Podcasts about Ziklag

Encourage Yourself & Keep Moving — When life burns, how do you respond? In this hope-filled message, we walk with David at Ziklag (1 Sam 30) as he weeps, strengthens himself in the Lord, inquires, pursues, and recovers all. With humor, relatable stories, and biblical insight, we unpack a simple but powerful rhythm: dwell in God's presence (Ps 27; Isa 40), shape your future with faith-filled words (Jam 3; 2 Cor 4:18), and then take courageous next steps. You'll also hear the story of Isaac digging again until God brought him to Rehoboth - the place of room and restoration (Gen 26) - and a promise of double honor for your shame (Isa 61:7).If you're tired, discouraged, or facing resistance, this episode will help you pray, speak life, and keep moving until you see what God promised. We close with a clear gospel invitation—because true success begins with Jesus.Listen in, be strengthened, and declare over your week: I won't give up. I'll dig again. God is working it out for my good.

We explore the tumultuous events surrounding the end of King Saul's reign and the rise of David. As David navigates his complex relationship with the Philistines, he faces the aftermath of an Amalekite raid on Ziklag, leading to a daring rescue mission. Meanwhile, Saul's tragic downfall unfolds as he battles the Philistines, resulting in his death and the fulfillment of Samuel's prophecy. Support the showRead along with us in the Bible Brief App! Try the Bible Brief book for an offline experience!Get your free Bible Timeline with the 10 Steps: Timeline LinkSupport the show: Tap here to become a monthly supporter!Review the show: Tap here!Want to go deeper?...Download the Bible Brief App!iPhone: App Store LinkAndroid: Play Store LinkWant a physical book? Check out "Bible Brief" by our founder!Amazon: Amazon LinkWebsite: biblebrief.orgInstagram: @biblelitTwitter: @bible_litFacebook: @biblelitEmail the Show: biblebrief@biblelit.org Want to learn the Bible languages (Greek & Hebrew)? Check out ou...

