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Samuel chapter 29 reminds us how we can end up resisting God and not
realize it. Remember, from chapter 27, David and his men (and their
wives) fled to the land of the Philistines (to the very home town of
Goliath) to escape from King Saul. Strangely, David had lost
confidence in God and ended up mixed up with the enemy. While there
David and his men raided the Amalekites and other enemies of Israel,
and probably believed they were doing the right thing. As the
chapter begins, quite literally, David and his six hundred men find
themselves in formation with the armies of the Philistines ready to
attack God’s people. “The
Philistines gathered all their armies … As the Philistine rulers
marched with their units of hundreds and thousands, David and his men
were marching at the rear.”
Sadness, fear, loneliness, exhaustion, depression all can bring us
to bad places in life where we just go with the flow, not really
caring where that flow might be heading.
God
would not allow David to fight against His people. The commander of
the Philistines asked, “What
about these Hebrews?”
He knew of David’s fame and did not trust him. “Send
the man back, that he may return to the place you assigned him. He
must not go with us into battle, or he will turn against us during
the fighting… by taking the heads of our own men“.
Achish, the king of Gath broke the news to David that he would not
join the battle against Israel, “you
have been reliable, and I would be pleased to have you serve with me
in the army… I have found no fault in you, but the rulers don’t
approve of you. Turn back and go in peace“.
Amazingly, David protested, “What
have I done? Why can’t I go and fight against the enemies of my lord
the king?”
David is actually calling the Philistine king his lord!
When we are in one of those bad places, I believe only the Holy
Spirit of God can open our eyes and give us the spiritual discernment
to recognize we are fighting against God.
In Matthew
12:30-32 Jesus says, “He
who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me
scatters“.
When
I was 26 years old, I found myself in that lonely place. I heard
God’s Word written in the book of Romans, and God used it to pierce
my heart. First I heard my life described; “Although
they knew God, they did not glorify Him
as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and
their foolish hearts were darkened… Therefore God also gave them up
to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their
bodies among themselves, who exchanged the truth of God for the lie,
and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator.”
Then I heard the words that brought me to my knees: “And
do you think this, O man, you who judge those practicing such things,
and doing the same, that you will escape the judgment of God?”
I recognized the rebellion in my life and I was broken. I was born
again when I heard the words of God’s wonderful mercy in Romans
5:8: “But
God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still
sinners, Christ died for us“.
For the first time in my life I realized that Jesus died for me
personally. He gave His life that I might receive forgiveness. God
gave me freedom from my past and assured me of eternity in
heaven; “There
is
therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus“.
I pray these very same words help you to find the rock to stand on
if you are just going with the flow.