1 Samuel 30:16-20 “And when he had brought him down, there they were, spread out over all the land, eating and drinking and dancing, because of all the great spoil which they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from the land of Judah. Then David attacked them from twilight until the evening of the next day. Not a man of them escaped, except four hundred young men who rode on camels and fled. So David recovered all that the Amalekites had carried away, and David rescued his two wives. And nothing of theirs was lacking, either small or great, sons or daughters, spoil or anything which they had taken from them; David recovered all. Then David took all the flocks and herds they had driven before those other livestock, and said, “This is David’s spoil.”
When we're living right in this life we pass on the experience by our witness to those who will receive it. They then experience a piece of what we've experienced in God and it is a life changing matter. We see this come to pass in the life of the Egyptian slave that was ministered to by David in the wilderness As a recipient of David's hospitality, the revived and grateful Egyptian told them where the Amalekites were. They had been on their way to a victory celebration when the Egyptian slave had fallen sick and been dumped. Knowing exactly where they had been headed, he guided David and his company to the place.
It was now twilight and the party was in full swing. The Amalekites were dancing, drinking, and feasting on the bounty they had looted from Ziklag and other towns and villages in their latest piracy. They were far from the places they had pillaged and therefore hadn't set a guard. They were so focused on their spoils and celebration that they were easy targets for David and his men. Not only did they rout the Amalekites (only 400 young men escaped on camels), their recovery was absolute. Not a wife or a child was lost. Nothing that had been stolen from them was missing. Not only that, but they also had as spoils of victory the extensive Amalekite flocks of sheep and herds of cattle. David and his men returned with everything that had been stole and more in triumph. The so recently demoralized, grieving, and angry men were now ecstatic.
What a turn-a-round for David. Just a few hours earlier his own men were ready to kill him, but now he was honored and acclaimed as they gave him all the credit, shouting out, "This is David's spoil!" Remember, when David made peace with God and got things right in that relationship again, he heard from the Lord. It is pure and simple fact that in spite of everything, what David heard from God he believed and never stopped believing until God fulfilled his promise.
David believed in spite of the circumstances he had faced and was facing that God would fulfill His promise to him to restore what had been stolen.
Psalm 13:3, 4 “Consider and hear me, O LORD my God; enlighten my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death; lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed against him”; lest those who trouble me rejoice when I am moved.”
David remembered that in spite of it all God was God. He remembered if God has promised something then he will bring it to pass. God still blesses us even when we are in the valley. In the midst of depression, failure, and challenges, God still moves if we believe Him to do so. God still blesses us even when the enemy is watching and seemingly predicts our every move. Yes, the enemy can see us, and might even be able to predict our behaviors, but he cannot stop us if we hold on to God’s promise. God still protects us on every side. The devil and hell cannot stop you from receiving what God has ordained for you if you'll walk on by faith and not by sight.
Psalm 13:5, 6 “But I have trusted in Your mercy; my heart shall rejoice in Your salvation. I will sing to the LORD, because He has dealt bountifully with me.”
These are some things we must believe today:
-We can never be so bound or defeated that the Holy Spirit can't lift our soul up with hope. The Holy Spirit can change our circumstances and bring us into God's presence.
-We can never lose when Jesus writes the end of our story. Since Jesus is the first and last, whatever we're in must only be the middle. If He never changes as Hebrews 13:8 declares, then He’s greater than my circumstances.
-We can never fear because Jesus is closer and more powerful than we think.
-We can never face anything God's power cannot take us through.
David believed that in spite of the criticism of his men that he had to endure and not give up on the promise of God.
No one likes to receive criticism, but it will come anyway! Regardless of how well you live your life or try to conduct yourself in front of others, there will always be those around you who will find something to criticize.
Who can forget the life of Job? Here was a man that the Lord called "perfect and upright, and one that feared God and escheweth evil." Yet, when various calamities fell upon his life and Job's friends came to be with him, all they could find to do to Job was to criticize him.