Group Guide Use this guide to help your group discussion as you meet this week. TranscriptGood morning. My name is Chet. I'm one of the pastors here. Grab a Bible and head to First Samuel, chapter 29. We're gonna be in chapter 29 and 30 today. We are working our way through the book of First Samuel. And what we've been seeing in the story is that the story has followed David until he worked himself into a corner. And right at the moment, you were like, what's gonna happen? Then it was like, hey, let's talk about Saul. And then it worked Saul into an even worse corner, and you were like, what's gonna happen with Saul? And then now it's going, hey, let's go talk about David. It's going. It's going back. That's where we are today.So what happened was David went to the Philistines. He decided that the best thing for him to do was to go live among the Philistines, that Saul was eventually going to kill him. So he goes and lives among the Philistines, and he begins to attack and raid towns and cities around him. And then going back to Achish, the King of Gath, and saying, here's who I attacked. And he lies to him. He says, I've been attacking the Israelites. I've been attacking Judah. I've been attacking the Kenites, who are friends of Judah and live in that area. And so that's what he's been doing. And then the last thing we saw was Achish said, well, hey, good news. We're going to go kill some more Israelites. All of us are going, and you get to go, too. And David said, well, you're going to find out what I can do. And what does that mean? Find out that you actually will kill Israelites? Find out, are you going to hurt Achish? Like, what's going to happen? It's a little bit like you've been lying and telling people that Adam Sandler is a family friend of yours. And now he's coming to the Colonial Life arena, and they want you to help him get tickets. That's kind of the situation we're in. We're trying to figure out what is David going to do, what's going to happen? And then it stops. Says, let's talk about Saul.So the Philistines have marched in. Saul is trying to figure out what he's going to do, and God is no longer talking to him because Saul has been rejected as king and no longer has the privileges, the right to seek the Lord and has not ever really seemed like he knows the Lord. And so in his desire to hear what he ought to do, he goes to a medium, a witch, someone's going to speak to the dead on his behalf. They summon Samuel, which she seems really surprised. Works. Samuel shows up and says, you're going to war tomorrow and you're going to die and the kingdom's been taken from you. And then it now we're headed back over to David. So we were watching is this slow motion train wreck where Dave, David is now marching in with the Philistines to go fight against Saul, who's going to die and what is going to happen and what is going to play out. And as we're reading this today, we're going to see that something very bad happens. And you might be like, yeah, we thought that was going to happen, but something very bad happens to David and it's not what we think is coming. But as we read this story today, we're going to see how David responds to this absolute tragedy and hopefully gain some wisdom in how we ought to respond in situations where the bottom falls out for us. So that's the hope. This morning we're gonna pray and then we're gonna step into the text.Father, we ask for your spirit to be at work, to guide us, to help us to hear your word, to help us to hear your voice and to follow you. We ask this in Jesus name. Amen.> Now the Philistines had gathered all their armies at Aphek; and the Israelites were encamped by the spring that is in Jezreel.> And the lords of the Philistines were passing on by hundreds and by thousands, and David and his men were passing on in the rear with Achish.> And the commanders of the Philistines said, "What are these Hebrews doing here?"> And Achish said to the commanders of the Philistines, "Is this not David, the servant of Saul, the king of Israel, who has been with me these days or these years, and I have found nothing in him from the day he deserted to me to this day?"> But the commanders of the Philistines were displeased at him, and the commanders of the Philistines said to him, "Send the man away, that he may return to the place from which you have assigned him. Let him not go down with us to battle, lest in the battle he become an adversary to us. For how could this fellow reconcile himself to his lord? Would it not be with the heads of the men here?"> Is not this David, of whom they kept singing to one another in dances, 'Saul has struck down his thousands, and David his ten thousands'?> Then Achish called David and said to him, "As the LORD lives, you have been upright, and it seems to me that you should go out and go in with me in the campaign." And David said to Achish, "Very well, then you shall know what your servant can do."> And Achish said to David, "I know that you are good in my sight, as an angel of God. Nevertheless the lords of the Philistines have said, 'He shall not go up with us to battle.'> Now therefore rise early in the morning with the servants of your lord who came with you, and as soon as you have light be on your way." So David and his men rose up in the morning to depart in the first light and to return to the land of the Philistines; and the Philistines went up to Jezreel.So they're passing on, everybody's getting ready, we're going to war. And all of a sudden the other commanders start going, whoa, who's bringing Hebrews to fight Hebrews? And why are they stupid? We've done this before. The last time we saw this is when Jonathan went up and fought against the Philistines. And it said that the Hebrews that were with the Philistines turned on them and started fighting against them. So they're like, hey, we learned this lesson. We don't want Hebrews to go fight Hebrews. So who's bringing them? Why are they here? And then it says this, Achish says this, it says, what are these Hebrew doing here? And Achish said to the commanders of the Philistines, is this not David, the servant of Saul, king of Israel? Which is just the worst way to start, because that's who they're going to fight. He's trying to work his way out. Have you ever done this? You're trying to work your way out of a situation and you just start the wrong sentence and you're like, wait, wait, wait, let me finish. I started this wrong. But that's what it seems like, because he's like. They're like, who are these Hebrews? He's like, oh, Saul's servant, you guys. And, you know, they gotta be looking at him like, what are you talking about? Okay. He keeps going. He says, this is not David, servant of Saul, king of Israel, who has been with me now for days and years, and since he deserted to me, I have found no fault in him to this day. So what he's saying is, yeah, this guy's against Saul. He used to be his servant, but now he's with us. So this is going to go great.But the commanders of the Philistines were angry with him, and the commanders of the Philistines said to him, send the man back, that he may return to the place to which you have assigned him. He shall not go down with us to battle, lest in the battle he become an adversary to us. So he says. They say, no, no, no, no, no. You might like him. We don't know him. That sounds terrible. Send him back. Otherwise we might get in the middle of the fight and he might start fighting us. Then they say, for how could this fellow reconcile himself to his Lord? Would it not be with the heads of the men here? Like, wouldn't be like a good way for him to get back in good with Saul, for him to just start killing us? Haven't we seen this guy raise one of the heads of a Philistine above him before? Haven't we. We've lived this out, right? We remember what he did with Goliath. Don't you think that'd be a good way for him to get back in his good graces? That's what they're arguing, and then they say, is not this David of whom they sing to one another in dances, Saul has struck down his thousands and David his ten thousands, which I just. I love this song that has just made its way through this whole book. It was a problem when it first started. Saul was mad about it. This is the second time Philistines have quoted it. This song is such a hit. It's international. It's not just a hit in Israel. They know it. It's like, who let the dogs out? Everyone knows it's not good, but for some reason it just has run across the globe and it's stuck in your head. And there were Philistines, like, bouncing around their house doing yard work, and they hear themselves going, and David is 10th. Come on. That's what happens. So they're like, we know this. This is the guy they have a song about. Absolutely not.Then Achish called David and said to him, as the Lord lives, you have been honest, and to me it seems right that you should march out and end with me in the campaign. No, he hasn't. Achish is wrong. So he says, look, David, you've been great, and you've been killing all these Israelites. And David's like, mm. He says, so I think you should come, for I have found nothing wrong in you from the day of your coming to me to this day. Nevertheless, the lords do not approve of you, so go back now and go peaceably that you may not displease the lords of the Philistines. So he calls him over and says, hey, man, look, I think you're great, but they don't like you. And we just had a whole meeting where they were real mean to me about it. And I know that you would never lie to me and trick me and that you're totally on our team, but they don't know that. And so you're going to have to leave.And then David said, David said to Achish, but what have I done? What have you found in your servant from the day I entered your service until now, that I may not go and fight against the enemies of my lord the king? So David says, this is an outrage. What do they think? Like, that I've secretly not been killing Israelites and I've been killing other people and that I might turn on you in this battle. Is that what they think? And he's like, yeah, I know, it's crazy, right? And David's like, yeah, this is really unfair. David says that I can't fight against the enemies of my lord the King. It's still unclear to us in this text whether or not he actually means a kish or whether or not he means Saul. David is very tactical in his approach to all of this. He seems outraged, but he's going to leave. And Achish answered David and said, I know that you are blameless in my sight as an angel of God. Nevertheless, the commanders of the Philistines have said, he shall not go up with us to the battle. Now then, rise early in the morning with the servants of your Lord who came with you, and start early in the morning and depart as soon as you have light.So David set out with his men early in the morning to return to the land of the Philistines. But the Philistines went up to Jezreel. Okay, so a couple of things happened in this text. First of all, we are, I think, intended to see some of the humor of this situation. And I do believe that the Philistine lords are right and that Akish is wrong, but we're not actually going to ever find out what David fully intended to do. But David's leaving. So this slow moving crash that we've been watching is not going to have David in it. And in some ways we see that the Lord is guiding this kind of behind the scenes. Doesn't really tell us that, but it just seems like the Lord's helping David out. But also some of what the text is doing is for all of time and all the readers forever to say, when Saul fought the Philistines and died, David was not there. He had been with the Philistines. He was not there. They sent him home. That's some of the work that this passage is doing is. It's just helping, you know, helping everybody know. It's not skipping this information. David wasn't there.But I said, david's going to face a tragedy, and it's not what we thought. So we're about to find out what, what has happened, what, what is, what's going on.> Now when David and his men came to Ziklag on the third day, the Amalekites had made a raid against the Negeb and against Ziklag and had struck Ziklag and burned it with fire,> and had taken the women and those who were in it captive, both small and great; they killed no one, but carried them off and went on their way.> So David and his men came to the city and found it burned with fire, and their wives and their sons and their daughters taken captive.> Then David and the people who were with him raised their voices and wept until they had no more power to weep.> David's two wives also had been taken captive, Ahinoam of Jezreel, and Abigail, the widow of Nabal of Carmel.> And David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because all the people were bitter in soul, each for his sons and daughters. But David strengthened himself in the LORD his God.> Then David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelech, "Bring me the ephod." And Abiathar brought the ephod to David.> And David inquired of the LORD, "Shall I pursue after this raiding party? Shall I overtake them?" He answered him, "Pursue, for you shall surely overtake and rescue."> So David set out, he and the six hundred men who were with him, and they came to the brook Besor, where those who were left behind stayed.> But David pursued, he and four hundred men, for two hundred remained behind, who were so weak that they could not cross the brook Besor.> They found an Egyptian in the open country, and they brought him to David, and gave him bread and he ate; and they gave him water to drink,> and they gave him a piece of a cake of figs and two bunches of raisins. And when he had eaten his spirit revived, for he had not eaten bread or drunk water for three days and three nights.> And David said to him, "To whom do you belong, and where do you come from?" He said, "I am a young man of Egypt, servant to an Amalekite; and my master left me behind because I fell sick three days ago.> We made a raid on the Negeb of the Cherethites and on the Negeb of Judah and on the Negeb of Caleb, and we burned Ziklag with fire."> And David said to him, "Can you take me down to this raiding party?" And he said, "Swear to me by God that you will not kill me or deliver me into the hands of my master, and I will take you down to this raiding party."> And he took him down and behold, they were spread out over the land, eating and drinking and dancing because of all the great spoil that they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from the land of Judah.> And David struck them from the twilight until the evening of the next day, and not a man of them escaped except four hundred young men who rode on camels and fled.> And David recovered all that the Amalekites had taken, and David rescued his two wives.> Nothing was lacking to them, either small or great, sons or daughters, spoil or anything that had been taken; David brought them all back.> And David took all the flocks and the herds, and drove them before those who were with him, and they drove on before him as far as Aroer.> And when David came to the two hundred men who were so weak that they could not follow him, they came out to meet him to meet the men who had come with him. And David came near to the people and greeted them.> But all the wicked men and worthless fellows among the men who went with David said, "Because they did not go with us, we will not share with them any of the spoil that we have recovered, except that each man may take his wife and his children, and be gone."> Then David said, "You shall not do so, my brothers, with what the LORD has given us, who has preserved us and delivered into our hand the band that came against us.> For who will listen to you in this matter? But as his share is who goes down into the battle, so shall his share be who stays by the baggage; they shall share alike."> And he made it a statute and an ordinance for Israel from that day onward to this day.> Then David came to Ziklag, and sent some of the spoil to the elders of Judah, to his friends, saying, "Behold a present for you from the spoil of the enemies of the LORD:> to those in Bethel, and to those in Ramoth of the Negeb, to those in Jattir,> to those in Aroer, to the people in Siphmoth, to those in Eshtemoa,> to those in Rachal, to those in the cities of the Jerahmeelites, to those in the cities of the Kenaites,> to those in Hormah, to those in Bor-ashan, to those in Athach, and to those in Hebron,> to all the places where David and his men had wandered."So when they came back on the third day, the Amalekites had attacked and had burned Ziklag and taken their wives and children. When David and his men came to the city, they found it burned with fire, and their wives and their sons and daughters taken captive. They raised their voices and wept until they had no more strength to weep.First response is just brokenness, lament, weeping, raising their voices until they're spent. David's two wives also had been taken captive. Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail, the widow of Nabal of Carmel. And David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him because all the people were bitter in soul. Each for his sons and daughters. So there's this moment where they start just saying, well, let's just kill David. They're bitter in soul. They don't really have a good plan. They don't really know what to do, but they just say, well, let's just kill David. If this is what it's like to follow him, let's be done with that.And there is this moment, and you can see it, where there's something very real about men who spend their lives defending and protecting and caring for their wives and children. And when that's not there, what am I doing and what do we do next? And it says, but David strengthened himself in the Lord, his God. And David said to Abiathar, we're see, somehow he does that. Abiathar, the priest, the son of Ahimelech, bring me the ephod. So Abiathar brought the ephod to David. Now, this is the first time we've seen him do this since chapter 26. The last time we saw David make a big decision, it said he just reasoned it in his heart and did something. And now he's saying, bring me the ephod. And this is good. We've been wanting to see this, but David, in this moment of utter despair, absolutely bottomed out. He turns to the Lord.And David inquired of the Lord, shall I pursue after this band? Shall I overtake them? And he answered him, pursue, for you shall surely overtake and shall surely rescue. Can you imagine the moment that David hears that? He says, should we chase after him? And God says, go, because it'll work. And you know, David had to go strap his belt on. He said, we're going to. The Lord said, it's going to work. Let's go. We're going to catch them. Let's go. And they would have left some sort of sign. A whole group coming in and a whole group going out is going to leave some sign. Now there's a chance that they could lose it or they could split up, but they've got something to go on and they begin to head in that direction, tracking after this group that's burned their city and taken their families. And if there's a group of focused men, it's right here.David set out and the 600 men who were with him and they came to the brook Besor, where those who were left behind stayed. But David pursued. He and 400 men, 200 stayed behind who were too exhausted to cross the brook Besor. So they've traveled up, traveled back, wept themselves dry, and then said, let's go to war. They get to a place that's going to be difficult to travel over, difficult to get baggage across, and 200 of them just can't keep going. I don't know if you've ever been working and working and working or running and running and running and laboring and doing these sort of things, and then you stop for just a bit, drink some water, catch your breath, and suddenly your body doesn't work anymore. And if you hadn't stopped, you might could have kept going. But now it's not functioning. That seems what some of these guys happen, they just, they sit down and they're crazy, cramping up legs. They're just like, I can't keep going. But 400 keep going.They found an Egyptian in the open country and brought him to David. So as they're traveling along, as they're tracking, they