The Messes We Make
As we continue our journey through 1 Samuel in our Of Kings and Men series we have arrived at 1 Samuel 28-29.
Introduction
As a child, did you ever think about running away from home?
I remember one time thinking about running away from home. I do not remember exactly what triggered it. My childhood was not bad and I believe it was something silly like having to clean my room or eat my vegetables. Whatever it was, I had had enough of my parents’ “overbearing” control of my life. I was going to leave. On my own, I could do whatever I wanted, I was done with all their rules.
So I went into my room, closed my door, and began to think about what I should bring with me. Of course, I would need my favorite toys. That’s when I realized it would be very difficult to decide which ones to bring and which ones to leave behind. I didn’t want to leave any of them behind. Also, I didn’t have much room. I only had a plastic shopping bag I had grabbed from under the kitchen sink. So I grabbed another bag. I also realized I could not make my pillow fit properly. Now that I was thinking about my pillow, where would I sleep? Would I need a blanket as well? What would I do about the street dogs if any of them decided to chase me? (I lived in Brazil at the time and this was a genuine concern)
As I was realizing this was going to be a lot harder than I had anticipated I also realized that I was beginning to feel hungry. Then I thought about how difficult it would be to bring food with me, and how I did not know how to prepare food.
As dinner time approached I realized that my life was not so bad. I stayed for dinner. Turns out that my mom’s vegetable soup was not that terrible. As the evening showers came I was glad I had a roof over my head. And even though my sister and I did not always see eye to eye I was glad I was not alone.
The advantage of being a young child is that it did not take much for me to realize that I could not live on my own. After very little thought I realized how much I relied on my parents to provide for me.
As I have grown older, I still experience the temptation to run away from problems and uncomfortable situations. The main problem with this is when I do not check with God first, and when I think I escaped my problem I do not realize I just created a new and often bigger one.
Brief Review
1 Samuel 27 records David allying himself with the Philistines. (I have a post that touches on this entitled No Quick Fixes.) David did not consult with God before making this decision, and it was born out of fear of Saul. In this post, we will examine some of the challenges that came with David’s decision.
David was in a difficult position while he was in Israel because Saul was persecuting him. Now David is with the Philistines, but that brings with it even greater challenges.
The Philistines gathered for battle against Israel (again)
1 Samuel 29 begins much like 1 Samuel 28, except the locations are different. (It could be that the two events happened only a few days apart and the armies simply shifted positions as they prepared for battle. It is very likely that the events described in 1 Samuel 29 began before the events described in 1 Samuel 28 and that much of the story was taking place at the same time.)
Now it happened in those days that the Philistines gathered their armies together for war, to fight with Israel. And Achish said to David, “You assuredly know that you will go out with me to battle, you and your men.”
So David said to Achish, “Surely you know what your servant can do.”
And Achish said to David, “Therefore I will make you one of my chief guardians forever.”
- 1 Samuel 28:1-2 NKJV
In first Samuel 28, we see David giving an obscure answer. Achish assumes that David will fight for him, but that is not exactly what David said, though it could be interpreted in that manner. David finds himself in a difficult position. On the one hand, Achish has given David a city to live in, and David no longer needs to be afraid of Saul trying to kill him. On the other hand, David cannot be honest with Achish, 1 Samuel 27:8-12 makes this abundantly clear. David has been lying about raiding the Geshurites, the Girzites, and the Amalekites, and instead of saying he had been raiding the southern area of Judah, or the southern area of the Jerahmeelites, or the southern area of the Kenites. Essentially denying he was raiding the enemies of Israel and claiming he was raiding the friends of Israel.
Achish believes David, and David is living this double life, always concerned about being found out. Trying to be faithful to God while also maintaining his friendship with a pagan king who was an enemy of God’s people.
The Problems Increase.
David’s lies work on Achish.
And Achish said to David, “Therefore I will make you one of my chief guardians forever.”
- 1 Samuel 28:2b NKJV
This leads to new problems down the road.
Then the Philistines gathered together all their armies at Aphek, and the Israelites encamped by a fountain which is in Jezreel. And the lords of the Philistines passed in review by hundreds and by thousands, but David and his men passed in review at the rear with Achish. Then the princes of the Philistines said, “What are these Hebrews doing here?”
~1 Samuel 29:1-3a NKJV
David and his men are now part of the combined Philistine army! David and his men are essentially marching with the Philistines as the Philistines get ready to fight against Israel. Achish and David and his men come at the rear, at the very end of the line and the princes of the Philistines notice this and they are not happy.
