When You Are Weary

1 Samuel 30:9, 10 “So David went, he and the six hundred men who were with him, and came to the Brook Besor, where those stayed who were left behind. But David pursued, he and four hundred men; for two hundred stayed behind, who were so weary that they could not cross the Brook Besor.”

David's six hundred men were not prepared to hunt down the Amalekite marauders. They had just returned from the  long march back from the Philistine military front and were fatigued and demoralized by the ransacking of Ziklag. Their weariness began to grow on them and they once again begin to doubt David's plan and leadership. David led them on a forced march south. Pushing hard for fifteen miles, they reached the Brook Besor. Two hundred men, a third of David's company, at that point were exhausted and unable to continue. They said, in effect, "We can't go another step. We don't have the strength and we don't have the spirit. We've had it." And so they were left at the Brook Besor. 

One presumes these men, though weary and fatigued, stay behind because of that issue alone. One also presumes God allowed this because He wanted some to stay behind to make sure that Ziklag was not invaded again by marauders. However, the brook Besor was about 15 miles from Ziklag. Add to it the fact that there was not much of the city left to guard and you begin to see the real purpose that God had in allowing these 200 men to stay behind. Yes, they were close enough and skilled enough to be in the general area of the city and could have returned if necessary to do their best, but that was not what God had planned.

God allowed these 200 men to stay behind to teach us some very important things about being weary in general. What does God want us to see?

(1) Everybody gets weary in and of life. 

Paul, on two separate occasions, writes about the fatigue factor in serving the Lord.

He writes to the church in Galatians 6:9 and says, “And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.”

Paul acknowledges that we as individuals can grow tired in doing good all the time because we see many of our efforts go unfulfilled. Yet he encourages you and I to hold on and not give up.


He also writes to the brethren in 2 Thessalonians 3:13 and says, “But as for you, brethren, do not grow weary in doing good.”

Many times we get exhausted because we try and cover for everyone. Paul makes it very plain that this is a group thing as well as an individual responsibility. I can only do what I am supposed to do and should not have to do what God requires of others who individually will have to give account for themselves on the great Day of Judgment.

The Bible says these men were so weary that they could not take another step further. Even though they wanted to revenge their loss and retrieve what was stolen from them, they did not have the strength to continue on because of fatigue.

The writer of Hebrews 12:3 says, “For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls.”

Jesus Himself often grew weary because of the hostility toward him by unbelievers, but dealt with the weariness as best he could and gave us an example to follow. 

(2) Weariness often leads to low morale.

Psalm 6:1-3 “O LORD, rebuke me not in thine anger, neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure. Have mercy upon me, O LORD; for I am weak: O LORD, heal me; for my bones are vexed. My soul is also sore vexed: but thou, O LORD, how long?”

They had marched the long journey from the Philistine camp only to find that everything they had held dear to their hearts had been stripped away. They had expected to come home to the warmth of their fires, the love of their family, and a time of rest from their daily fatigue, only to find their dreams and hopes squashed because of an attack by the enemy. It is easy to become depressed when things begin to pile up around you that are negative and filled with pain, but especially when you are weary in your body, spirit, and soul. Without the proper rest your morale can be lower than you ever expected it to be because molehills will seem like mountains and pebbles like boulders in your path.

(3) Weariness and fatigue can also lead to a lack of trust or confidence in leadership or authority.

Psalm 6:6 “I am weary with my groaning; all night I make my bed swim; I drench my couch with my tears.”

Psalm 69:3, 4 “I am weary with my crying; my throat is dry; my eyes fail while I wait for my God. Those who hate me without a cause Are more than the hairs of my head; They are mighty who would destroy me, Being my enemies wrongfully; Though I have stolen nothing, I still must restore it."

These men had begun to question David’s judgment and decision making because they had followed him blindly and saw what it got them. When you get weary everything comes into question in your life. You begin to be deluged by things that you never have questioned before because of the fatigue factor that creates impossible scenarios within your mind.

(4) There is only one way to deal with weariness-and that is to rest.

Psalm 16:9 KJV “Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope.”

Psalm 37:7 KJV “Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.”

Psalm 94:12-14 KJV “Blessed is the man whom thou chastenest, O LORD, and teachest him out of thy law; That thou mayest give him rest from the days of adversity, until the pit be digged for the wicked. For the LORD will not cast off his people, neither will he forsake his inheritance.”

Psalm 116:6-8 KJV “The LORD preserveth the simple: I was brought low, and he helped me. Return unto thy rest, O my soul; for the LORD hath dealt bountifully with thee. For thou hast delivered my soul from death, mine eyes from tears, and my feet from falling.”