find an Egyptian. And it seems like they have some people out in different areas trying to scout and figure out which way to go. They find this guy, they bring him to David and they gave him bread and he ate. They gave him water to drink. They gave him a piece of a cake of figs and two clusters of raisins. And when he had eaten, his spirit revived. Okay, so he was having a spirit problem, for he had not eaten bread or drunk water for three days and three nights. He was sick. So he was doing poorly before he got left there, but he's been there. So they find a guy who's almost dead and they're just pumping him full of stuff till he can talk. David said to him, to whom do you belong and where are you from? He said, I am a young man of Egypt, servant to an Amalekite. My master left me behind because I fell sick three days ago. We had made a raid against the Negeb of the Cherethites, which is most likely the way that they refer to the Philistines, and against that which belongs to Judah and against the Negeb of Caleb. And we burned Ziklag with fire.And David said to him, will you take me down to this band? So they found a guy who was with them and they said, tell us where they're going. He said, swear to me by God that you will not kill me or deliver me into the hands of my master and I will take you down to this band. So he's all hyped up on raisins and figs, and now he's negotiating and he says, yes, I'll take you if you don't kill me, which is a real good chance that they might and don't return me to their master. Well, they're not showing up and giving presents to the Amalekites. So that one, I don't think they were in really any danger of happening. He doesn't seem to know who he's talking to. But these people really want to find them. And they seem to agree to some terms because he makes a statement. And then it just goes to verse 16.And when he had taken him down behold they were spread abroad over all the land eating and drinking and dancing because of all the great spoil that they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from the land of Judah. So they find this group that has suddenly just started taking over this whole section. Partying. And if we weren't upset with them enough, this party has eating. And as Baptists were like, okay, but then drinking and dancing. They gotta die, y'. All. They are celebrating with the spoils that they have this massive celebration spread out across the land. And it says they see them, they've caught them, and here's what happens.And David struck them down from twilight until the evening of the next day. And not a man of them escaped except for 400 young men who mounted camels and fled. So interesting. This takes a long time. They are just fighting for a long time. At least twilight sometimes can refer to morning twilight, even though we don't use it that way. And evening of the next day, their day started at 6pm so it is possible that what it is saying is the shortest amount of time was one whole day, but it could have been a night and a day or a day and another night, but at least the whole day of working their way through and fighting and differing amounts of, you know, if there's a party going on down there and people start yelling and it sounds like there's a fight, you might. Wouldn't catch you exactly what was happening until it was happening. And it says not a man was left except for 400 of them that got away on camels. Which tells us a couple of things.One, I just appreciate the way that's worded. Everyone was dead and someone was like, what about those 400, except for the 400 guys on camels? Which makes you think that camels are like the motorcycle of that day. You know, my wife and I watch cop shows and police officers will thank people on motorcycles. They'll be like, thank you for pulling over like that. They'll chase you in a car. Motorcycles are just like. That's what camels are like. They're like, pull. They're on camels. Ain't nobody catching them. But it also tells you that there was a massive amount of people because David shows up with 400 and it says they killed everybody except for 400. Meaning that the amount of Amalekites here, they were way outnumbered, but they win.And David recovered all that the Amalekites had taken and David rescued his two wives. Nothing was missing. Whether small or great, sons or daughters, spoil or anything that had been taken. David brought back all. David also captured all the flocks and herds and the people drove the livestock before him and said, this is David's spoil. And then David came to the 200 men who had been too exhausted to follow David and who had been left at the brook Besor. So they drove the cattle in front of them. So these guys are exhausted. It's been another, at least day, two days, three days. They're regaining their strength and they're waiting, not really knowing what to do now. And then flocks and herds start showing up. At first you're thinking maybe somebody. And then it's like there's too many of them. And you're like, this is a good sign. And then their families show up. And you know, there's got to be people looking for everybody. And there's moments where you don't know, are they here? Are they here? And guess what, y'? All, it says that they're all there. There wasn't a single husband, father that went out and didn't get that moment of wrapping his arms back around and retrieving what was left lost.And when they went out to meet David and to meet the people who were with them, and when David came near to the people, he greeted them then all the wicked and worthless fellows among the men who had gone with David said, because they did not go with us, we will not give them any of the spoil that has been, that we have recovered, except that each man may lead away his wife and children and depart. So some of them say, well, they sat here hanging out by a creek, like, they don't. They can have their kids back, but that's it. But David said, you shall not do so, my brothers, with what the Lord has given us, he has preserved us and given into our hand the band that came against us. Who. Who would listen to you in this matter? For as his share is who goes down into the battle, so shall his share be who stays by the baggage, they shall share alike. And he made it a statute and a rule for Israel from that day forward to this day.So some of what it's helping us see is like, why that's a rule for them. But it's also, this isn't the main thing we're going to talk about today. But I can't help but point this out. In this, I see a beautiful picture of what Jesus is like. When they're marching all the spoil back. They announce, this is David's spoil, that it was all his and at his discretion. And then worthless fellows get in the middle of it, and he immediately calls them brother. He says, you won't do that, brother. And then it goes to everybody. Everybody's blessed and it's like that's what Jesus does. He's a good, wise king who restores what is lost and brings it all back. That through the work of Christ in the middle of our sin, our sin doesn't win. And he ultimately restores everything the way it was meant to be. He's ultimately eternally going to fix it. And he makes worthless people his brothers. And everybody is brought in and shared with, even the ones who couldn't accomplish anything on their own. So I sorry I can't read that and not tell you how amazing Jesus is.When David came to Ziklag, he sent part of the spoil to his friends, the elders of Judah, saying, here is a present for you from the spoil of the enemies of the Lord. So he's sending gifts. It was for those in Bethel and Ramoth, of the Negeb, in Jatir, in Aroer, in Sifmoth, in Eshtemoah, in Rachal, in the cities of the Jerahomeliites, in the cities of the Kenites. I got that one in Horma, in Borshan, in Ak, in Hebron, for all the places where David and his men had roamed. So he sends out, he has all this spoil that they got, and he sends it back and out to all the people where he's been wandering around. And he doesn't send any to the zip. It's because they told on him multiple times. But he sends it to the other people near where he had been, and he gives them gifts and says, this is from the enemies of the Lord, and he blesses all of them.I want to go back in the story to the moment where they find out that their families are gone and their city is burned. Because I want us to take a moment to investigate what does it look like to come out of those kind of moments. And I think David gives us a good example. So I just want to go back to verse four, it says they wept. And then in verse six, it says, and David was greatly distressed for the people spoke of stoning him because all the people were bitter soul, each for his sons and daughters. Okay. I think it is helpful for us to realize that we are perfectly capable of that type of decision making. Is stoning David going to fix anything? No. Will it make the situation worse? Yes. Is David the one who's actually going to lead them out of this problem? Yes. But they're starting to think maybe we should just kill David. And they probably have some reasons, but their reasoning is not good.And one of the things that we need to know is perfectly within our grasp in these type of situations is for us to have an overwhelming desire to do something, to react, to respond, got to do something. And quite often the thing we pick is unwise, harmful. Quite often the ideas that we come up with are not good ideas. This is one of the reasons why we're blessed to have church family around us. So that when we announce, I'm going to do this, sometimes it's like, no, don't, don't do that. And you're really annoyed by them saying that, don't tell me what to do. It's like, but I don't want to. But, no, don't do that. Telling you what not to do is different. This is, we'll choose people, start making big life decisions, change their job, move locations, run to whatever makes them feel safe, run to whatever makes them forget. This is how we get run. We run to substances, we run to sin, we run to anger, sexual sin. This is how we get hermits and hoarders. Like, this is the stuff where we respond to something and we just got to make a decision that is perfectly within our ability to do that.But David takes a different track. It says, but David strengthened himself in the Lord his God. So David turns to the Lord in this moment. He does. He has nowhere else to turn. He turns to the Lord, which is the place to turn. And one of the things I think we need to realize is that if you've never turned to the Lord ever, when something really bad happens, then you should. But as Christians, we want to be very practiced in this so that when everything falls apart, this is the only thing we know how to do. This is one of the reasons why people who do like fighting sports and those sort of things, they practice over and over and over and over again so that when they get their bell rung and they're not thinking clearly, they can keep moving and doing what they're. And that's some of what we need to be. You need to be in the Word on a regular basis. You need to. So that when these kind of moments happen in life that you go, I don't know what else to do, but I'm going to read, I'm going to pray. I'm going to get around church, family. You're going to call people and say, y' all need to come read, you need to come pray, you need to come. I don't have the strength for this right now. I need somebody to read this to me. I need someone to talk this out with me. I need somebody when I say some idea that doesn't make any sense. I need some people here who are going to help point me back to Jesus.But that's what he does. He turns to the Lord, and we're going to see what he does, specifically, how he strengthens himself. David said to Abiathar, the priest, the son of Ahimelech, bring me the Ephod. So Abiathar brought the ephod to David. And David inquired of the Lord, shall I pursue this band? What David seeks is a word from the Lord, some clarity from the Lord, some direction from the Lord, and he goes to the place that he has access to it, which is in the Ephod, but we have access to it in the Scriptures, so that we get to be people who read our Bibles. And in these moments, read more, not less. There are times where as pastors, we'll say, you need to go home and you need to open the New Testament, you need to go to Ephesians, you need to go to Romans, and you need to start reading. And I know that sometimes it's like I don't have the energy for that. It's like, you don't have the energy to not do that. It's like I'm dying in a desert. And we're like, you need to drink water. And you're like, I don't know if I can. It's like, no, you've got to. We get to and have to. We must come to the Word and say, lord, I need your help. I need your wisdom. I need your clarity. And lean into the Word the way that David does. He seeks a word from the Lord.I think sometimes when we say that, when we say, anytime, we say, you need to read your Bible. It's like, okay, good, but I really want something to do. I really want something actual. And what we mean is something along the lines of stoning David. I want something I can do. I get it. Read my Bible. Then what? And it's like, but you're missing it if that's the way you think about it. When Jesus teaches a sermon on the mount, he ends with, if you'll hear my words and do them, you'll be like a wise man who built his house on a rock. The rains came and the floods came and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. So if you hear my words and you don't do them, then you'll be like a fool who built his house on sand. And the rains came and the floods came and the winds blew and beat against that house and the house fell. And great was the fall of it. The storm hits both houses, the winds beat both houses, but one of them has a foundation, has something to hold on to, has something it's built into. It'd be like if you hired a contractor. And I said, how's the house development going? You're like, they're wasting a lot of time on that foundation. We could have a three story house by now. And it's like, with no foundation. What are you talking about? Like, you need the foundation. You need. We have to have that. You need direction before you move.In the Pirates of the Caribbean movies where Johnny Depp's Jack Sparrow and he's doing all this all the time, he's got a compass. And we find out in one of the later movies that that compass isn't a real compass. It doesn't point north. It points towards what Jack most wants. And so many of us, that's the compass we're running around with. It just points towards what we want. And so we're going, I'm looking at my compass and it says, go this way. And it's like, that compass is not a compass. At one point they're out in the ocean and it's pointing at a girl who's on the boat. That's the compass we run around with. So often it's just pointing at something that's moving around that changes from day to day. Do you know how often your moods change, your desires change, how often your wisdom falters and fails? And how many times you've said, if I could just have this, I'd be happy. If I could just have that, I. I'd be happy. And how often your Compass has been bouncing around, and we need one that points to the same place all the time. And if you're in a storm in the middle of the ocean, you don't have any landmarks. So when the clouds begin to clear and you get to set a course, you don't know where you are. And if you have a compass that points nowhere, you don't know where to go. So we need to be people of the Word who know how to move. And that's what happens. David seeks the Lord and it says this. He says, shall I pursue? Shall I overtake? He answered them, pursue, for you shall surely overtake and shall surely rescue. So David set out.Now, if that had said anything else, we would be furious. If it said, you shall pursue, that's a command. You shall surely overtake. You shall surely rescue. And then it said, so David sat down. So David cried more, louder. He'd be like, what is what go? Because we would be reading the text and saying, you have a promise, you have a command, you have something to stand on, you have something to hold on to. You have something that will help drive you forward. You have something solid. And so often we're in the middle of these situations and I want you to know that the Bible has something solid that we can hold onto. It's got some truth, some promises that have been made to us, some realities that are ours. When Jesus commissions the church, he says, I will be with you always to the end of the age. That there's never a time where he leaves us or forsakes us. And in these moments we can know that, Lord, you've promised to be with me, so be with me. But I'm going to act. I'm going to move as if you're here and you're helping. I'm going to trust your spirit to indwell me. He says that the spirit not to grieve the Holy Spirit who sealed us from the day of redemption. Meaning that if I belong to Jesus, if I trust him, his spirit is in me and I am kept. He tells his disciples, my disciples know my voice. They hear my voice and they follow. My sheep hear my voice and follow me. And he says, and no one will snatch them out of my hand so that you can in these moments go, Lord, I know that you're going to keep me. I know that you're going to hold me, and I need you to that we have promises that we can lean into because what you believe matters. You act out of what you believe. So we have to be people who know what is true, know what is real, know the promises of God and hold onto them. And also know that he holds on to us so that we won't be lost in these situations when we don't know what to do.I want to read Romans 8 because I just want you to see one of these promises. Romans 8 begins by saying there's no condemnation for those who are in Christ.> There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.> > Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?> > As it is written, "For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered."> > No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.> > For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers,> > nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.That when you're going, everything is falling apart. Well, there's a promise that you won't be separated from his love, that he'll be with you, that he'll keep you, that he'll get you to the end, that he can't be conquered by circumstance. There's some things that help ground us and hold us so that we might move forward in faith and in hope. He says no. In all these things, we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I'm sure that neither death nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation. He covers that. Because if you were like, well, what about this? He said, all of it will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord, that if you belong to Jesus, you belong to Jesus and you are his and he will keep you and he will hold you, and you will be able to stand in the middle of these things and you get to run to His Word and say, Lord, I need this more than I need anything else. And then you can move forward with practical steps. But you've got to do this first.Let's pray.Lord, we pray that we would be people who in the depths of our despair, because the storm is coming. It hits every house, it hits every life. There's moments where we all have ziklag or smoke rises. Lord, we pray that we would be people who would cling to the promises, that would know your word and would trust you. You. Because a promise is as good as the one who makes it. And you have died for us. You have risen, you have resurrected, you have hope that is ours in you. You are the king of all things. So may we be a people of the word, who seek you in the midst of our despair. Who love one another well in the midst of our despair. And who cling to the hope that's in Christ. Because there's nothing else to cling to. In Jesus name, Amen.The band's gonna come. We're gonna sing. One of the reasons we sing on Sundays is to worship the Lord. But also to help truth go from our heads to our hearts. And to rehearse for ourselves what is real. And so we're gonna sing together, reminding ourselves and each other of how good the Lord is and the hope that we have.

sermon focuses on the central theme of "encouraging yourself in the Lord" based on the story of David in 1 Samuel Chapter 30. The message details David's immense distress upon returning to Ziklag to find his city burned and his family captive, and how he chose to find strength in God rather than succumb to discouragement. The speaker provides three key principles for finding this kind of encouragement: remembering God's past deliverance, counting your current blessings, and holding onto God's promises. This powerful and timely message offers practical guidance for anyone facing overwhelming pressure and grief.

Life has moments where everything falls apart—dreams crumble, pressure mounts, and answers run dry. That's where David found himself at Ziklag. In this episode, we'll see how he wept honestly, found strength in God's presence, and stepped forward on God's word. If you've ever been pressed to your breaking point, this message will help you discover how to recover hope and move forward with faith.

When David returned to Ziklag to find his city burned and family taken captive, his own men wanted to stone him, yet "David encouraged himself in the LORD his God" (1 Samuel 30:6). Pastor Byron Chesney shows how even in our darkest moments—lost jobs, broken relationships, shattered dreams, we can choose to encourage ourselves in the Lord by remembering His faithfulness and blessings. When life falls apart, we have a choice: stay down or look up and find strength in God who cares for us.

In 1 Samuel 30 David is living in a city called Ziklag, a region in the Philistines. He is in a place he has no business being around people he has no business being around. He then pays the price for his sin.What do Christians today do when our life gets off track? What do we do when Satan plunders and ruins our life? We learn from King David that he encouraged himself in the Lord and he pursued the Enemy and recovered all the enemy stole. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1388/29

In 1 Samuel 30 David is living in a city called Ziklag, a region in the Philistines. He is in a place he has no business being around people he has no business being around. He then pays the price for his sin.What do Christians today do when our life gets off track? What do we do when Satan plunders and ruins our life? We learn from King David that he encouraged himself in the Lord and he pursued the Enemy and recovered all the enemy stole. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1388/29

In 1 Samuel 30 David is living in a city called Ziklag, a region in the Philistines. He is in a place he has no business being around people he has no business being around. He then pays the price for his sin.What do Christians today do when our life gets off track? What do we do when Satan plunders and ruins our life? We learn from King David that he encouraged himself in the Lord and he pursued the Enemy and recovered all the enemy stole. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1388/29

Scripture: 1 Samuel 27:1-7, 1 Samuel 30 1-6, Psalm 23. This teaching dives into Psalm 23, a Psalm written by David, and the evidence we see in his life of the heart of God. We will see insights into David's faith that will provide incredible encouragement to our faith lives as well. Have you ever been in a situation where everything seemed hopeless? Or have you ever come to a point where you feel that you're all alone? No one to turn to, no one to help you? There is much to learn from David's life that reveals where genuine strength comes from. David again is in need of escaping Saul and returns to the Philistine territory. The king of Gath, Achish, gives David the town of Ziklag, along the southern portion of the Philistine Empire along the coast of the Mediterranean. About a year and four months into living in Ziklag, David returns from a meeting with Achish, to find his town of Ziklag destroyed by fire and his and his men's wives, sons and daughters taken captive. They were devastated and their grief was so great they wept until they had no strength left to weep. David faces a Life-Threatening Situation:     ⁃    His men blame him for their loss and talk of stoning him; but David finds strength in the Lord his God.     ⁃    David is abandoned, his men have turned on him, everything appears to be collapsing around him. He found strength in the Lord.     ⁃    How did David find strength when there was no one else to turn to? David found strength because he knew the One we can always turn to. We move into studying Psalm 23, written by David. Pastor shares a personal testimony of finding strength in this psalm during a difficult time in his life. PSALM 23 - David knew the Messiah was coming, the One in whom we find strength! Verse 1 - God is the ultimate shepherd, the Good Shepherd, the One who can always be relied upon and  in this psalm, David realizes he is not alone. And the Shepherd provides us with anything and everything we need (John 10:11). Verse 2 - David understood that sheep need a shepherd to guide and lead them (John 7:37). Verse 3 - Our Shepherd gives us hope, a future, assurance and righteousness (received by God's grace). We receive strength to face difficulty, to leave the past behind, walk in a way that gives glory to God (John 14:27). Verse 4 - Even in the darkest day, we do not need to be afraid. We are to rely on our Shepherd who guides and protects us (John 14:6). Verse 5 - David knew that even in the face of the most persistent and evil enemies, God provides and God strengthens and restores us and gives us all that is needed (John 6:35). Verse 6 - David understood that life is short, and he knew that eternity is forever. He knew that what God promises His own, is that we will be raised on the last day and will live forever with Him. Our troubles are momentary and God IS faithful, He will deliver His own, and He will restore His people and that day is coming when evil will be defeated and righteousness will reign forever (John 11:25). We can rely on our Good shepherd with absolute confidence. David understood that, David found his strength in the Lord, his God, in the One who will fulfill everything He has promised in our lives. Now What? Learn about God at https://www.awakeusnow.com EVERYTHING we offer is FREE. Check out this video series from our website: https://www.awakeusnow.com/david-and-gods-heart Join us Sundays  https://www.awakeusnow.com/sunday-service Watch via our app. Text HELLO to 888-364-4483 to download our app.

Group Guide Use this guide to help your group discussion as you meet this week. TranscriptGood morning. My name is Chet. I'm one of the pastors here. Grab a Bible and go to First Samuel. We're in chapters 26, 27, and just a little bit of 28 this morning. We are working our way through the book of First Samuel. We are studying it together and trying to learn together what this book has to teach us as we follow this Jesus.The section that we're looking at today, we're going to look at this story, this saga in the life of David and how he, the Lord, is obviously at work, and then some decisions that David makes following a situation that he has with Saul and kind of what flows out of that. My hope this morning is that we can be instructed by it to see that what David does is something that we are prone to do, so that we might see David's example, learn from it, and not repeat it. So that's the hope for us this morning as we study this text together.We're going to be in chapter 26, verse 1. If you grab one of the blue Bibles, it'll be on page 142. If you don't own a Bible, take this one home with you. I mean, not the one I'm holding, the one you're holding. You can take that one home with you. We want you to own a Bible. We want you to have it, we want you to read it.Chapter 26 says this.> Then the Ziphites came to Saul at Gibeah, saying, "Is not David hiding himself on the hill of Hakalah, which is on the east of Jeshimon?"This is almost word for word what happened in chapter 23, verse 19. The Ziphites have come to Saul again and said, "Hey, he's in the same area again." Not exactly in the south, it's in the east. But he's here and he's hiding again. When I was growing up, if you tattled, my dad was prone to call someone who told on somebody a rat fink. The more I've talked to people about this, the more I may be the only person who's ever heard that phrase. I don't know. But that's what I think when I read about the Ziphites. They're rat finks. They keep narcing on David every time he tries to hide. They're supposed to be from his tribe. They're from the tribe of Judah. They shouldn't be telling on him, but that's what they're doing. And so they tell Saul again, "Hey, David's here. He's hiding."Verse 2 says,> So Saul arose and went down to the wilderness of Ziph with 3,000 chosen men of Israel to seek David in the wilderness of Ziph.Saul has 3,000 chosen men. David has 600 random people who owed people debts and were unhappy that have shown up with him. So Saul's got a better force here. The text says Saul encamped on the hill of Hakalah, which is beside the road on the east of Jeshimon. He goes right where they told him.It says, but David remained in the wilderness. When he saw that Saul came after him into the wilderness, David sent out spies and learned that Saul had indeed come. He sees some sort of sign that Saul has come. He sends out spies to lay eyes on him. And indeed he has come.Then it says,> Then David rose and came to the place where Saul had encamped. And David saw the place where Saul lay with Abner, the son of Ner, the commander of his army. Saul was lying within the encampment while the army was encamped around him.It seems that he sneaks over there in the evening, looks at them, sees how they're set up. 3,000 men camping. Saul's in the middle. Then David said to Ahimelech the Hittite, and to Joab's brother Abishai, the son of Zeruiah, who will go down with me into the camp of Saul? Abishai said, "I will go down with you."David seems to take these two guys with him to go spy this out, or a handful of guys with him to go spy this out. He looks at these two specific guys and says, who wants to sneak with me into that camp of 3,000 guys who came here to murder us? Abishai says, "I'll go." We don't know what David's plan is. We just know Abishai, he's ready to go. Ahimelech was like, no thank you, stay here. I'll watch this stuff.David and Abishai went to the army by night, and there lay Saul sleeping within the encampment with his spear stuck in the ground at his head; Abner and the army lay around him. So they go all the way through. They make it there. They see Saul sleeping. Now, Saul always has his spear with him to the point that I half expected him to hug it while he slept. But he doesn't. He has it right next to his head. Then Abishai said to David,> "God has given your enemy into your hand this day. Now please let me pin him to the earth with one stroke of the spear. I will not strike him twice."It'll be very easy.David said to Abishai,> "Do not destroy him, for who can put out his hand against the Lord's anointed and be guiltless? As the Lord lives, the Lord will strike him, or his day will come to die, or he will go down into battle and perish."At this moment, I always remember, and I want to remind you, as David gives three different ways that Saul might possibly die. They're somehow whispering this to each other while Saul's asleep somewhere close enough to them. This conversation isn't just the conversation they're having. It's like Abishai is like, "Kill me." And David's going, "So I don't know exactly how David is telling him three different ways, because David's like, look, God will kill him, or he'll just die somehow, or he'll go into battle and die." It feels like it was covered in the second one. Like his day will come. And then maybe a little bit of distance. They're whispering. Maybe they're very close to each other, but somehow they're having this hushed conversation about what they're going to do with Saul. I wonder if Abishai is like, "Then why did we come here? What are we doing?" But David says, don't do this.Verse 11 says,> "The Lord forbid that I should put out my hand against the Lord's anointed. But take now the spear that is at his head, and the jar of water, and let us go."David took the spear and the jar of water from Saul's head and they went away. No man saw it or knew it, nor did any awake, for they were all asleep because a deep sleep from the Lord had fallen upon them.That makes a little more sense. God helps David in what David is going to do. It doesn't tell us whether or not David, like, we don't know anything about God telling him to go do this or David asking about it. It just seems like David says, "Hey, let's go do this," and then God backs him up and helps him. But there's no one on guard, no one watching. This is terrible. You don't take 3,000 men to go fight someone and be like, "All right, everybody get a good night's sleep. We'll get up in the morning." Like, you have people guard and watch and pay attention, but not here, not in Saul's camp. They sneak in and do this.One of the things that's happening in the book of First Samuel here is that we're being shown very clearly — and the people who were the original hearers of this, readers of this, are being shown very clearly — that David was not out to get Saul. He could have killed him in the cave when it was just David and Saul. His men were there, but David's the one who snuck up. David's not going to kill him. But David's also not going to have one of his men kill him. David could have let Abishai kill him, and then Abishai could take the guilt. But David says, "I don't want you to have the guilt for killing him. He's the Lord's anointed. We're going to trust the Lord in this." So David at no point is trying to overthrow Saul. He's not trying to kill him. And it's very clear.Verse 13:> Then David went over to the other side and stood far off on the top of the hill with a great space between them. And David called to the army and to Abner, the son of Ner, saying, 'Will you not answer, Abner?' Then Abner answered, 'Who are you who calls to the king?'David said to Abner:> "Are you not a man? And who is like you in Israel? Why then have you not kept watch over your Lord the king? For one of the people came in to destroy the king, your Lord. This thing that you have done is not good. As the Lord lives, you deserve to die, because you have not kept watch over your Lord, the Lord's anointed."David's shouting at the encampment at night. He's very far away on another hill. Abner is woken up out of sleep in a kind of dangerous place. Someone's shouting, trying to figure out what's going on. Like, okay, not immediately in battle. They're trying to listen. Who's yelling? What is this about? He starts kind of running his mouth. "Abner, I thought you were a man," that's his opening line.Then David says this:> "And now see where the king's spear is and the jar of water that was at his head."I think that felt braggy or not connected to anything until he says, "Where's his spear?" At that moment, they had cold chills. "Oh, he was here in the middle of us. Who was on guard? Who was watching what happened?" He had the opportunity. He's telling the truth.Verse 17:> Saul recognized David's voice and said, "Is this your voice, my son David?" David said,> "It is my voice, my lord, O king."Saul said,> "Why does my lord pursue after his servant? For what have I done? What evil is on my hands now? Therefore, let my lord the king hear the words of his servant. If it is the Lord who has stirred you up against me, may he accept an offering. But if it is men, may they be cursed before the Lord, for they have driven me out this day that I should have no share in the heritage of the Lord, saying, 'Go serve other gods.'"David says, "What have I done?" The answer is nothing. He's done nothing to Saul. He's had the opportunity to do things after Saul started trying to kill him, but he's done nothing. He hasn't tried to overthrow him. He hasn't plotted against him. He hasn't tried to become king. He was just going to serve him. He is his servant. He says, "What is this?" And he says, "If the Lord stirred you up, then let me make a sacrifice. Let some peace be made between me and the Lord. But if it's men, let them be cursed, because I've done nothing, and they're running me out of my homeland and telling me to just go belong to someone else."Verse 20:> "Now therefore, let not my blood fall to the earth away from the presence of the Lord, for the king of Israel has come out to seek a single flea, like one who hunts a partridge in the mountains."He says, "You've done all this for someone who doesn't matter, like a massive hunt for one bird." He says, "Don't let me die away from the presence of the Lord." He wants to stay.Verse 21:> Then Saul said, "I have sinned. Return my son David, for I will no more do you harm, because my life was precious in your eyes this day. Behold, I have acted foolishly and have made a great mistake."It would be nice if Saul meant this. He is not genuinely repenting. It's very similar to stuff he said before, and as the story goes on, he's just going to take right back up with what he's doing.David answered and said,> "Here is the spear, O king. Let one of the young men come over and take it. The Lord rewards every man for his righteousness and his faithfulness, for the Lord gave you into my hand today, and I would not put out my hand against the Lord's anointed."David earlier yells, "What have I done? What wrong have I done? What evil is on my hands?" And here he says:> "The Lord rewards faithfulness and righteousness."When you're reading the Psalms, there are times where David says, "Judge me, Lord. Try me. What have I done?" I don't think David means he has never sinned. I think David is talking about these kinds of things where he's on the run, and he's saying, Lord, what did I do to deserve the situation that I'm in? And I found that helpful as I was studying this, to think about David in this mindset when he's writing some of those Psalms because he doesn't mean to articulate, "I'm perfect in all things," but he's saying, "My hands are clean. I haven't done what I'm being accused of."Verse 16:> "Behold, as your life was precious this day in my sight, so may my life be precious in the sight of the Lord, and may he deliver me out of all tribulation."Then Saul said to David,> "Blessed be you, my son David. You will do many things and will succeed in them."David went his way and Saul returned to his place. So David has another chance to kill Saul; he doesn't take it. Saul leaves. David goes his way.Chapter 27, verse 1:> Then David said in his heart, "Now I shall perish one day by the hand of Saul. There is nothing better for me than that I should escape to the land of the Philistines. Then Saul will despair of seeking me any longer within the borders of Israel, and I shall escape out of his hand."After this situation where the Lord protects David again, David's able to walk into an encampment of 3,000 soldiers. They're all asleep. David considers this, and it says he said in his heart, "Saul's going to kill me." That's the conclusion that he draws as he's been on the run. Saul doesn't seem to ever be going to let up. He just decides, Saul's going to kill me. Then he says, there's nothing better for me to do than to go live with the Philistines, which is the very first thing he tried, if you remember.He went and he got Goliath's sword, and he went to Achish, the king of Gath. Then they were like, "Hey, isn't that David?" He pretended to be insane. Achish said to his guards,> "Why have you brought me an insane person? What use is he to me?"David escaped. But now, some time later, David decides that's his best option. Now, I have a question: when we're reading this text, when David says that, when it says that David said in his heart, "There's nothing better for me to do than to go to the Philistines." Did we all go, "Finally he figured it out"? No, I don't think so. I don't read that and think, "What a great plan." You go, "Hold on a second. Did you pray about this? God's with you? Did you ask him? He's a prophet of the Lord. Did you ask him? The Ephod's with you? You've inquired of the Lord before. Did you talk to the priest? Did you work?" It's just something that he comes to a conclusion in and of himself. He just considers it, says this in his heart, locks it in.What we're going to see in chapter 27 is David locks this decision in his heart, and then he just starts doing stuff. All the things he does make some sense if this is true — if the best thing for him is to just go to the Philistines — then everything else he does just kind of starts making sense. The problem is, I don't think that's the best thing for him. And I don't think if he'd have consulted the Lord, that's what he would have been told to do. But he just decides this in his heart, and he just goes. Then he's going to start making some logical conclusions as he goes ahead.It says:> So David arose and went over, he and the 600 men who were with him, to Achish, the son of Maacah, king of Gath. David lived with Achish at Gath, he and his men, every man with his household, and David with his two wives, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail of Carmel, Nabal's widow. When it was told Saul that David had fled to Gath, he no longer sought him.Some interesting things happen here. First, David gets some confirmation. Saul quits looking for him, which means that Saul wasn't repentant. He just decides, "Well, now he's in the land of the Philistines. I'm not going to chase him anymore." He didn't actually mean, "You're safe with me. Come be my friend again." He didn't mean that. He only stops when he goes to the Philistines.It also means that David immediately probably was like, "I knew I was right." So he makes this decision, "This is the best thing for me," and then he gets some confirmation. Almost immediately, Saul quits looking for him. He goes, "Yes, I did it. I knew I was right. I knew that was the best thing to do."Also, it means that David and 600 men and all of their families go to live with Achish and Gath. That's a pile of people. David goes back to the exact same guy that he went to last time. The text doesn't tell us anything about that. But I wonder if Achish was like, "Have we met before?" And David was like, "Nope, don't think so." But then he knew where stuff was around the city, and it got real suspicious. His phone automatically connected to the Wi-Fi. There were some things that were like, "Wait a second."David goes to Achish, and Achish lets him be there. It makes some sense too because David is Saul's enemy, prime enemy of a Kish. The Philistines hate the Israelites, and David's a great warrior. If he'll join our team, that sounds great. Similar to us having a bunch of German scientists come to the US during World War II. "Yeah, if you'll come be on our team, that'd be great." That's what he does. He just lets them come in.David said to Achish,> "If I have found favor in your eyes, let a place be given me in one of the country towns, that I may dwell there, for why should your servant dwell in the royal city with you?"It's quite possible that David's working an angle and he's trying to accomplish something, trying to get away from Achish. But it's also very problematic that David, the anointed of the Lord who's going to be king of the people of Israel, is having to seek favor with Achish, the enemy of the Israelites. But it makes sense, as long as we follow the train, that it's the best thing for him to do; then going to Achish makes sense. Asking for the favor of Achish makes sense. It kind of follows along with what he's going to keep doing. All line up with this original assumption that David made certain in his heart.He apparently has found favor. It says:> So that day Achish gave him Ziklag. Therefore Ziklag has belonged to the kings of Judah to this day. The number of days that David lived in the country of the Philistines was a year and four months.David makes this decision, and it affects at least the next year and four months of how he's going to live life. Also, Achish just gives him a city. I don't know if that city was sitting empty, but I doubt it. That was probably surprising for the people who lived in Ziklag when a bunch of Jewish people showed up and were like, "We're in charge now." That's what happens, and they keep it forever.Verse 8:> Now David and his men went up and made raids against the Geshurites and the Amalekites, for these were the inhabitants of the land from of old as far as Shur to the land of Egypt.David starts making raids. Before, David would go out with the army, and it would talk about him basically defending against the Philistines. But now he's not going to war like normal. He's making raids. It's a different word. He's doing what you think of as pillaging and plundering. That's what he starts doing. He starts doing it with the Geshurites, the Girzites, and the Amalekites.The Amalekites we've heard of; that's the people Saul was supposed to get rid of and didn't. The Geshurites are listed as people who were supposed to be pushed out of the land and weren't. The Girzites are only ever mentioned right here in this verse. That's all we know about them.David starts making raids against these people.Verse 9:> David would strike the land and would leave neither man nor woman alive but would take away the sheep, the oxen, the donkeys, the camels, and the garments and come back to Achish. When Achish asked, "Where have you made a raid today?" David would say, "Against the Negeb of Judah," or "against the Negeb of the Jerahemites," or "against the Negeb of the Kenites."Negeb is like a southern dry area. David is saying, "I'm kind of working my way along against these groups of people." He picked people that were either people of Israel or their allies. He goes and attacks this one group and then comes back, gives Achish stuff and lies about who he's been attacking.It says he kills all the men and women. Some want to read this and say, "Okay, well, David's just fulfilling what they were supposed to fulfill from when Joshua was taking the land. He's driving these people out. He's committing holy war." There are a couple of problems with that. It's called raids, not war. If it's holy war and he's supposed to perform a ban on them, he's not supposed to take the stuff, but he takes the stuff. So he's committing raids.Verse 11:> David would leave neither man nor woman alive to bring news to Gath, thinking lest they should tell about us.David has done so strategically. It doesn't say he's doing it to fulfill promises or to do what God called him to. It says he's strategically not letting anyone live so that no one tells on them.David decides the best thing for him to do is go live with the Philistines, and then he just starts making decisions downline on what makes sense, what makes sense. It's clever, cunning, strategic. He absolutely tricks Achish, the king of Gath. But it's hard to say that it's faithful and honest, that he has integrity. It's hard to read this and make it virtuous.Verse 12:> Achish trusted David, thinking he has made himself an utter stench to the people of Israel. Therefore he shall always be my servant.Achish believes him. He doesn't double-check any of that. Nobody comes and gives any report of anything. Otherwise, he would see all the stuff. He thinks, "David has made everybody there absolutely hate him."Chapter 28 says:> In those days, the Philistines gathered their forces for war to fight against Israel. Achish said to David, "Understand that you and your men are to go out with me in the army."David said to Achish,> "Very well, you shall know what your servant can do."Achish said,> "Very well, I will make you my bodyguard for life."Then the story just changes subjects and starts talking about Saul and what he's up to. So we're going to stop right here.David has worked himself into a knot. Achish looks at him and says, "We're going to war with the Israelites, and we know how much you hate them and how much they hate you." The text says that David says, "Good, you'll see what I'm capable of." We're all like, "What does that mean? What I'm capable of killing? Who is he going to kill? Israelites? Is he going to turn against his own people?" That's some cryptic, clever way to say, "You about to find out." Achish says, "Good, I'll make you my bodyguard for life." If David means he's going to attack him, I bet David thought, "Well, that'll be short. I won't be your bodyguard for very long." We don't know. We don't know what David is about to do.The text will change and tell another story on purpose. The Bible is well written. It gets us right here and goes, "What's going on with that?" Then it goes over here and starts talking about something else.I think it is helpful for us to consider how David got himself from standing over Saul absolutely seeing God at work to marching out with the Philistines, how he worked himself over here. I'll go back to chapter 27, verse 1:> David said in his heart, "Now I shall perish one day by the hand of Saul. There is nothing better for me than that I should escape to the land of the Philistines."It says David said it in his heart. He didn't talk it out. It doesn't even say he really reasoned it. He just hearted it out. He felt it just became real. It was very concrete. It would be hard to shake him off of this position.What I think is helpful is for us to understand that we do that, too. There are some conclusions that you've drawn, and you've got some external circumstances that help back you up. You're not crazy. You didn't just come up with something, but you've got some external circumstances that help you back up.But all that's really happened is you've just reasoned this out in your heart, and it's real, real, real, real, real, real for you. You believe it almost unshakably, and then it just begins to show up. It makes a lot of sense if this is true.I've been pastoring this church for 12 years, and I want to share a few of these. I want to give some examples to help you picture what we're talking about, what we're capable of doing, what you're capable of as life plays out settling in your heart:"I'm unlovable." You can point to this relationship, this friendship, this marriage, this stuff. It's obvious. You don't really think it out, you don't really write it out. You just settle it in your heart, and then it begins to show up in how you relate to people.So what happens is that somebody in your community group who's trying to follow Jesus, studying the Bible, but you've got this as a set reality for you. Someone in your group who loves you dearly is trying to talk to you over here on this situation. They're making good points, and you listen, and you know that what they're saying is true for everybody but you. You know that's fine. What they're saying is good, but they don't know this about you. If they knew this, they would know that it doesn't really apply to you.So you begin to undercut the way they're relating to you. They're coming to you and saying, "Hey, we really like our group. You were around, and things were going well. Now you're kind of gone. We want to follow up with you because we care. We miss you. We wish you were back around. We want you back around."They say it's helpful, healthy for you to belong and be here. We're not us without you. They're trying to talk to you about this.You're going, "Yeah, that's just what you're supposed to say. It's good that you're saying that. But I know this, and nobody really loves me." Or they're saying, "We love you," and you're going, "Hmm. No." If you knew the real me, you wouldn't. If I really belonged, if I really told you everything, you wouldn't.You've got some sort of settled position that you've already locked in."I ruin everything I touch." You've got some evidence. You've really messed some things up, but you've settled in your heart at some point that "I ruin everything." It begins to show up. Something gets difficult at work, and your energy level to try to fix it just drops because, you know, if I pour energy into this, it's just going to fail. Something gets difficult in a relationship, marriage, friendship, church family. You start going, "Yeah, but people are going, hey, we can work this out. We can figure this out."You're thinking, "I'm actually doing you a favor by backing out now because if I step in, I'll just make it worse." You don't necessarily word it that way, but that's so true in your heart that it undoes the ability for people to address you."I can only trust myself. Can't trust anybody else. Can't have real relationships. I'm the only person who's trustworthy. I can only take counsel with myself. I can't do it." You just repeat over and over, "I can't do it. It.""I have to be the one in control. If my hands are not on the steering wheel, this ain't gonna work out." You've decided, locked it in, and it's real. You start doing stuff that makes sense if that's true."I just don't have enough. Just don't have enough money. Don't have enough power, wisdom, control," whatever you want to put there, "I just don't have enough of it. If I could get it, I'd be okay.""Things will never get better. The sooner I realize that, the better off I am. The sooner I realize that when I get in a situation, the better off I am."It helps me to know that nothing will ever get better. This applies to how you relate to people, how you take correction, how you correct other people, how you walk in life, live, serve, work — everything.Some of your actions make perfect sense as long as that's true.I want to show you the list. These are things that I know I've interacted with in people, could be anything.Now, I'll make a few comments on the list. You may have a completely different one. Some might be true if you don't belong to Jesus. Even when you feel these things, none of you as you walk in church family, in community group, say these things to other people. You would not counsel somebody this way.You've never looked at someone who's struggling and said, "Hey, look at me. I know you're hurting. Things will never get better, but one day you'll die." You've never done that. You might say that to yourself a thousand times a week, but you don't say it to other people because you know what it sounds like. You don't believe it for others but 100% believe it for yourself."Hey, you haven't been around group for a while. I just want you to know you're unlovable. Nobody cares. If we really got to know you, it would just get worse."You don't do that.The reason we're laughing is that it sounds insane. That's why we work these things out in our heart. We don't work them out out loud. You just talk to yourself about it. You say, "Yeah, but I heard it a thousand times." It's like mispronouncing a word and saying, "That's the way I hear it." It's because you're saying it that way. Stop it. Say it the right way, and you won't hear it that way anymore because no one else says it that way.Some of these might be true if you don't belong to Jesus, if you haven't trusted in him, if he hasn't saved you from your sin, if his death doesn't apply to you, if his resurrection doesn't apply to you so that your sin's paid for, life is given to you. If you aren't found in Christ, then you can't do it. You're not going to earn it. You're not going to save yourself. You're not going to be good enough, smart enough, moral enough, strong enough.One of the proclamations of the gospel is you can't do it, but Jesus can. So some of these might apply.If you belong to Jesus and you've accepted one of these heart-level things or some new one that you came up with, that you've settled in your heart, can I tell you something? You believe it because you think it's true about you, but actually, if you belong to Jesus, it is a lie about him. It's only true if he's not there."I'm unlovable." You think that says something about you, but it's actually a declaration about Christ that he doesn't love you, that he can't love you, that he can't overcome your wickedness, that he can't overcome your sin, that you've done too much, that you aren't enough, and somehow you think it's about you, but if you belong to Jesus, it's a lie about him, and it's not true.I love where Paul says,> "Christ died for me."Paul writes "me." He's saying no, no, no, me. We get to read that and go, "Yeah, if I belong to Jesus, me." He loved me and gave himself up for me."I ruin everything I touch." Sure, without Jesus, maybe, probably not everything. But without Jesus? No."I can only trust myself." We get to trust Jesus. You actually don't factor that in. That's beautiful about belonging to Christ. It's not about me. That's why we show up and sing about Jesus and what he's done and accomplished. We don't have blanks where you get to insert your own name about how you've saved the day. We don't do that because that's not what this is about. That's not where our hope is."I can't do it." That's a declaration that everything is going to fall apart. Like Jesus won't empower you, won't give you strength, mercy tomorrow. You won't wake up with renewed ability through the empowerment of the Spirit."I have to be the one in control." It's a declaration that Jesus isn't trustworthy, that he's not good enough, and that you can't trust yourself with him."I don't have enough." Even though we've been seated with him above all things, and we've been given every spiritual gift in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus."Things will never get better" is only true if you don't belong to Jesus. If you belong to Jesus, he's already working. He's already redeeming, and the promises — it ultimately gets better.> Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. > — 2 Corinthians 5:17He has gone to work in us and made us new.These things aren't true. They don't stick to you. They don't hold you. They don't have claim over you if you belong to Jesus and have trusted him. If you haven't, you can. You can go to Christ and say, "I need help. I need salvation. I need rescue. I need forgiveness," and he will.Here's what I want us to do.> We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ. > — 2 Corinthians 10:5I want you to actively take this heart-level decision and introduce it to Jesus. I want you to make those two in your mind. I want you to make it obedient to Christ. How is this real if I belong to Jesus? Bring it to him and say, "I want to look at this in light of who you are. I want to look at this in light of what your word says. I want to look at this in light of what your word says about me."In just a moment, I'm going to pray. The band's going to come back up. I want you to take a second to ask the Spirit, "Is there something that I've settled in my heart that's guiding the decisions I'm making but isn't true? Is there something that I only believe for me that I wouldn't believe for somebody else? I would never counsel somebody else this way. I would never accuse Jesus of this out loud. I'm just doing it in my heart."Then I want you to make it obedient to Christ. We'll take a moment to do that. Then I want you to do that this week with your community group. I want you to try to walk out, "What have I settled? That only makes sense because I don't say it out loud. I just repeat it over and over again in my heart. How does Jesus rescue and redeem and conquer?"Let's pray.Father, I pray that right now you'd give us a moment of stillness and clarity. We ask in the name of Jesus that your Spirit would work to reveal deep, heart-level things that we've put in concrete that aren't true, lies that we believe, that we think are true about us, but are just lies about you. Lord, we ask you to help us to listen. Amen.

