Seeking God First

Text: I Samuel 30:1-19

Up to this point in the book I Samuel, David has been running from King Saul for some time and has taken up refuge in the land of the Philistines. There he has joined himself to Achish, the King of Gath, a Philistine. Over time, this king came to greatly revere David and gave him a city called Ziklag; it would be a safe-haven for the families of David and his men.

Later, in chapter 30, as David and his band were returning from Jezerel, the Amalekites had invaded the south and destroyed Ziklag. They burned the city and took all their wives, children, animals and substance.

David and his men were devastated when they returned to see the city burned and all their loved ones taken away. Yet David, in an act of great faith, responds with remarkable restraint and godly wisdom! He stops at that moment and asks the Lord this question, “Shall I pursue after this troop? shall I overtake them?”

Rather than trusting in his own heart, which surely was full of rage and wrath over what had taken place, David first seeks the Lord in the matter.

What a question! Certainly, God would approve of him going to rescue his family, but David rightly goes to the Lord in prayer, seeking him first.

This is wisdom!

Even when the answer seems obviously apparent, you and I should still seek God for the answer. Our dependence upon our Savior doesn’t stop at our salvation. The Lord Jesus Christ, at all times, wants to be involved in every aspect of our lives. He desires to supply our every need; we only need to ask Him and depend upon Him.

The Bible tells us in I Peter 5:7, “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.”

As a result of David’s appeal to the Lord, God granted him and his men a great victory in the end. As they went on to pursue after the Amalekites, they came to find all their loved ones alive and well. Even all the animals and all their substance; Nothing was lost. Not a single thing was hurt or missing.

By God’s grace and goodness, David recovered all!

David’s response to this tragedy teaches us a great truth. If we will seek out the wisdom of God first, we will have triumph over the uncertainty and weaknesses of our own understanding.

Seek the Lord first; He will always lead you in a right way!

“Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding; In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”

Proverbs 3:5,6

- Spencer Close, Bus Ministry Director, Sharon Baptist Church