The Battle is the Lords

[Michelle71]

1Sa 29:4 And the princes of the Philistines were wroth with him; and the princes of the Philistines said unto him, Make this fellow return, that he may go again to his place which thou hast appointed him, and let him not go down with us to battle, lest in the battle he be an adversary to us: for wherewith should he reconcile himself unto his master? should it not be with the heads of these men?
1Sa 29:5 Is not this David, of whom they sang one to another in dances, saying, Saul slew his thousands, and David his ten thousands?
1Sa 29:6 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.
1Sa 29:7 Wherefore now return, and go in peace, that thou displease not the lords of the Philistines.
1Sa 29:8 And David said unto Achish, But what have I done? and what hast thou found in thy servant so long as I have been with thee unto this day, that I may not go fight against the enemies of my lord the king?
1Sa 29:9 And Achish answered and said to David, I know that thou art good in my sight, as an angel of God: notwithstanding the princes of the Philistines have said, He shall not go up with us to the battle.

I wonder about David sometimes. Nowhere in this whole ordeal did he inquire of the Lord. It seems His grace was with David, though, because what looked like a bad thing for David (rejection of the Philistines) actually turned into good at the end of the day.

But, David had to be discouraged with the whole thing. Maybe he was thinking it was finally his chance to get the victory over Saul. Then to have his own willingness struck down and his loyalty questioned was probably a lot to handle. I imagine he was looking forward to going home and having a break with his family. At least they would understand and he could find some comfort there. Could it be David was thinking "Lord, you said I was going to be King of Israel. How long must I wait for Your promises to be filled in my life? This was the prime opportunity for me to rise against my enemy, who is also Your enemy. It looked like all the signs of You being in this battle for me, why did you turn me away from stepping into the place You Yourself have chosen me for? I know You Lord, and You use the enemies of Israel as Your tool. Why take me away from the battle?"

It seems the Lord was silent to David. I can almost hear the Lord laughing saying "I am silent unto you now, My servant David. I would not have you fight against Saul because the battle is Mine. I would not have you in any doubt later in your life of Who it was that handed the throne of Israel over to you. Not by might, and not by power, but by My Spirit." But, I would bet the Lord did not voice His thoughts to David. He was about ready to show him Who He was, and how faithful to those who seek Him first.

1Sa 30:1 And it came to pass, when David and his men were come to Ziklag on the third day, that the Amalekites had invaded the south, and Ziklag, and smitten Ziklag, and burned it with fire; 1Sa 30:2 And had taken the women captives, that were therein: they slew not any, either great or small, but carried them away, and went on their way.
1Sa 30:3 So David and his men came to the city, and, behold, it was burned with fire; and their wives, and their sons, and their daughters, were taken captives.
1Sa 30:4 Then David and the people that were with him lifted up their voice and wept, until they had no more power to weep.
1Sa 30:5 And David's two wives were taken captives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite.
1Sa 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.

Wow. Talk about adding insult to injury. David was having a horrible time of it. First the Philistines questioned his loyalty, rejected him, and now his own men turned against him and talked of stoning him. What in the world was the Lord doing? But, here is where David stands out. He did not look for comfort or encouragement from those around him. He went straight to the Lord.

1Sa 30:7 And David said to Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech's son, I pray thee, bring me hither the ephod. And Abiathar brought thither the ephod to David.
1Sa 30:8 And David enquired at the LORD, saying, Shall I pursue after this troop? shall I overtake them? And he answered him, Pursue: for thou shalt surely overtake them, and without fail recover all.

An ephod is a prayer shawl. David was going into his prayer closet. Things were not making any sense, and he knew the only answers and true direction was from the Lord Himself. Can you hear David? "Lord! What is going on? This is hopeless. Everyone has turned against me, and there is no where to turn. Would You have me die at the hands of my own men?" In which the Lord's reply "Come to Me alone. Inquire of Me, and I will make your paths straight. Turn not to the right or left or place your faith in men. Follow Me, David, and I will deliver you from your strong enemy. All My promises to you will be fulfilled, only do what I say. You will recover all the enemy has taken away. This is the enemy to pursue, and I am in it."

All the promises that the Lord gave David came to pass. He recovered everything that was taken from him. The Philistines defeated Saul (without the help of David, by the way!), and David's place as king of Israel was realized.

Sometimes the natural does not make any sense. The evidence does not match what God has promised in our own life. But when this happens, we have two choices. Fall into despair, doubt, and fear, or encourage ourselves in the Lord. Holding onto those promises and the truths in His word. Seek God early, seek Him first, and even though victory may not be seen quickly, He has promised the battle is His. That joy will come in the morning. That the song will be the one that David sang..

Psa 30:1 A Psalm and Song at the dedication of the house of David. I will extol thee, O LORD; for thou hast lifted me up, and hast not made my foes to rejoice over me.
Psa 30:2 O LORD my God, I cried unto thee, and thou hast healed me.
Psa 30:3 O LORD, thou hast brought up my soul from the grave: thou hast kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit.
Psa 30:4 Sing unto the LORD, O ye saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness.
Psa 30:5 For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.
Psa 30:6 And in my prosperity I said, I shall never be moved.
Psa 30:7 LORD, by thy favour thou hast made my mountain to stand strong: thou didst hide thy face, and I was troubled.
Psa 30:8 I cried to thee, O LORD; and unto the LORD I made supplication.
Psa 30:9 What profit is there in my blood, when I go down to the pit? Shall the dust praise thee? shall it declare thy truth?
Psa 30:10 Hear, O LORD, and have mercy upon me: LORD, be thou my helper.
Psa 30:11 Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing: thou hast put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness;
Psa 30:12 To the end that my glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever.