Bible Studies

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1 Samuel 30:6 And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God.

Today we will study about an incident in the life of King David. There is a wonderful principal illustrated here in the scriptures that we should apply to our life. Jehovah God, David’s friend, was ever near when David encountered trouble. The bible tells us that David was: “a man after God’s own heart”. That is what we should desire today: to be a man or woman that has the heart of God! Let us examine the scriptures together and discover some of the things that enabled God to call David so special.

Foundation

The 30th chapter of the book of First Samuel gives us the account:

1.)Of David going forth with the armies of the Philistines:
Verse 1 “Now the Philistines gathered together all their armies to Aphek: and the Israelites pitched by a fountain which is in Jezreel.”.

2.)Of David being objected to by the princes of the Philistines, who insisted upon his being sent back,
Verse 3 “Then said the princes of the Philistines, What do these Hebrews here? And Achish said unto the princes of the Philistines, Is not this David, the servant of Saul the king of Israel, which hath been with me these days, or these years, and I have found no fault in him since he fell unto me unto this day?”

3.)Of the report Achish made of it to David, and the discourse that passed between them upon it,
Verse 6 “Then Achish called David, and said unto him, Surely, as the LORD liveth, thou hast been upright, and thy going out and thy coming in with me in the host is good in my sight: for I have not found evil in thee since the day of thy coming unto me unto this day: nevertheless the lords favour thee not.”; whereby David had a way unexpectedly opened for him to be freed from this service, which he gladly embraced”,

4.) Of David’s separation from the Amalekites.
Verse 11 “So David and his men rose up early to depart in the morning, to return into the land of the Philistines. And the Philistines went up to Jezreel.”


The Lesson

1 Samuel 30:6 a ”And David was greatly distressed;”
David and his men were came to Ziklag on the third day, to find that the Amalekites had invaded the south, and had attacked Ziklag. David and his men came to the city and found it burned with fire; and their wives, and their sons, and their daughters taken captives. Then David and the people that were with him lifted up their voice and wept, until they had no more power to weep. And David's two wives had been taken captive, Ahinoam and Abigail the wife of Nabal .

1 Samuel 30:6 b “for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters:”

“The people spake of stoning him”, possibly because David had gone along with Achish, and left the city defenseless. Or because he had provoked the Amalekites by his dealings with them, who now took this opportunity to avenge themselves upon David and the people. Or possibly it was his excess of sorrow for his two wives, and his reluctance to take vengeance on their enemies that provoked them. David had done much to civilize these men; but we find what an unruly and ferocious band they were; and yet they strongly felt the ties of natural affection, they “grieved every man for his sons and for his daughters.” They were very desirous of recovering them if possible, and of taking vengeance on those who had carried them captive:

1 Samuel 30:6 c “but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God.”

To Encourage: to urge forward, to persuade, to comfort, to console, implies “The sense of stimulating one to the earnest discharge of duties.”

It took a lot to bring David to this place, but now he is here - God was his only strength. This was wayward David, “fighting with the Philistines” David. Why would God strengthen him? Because God is rich in mercy and grace, and because David was now completely broken. Sometimes we think we have to achieve God’s blessing or strength, but David shows us another way. He received the strength, and felt it flow through himself, and was bold enough to ask for it and receive it from God. Before this, he didn’t see himself as weak, but after coming home to a burned-out ghost town, David knew he was weak and needed God’s strength. This was the strength of the living God making itself real in the life and heart of this hurting man. This was strength for recognition, strength for brokenness, strength for repentance, strength for determination to win back what the enemy had stolen. At this point of total loss, David now saw the love of the LORD in the rejection of the Philistine leaders. If they had not sent him away, he and his men would not have returned right immediately, when the Amalekites had just left and the fires of their destruction were still burning. If God had not sent him back home through the rejection of the Philistines, it would have been months until he returned, and the situation would have been far worse. That which hurt him became sweet to him now, and the most precious expression of the LORD’s love.

