Message: In 1 Samuel 30 had been sent back home to where he was staying in Ziglag with the Philistines. He was in Ziglag because he had fled from Saul’s pursuit, but now the Philistines were going to battle with Israel and the leaders didn’t trust that David wouldn’t turn against them in battle. David was upset that he was turned away and sent home, but when he got home he discovered it had been raided and burned. All of their wives, children and belongings had been plundered. David’s men were about to turn on him for this but he led them to go recover their things. They recovered absolutely everything and then some. As I read this I was thinking about how upset David was when he was rejected from fighting with the Philistines. He didn’t know at that moment that his home had been attacked, plundered and his wives had been kidnapped. If he had been fighting the battle against Israel he would have been gone for who knows how long. He wanted to be in one battle but he needed to be in another one. This made me wonder how many times I have found myself fighting the wrong battle. David took the ephod to inquire of God and God was with him. This reminds me of the importance of taking each decision to God. I may be headed for the wrong battle but God knows exactly where I need to be and he gives me favor to do what he has equipped me to do. It can be disappointing to be rejected from a task but that disappointment quickly fades when we realize that the rejection of one task leads us to a more critical task. If David hadn’t been rejected from the first battle he wouldn’t have recovered his wife and belongings in the other battle.