What if the middle of the year is actually the moment to start again? In this message, Pastor Josh takes us into one of the most emotional scenes in David's life— Ziklag. Everything is in ruins. The people closest to him are ready to stone him. And yet, somehow, David doesn't break. He strengthens himself in the Lord. This isn't just a sermon about endurance. It's about real life. Real emotions. Real setbacks. And a real God who meets us right in the middle of it. Whether 2025 has felt like victory or survival, this message is an invitation to reset, recharge, and ask God once again, “Teach me to do your will.” Get ready for a week of intentional pursuit as we step into Accelerate Week together. From fasting and prayer to worship and the Word, it all begins here, with a heart that leans in like David's.   Did you make a decision to follow Christ today? Fill out our digital connection card: https://churchontherock.net/connect-card

In this episode, Pastor Dale shares a powerful and personal message on guarding what matters most. Drawing from the story of David at Ziklag and his own leadership journey, he unpacks how spiritual leaders can protect their families, build lasting marriages, and stay strong in the midst of ministry battles. Learn how awareness, preparation, and honest conversations can keep your "gates" secure—so your ministry flows from a healthy, whole life at home.

This is an official recording of The City of Refuge, Melbourne.

1 Samuel 31 The Death of Saul Now the Philistines were fighting against Israel, and the men of Israel fled before the Philistines and fell slain on Mount Gilboa. 2And the Philistines overtook Saul and his sons, and the Philistines struck down Jonathan and Abinadab and Malchi-shua, the sons of Saul. 3The battle pressed hard against Saul, and the archers found him, and he was badly wounded by the archers.4Then Saul said to his armor-bearer, Draw your sword, and thrust me through with it, lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through, and mistreat me. But his armor-bearer would not, for he feared greatly. Therefore Saul took his own sword and fell upon it. 5And when his armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell upon his sword and died with him. 6Thus Saul died, and his three sons, and his armor-bearer, and all his men, on the same day together.7And when the men of Israel who were on the other side of the valley and those beyond the Jordan saw that the men of Israel had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they abandoned their cities and fled. And the Philistines came and lived in them. 8The next day, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, they found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa. 9So they cut off his head and stripped off his armor and sent messengers throughout the land of the Philistines, to carry the good news to the house of their idols and to the people.10They put his armor in the temple of Ashtaroth, and they fastened his body to the wall of Beth-shan. 11But when the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul, 12all the valiant men arose and went all night and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Beth-shan, and they came to Jabesh and burned them there. 13And they took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree in Jabesh and fasted seven days. 2 Samuel 1 David Hears of Saul's Death After the death of Saul, when David had returned from striking down the Amalekites, David remained two days in Ziklag. 2And on the third day, behold, a man came from Saul's camp, with his clothes torn and dirt on his head. And when he came to David, he fell to the ground and paid homage. 3David said to him, Where do you come from? And he said to him, I have escaped from the camp of Israel. 4And David said to him, How did it go? Tell me. And he answered, The people fled from the battle, and also many of the people have fallen and are dead, and Saul and his son Jonathan are also dead.5Then David said to the young man who told him, How do you know that Saul and his son Jonathan are dead? 6And the young man who told him said, By chance I happened to be on Mount Gilboa, and there was Saul leaning on his spear, and behold, the chariots and the horsemen were close upon him. 7And when he looked behind him, he saw me, and called to me. And I answered, Here I am. 8And he said to me, Who are you? I answered him, I am an Amalekite.9And he said to me, Stand beside me and kill me, for anguish has seized me, and yet my life still lingers. 10So I stood beside him and killed him, because I was sure that he could not live after he had fallen. And I took the crown that was on his head and the armlet that was on his arm, and I have brought them here to my lord. 11Then David took hold of his clothes and tore them, and so did all the men who were with him. 12And they mourned and wept and fasted until evening for Saul and for Jonathan his son and for the people of the Lord and for the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword. 13And David said to the young man who told him, Where do you come from? And he answered, I am the son of a sojourner, an Amalekite.14David said to him, How is it you were not afraid to put out your hand to destroy the Lord's anointed? 15Then David called one of the young men and said, Go, execute him. And he struck him down so that he died. 16And David said to him, Your blood be on your head, for your own mouth has testified against you, saying, I have killed the Lord's anointed. David's Lament for Saul and Jonathan 17And David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and Jonathan his son, 18and he said it[a] should be taught to the people of Judah; behold, it is written in the Book of Jashar.[b] He said: 19Your glory, O Israel, is slain on your high places!How the mighty have fallen!20Tell it not in Gath,publish it not in the streets of Ashkelon,lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice,lest the daughters of the uncircumcised exult. 21You mountains of Gilboa,let there be no dew or rain upon you,nor fields of offerings![c]For there the shield of the mighty was defiled,the shield of Saul, not anointed with oil. 22From the blood of the slain,from the fat of the mighty,the bow of Jonathan turned not back,and the sword of Saul returned not empty. 23Saul and Jonathan, beloved and lovely!In life and in death they were not divided;they were swifter than eagles;they were stronger than lions. 24You daughters of Israel, weep over Saul,who clothed you luxuriously in scarlet,who put ornaments of gold on your apparel. 25How the mighty have fallenin the midst of the battle! Jonathan lies slain on your high places.26I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan;very pleasant have you been to me;your love to me was extraordinary,surpassing the love of women. 27How the mighty have fallen,and the weapons of war perished!

2 Samuel begins with David hearing of the death of Saul and his sons on Mount Gilboa. The news was brought to David in Ziklag by a dirt-covered Amalekite. This man sought to ingratiate himself to David and was hoping to be generously rewarded for his news. Instead the man is shocked and terrified by David's angry response. Before David responded he asked the Amalekite to tell him the circumstances of the death of Saul and his sons. The account is given and David is told by the Amalekite the information we heard in 1 Samuel 31. However he provides extra information believing that David will reward him. The Amalekite says that he came upon Saul who was nearing death and at the request of king Saul he slew Saul. As proof that he had done what he claimed the man brought Saul's crown and arm band. David mourned till the evening and then rose in rage and tells the Amalekite that his actions had sealed his own death having slain Yahweh's anointed. That wicked man was instantly executed by one of David's young warriors. The second half of the chapter outlines David's ode of lament for Saul and Jonathan. The lament is called the Song of the Bow, since the bow was Jonathan's weapon of choice. Jonathan had given David his bow earlier when the two friends made a covenant between them. The words of the song are in verses 19-27. At David's command they were recorded in the book of Jasher and were to be taught to Judah, David's own tribe. David speaks of Saul and Jonathan as "the glory of Israel" and they were slain on the Mount - high places - defending the people of the LORD against their enemies. David is distressed that the Philistines will gloat over their victory. David says "tell it not in Gath" - the Hebrew is a poem: "Tell it not in Telltown". David asks God to withhold moisture from falling on Mount Gilboa. Verses 22-23 describe the valiant and courageous and undivided warriors that Saul and Jonathan were. Verse 24 outlines Saul's generosity towards the Jewish maidens he favoured. Saul showed generosity to many during his life. In the last three verses David concludes his lament by saying that he is greatly distressed by Jonathan's untimely death. That demise was the end of an extraordinarily deep friendship. No doubt that this friendship will again flourish in Messiah's kingdom. David is exemplary in his speaking well of Saul who constantly had sought to destroy him. Let us learn to speak always graciously with measured words: Ephesians 4 verses 29-32.

2 Samuel begins with David hearing of the death of Saul and his sons on Mount Gilboa. The news was brought to David in Ziklag by a dirt-covered Amalekite. This man sought to ingratiate himself to David and was hoping to be generously rewarded for his news. Instead the man is shocked and terrified by David's angry response. Before David responded he asked the Amalekite to tell him the circumstances of the death of Saul and his sons. The account is given and David is told by the Amalekite the information we heard in 1 Samuel 31. However he provides extra information believing that David will reward him. The Amalekite says that he came upon Saul who was nearing death and at the request of king Saul he slew Saul. As proof that he had done what he claimed the man brought Saul's crown and arm band. David mourned till the evening and then rose in rage and tells the Amalekite that his actions had sealed his own death having slain Yahweh's anointed. That wicked man was instantly executed by one of David's young warriors. The second half of the chapter outlines David's ode of lament for Saul and Jonathan. The lament is called the Song of the Bow, since the bow was Jonathan's weapon of choice. Jonathan had given David his bow earlier when the two friends made a covenant between them. The words of the song are in verses 19-27. At David's command they were recorded in the book of Jasher and were to be taught to Judah, David's own tribe. David speaks of Saul and Jonathan as "the glory of Israel" and they were slain on the Mount - high places - defending the people of the LORD against their enemies. David is distressed that the Philistines will gloat over their victory. David says "tell it not in Gath" - the Hebrew is a poem: "Tell it not in Telltown". David asks God to withhold moisture from falling on Mount Gilboa. Verses 22-23 describe the valiant and courageous and undivided warriors that Saul and Jonathan were. Verse 24 outlines Saul's generosity towards the Jewish maidens he favoured. Saul showed generosity to many during his life. In the last three verses David concludes his lament by saying that he is greatly distressed by Jonathan's untimely death. That demise was the end of an extraordinarily deep friendship. No doubt that this friendship will again flourish in Messiah's kingdom. David is exemplary in his speaking well of Saul who constantly had sought to destroy him. Let us learn to speak always graciously with measured words: Ephesians 4 verses 29-32.    Jeremiah 7 is about the evil that prevailed in the land of Judah. Jeremiah is told to stand at the gate of the temple and tell everyone who entered the building that they were hypocrites. The people of Jerusalem believed themselves to be holy and in accord with God's values. They were convinced that for this reason no calamity could come to them. Yahweh's message to them is for them to change their ways if they want to remain in the Land. Otherwise disaster would befall them. Read verses 5-7 carefully and consider the implications for the way we must show mercy and justice to all people. By contrast verses 8-11 tell us the corrupt way that they were living. The prophet says that the Almighty detested and would punish them for their self delusion. The nation declared their belief that their Sovereign delighted in them. Verse 11 is quoted by our Lord Jesus Christ in Matthew 21 verses 13 as he cleansed the temple. This shows that the leaders behaviour was just as perverse 600 years after the prophet's time - despite the LORD having disciplined them by overthrowing them and sending Judah into exile. The Almighty tells the leaders to learn from history by allowing the Tabernacle at Shiloh to be overthrown for a long period of time because of the nation's wickedness. In verses 16-17 Jeremiah is told not to pray, nor intercede, for the people as God will not listen. The nation's offensive worshipping of idols is described in verses 18-19. Their principal goddess is described as "the queen of heaven". Near to where I live is a massive Catholic Church which is named Regina Coeli, which translates from Latin to 'the queen of heaven' in English. Judah's Sovereign expresses His jealousy and anger at their insult to Him. In verses 20-26 Yahweh speaks of their continuing refusal to listen to Him and amend their doings. Judgment could not be delayed. So in the last three verses the prophet is told to tell the nation to commence their grieving now. Matthew's 18th chapter focuses on humility and forgiveness, both of which are crucial if a disciple is to enter the Kingdom. Forgiveness must be given to those who request it. Never in the Bible is forgiveness unconditional. Whether it is the forgiveness God offers us, or the forgiveness others ask of us it depends upon whether we contritely ask our Father's forgiveness and as we forgive others: see the Lord's Prayer Matthew 6 verses 12-14. Humility and absence of malice is the foundation for receiving an inheritance with our Father and His Son. The disciple must never become the cause of stumbling for another. Being conscious of the sources of sin in our lives will result in believers taking the extreme actions required to prevent us losing the Kingdom.  The parable of the lost sheep indicates the love of the Shepherd for his straying sheep and the extreme effort expended in its recovery; as well as the accompanying joy when the lost sheep is recovered. The parable of the stumbling disciple is based upon the same principles - the maximum exertion is to be made in order to restore a beloved disciple. Our Lord's words to Peter are of ongoing and limitless forgiveness as the number 490 represents. Our forgiveness is conditional on extending constant forgiveness to others (Matthew 6 verses 12-14). Jesus' instructions here stand in stark contrast to Lamech's vengeful attitude mentioned in Genesis 4 verses 23-24. Most pertinent to us is the parable of the unforgiving servant. Our God has forgiven us an immeasurable debt. Unless that moves us to see that, however great we might esteem any wrongs done to us, they need to be seen in perspective as inconsequential. We must be moved - like our Lord Jesus Christ and his Father - from within our heart to truly forgive others.

This is an official recording of The City of Refuge, Melbourne.

In 1 Samuel 29 David will find that his lies and deception have brought him to a dilemma from which there would appear to be no opportunity to escape. The lords of the Philistines had mustered their forces at Aphek in order for a full scale war with Israel. Achish has summoned David and his men to go with them to fight against their enemies. The other 4 lords express their objections believing that should the battle not go in favour of Philistia David could change sides and fight for Israel to reconcile himself to Saul. These lords recount what a thorn in their sides David had been in the past. Achish defends David's loyalty before the lords. However they still insist that David and his men leave the Philistine camp before sunrise - before the battle. David agrees to do this. Once again David's Almighty God has saved him out of an exceptionally dangerous predicament. Chapter 30 sees David and his troop reach a very low point where David despairs of life. As David's troop come to Ziklag they find their town destroyed and burning and strewn with corpses. David's followers are so distraught that they want to blame him for what has happened and to stone him to death. David prays as verse 6 tells us. Never let us forget that no matter how bad things seem to be we can always count on our LORD for support. David then asks counsel from his God by asking Abiathar the priest to find out what the Almighty would have him do. Their Sovereign instructs them to pursue the enemy and that they will recover their families and their wealth. David's company found a sick and starving Egyptian who had been left behind by the Amalekite raiding party. Just think that had Saul destroyed the Amalekites as God had commanded him this catastrophe could not have happened. The Egyptian promised help as long as he was not sold to those Amalekites. Verses 16-20 tell us that just as the Almighty had promised so it came to pass. Two hundred of David's men had minded the luggage whilst the other four hundred had risked their life in battle. The 400 did not wish to share the spoil. David made a rule from that point and beyond the spoil was to be divided evenly whatever part his followers had played in the warfare. David always tried to act with justice and equality for all. David then distributed much of the wealth to the nearby regions with an explanation that it had come from the enemies of Yahweh. In Jeremiah 5 the prophet is told to run through Jerusalem to see if he could find anyone who would walk in the ways of the LORD. If the prophet could find such a person God promised to pardon Judah. However, says Almighty God, He saw only hypocritical lip service - outward worship without any truth. All this despite their Sovereign's discipline. Ezekiel was given a similar task in chapter 9 of that prophecy. The nation had set her face against her Maker. Jeremiah acknowledges that this is true, but claims that the LORD's people are ignorant of His ways. In verse 6 their Omnipotent Judge declares that they would be savaged by the Babylonian lion and that God would observe the nation's actions as closely as a leopard does his prey. In verses 7-9 her Sovereign describes her lascivious behaviour and that Judah's appetite for immorality is unquenchable. Graphic word pictures are used by her God. Verses 10-13 outline the vast extent of the coming judgments - even the prophets would be destroyed (excepting Jeremiah as we shall find out later). In verses 14-17 the LORD describes the arrogance and ruthlessness of the Babylonians. He also speaks of the destruction that would be brought upon Judah. The Babylonians would show no mercy. Verses 18-25 reveal that Yahweh, in contrast to Babylon, would show mercy in sparing Judah and saving a remnant. Verses 26-29 speak of the treacherous behaviours of the Judeans among themselves. God says that such actions cannot go unpunished. In verses 30-31 God describes the perverse practices of the priests and ruler. Sadly, says the prophet, the people not only tolerate it, but want it to be that way.  The 16th chapter of Matthew shows the incapacity of the nation's rulers to see what was happening in their midst. This is followed by a treatise on the deception contained in corrupt teachings; whose pervasive influence rapidly permeates like leaven. Next comes the greatest confession by Peter, upon which rock-like foundation the entire ecclesia is built - namely, that "Jesus Christ is the Son of the living God" (see John 6verses 68-69; Ephesians 2 verses 20-21). Our Lord Jesus next explicitly explains to his Apostles his coming sufferings, death and resurrection on the third day. Our Lord Jesus Christ's resurrection was the sign of the prophet Jonah. That prophet spent 3 days in the belly of the whale which in Jonah's prayer is called the belly of hell: Jonah 2 verses 1-2. The Apostle Paul says that this proved the Lord Jesus Christ's divine Sonship: Romans 1 verses 4; Ephesians 1 verses 15-22. The Apostle Peter reminds us of the same matter: Acts 2 verses 22-36. The chapter concludes with a final appeal to each believer to take up our stake - Greek "staurus" - and follow our Lord through suffering even unto death should that be our lot.

