you down and keep you

down when you are down! And all of us will go down many times,

many mistakes, many blunders, throughout our prodigiously sinful

lives!!! It’s the proverb I refer to often, Proverbs 24:16, “For a

righteous man may fall seven times, and rise again, but the wicked

shall fall by calamity!” David has been down but the mark of a man

of God is that he doesn’t stay down!

 And notice, who strengthens him? Who is there for him to correct him

and to call him to repentance? Listen, it’s not even the Holy Spirit!

IT’S HIM! Another sure mark of a man of God is extreme

accountability! No one needs to tell you to get up in the morning. Go

to work and give your all. Be on time everywhere and every time. Do

good even when it’s tough. Watch your tongue, control your temper,

squelch your lust! NO ONE needs to tell a man of God that! He tells

HIMSELF that!

 Why? Because he is a man of strength beyond this world! Resources

beyond what this flesh is capable…, and connection, real connection

with a God who is a Father and a Lord! No one can really tell you to

do anything anyway! Your fallen nature is rebellion. If you don’t tell

yourself then yourself isn’t told! David doesn’t need an apology from

anyone, he doesn’t need anyone to do anything to him or for him.

David strengthened himself in the Lord HIS God!

1 Samuel Chapter 30 Verses 7 – 8

 How did David strengthen himself in the Lord? We probably aren’t

given the complete answer as for David his relationship with God was

just as unique as your own… And for some it’s a walk. For some it’s a

prayer session. For some it’s a time of worship. Everyone’s walk and

relationship with God is unique in some aspect, so we probably aren’t

given everything but we are given something…

 First, he inquires of the Lord. He wants things of God around him…,

sometimes church is for some reason the last place you want to go

when things and times are tough but it’s always the best place you can

go! To be encouraged of the Lord and to hear from Him. So many

times people say to me, “How did you know?” Referencing something

I taught. I didn’t know! God did! Look at the next verse…

1 Samuel Chapter 30 Verse 9

 Ok, so two things David did to strengthen himself in the Lord. David

inquired of the Lord and David went! He got active! He did

something! Becoming active in your faith is a sure way to strengthen

yourself in the Lord!

1 Samuel Chapter 30 Verses 10 – 20

 Ok, please see this, please don’t miss this. David is greatly disturbed

and upset and discouraged and saddened and he’s all messed up! SO,

he inquired of the Lord. He takes it to the Lord and asks God what he

should do! THEN, he DOES something! AND…., and, it just so

happens that he stumbles across this Egyptian servant in a field?!?!?!

 Ok, what should we do David? How do we get our children back?

How do we get our wives back? How can we be made fully whole and

oh by the way be the heroes of our families? Ok guys, here’s the plan,

we are going to start walking…, we are just going to set out, and when

we get to this field, we’re going to feed an Egyptian servant who will

take us right to the troop where we will take them down entirely and

not only recover everything but get all their stuff too!

 His men would have looked at him like he’s crazy! No one would be

able to make a plan like this! The point is that because David turned to

the Lord, because David chose to surround himself with the things of

God and to take action based upon the Word of God, God worked a

miraculous and more than complete victory!!!! And God did it in a

way no one would of, or could of, imagined!

1 Samuel Chapter 30 Verses 21 – 25

 I love this! This is David allowing the grace of God to not only benefit

him and be consumed by his own needs but to flow through him

also! Notice David says, “You shall not do so with what the Lord has

GIVEN us.” His perspective is righteous. His perspective is RIGHT.

The victory and more than restoration that he had received was not

because of his great wisdom or personal bravery, but it was because

God had provided, given it to him.

 And so, when he has been given so much undeserved, how is it that he

could withhold blessing others who themselves are underserving? It’s

a spiritual rule, a marker, and indicator, a revealer…, the folks that

are critical of others are just simply critical of themselves and that’s

not a note of fairness…, that’s an indicator that they don’t know…

They’re missing it. They’re ignorant of the love and grace of God….

 When those that are graceful and forgiving and kind and

accommodating even to those that are unhelpful to them…, you know

those are the ones that have grasped or even glimpsed the intense love

and grace of God that has been given to them in Jesus. All of us will

understand in heaven… When we see Him, we will understand we are

only there because of Him and that’s the same for everyone… And

everyone will serve their neighbor… You don’t do that now, it’s not

that you are sharp or keen or aware of other’s shortcomings…, its that

you’re not aware of your own…

 This is an incredibly godly thing to do…, so much so that folks pick

up on it eventually, which is what always happens, and for

generations to come, dinner tables in the Jewish homes would discuss

how David was right in this matter.

1 Samuel Chapter 30 Verses 26 – 31

 David is about to be king. One more chapter and Saul will be

removed. And with this event, David’s final preparation is complete.

In this chapter, David was spared again by God and called by God out

of a position of error, being defected to the enemies of Israel.

 Hardship came upon him. So, David strengthened himself, that’s

where your faith becomes personal, your faith becomes yours, David

went to the Lord himself. Inquired of the Lord. Acted upon the Word

of God and did what God told him to do. Grace then flowed through

David because he knew it was the Lord’s victory. He then shared his

reward with all that were around him. And finally, he did what he

could to repair old relationships… He is ready to level up and ready

for what God has for him next…