David and his men are surrounded by Philistines. Try to imagine how this must have felt. Imagine the Philistines looking at David and his men and recognizing them as Israelites. Imagine the Philistines just eying them up and down. I wonder what kind of words might have been exchanged that were never recorded for us to read today. As I read this story and think about what it must have been like to have been there as an Israelite with the combined army of the Philistines.
Achish tried to explain everything to the Philistine princes, but they were not convinced.
But the princes of the Philistines were angry with him; so the princes of the Philistines said to him, “Make this fellow return, that he may go back to the place which you have appointed for him, and do not let him go down with us to battle, lest in the battle he become our adversary. For with what could he reconcile himself to his master, if not with the heads of these men? Is this not David, of whom they sang to one another in dances, saying:
‘Saul has slain his thousands,
And David his ten thousands’?”
- 1 Samuel 29:4-5 NKJV
Apparently, that song about David was really popular!
Achish goes to break the news to David, and he feels really bad, he even swears by David’s God YHWH, that David has been upright. Achish explains to David that the princes of the Philistines do not want him near them during the battle. David must have been relieved but he makes it seem like he is offended that he will not be allowed to fight. Interestingly David mentions fighting against the enemies of his lord the king. But David never clarifies what he means by that. Achish likely understood David to be referencing him, but it is possible that David was referring to Saul (1 Samuel 24:28), or maybe even king YHWH. Being in the rear David and his men were in a perfect position to attack the Philistines sandwiching them between his forces and Saul’s army. The Philistine army had reason to be concerned since something similar has happened before (1 Samuel 14:21).
Coming Home
At dawn, David and his men begin the 50-mile journey to Ziklag. The journey took them three days.
Now it happened, when David and his men came to Ziklag, on the third day, that the Amalekites had invaded the South and Ziklag, attacked Ziklag and burned it with fire, and had taken captive the women and those who were there, from small to great; they did not kill anyone, but carried them away and went their way. So David and his men came to the city, and there it was, burned with fire; and their wives, their sons, and their daughters had been taken captive.
- 1 Samuel 30:1-3 NKJV
Most of us will go our whole lives without having our worst fears come true. I believe what just happened was the worst fear of David and many of his men. This situation could be taken straight out of a Hollywood movie.
If this were a movie, this is when David would send a letter to whoever took his wives. And the letter would say something along the lines of
“I don't know who you are.
I don't know what you want.
If you're looking for ransom, I can tell you I don't have money... but what I do have are a very particular set of skills.
Skills I have acquired over a very long career.
Skills that make me a nightmare for people like you.
If you let my wives go now, that will be the end of it - I will not look for you, I will not pursue you...
but if you don't,
I will look for you,
I will find you...
and I will kill you.”
But this is not a movie, this is real life.
Handling Great Loss
Then David and the people who were with him lifted up their voices and wept, until they had no more power to weep. And David’s two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the widow of Nabal the Carmelite, had been taken captive. Now David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and his daughters. But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God.
In real life, David and his men, some of the toughest men around just weep. They cry until they run out of tears. David at this point had lost three wives. King Saul had given his daughter Michal, David’s wife, to another (1 Samuel 25:44). And now the Amalekites had taken Ahinoam and Abigail. David’s men had also lost their wives and their children. Not to mention all their possessions and even their homes were burned down.
Blaming
How do we react when the worst possible outcome materializes itself?
The men blame David. They want to kill him!
Can you blame them though? It was David who decided to leave Israel. It was David who had not allowed them to kill Saul. It was David who had decided to become best buddies with Achish and travel over 50 miles to join a combined Philistine army. This was all David’s fault. David’s men's reaction was par for the course, it was a natural reaction, it is what we would expect from anyone dealing with extreme grief.
Blaming David and wanting to kill him are understandable behaviors, especially from those who have lost everything by following David.
Do we not behave similarly?
When something goes wrong we look for someone to blame. We demand blood, punishment, suffering. We are angry, we are hurting, and we want whoever we deem responsible to suffer too.
But here is the big question we fail to ask, or just don’t want to ask.
What will solve the problem? Or at least prevent it from happening again?
These big questions can really help give us direction and purpose in life. When you look around, what breaks your heart? What can you do to fix it? What are your skills and abilities and how can you put them to work towards fixing the problem? Move in that direction. This is something you never retire from, this is what you live for. At least for me, it is how I chose to live my life.
Options
The men wanted to blame and kill David. I honestly understand why they would want to pursue that course of action.