Ziklag Moment - This Too Shall Pass: Ministering Brother Damilola Adigun | Published July 13th, 2025 | RCCG - LSMC - Columbia Campus

In 1 Samuel 26 we learn of Saul continuing to seek David in order to slaughter him because of Saul's being consumed by jealousy - which as Proverbs says is "as rotten bones" Proverbs 14 verse 30 - but the fact remains that Yahweh continues to providentially preserve David. In the Wilderness of Ziph Saul set up camp and God causes a deep sleep to fall on Saul's entire camp. David and his nephew Abishai stealthily make their way into the camp and carry away Saul's spear and other personal and identifiable items as evidence that David has yet again spared his monarch's life. When Saul's army is at a safe distance David calls after Saul and reprimands Abner for failing to protect his king. David shows genuine humility and requests how he might be reconciled to his master. Saul momentarily shows remorse for his actions and swore to leave David in peace. A young man is sent from Saul's host to retrieve the king's personal weaponry. In despair David is certain that the truce with Saul is temporary and so he determines to go to the land of the Philistines believing that Saul will cease to pursue him. What a wrong, though understandable, decision. This desperate act would lead to a chain of lies and bloodshed that could have been avoided had David continued to trust in the Almighty who had always proved to be his shield. In chapter 27 David and his men find themselves once again in the midst of Gath. How foolish it is for David to return to this Philistine city from which he has recently escaped with his life being miraculously saved by his gracious God. Here he has to survive, this time, by his wits and his lies. This is clearly a low point spiritually in David's life and yet again will it be miraculously spared by the Almighty - see chapters 29 and 30. David promises to serve Achish king of Gath and fight against his own people - Israel - in exchange for Achish providing a city as a base for David and his men to launch raids against his own nation. David is given the city of Ziklag. When David raids the nearby cities of Israel's enemies he is forced to leave no one alive lest the Philistine king receives word about David's deception. He also lies to Achish about the location of his raids. The chapter concludes by telling us that through this David became one of Achish's "trusted' servants. How ironic that a servant of the LORD becomes trusted by dishonesty and a failure to value the ways of his Sovereign. Let us ponder the lesson for us.  In Jeremiah 3:1-2 tell of the lewd behaviour of Judah. In verses 3-5 we are told that God had withheld the blessings as a result of the nation's lascivious behaviour. Verses 6-9 outline some of the horrific behaviours of Judah. Verses 10-13 are the Almighty's pleading with the nation to consider how they had wronged their Sovereign and call upon them to turn to Him wholeheartedly. If they do that then their Husband and Maker will restore their position to see Jerusalem as the capital city of Messiah's kingdom: Isaiah 2 verses 1-4; Zechariah 1 verse 9, 16, 20-21. Those blessings will see Jesus Messiah and his saints shepherding - ie feeding the nation with the nourishing and enriching Word of the LORD. Yet despite such a glorious future God's people were now behaving as a treacherous wife. Ezekiel 16 verses 22-58 tell us how Judah had failed to learn the lessons of how the Almighty had disciplined Samaria and Israel. In verses 21-25 the nation's Omnipotent Creator pleads with His people to return to Him in faithfulness. In chapter 14 verses 1-12 of Matthew Herod is struck with terror on hearing of the miracles of Jesus. Herod Antipas, a convert of the Sadducees (and therefore a non believer in the resurrection of the dead) was convinced that John the Baptist had been raised from the dead. Our Lord is told of John's brutal decapitation and in response seeks solitude to reflect. Verses 13-22 tell us that Jesus is interrupted by a multitude seeking him out and his compassionate response to their need of a shepherd to teach them: compare Numbers 27 verse 17. Jesus feeds 5,000 of them and heals  many. John 6 tells us that their desire was to take him by force and make him their king. Jesus summarily dispersed the crowd and went into a mountain to pray. Verses 24-33 speak of Jesus sending the Apostles by boat to the other side of the lake. After praying on the mountain our Lord saw the Apostles toiling in rowing on a storm tossed sea and failing to make any progress. The Lord came to them through the storm, walking on the water. Peter alone showed the faith and courage to briefly do likewise. Though Peter's faith faltered he alone had the courage to walk on the Sea of Galilee at the request of his master. O that such trust in our master and such confidence was ours that Peter then displayed! Peter was rescued by his Master. Their port of destination was Capernaum - meaning the city of consolation. This speaks of our destination and finding comfort when our Lord, the Father's Son and our hope and consolation, has come. Verses 34-36 tell us that Jesus on reaching the other side of the lake Jesus healed many at Gennesaret.

Karl Ihfe continues the "Heart of a King" series by examining David's heart of hope during his most discouraging season. Using 1 Samuel 21-30, Ihfe traces how David lost everything—his job, security, family, mentor, and friends—and found himself hiding in caves as a fugitive. When David's men threatened to stone him after the raid on Ziklag, Scripture tells us "David strengthened himself in the Lord" (1 Samuel 30:6). Ihfe outlines four spiritual practices David employed to maintain hope: being honest with God through lament (Psalm 142), taking positive action when God directs it, resisting temptation to take moral shortcuts (as when David refused to kill Saul in the cave), and finding ultimate refuge in God alone. Ihfe concludes by connecting David's cave experience to Jesus' own suffering and resurrection, reminding us that "caves are where God resurrects dead stuff," giving us hope in our darkest moments. https://bwaychurch.org  

In this brief but powerful episode we look at the reality of our need for rest and refreshment. Captivity comes to every man and takes many forms. Our need for escape is not only vital but inevitable. The big question is: where do we find it? This unique moment in the life of David could lead to the answer.

Hello and welcome to the Unedited podcast! The goal of this podcast is to help you develop and enjoy the habit of daily Bible reading and prayer. It is through the Word of God and the presence of God that we GET TO KNOW God. In this episode, Meg shares a few thoughts on three words: waste, spend, and invest, and shares an Unedited journal entry: “A Few Thoughts From Ziklag.” Meg's books, “Unedited: Hope and Healing Through the Simple Habit of Bible Reading and Prayer” and “Overflow: The Fine Art of Cultivating Joy In Sorrow,” (in English and Spanish)are available on Amazon and through Pentecostal Publishing House. Thank you for joining me for this journey. I look forward to meeting up with you again next Friday! If you have questions, please visit megunedited.com Go grab your Bible and your journal! Looking forward to the power of this habit in YOUR life. This is Unedited. This is for U. Happy Good Friday! IG: @unedited_meg

This evening, we take a look at I Samuel 30, when the Amalekites had destroyed Ziklag, and David and his men were looking for them so he could get everyone he held dear back to him, and his men found an Egyptian in a field to help them find the Amalekites.

God tells us not to be afraid BUT to trust Him--so fear and faith are opposites. "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go" (Josh 1:9). "Say to those who are fearful-hearted, 'Be strong, do not fear! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God; He will come and save you'" (Isaiah 35:4). "Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." (Isaiah 41:10). "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are Mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you" (Isaiah 43:1-2). "For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control." (2 Tim 1:7). "Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you" (Deut 31:6). "The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?" (Ps 27:1). "I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears." (Ps 34:4). Faith (and trust) work through love, and when we understand His love, we cannot also fear (or doubt): "What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?" (Romans 8:31-32). "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love" (1 John 4:18). "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid" (John 14:27). "...but faith work(s) through love" (Gal 5:6). "...cast(ing) all your care upon Him, for He cares for you" (1 Peter 5:7). "And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him." (Heb 11:6). "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths" (Prov 3:5-6). If you REALLY believe that you have what you ask when you pray, there will be no fear... because you believe you already have it. "For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them" (Matt 11:23-24). "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen" (Heb 11:1). So you should be in rest, no matter what happens between when you ask and when you see it. Even if trials arise, you should still be in rest: "Count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work. that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways" (James 1:2-8). "There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His" (Heb 4:9-10). When Satan comes to try to steal from you, resist: "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you" (1 Peter 5:8-10). "Resist the devil and he will flee from you" (James 4:7). "Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and depart from evil. It will be health to your flesh and strength to your bones" (Prov 3:7-8). "Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore" (Eph 6:13-14). Lack of fear (and thus, faith) is evidence to Satan that you're going to win: "and not in any way terrified by your adversaries, which is to them a proof of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that from God" (Phil 1:28). "For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith." (1 John 5:4). If it's been a long time coming, do not give up: "Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but when the desire comes, it is a tree of life" (Prov 13:12). "Let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart" (Gal 6:9). But instead, keep your eyes on the Lord, and not on your problem: David did this, when he encouraged himself in the Lord after Ziklag and his men threatened to stone him: 1 Sam 30:1-8 "Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” (Matt 11:28-30, Msg translation) "Be still and know that I am God" (Psalm 46:10) "Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God" (Heb 12:1-2). Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

What does Jesus mean when He declares, “Blessed are the poor in spirit”? Through a powerful opening story about bringing water and the gospel to a remote Ghanaian village, we discover that spiritual poverty has nothing to do with material circumstances and everything to do with recognized dependence on God.True spiritual poverty isn't about physical lack, emotional distress, or natural personality traits. Rather, it's a divine work of the Holy Spirit that begins at spiritual rebirth and grows as we walk with Christ. Those who are poor in spirit acknowledge their emptiness without God and hold fast to Him through life's darkest valleys.The biblical examples paint vivid portraits of spiritual poverty in action. We witness Jacob's transformation at the Jabbok River, where he emptied himself and emerged with a new identity and walk. We see David in crisis at Ziklag, choosing to seek divine guidance before taking action. We hear Peter's desperate confession when others abandoned Jesus: “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.”What makes this teaching so revolutionary is its promise—the kingdom of heaven belongs to those who recognize their need. While crowds remained comfortably at the mountain's base, only the disciples—those hungry enough to make the climb—heard these transformative words. The kingdom isn't a distant reality but the present reign of God in surrendered hearts.Like David's prayer in Psalm 86, we acknowledge: “Hear me, Lord, and answer me, for I am poor and needy.” This posture of dependence isn't weakness but the pathway to experiencing God's strength. Will you join those climbing the mountain, recognizing your spiritual need and embracing the kingdom that awaits those who know they can't make it on their own?We are Trinity Community Church in Knoxville, Tennessee.Subscribe to our Podcast & YouTube channel to find past sermons, classes, interviews, and more!Find us on Facebook & Instagram

1 Chronicles - David's Supporters in Ziklag, Supporters Gathered at HebronPsalms - The Excellency of Brotherly Unity, Israel's Rebelliousness and the LORD'S Deliverances.John - The Crown of Thorns, The Crucifixion, Care of the Body of Jesus

When we last left King Saul, he had consulted a medium when he didn't hear from the Lord, where he learns that he and sons will die the following day. David almost joins the Philistine forces in the impending war against Saul, but the commanders don't trust David like King Achish does. Returning to their settlement at Ziklag, they find their territory decimated and their families taken captive. After consulting the Lord, they pursue the Amalekites. On the way, David and his men redeem the life of a servant who had been discarded by his Amalekite master, and he returns their kindness by directing them toward the Amalekites. Later, Saul goes to battle against the Philistines along with his sons, where they meet a devastating end.1 Samuel 29 - 1:02 . 1 Samuel 30 - 3:34 . 1 Samuel 31 - 9:35 . Psalm 92 - 12:04 .  :::Christian Standard Bible translation.All music written and produced by John Burgess Ross.Co-produced by the Christian Standard Bible.facebook.com/commuterbibleinstagram.com/commuter_bibletwitter.com/CommuterPodpatreon.com/commuterbibleadmin@commuterbible.org

Today, Saul sets his sights on David once more, bringing three thousand men with him, but David again has compassion on him. David and his men defect from Israel and escape to Philistine territory, where Achish, the king of the Philistines gives David the city of Ziklag. Later, as Saul faces the Philistine armies, he becomes fearful and tries to consult the Lord, but God does not respond. Being more concerned for himself than for God's glory, Saul consults a spiritual medium, and in a totally backwards way, attempts to consult the the spirit of the man of God who had anointed him as Israel's king so many years ago. 1 Samuel 26 - 1:02 . 1 Samuel 27 - 6:52 . 1 Samuel 28 - 5:46 .  :::Christian Standard Bible translation.All music written and produced by John Burgess Ross.Co-produced by the Christian Standard Bible.facebook.com/commuterbibleinstagram.com/commuter_bibletwitter.com/CommuterPodpatreon.com/commuterbibleadmin@commuterbible.org