Notice what they said about this man of God:
-You are a hypocrite-Job 5:4-5
-You are a windbag-Job 8:2
-You're just getting what you deserve-Job 5:8-15
-You have a bad attitude!-Job 5:17
There are many more verses that could be mentioned where the friends of Job attacked and criticized this godly man. Yet, through it all, Job stuck with the Lord and never turned on God. As a result, he was restored and blessed by the Father.
David was bothered by his men’s reaction. He has suffered just as much loss as they have. His heart was broken that the people had turned on him. In their defense, they were just looking for a scapegoat. Often this is the case in criticism. The critic uses his criticism as a means of raising himself in the eyes of others.
Paul said in Romans 2:1, 2 "Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things. But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things."
Unfair and unjust criticism always has a way of striking you right in the heart. It is painful, when you have done your best, to know that someone is observing your life to find fault. It is natural to be bothered by criticism. However, criticism should never be allowed to control your life. When the critics began their harassment of David, he responded by turning to the Lord in prayer. He knew that retaliation was not the answer, but the families of David and his men needed to be saved and he went to the Lord to ask for God's guidance. It was evident to all his critics that David was walking with God in spite of their attack!
There is a lesson here for you and me. When we are criticized and attacked, our best response is simply to carry on with business as usual! Just keep on serving God and be what the Lord has saved you to be. He will bless that attitude more than He could ever bless an attitude of bitterness and one that lashes out at its enemies.
David believed for the promise of restoration because he knew that God had spoken it to him.
Psalm 37:5 “Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.”
When David received the promise of God his whole personal outlook changed. Instead of spending time thinking about how bad things were he began to think about how good they would be when God fulfilled his promise. Our attitude is the key element of our faith. We have a tendency to let our attitudes take a nose dive when life deals us setbacks, both minor and major, on a regular basis. However, if we are going to be more than conquerors in this life we need to know how to deal with our circumstances and keep our attitudes intact!
Stop and pray.
Sometimes circumstances surprise us and we react. Unfortunately, this often compounds the problem because by reacting we tend to operate out of our weaknesses instead of our strengths. We make decisions that are not well thought out. We function with a bad attitude that says, “I can’t believe this is happening!” The next time circumstances turn against you, take some time to just step back from the problem and pray. This will enable you to deal with the issues at hand by exercising your faith instead of your emotions. It will allow you to put your state of mind back into its proper place. It gives you the opportunity to choose your attitude as you face the circumstances at hand.
-Don’t take your eyes off of the goal. A second step in keeping our attitude in the proper place is to make sure we keep the important things important. One of the biggest problems with trouble is that it gets your focus off of where it should be. If you find yourself getting down about your circumstances, remember what your goal is. Give some thought to how you can achieve that goal by being obedient to God and following His direction.
-Focus on solutions, not problems. Negative circumstances don’t sit idly by. They scream for our attention. When we face difficult circumstances, we tend to dwell on them. We talk about them, fret about them, and give them way too much attention. Instead of talking about problems, talk about solutions. Instead of spending your time thinking about how bad things are, think about how good they will be!
-Get some positive input. The mind tends to build on itself, so when we begin to allow our minds to build on the hopelessness of the situation we build a spiritual wall. One thing we must do is get our thoughts back on track with positive ideas.
-Find some good in your dilemma. One of the greatest internal powers we have is the power to control our thoughts. Spend time dwelling on the good things about your life instead of the problems. Think about the things you enjoy and give you a sense of happiness and peace. Remember as the song says, “Count your blessings name them one by one.” That is great advice! Let your positive attitude develop from within as well as from without. This makes all the difference!
-Remember that circumstances are not forever. Sometimes it seems like we are going to be facing the same situation forever. Yet in reality, this too shall pass. There will be a time in the future when your circumstances will change and you will be on the mountain instead of in the valley.
Hebrews 11:32-34 “And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets: who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions. Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens."
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