Jeremy Taylor was a 17th-century English cleric [preacher] who was severely persecuted for his faith. But though his house was plundered, his family left destitute, and his property confiscated, he continued to count the blessings he could not lose.

He wrote: “They have not taken away my merry countenance, my cheerful spirit, and a good conscience; they have still left me with the providence of God, and all His promises . . . my hopes of Heaven, and my charity to them, too, and still I sleep and digest, I eat and drink, I read and meditate. And he that hath so many causes of joy, and so great should never choose to sit down upon his little handful of thorns.” Our Daily Bread, 10 Oct 2008

Transition

1 Samuel 30 records for us a severe trial in the life of David. As we look at this episode in David’s life, I want us to carefully note four steps that David took (and which we must take) if we are going to overcome discouragement when everything seems to be against us.

David Wept (v.4)

  1. Weeping is natural – don’t suppress it
    1. It is natural to weep when loss is experienced (v.3-4).
      1. David and his men lost their families and all they owned. They cried until they had no more strength.
      2. God created our natural emotion to weep when we hurt inside. We should not suppress it.
    2. David and his men were tough soldiers, yet they cried.
  2. Weeping is helpful – don’t fight it
    1. Sorrow builds pressure in our emotions.
    2. Weeping allows us to release pressurised emotions.
  3. Weeping is temporal – don’t prolong it
    1. David’s weeping ended and he got on with life. Weeping was important but it did not solve his problems.
    2. After weeping, David looked to the future.
      ☆ Weeping is important when we are emotionally hurting. It is harmful to keep all our emotions locked up inside. However, we must not weep forever. We must look to the future.

David Drew Near to the LORD (v.6)

  1. David was greatly distressed
    1. Distress speaks of pressure. He was under great pressure emotionally and physically.
    2. He had lost family and possession, but on top of that, his men blamed him and talked of stoning him to death.
  2. David encouraged himself in the Lord his God
    1. David knew the LORD as his God. (Psalms 31:14) “But I trusted in thee, O LORD: I said, Thou art my God.” Can you truthfully say that the Lord is YOUR God? Many religious people think that they know the Lord when they really don’t.
    2. David encouraged himself in the LORD. The Hebrew word for encouraged means to strengthen. When he was exhausted emotionally and physically, he drew near to the LORD for strength. The same word is used in (Psalms 27:14) “Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.”
      1. For some time now, David had not been walking very close to the Lord. He was living in the enemies land. He had been lying to Achish. He has not been seeking God’s guidance.
      2. It wasn’t until he was totally weak that he drew near to the Lord for strength. Perhaps God was using this disaster to chasten him and wake him up. In the depths of distress, he finally cried to the Lord for strength. He cast his burden on the Lord and drew near to God. (James 4:8) “Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.”
    3. David took action. He acted as a man of God. I believe it was at this time that he confessed his sins and got right with God. How sad that God had to allow this trial in his life before he would get right with God.
      ☆ It seems that we often wait until we run out of our own strength to solve our problems before we turn to the LORD for strength. We wait until God has to chasten us before we give in. When pride keeps us from admitting our weaknesses, we are hurting ourselves and others around us. We must allow the Lord to strengthen us by humbly admitting our sins and weaknesses. (Ephesians 6:10) “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.”

David Asked God for Direction (v.8-20)

  1. David enquired of the LORD.
    1. He asked God if he should pursue after the robbers (v.8).
    2. God told him to go and that he would recover all.
      ☆ Once again, we see how God gave David direction when he remembered to pray. Prayer ought to be our first response when a trial strikes. The Apostle James’ words ought to be etched in our minds. (James 1:5) “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.” (James 4:2) “Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.”
  2. David followed the LORD’s direction.
    1. He went after the robbers (v.9-10)
    2. God directed them to an Egyptian slave that had been left for dead and he helped them (v.11-15).
    3. David defeated the enemy (v.16-17).
    4. David recovered all exactly as God said he would (v.18-19).
      ☆ God is so good. God kept the Amalekites from killing all the women and children as David had done to their people (27:8-9). Then God allowed David to recover all the people, all the spoil they took from Ziklag, PLUS all the spoil the Amalekites had taken from other raids (v.1, 14). (Psalms 34:8) “O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.”

David Was a Blessing to Others (v.21-31)

  1. David forced his men to share.
    1. Some of the 400 men who fought the battle did not want to share the spoil with the 200 men who were too weak to fight (v.23).
    2. David rebuked them and insisted that they share (v.24).
  2. David shared spoil with others in need.
    1. He sent of the spoil to the elders of Judah (v.26).
    2. He also sent of the spoil to thirteen areas of Judah where he had friends that had helped him hide from Saul (v.31).
      ☆ During trials, we tend to focus only on ourselves, our feelings, and our problems and we neglect others in our lives. One of the most healing things we can do when recovering from a trial is to get our eyes off ourselves and seek to be a blessing to someone else. (Romans 12:13) “Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality.” (Galatians 6:2) “Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.” (Hebrews 13:16) “But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.”

Conclusion

I don’t know about you, but the devil often tempts me to get discouraged. If you are feeling discouraged this evening, the devil is working to defeat you spiritually and to rob you of your joy. Instead of focusing on yourself during down times, you must do as David did: 1) Weep to relieve emotional pressure, 2) Draw near to the Lord. Confess and forsake those sins that have kept you from God’s close fellowship. Allow the Lord use His word to strengthen you. 3) Seek and follow the Lord’s direction. Ask the Lord for guidance. Search the Scriptures for wisdom. 4) Try to be a blessing to others. Stop focusing on yourself and look for someone to bless.

Song: A Shelter in the Time of Storm 263
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Overcoming Discouragement
30 August 2015 PM – 1 Samuel 30:1-31 – Life of David – Scott Childs