1 Sam 30:1-31:13; 1 Chro 12:20-22, 10:1-14, 9:40-44; 2 Sam 4:4, 1:1-27

After about a month away, I am back to daily Bible Study postings. This year I have been using the New Living Translation’s One Year Chronological Bible. I am working on catching up on the month I missed if you ever want to check the archives.

David and his men return home only to find that the Amalekites have destroyed Ziklag and taken their wives and children captive. Everyone becomes very distraught and David asks the Lord if they should chase after their families. The Lord says that they will recover everything that has been taken from them. Some of David’s men are exhausted so they stay behind to guard the armory. An Amalekite slave who has been left behind leads David and his men to the Amalekite camp.

David and his men destroy the camp and all but 400 warriors who escape on camels. All of the women, children and possessions are recovered along with what the Amalekites had plundered from the Philistines. Over the objection of some of the men David decides that the plunder must be divided evenly between those who fought and those who stayed behind and gaurded the weapons.

Meanwhile Saul is killed in battle. 1 Chronicles 10:13-14: “So Saul died because he was unfaithful to the Lord. He failed to obey the Lord’s command, and he even consulted a medium instead of asking the Lord for guidance. So the Lord killed him and turned his kingdom over to David son of Jesse.” David writes a song of lament for Saul and his friend Jonathan.

There is an obvious parallel in this story between David who sought out God’s will before chasing after his captured wives and children, and Saul who died because he failed to obey the Lord’s commands. David is never portrayed as a perfect person, but he is a God focused person. This is the example that we should take away from David. In our lives we need to be seeking out God’s will. Saul did not seek out and follow God’s will; eventually Saul was so removed from God that he consulted with the Witch of Endor hoping that the spirit of his mentor Samuel could give him some direction. Saul, forsaking God, tried to find direction through human means and failed. Ultimately Sauls failure led to his death far from God’s will.

If I have a decision to make and I do not sense God’s leading, that does not mean that I should begin using whatever means I wish to make the decision. Rather, that is the time for me to spend more time with God seeking his leading. God may ultimately say, “you choose.” But more often God is saying that I need more time before he is ready to lead me down this course of events. I have often found it difficult to be as patient as God wants me to be. Christian patience is trust that God will lead us through decisions; this is the opposite of Christian arrogance which assumes that whatever decision we make, it must be God’s will.