1 Samuel 30:1-6
Verse 4 So David and his men wept aloud until they had no strength left to weep.
David and his men had not been happy to head back to Ziklag after being released from war duty with Achish, then they come upon their worst nightmare. The city they had been gifted is burned to the ground and their families are gone. They may have been enjoying the riches that they had been gathering on their raids but it was all gone now.
It seems God’s providence in these men’s lives wasn’t just about keeping them from being a part of the battle that claimed Israelite lives, they were needed back home. The longer they would have been gone, the longer their wives and children would have had to live as prisoners in the hands of the Amalekites. Remember this is one of the nations that David and his men had been raiding.
We know that David and his men had been leaving no survivors in the places they had been raiding which tells us that these Amalekites were from a town they hadn’t gotten to yet but that may have had figured out that David was behind the dwindling of their nation. They weren’t going to sit back and wait for their turn and so they go and do the same thing to Ziklag that had been happening to their cities.
As expected David and his men quickly forgot the battle they had just been removed from. The hurt and confusion fell away as grief and anger took over. They were men of war and raiders, they knew what could be happening with their wives and children. The sorrow which would have come over them would have made everything else in life seem irrelevant. They just wanted their families back.
The grief took over and became so loud as they wept excessively and it went on for so long that they wore themselves out and lost all their strength, so much so that they could no longer weep. David had also lost his two wives and though he was dealing with his own grief, his heart is breaking at seeing the sorrow in his ranks. But that wasn’t his only problem, the men wanted to stone him. This was a lot on David’s shoulders and yet he didn’t collapse under the pressure because he found strength in the Lord.
Making It Personal
What horrible situation in your life came to mind when hearing of David’s trouble? Were you able to find joy in the Lord? How can you stay in the strength of the Lord?
Making It Personal Kids
Do you find comfort from Jesus during hard times? What about Jesus helps you feel better? Have you thanked Him for being there for you?
Closing Prayer
Father, thank You for being our strength when things in life seem overwhelming. Help us always seek You when life doesn’t make sense. In Jesus’ name, amen.