Now place yourself in David’s shoes. You feel terrible. This is the worst loss you have ever experienced, and it is all your fault. How could you ever become king? What kind of king causes his followers to lose everything? Maybe the best thing David could do is die. Maybe God was punishing him for lying to king Achish, for leaving Israel, and allying himself with the Philistines.
David could not call on the Philistines to help, David could not call on Israel for help. David was all alone. He only had his men and they were exhausted from a three-day journey and from crying and having their souls crushed.
It would be understandable for David to be crushed by his current situation. Have you ever felt like that? Like you have made such a mess out of your life that there was no option left?
Have you ever run away from home, from God, from your responsibilities only to realize that you just made everything worse and you only have yourself to blame?
In this world, there is so much suffering. It does not take much for you to suffer, suffering is all around us. We cannot escape it. Sometimes it feels like the only way to stop it is to stop living. There is a logic to that, but that is not your only option. I would say that is a terrible option. Ending your life is a permanent solution to a temporary problem.
It must have felt like all hope was gone for David and his men. It must have felt like there was no point to life. David must have felt like a huge failure. But in reality, all was not lost. They were still alive, and they served a mighty God.
God does not always shield us from all suffering, but He does not abandon us in our suffering.
My friend, if you are feeling like your life is too much of a mess, like there is too much suffering, and you feel like there is no point to even trying anymore, remember that you have a God who never gives up on you. Turn to Him and let Him strengthen you and bring you through this.
A Leader
What set David apart from his men is that he did not seek to blame someone else. He took ownership of the mess he had made, he owned his mistakes and turned to God for a solution. David could have just as easily blamed others for his pain and suffering, but that would not solve his problem. David took action, David turned to God and strengthened himself in the Lord his God.
Now David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and his daughters. But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God.
- 1 Samuel 30:6 NKJV (bold mine)
Taking Action
After a good cry, David decided to turn to God to find out what his next step should be.
Then David said to Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech’s son, “Please bring the ephod here to me.” And Abiathar brought the ephod to David. So David inquired of the Lord, saying, “Shall I pursue this troop? Shall I overtake them?”
And He answered him, “Pursue, for you shall surely overtake them and without fail recover all.”
- 1 Samuel 30:7-8 NKJV
David and his men had just traveled for three days, they had just cried until they ran out of tears, and now they were to take up arms and pursue an enemy force they had no intelligence on. They had no idea how many Amalekites they were going to face, they had no idea how far they would have to travel, they had no idea how well armed the Amalekite army would be and how well trained and organized they were. They had no idea of the terrain. Did they even have enough provisions for this mission? They were exhausted and probably running low on food and drink. How could they simply go and attack the Amalekites?
I see a couple of compelling reasons. One is that this is the only course of action that could restore their loss. The second is really the most compelling reason and that is because God told them they would be victorious. God never said it would be easy, but God did say they would succeed.
Many times in life we know God’s will for our lives. It is just that it seems like it would be so much harder to do it God’s way. God never promised us that life would be easy, but He does promise to never leave or forsake us.
And the Lord, He is the One who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed.”
- Deuteronomy 31:8 NKJVGo therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.
- Matthew 28:19-20 NKJV (bold mine)
God promised victory and full restoration of all that David and his men had lost. But God was not going to drop everything in David’s lap as he sat in the shade drinking cool water. God would give David and his men the victory, it would be a gift from God. God would restore everything. But David and his men had to get up and go. They had to trust God and act on it.
Sure they were tired, sure they were sad and heartbroken, sure they wanted to rest, but they also wanted to have their wives and kids back, and they felt like that was worth fighting for.
Final Outcome
I strongly recommend you read all of 1 Samuel 30 since I will only summarize the rest of the story from this point on.
David and his men found the Amalekites and proceeded to defeat them so thoroughly that they are not mentioned against as an opponent of Israel until the time of Hezekiah (716-687 B.C.; 1 Chronicles 4:43)
I cannot tell you that life will be easy. I cannot tell you that you will not suffer. But I can tell you that it does not matter how much of a mess you make of your life, you cannot mess things up to a greater degree than God can fix. I am not saying that God will fix your life in a blink of an eye, I am not saying He will fix all your problems overnight. But I am saying that you should seek God’s direction and follow it. It will be difficult, but the results are in God’s hands. Trust the process, trust in His plans, trust in Him, in His love and might. Allow God to do amazing things through you.
God is willing to do amazing things for you and through you.
Are you willing?
I am not saying it will be easy, I am saying it will be worth it.