David remembered God’s promise and calling. He could shake his head, clear the fog that had set about it for the last year or so, and say “I am a man anointed by God, called by God, and promised by God to be the next king of Israel. I have a high calling and promise from God, and He has not taken it away. I need to start living according to that destiny.” David could thank God and see the glory of His power in this high call.

David remembered God’s past deliverances. He could say, “This is a terrible spot I am in. But remember all the times when the LORD delivered me out of a bad spot before? If He did it then, He will do it now. He didn’t deliver me before just to let me perish now.” David took his only encouragement from the LORD. Now, it was time to do something with that strength from the LORD.



NOTE: Solomon observed that the righteous is delivered out of trouble and the wicked cometh in his stead, that the just falleth seven times a-day and riseth again; so it was with David. Many were his troubles, but the Lord delivered him out of them all, and particularly out of this which we have in this account.

Others That Were Encouraged

Joshua
Deut.1:38 But Joshua the son of Nun, which standeth before thee, he shall go in thither: encourage him: for he shall cause Israel to inherit it. God instructed Moses and Israel to encourage Joshua that he could lead the nation into the Promised Land and conquer their enemies.

Joshua
Deut. 3:28 But charge Joshua, and encourage him, and strengthen him: for he shall go over before this people, and he shall cause them to inherit the land which thou shalt see. The same charge to Moses as above.

Israel
Judges 20:22 And the people the men of Israel encouraged themselves, and set their battle again in array in the place where they put themselves in array the first day. The people were to encourage themselves before the battle took place.

The Priest and Levites
2Chron. 31:4 Moreover he commanded the people that dwelt in Jerusalem to give the portion of the priests and the Levites, that they might be encouraged in the law of the LORD. The people were instructed to give a portion of the offering to encourage the priest and Levites.

The Priest
2Chron. 35:2 And he set the priests in their charges, and encouraged them to the service of the house of the LORD, King Josiah encouraged the priest to the service of the house of the LORD.

NOTE: To Encourage: to urge forward, to persuade, to comfort, to console, implies “The sense of stimulating one to the earnest discharge of duties.” The idea of encouragement in the Old Testament carried over into the New Testament and was sometimes expressed in the word “comfort” which conveyed the same meaning.

The Church
1Thes. 5:9 - 11 For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him. Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do. We are instructed by the Apostle, as the body of Christ, to comfort (or encourage) ourselves. We should lift up and bear one another’s burdens.

1Thes. 4:18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words. Again Paul instructs us to comfort one another with the Word of the Lord. If we would encourage someone let us share the Word with them.

2Cor. 1:3 - 4 Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. The promise from God Himself that He will comfort us in tribulation (trial) or any trouble. We ourselves are comforted of God. How special we are to our God! We have the same privileges as David, Joshua, Israel, the priest and Levites. God is the same yesterday, today and forever

David found he could place very little confidence in his men; and, as he was conscious that this evil had not happened either through his neglect or folly, he saw he might confidently expect succor from his Maker. “but David encouraged himself in the Lord his God;” He took it all patiently, and exercised faith in his God; he encouraged himself in the power and providence of God; in the promises of God, and his faithfulness in keeping them; in a view of his covenant relation to God; in remembrance of the grace, mercy, and goodness of God, and his former experiences of it; hoping and believing that God would appear for him in some way or another, and work salvation for him. The Targum says,” he strengthened himself in the Word of the Lord his God;’ in Christ the Word of God, and in the power of his might, and in the grace that is in him. Today we have that same covenant relationship with our God. We also should always encourage ourselves: 1.) in the power of God, 2.) the providence of God, 3.) the promises of God, 4.) in the remembrance of the grace, mercy, and goodness of God. He is our ever present help in the time of trouble!


PS.
By the way, listen to the results of David encouraging himself in the Lord his God!

1 Samuel 30:17-19 “And David smote them from the twilight even unto the evening of the next day: and there escaped not a man of them, save four hundred young men, which rode upon camels, and fled. And David recovered all that the Amalekites had carried away: and David rescued his two wives. And there was nothing lacking to them, neither small nor great, neither sons nor daughters, neither spoil, nor any thing that they had taken to them: David recovered all.”

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