TODAY'S TREASURENow these are the men who came to David at Ziklag, while he could not move about freely because of Saul the son of Kish. And they were among the mighty men who helped him in war. They were bowmen and could shoot arrows and sling stones with either the right or the left hand; they were Benjaminites, Saul's kinsmen. Eluzai, Jerimoth, Bealiah, Shemariah, Shephatiah the Haruphite; Elkanah, Isshiah, Azarel, Joezer, and Jashobeam, the Korahites.1 Chronicles 12:1, 2, 6Send us a comment!Support the show

Sabata Pereira

David was able to find hope in the midst of his crisis at Ziklag. ******* By the way, if you haven't bought a copy of my new book yet, check it out here: https://www.amazon.com/Dreams-Visions-Stories-Faith-Pastor/dp/161493536X

Today, Saul set his sights on David once more, bringing three thousand men with him, but David again has compassion on him. David and his men defect from Israel and escape to Philistine territory, where the king gives him the city of Ziklag. Later, as Saul faces the Philistine armies, he becomes fearful and tries to consult the Lord, but God does not respond. Being more concerned for himself than for God's glory, Saul consults a medium, and in a totally backwards way, attempts to consult the man of God who had anointed him as Israel's king so many years ago. In the end, the Philistines claim victory over Saul and his sons, and after being mortally wounded, Saul takes his own life.1 Samuel 26 - 1:12 . 1 Samuel 27 - 7:12 . 1 Samuel 28 - 10:39 . 1 Samuel 29 - 16:05 . 1 Samuel 30 - 18:34 . 1 Samuel 31 - 24:44 . Proverbs 30:18 - 27:19 .  :::Christian Standard Bible translation.All music written and produced by John Burgess Ross.Co-produced by Bobby Brown, Katelyn Pridgen, Eric Williamson & the Christian Standard Biblefacebook.com/commuterbibleinstagram.com/commuter_bibletwitter.com/CommuterPodpatreon.com/commuterbibleadmin@commuterbible.org

In this powerful message Pastor Sean Pinder dives into 1 Samuel 30:1–19, revealing how David overcame one of the darkest moments of his life at Ziklag. After losing everything to the Amalekites—his family, his home, and his hope—David chose to seek God instead of giving up. Through faith, divine guidance, and persistence, he recovered all.Join Pastor Sean as he teaches how you, too, are anointed to recover everything the enemy has stolen—your peace, your purpose, your family, your joy. No matter the setback, God has already positioned you for a comeback! Get ready to be encouraged, empowered, and reminded that your recovery is guaranteed. You are anointed to get it back!

Your Daily Prayer

In this Bible Story, the Philistine horde rises up against Israel. David continues to wrestle with his alliances. While Saul, now living apart from the spirit of God, turns to dark arts to settle his weary and restless soul. This story is inspired by 1 Samuel 27. Go to BibleinaYear.com and learn the Bible in a Year.Today's Bible verse is 1 Samuel 27:7 from the King James Version.Episode 93: David, still playing the role of a Philistine marauder in Ziklag, found himself in the camp of the enemy as they were marching up against Israel. But the lords of the Philistines disapproved of this and petitioned Achish to send him and his men away. God kept David from killing his brethren that day, but when they returned to Ziklag, they found that the Amalekites had raided their city and taken their wives and children. So David sought God and pursued the Amalekites to overtake them, bringing back their wives and children. God gave them favor, and the women, children, livestock, and goods were saved! David got his first true taste of what it meant to be king.Hear the Bible come to life as Pastor Jack Graham leads you through the official BibleinaYear.com podcast. This Biblical Audio Experience will help you master wisdom from the world’s greatest book. In each episode, you will learn to apply Biblical principles to everyday life. Now understanding the Bible is easier than ever before; enjoy a cinematic audio experience full of inspirational storytelling, orchestral music, and profound commentary from world-renowned Pastor Jack Graham.Also, you can download the Pray.com app for more Christian content, including, Daily Prayers, Inspirational Testimonies, and Bedtime Bible Stories.Visit JackGraham.org for more resources on how to tap into God's power for successful Christian living.Pray.com is the digital destination of faith. With over 5,000 daily prayers, meditations, bedtime stories, and cinematic stories inspired by the Bible, the Pray.com app has everything you need to keep your focus on the Lord. Make Prayer a priority and download the #1 App for Prayer and Sleep today in the Apple app store or Google Play store.Executive Producers: Steve Gatena & Max BardProducer: Ben GammonHosted by: Pastor Jack GrahamMusic by: Andrew Morgan SmithBible Story narration by: Todd HaberkornSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There are moments in life when the pain is real, the pressure is high, and the path forward isn't clear. In this episode, Gregory Dickow unpacks 1 Samuel 30—the story of David at Ziklag—and reveals the powerful steps God gave him to recover everything. If you're feeling overwhelmed or under attack, this is the roadmap you need to rise up, fight back, and recover what's yours. SUPPORT:You can donate to help us reach more lives around the world here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.lifechangerschurch.com/give⁠⁠⁠⁠WATCH ON YOUTUBE:Subscribe to the ⁠Gregory Dickow YouTube channel⁠REQUEST PRAYER:⁠Submit a prayer request⁠ and we will agree with you.CONNECT WITH ME ON SOCIAL:⁠Instagram⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠X

I Samuel 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; 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. 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. 4 Then David and the people that were with him lifted up their voice and wept, until they had no more power to weep. 5 And David's two wives were taken captives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite.

Before David wore the crown in Hebron, he faced devastation at Ziklag. In his darkest hour, he encouraged himself in the Lord. Find out how you can do the same and attain your destiny.

In this powerful message from Pastor John, we continue our Locker Room Lessons series by talking about “Bounce Back Faith”—the kind of faith that refuses to let failure, loss, or pressure have the final word.Drawing from Proverbs 24:16 and the story of David at Ziklag, we're reminded that even the righteous fall… but they rise again.Whether you've been knocked down by life, dealing with discouragement, or carrying the weight of your past, this message is a reminder that God's not done with you.Featuring a throwback moment from Tim Tebow's viral “promise speech,” Pastor John shows us that resilience starts with a decision: “This isn't going to define me.”If you've been feeling stuck, discouraged, or unsure of what's next—this is for you.It's not over. You're not disqualified. You can rise again.

This chapter highlights how the Amalekites destroyed Ziklag and took the women and children captive but were later defeated by David and his 600 men.

What's been your most painful loss?     The untimely death of a loved one?     The loss of your job, your house, your marriage?     An investment that goes bust?      The loss of your health?Whatever it is, I doubt it can compare to what David lost at Ziklag because he and his men lost everything.How does one get through a total disaster? Join me for today's Daily Word & Prayer to discover the answer.Scripture Used in Today's MessageI Samuel 30:1-6 If you've not read my book, Takin' it to Their Turf. request a copy on my website, www.CampusAmerica.com.You'll be inspired, encouraged, and learn plenty about evangelism and spiritual warfare through the 70+ stories I share of my campus evangelism expereinces.We send a copy to anyone who donates to our ministry, but if you can't do so, simply request a copy by sending us an email. Who do you know that needs to hear today's message? Go ahead and forward this to them, along with a prayer that God will use it in their life.To find Tom on Instagram, Facebook, TiKTok, and elsewhere, go to linktr.ee/tomthepreacher To support Tom Short Campus Ministries, click herehttps://www.tomthepreacher.com/support************ Do you want to have all your sins forgiven and know God personally? *********Check out my video "The Bridge Diagram" at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0Kjwrlind8&t=1sCheck out my website, www.TomthePreacher.com, to learn more about my ministry and sign up for my daily email. And make sure to request a copy of my book, Takin' it to Their Turf, when you visit my website.Check out my videos on this channel to learn how to answer tough questions challenging our faith.

When David and his men return to Ziklag, they find that their city has been burned and their families have been taken away. David's men are ready to kill him in their bitterness, but David relies on the LORD. The LORD commands David to pursue the raiding party and gives an Egyptian as a source of information. When David and his men overtake the guilty Amalekites, the enemy army's revelry is quickly turned into destruction. David wins a complete victory over the Amalekites and rescues all of the people and all the spoil that had been taken. He shows great wisdom in treating all of his soldiers equally, both those who fought and those who protected the baggage. This gives us a picture of the wisdom and grace our Lord Jesus Christ.  Rev. David Vandercook, pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in North Little Rock, AR and Shepherd of Peace Lutheran Church in Maumelle, AR, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study 1 Samuel 30:1-31.  "A Kingdom Unlike All the Nations” is a series on Sharper Iron that goes through 1-2 Samuel. This time in Israel's history has its highs and lows, but the LORD's faithfulness never wavers. He provides His Word to be proclaimed faithfully through prophets like Samuel and Nathan. Even as princes like Saul and David sit on an earthly throne, the LORD remains King over His people, even as He does now and forever through the Lord Jesus Christ. Sharper Iron, hosted by Rev. Timothy Appel, looks at the text of Holy Scripture both in its broad context and its narrow detail, all for the sake of proclaiming Christ crucified and risen for sinners. Two pastors engage with God's Word to sharpen not only their own faith and knowledge, but the faith and knowledge of all who listen. Submit comments or questions to: listener@kfuo.org

Achish continues to make preparations for David to accompany him into war against Saul alongside the Philistines from Gath. The other commanders of the Philistines, however, refuse to allow this to happen. They realize that it would be the perfect opportunity for David to get back into Saul's good graces. Achish reluctantly agrees and sends David back to Ziklag in peace, hoping that David will continue to be an economic benefit. Although the unbelieving world is blind to the true God and His purposes in His people, David remains faithful to His true Lord and King.  Rev. Luke Zimmerman, pastor at Calvary Evangelical Lutheran Church in Mechanicsburg, PA, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study 1 Samuel 29:1-11.  "A Kingdom Unlike All the Nations” is a series on Sharper Iron that goes through 1-2 Samuel. This time in Israel's history has its highs and lows, but the LORD's faithfulness never wavers. He provides His Word to be proclaimed faithfully through prophets like Samuel and Nathan. Even as princes like Saul and David sit on an earthly throne, the LORD remains King over His people, even as He does now and forever through the Lord Jesus Christ. Sharper Iron, hosted by Rev. Timothy Appel, looks at the text of Holy Scripture both in its broad context and its narrow detail, all for the sake of proclaiming Christ crucified and risen for sinners. Two pastors engage with God's Word to sharpen not only their own faith and knowledge, but the faith and knowledge of all who listen. Submit comments or questions to: listener@kfuo.org

David realizes that Saul is unlikely to keep his promise to cease his pursuit, and so David flees into the land of the Philistines. Along with six hundred men and his wives, David goes to live under Achish in Gath. David gains the trust of Achish, who gives the city of Ziklag to David as a new home base. From there, David conducts raids on the enemies of Israel, doing the LORD's work even as the Philistine lord is kept in the dark.  Rev. Dan Torkelson, pastor at Mount Olive Lutheran Church in Madison, WI, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study 1 Samuel 27:1-12.  "A Kingdom Unlike All the Nations” is a series on Sharper Iron that goes through 1-2 Samuel. This time in Israel's history has its highs and lows, but the LORD's faithfulness never wavers. He provides His Word to be proclaimed faithfully through prophets like Samuel and Nathan. Even as princes like Saul and David sit on an earthly throne, the LORD remains King over His people, even as He does now and forever through the Lord Jesus Christ. Sharper Iron, hosted by Rev. Timothy Appel, looks at the text of Holy Scripture both in its broad context and its narrow detail, all for the sake of proclaiming Christ crucified and risen for sinners. Two pastors engage with God's Word to sharpen not only their own faith and knowledge, but the faith and knowledge of all who listen. Submit comments or questions to: listener@kfuo.org

I Samuel 30:1-5 (NIV) David and his men reached Ziklag on the third day. Now the Amalekites had raided the Negev and Ziklag. They had attacked Ziklag and burned it and had taken captive the women and all who were in it, both young and old. They killed none of them but carried them off as they went on their way. When David and his men came to Ziklag, they found it destroyed by fire and their wives and sons and daughters taken captive. So David and his men wept aloud until they had no strength left to weep. David’s two wives had been captured—Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail, the widow of Nabal of Carmel I Samuel 30:6-7 (NIV) David was greatly distressed because the men were talking of stoning him; each one was bitter in spirit because of his sons and daughters. But David found strength in the Lord his God. Then David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelech, “Bring me the ephod.” Abiathar brought it to him, Own Your Spirit Pray for Guidance I Samuel 30:8 (NIV) …and David inquired of the Lord, “Shall I pursue this raiding party? Will I overtake them?” “Pursue them,” he answered. “You will certainly overtake them and succeed in the rescue.” Go Together I Samuel 30:9 (NIV) David and the six hundred men with him came to the Besor Ravine, where some stayed behind. Expect Recovery  I Samuel 30:18 (NIV) David recovered everything the Amalekites had taken…

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