Monday, November 03, 2008

1 samuel 30 - weakness


It's difficult to imagine what the situation was like when David and his men found out their wives/children had been kidnapped. 600 fighting men weeping until they had no strength left to weep! That included David and then on top of the that the people want to stone him. God has barely been mentioned in the last few chapters, David has made some questionable decisions, and now this. David knows that there is only one thing to do - turn to God. He "strengthens himself in God" (v6). This is the definition of what it means when we say that our weakness is His strength. There was nothing and no-one that could possibly strengthen David here, other than God. And God answers, restoring everything back to the men.

It's easy to read the 2nd half of the chapter and think that's it a simple lesson of how we should share things with others and be fair. While there's nothing wrong with that, it involves us picturing ourselves as the men who went into battle with David. In spiritual terms, we are the men who stayed behind. The men too weak to do anything, unable to help ourselves, depending on someone else to go into battle for us. Jesus did. He went into battle and gave us everything when we deserved nothing.

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