Weekly message: God-fear men may fall, yet God will deliver him. (1Samuel 27-30)
By Rev. Katherine Liu Bruce
Christian Arts Ministries: Biblical precepts & Gospel music
Date: September 12,2021
God-fearing men, who are reverent before God
may fall, yet, God will deliver, rescue, and redirect their steps. In
the Old Testament 1 Samuel to 2 Samuel recorded King David’s each step, from a
youth shepherd boy to old age as king of Israel. By the anointing of the Lord,
he became a great leader of Israel. The Lord was with him in his entire life.
The Lord sent him helpers, faithful and loyal servants, and followers. King
David gained the favor in the sight of God and men, because he had kept the
ways of the Lord, and had not done evil by turning from God. He kept integrity,
righteousness, and cleanness of his hands. The Lord rescued him from his
powerful enemy, and foes who were too strong for him. The Lord was faithful to
His covenant to King David and empowered him to reign over Israel for 40 years.
A great leader needs to be careful
of his step and decision making. When a leader make a decision that is wrong, when a leader choose
a course that is not God’s plan, it affects those who trust him and depend on him,
those who look up to him and believe in him. Though innocent, they become
contaminated by leader’s sinful choices. [1] There were few
events unveil King David’s weakness, lust, and was stumble few times, but God
is with him, he learned from the mistakes, repented and regained men’s help and
favor.
First event, King David made wrong decision
and went to the wrong direction, resulted his followers suffered and lost.
After twice he escaped from King Saul who wanted to kill him. King Saul repented,
asked for forgiveness, and affirmed David will be the king of Israel twice. But
King David said to himself, “Now I will
perish one day by the hand of Saul. There is nothing better for me than to
escape into the land of the Philistines. (1 Samuel 27:1). He took refuge in the Philistine
territory (the giant was killed by him), and became the servant of a Philistine
with six hundred men with him. When a man loses his way, he moves quickly in
the wrong direction and plays into the adversary’s hand. In 1 Samuel27:2-3
states,
King David arose and crossed over, he and the six hundred men who were with him, to Achish the son of Maoch, king of Gath. And David lived with Achish at Gath, he and his men, each with his household, even David with his two wives, Ahinoam and Abigail.
David
said to Achish, “If now I have found favor in your sight, let them give me a
place in one of the cities in the
country, that I may live there, for why should your servant live in the royal city with you? So Achish
gave him Ziklag that day; therefore Ziklag has belonged
to the kings of Judah to this day. And the number of days that David lived in
the country of the Philistines was
a year and four months. (1Samuel27:5-7).
During
sixteen months, David was not much joy flowing, neither psalm, nor songs
composed from his heart. Then it happened when David and his men reached Ziklag
on the third day. Now the Amalekites had raided the Negev and Ziklag. They had
attacked Ziklag and burned it, and had taken captive the women and all who were
in it, both young and old. They killed none of them, but carried them off as
they went on their way. When David and his men came to Ziklag, they found it
destroyed by fire and their wives and sons and daughters taken captive. So
David and his men wept aloud until they had no strength left to weep. (1 Samuel30:1-4)
When
a leader make a decision that is wrong, when a leader choose a course that is
not God’s plan, it affects those who trust him and depend on him, those who
look up to him and believe in him. So often, it results in his followers to
suffer for him. Though innocent, they become contaminated by the leader’s sinful
choices. David a giant-killer once was a great hero, but now, in Ziklag, all
men who followed him became bitter, and hatred against him. All men were talking
of stoning him. David was greatly distressed, but he found strength in the Lord
his God. David said to Abiathar the
priest, the son of Ahimelech,“Bring me the ephod” and David inquired of the
Lord, “ shall I pursue this raiding party? Will I over- take them?” “Pursue
them,” He answered, you will certainly overtake them and succeed in the
rescue.”(1Samuel30:7-8).
Indeed, God was with King David in this
movement. David fought them from dusk until the evening of the next day, and
none of them got away, except four hundred young men who rode off on camels and
fled. David recovered everything the Amalekites had taken, including his two
wives. Nothing was missing; you or old, boy or girl, plunder or anything else
they had taken. David brought everything back. (1Samuel30:17-20). David used
his plunder as presents for his friends in Judah.
God’s
plan is supreme. The Lord foils the plans of the nations; He thwarts the
purposes of the peoples. But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever. The
purposes of His heart though all generations. Blessed is the nation whose God
is the Lord, the people He chose for his inheritance. (Psalm33:10-12). The Lord used the suspicion
of the Philistines to deliver David from the distressing predicament of
fighting Israel or being killed by Achish for disloyalty. (1Samuel29:11). And
David destroyed the Amalekites. God’s plan is supreme; King David fulfilled
God’s commands that King Saul wasn’t obeyed. A great leader is a God-fearing
man who is reverent before God.
1)
When a leader make a decision that is
wrong, when a leader choose a course that is not God’s plan, it affects those
who trust him and depend on him, those who look up to him and believe in him. So
often, it results in his followers to suffer for him. Though innocent, they
become contaminated by the leader’s sinful choices.
2)
Fear God, obey Lord’s commands, decrees,
precepts and law, and follow Lord’s instruction. For whoever obeys his command
will come to no harm, and the wise heart will know the proper times and
procedure. For there is a proper time and procedure for every matter, though a
man’s misery weighs heavily upon him. (Eccesiastes8:5-6)
3)
Obey the King’s command, because you
took an oath before God. Do not be in a hurry to leave the King’s presence. Do
not stand up for a bad cause, for he will do whatever he pleases. Since a
King’s word is supreme, who can say to Him, “What are you doing?”
(Eccesiastes8:2-4).
4)
A great leader is a God-fearing man.
Although a wicked man commits a hundred crimes and still lives a long time, I
know that it will go better with
God-fearing men, who are reverent
before God. Because the wicked do not fear God, it will not go well with
them, and their days will not lengthen like a shadow. (Ecclesiastes 8: 12-13).
5)
God-fearing men, who are reverent before
God may fall, yet, God will deliver, rescue, and redirect their steps.
6)
The Lord foils the plans of the nations;
He thwarts the purposes of the peoples. But the plans of the Lord stand firm
forever. The purposes of His heart though all generations. Blessed is the
nation whose God is the Lord, the people He chose for his inheritance. (Psalm33:10-12).
Bibliography,
Bauer, Walter. A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and
Other Early Christian Literature. 3rd Chicago: The
University of Chicago press, 2000.
Brown, Robert, Philip W. Comfort and J.D. Douglas, ed. The New
Greek English Interlinear New Testament. Carol Stream: Tyndale House
Publishers, Inc.1990.
Friberg,
Timothy, Barbara Friberg, and Neva F. Miller et al., eds. Analytical
Lexicon of the Greek New Testament.1st ed. Victoria BC:
Trafford Publishing, 2005.
King James, The Holy Bible, Cleveland, OH: The world publishing
company
New American Standard Bible, The Open Bible.. La Habra, CA: Thomas
nelson publishers, 1978.
Ryrie, Charles C. The Ryrie study Bible
(NIV).Chicago, IL: The Moody Bible Institute.1986.
Swindoll,
Charles R. A man of passion & destiny
David. Dallas, TX: Word publishing, Inc.1990
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