Jump Start # 942
1 Samuel 30:6 “Moreover David was greatly distressed because the people spoke of stoning him, for all the people were embittered, each one because of his sons and his daughters. But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God.”
We continue our look at the life of David. Our passage today reminds us of the long and difficult road that David often traveled. Humble beginnings, sky rocketed to national hero and then the most wanted man in the nation. David became so desperate from running and hiding from King Saul that he joined himself with the Philistines, the enemy of Israel. This is one place Saul could not touch him. While he is hiding among the Philistines, the Amalekites make a raid on the city where David and his men had hid their families. The city was burned and their families taken captive. The text reveals the sunken feeling, “Then David and the people who were with him lifted their voices and wept until there was no strength in them to weep” (v. 4). Our verse soon follows. David’s men are so upset that their anger turns against David. They plan to kill David. They blamed David for the kidnapping of their families. Distressed. Bitter. Angry. Broken hearted. There is nothing much left in David’s men.
Three thoughts:
First, there are times when it seems that we simply cannot endure any more. We feel that we are at our limits. David and his men were running for their lives. Saul had tried to kill them. The Philistines didn’t trust them so they were forced to leave. Now, their families were kidnapped and their homes destroyed. The rubber band within us can get so stretched that we feel that we will snap at any moment. That’s where David’s men were. They had enough.
What these men were going through reminds us that problems do not line up one at a time, like airplanes waiting to take off. First, one goes, and then it’s time for the next in line. Problems are not like that. They come, often two, or three at a time. Problems at work: new policies that do not make sense, co-workers who do not work, demanding bosses, dead lines; problems at home: teenagers who want to run with the wild group, a mate who feels that you are not devoting enough time to the family, things that need fixing, aging parents who need you; problems with the finances: the household budget isn’t working, college is coming for the kids, you are driving a car that is on it’s last leg, your retirement funds look low, you can’t afford a vacation, the kids are wanting everything; problems at church: the elders are fussing about doing more, they want you to teach another class but you don’t know how you’ll have the time to prepare for it, the preacher loads the guilt about not doing enough, you feel stressed, tired, over worked and you don’t see things getting any better. Does this sound familiar to you? Many are there. Problems do not come one at a time. They often come as three or four at a time. King Saul was not going to give David a break because his family was kidnapped.
Second, we often turn against the wrong person when we are stressed and bitter about problems. David’s men were going to stone David. What good would that do? David had kept them safe all this time. David was not responsible for the kidnapping of their families. They needed to rally around David. Instead, they added to David’s problems by becoming a problem. Sometimes in grief, couples will turn against each other. Sometimes in the midst of church problems we fight the very people who could help us the most. What would happened had they been successful? They would have killed God’s anointed. They would have killed their hope of rescue. Years ago there was a 16 year old who was killed in a car accident. It was very sad. The family was crushed. I told the parents that this event would either pull them together as a couple or it would pull them apart. It wasn’t too long after that the couple divorced. Pointing fingers, finding fault, blaming others usually doesn’t reverse what has happened. It’s only an outlet for our anger. Anger will lead us to saying and doing things that we often will regret later on. Blaming David would not bring the families back. They needed a plan. They needed leadership. They needed to rescue their families.
Those in leadership roles, whether at work, home or church will experience similar rejection like David did. When emotions are running ahead of reason, people will react and say mean and hurtful things. They make threats. They want to quit. It takes tough skin to be a leader when the troops are bitter, angry and wanting to find fault. Shouting isn’t a good option. Quitting doesn’t help things. Let people calm down. Come up with a workable plan. Be there for them. Show compassion. These are all steps that leaders must take to get the troops back on target.
Finally, our passage tells us that David strengthened himself. David encouraged himself. There are times a person has to do that, especially the leaders. David couldn’t count on the men, they were looking for rocks to throw at him. Saul was no help. The Philistines were useless. His family was gone. He was all alone in this. He could have sat down and cried “there is no one here for me.” Instead, he strengthened himself. He encouraged himself. This is done through thinking, praying and connecting with God. Everyone had left David—but God. God was still there. God was still on the throne. God is one that David could count on. God was there for David. All those Psalms. All those hymns. All those prayers. All those Scriptures. They reminded. They connected. They helped David. He found his strength. He was ready to go on. He was back. He was focused and ready to go.
There are times we need to do this for ourselves. There may not be anyone else. Our family may be suffering and of no hope. Sometimes the church can be clueless and indifferent. Friends have their own problems. It seems that no one is there to lift us up. If you are not able to strengthen yourself, you will crumble. Many do. They expect others to be their help. When that doesn’t happen, their faith dies. They give up. The problems conquer them. They become defeated. That happens every day. They blame the schools, the government, the church and even the family for letting them down. They become more bitter. They become a spokesman for hate. What they failed to do was to strengthen themselves.
Can you strengthen yourself? Can you pull yourself out of the ditch? It’s never you by yourself. It’s you with God. It’s relying on God to help you. David’s strengthen didn’t come from within him, it came from above. It came from God. That’s how you do it. You think about all those sermons, and classes, and articles, and hymns, and verses. You have built a foundation upon the rock. Sure the rains came. Sure the winds blew. But you stood firm because of your foundation. It is that foundation that gets you through. It’s not someone’s smile. They may not smile. It’s not someone sitting beside you. They may not sit with you. It’s not someone holding your hand. They may not hold your hand. It’s God who will get you through.
David strengthened himself. You can do that. You can make it—with God.
Roger