Daily Devotional for Wednesday 31st January
“David brought everything back”
David must have been tempted to ride out and track down the Amalekites a.s.a.p. and put things right. He couldn’t afford any more rebellious mutterings from his men.
But he pauses to consult the ‘ephod’ – a means of divining God’s will. This was a garment worn by the high priest and was considered to be a holy artifact only used in the most serious of rituals. And guess what – after this, things strangely work out once again for David. He enlists the help of an Egyptian, a former slave of an Amalekite, and gets the inside information he needs to surprise the unsuspecting Amalekites. Once again, we hear a vivid and detailed story – note the two cakes of raisins, the four hundred young men who escaped on camels – we can almost hear the noise of the (presumably sozzled) Amalekites celebrating their great victory at Ziklag.
This reminds me a bit of the story of Job. He had everything – he was hugely successful, and what’s more, he was a totally righteous, good man. Yet he loses everything. Wealth, family, power – all gone. I have to say that I think Job’s story is a great parable rather than a historical event – but it makes a crucial point about the human situation and God’s sovereignty, which is reflected in many of the historical stories. “The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof,” says the Psalmist (at least they do in the King James version). “The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away,” says the book of Job – and it adds, crucially, “Blessed be the name of the Lord”.
Time to reflect…
Today’s story of David might be better framed as “The Lord taketh away and the Lord giveth” – but either way, the message is that the Lord is sovereign: He decides.
Our natural tendency is to think we must always be sorting problems. But again, and again the Bible reminds us that we need to first honour the Lord of the universe and pray for the wisdom to know His will for our lives. As Proverbs (3 v5-6) says:
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
and do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make straight your paths”
