BOLD Daily Devotional- Firm Foundation

Thank you.

So today we are going to or greetings, everyone.

Today we are going to go through Psalms, well, sorry, First Samuel chapter 30, okay?

1 Samuel 30 · chapter mention

And um one of the um one of the songs that we've uh touched on before, um, I think everybody is uh familiar with is Firm Foundation, right?

Um, and that is by Maverick City.

Um so a lot of people are familiar with this song already, but inside this chapter, it does teach us that um how David's victory didn't begin on the battlefield itself, but how it began when he actually chose to stand firm on God as his foundation before taking actions.

And we're gonna see that um at at parts of the verses throughout the Bible.

Uh, a lot of the things I'm gonna quote is gonna be NKJV.

Um and we're gonna focus on the theme of how um he was strengthened before the victory.

So think of strength before the victory.

So inside of um this teaching, sorry, I wish I had somewhere with me, but um, there are moments when life doesn't just disappoint us, right?

It can completely feel like it empties us.

So you may have prayed or you was obedient, you stayed faithful, um, you even led faithful um in leadership roles.

Um, but yet suddenly everything still seems to just fall apart.

And then sometimes the greatest battles we realize isn't against the enemy, it's in front of you.

So it's against the discouragement that you may have within you uh or disappointment from the people around you, even.

And so in this chapter, as we dive in, it actually reminds us that before God even restores what was lost, he often's restoring the heart of the people he actually intend to use.

So, with the um this uh first part inside of um uh chapter 30, again, I'm going out of the NKJV.

We notice that the same people uh who was actually celebrating David now wanted to stone him when we get to about um four verses in.

Uh when David and his men returned to Ziglag, or Ziglag, however you like to pronounce it, uh they discovered that the Amalites, Amalekites, sorry, now that was me, uh, had burnt the city and taken away like their wives, their children, and their possessions.

So the grief was, as you can imagine, actually real and overwhelming.

For in uh verse four, it says, Then David and the people who were with them lifted up their voices and wept until they had no more power to weep.

So notice this wasn't a small disappointment, a little small defeat.

Um, this was something that was complete emotional exhaustion.

And then comes one of the saddest verses in David's life, um, where verse six, and we can say allegedly, but in verse six, it says, Now David was greatly distressed, for people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and his daughters.

But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God.

He strengthened himself in the Lord his God.

So um that means he even had to make a choice to say, Hey, when I am weak, knowing that the Lord is strong, but he had to actually make a choice to strengthen himself.

How?

By accepting the Lord's strength.

Um, and so I I love that the um very people who were actually once singing the song, like uh Saul has slain, you know, his thousands, and David has slain uh his uh his ten thousands or uh uh however the nature of the song was going, that is where we end up seeing those same exact people out of the same mouth.

Um, they are now discussing, hey, let's let's go ahead and offer them, let's go ahead and kill them, let's go ahead and stone them.

And that's the danger of building your identity on people's applause, right?

Because people can celebrate you in one season and then criticize you in the next.

They can be like, oh yay, Michael Jackson, and then they can be like, nah, lock Michael Jackson up.

Um, whether there's you know, depending on what different situations you want to look at, the point is it's out of the same mouth.

People can give the blessings and the curses.

Um, but in a whole different scripture in like the New Testament, Paul says this shouldn't be.

Um, but David didn't defend himself when they did this, he didn't uh retaliate or even argue, he strengthened himself in the Lord.

So sometimes the greatest leadership isn't convincing others, it's encouraging yourself in God when nobody else can.

So David sought what he sought out was um he sought God before he sought out any um matter of fact, before yeah he even sought revenge.

So the first thing was seeking God first, so he sought God first.

Because human perspective, the answer seemed like obvious, like go chase them, like fight back.

Um and we're actually gonna read in which he says that, but uh, or which he uh searches that, shall I say?

Um you know it's like obviously go get your family back, but David refuses to let the emotion replace dependence upon God.

Because in if we look at what is that uh verses 7 and 8, it says, Then David said to uh Abiathar, the priest, Ahimelech's son, uh sorry, this is what he said, please bring the ephod here to me.

And Abiathar brought the ephod to David.

So David inquired of the Lord, saying, Shall I pursue this troop?

Shall I overtake them?

And he answered him, God answered him, Pursue, for you shall surely overtake them, and without fail recover all.

So um, I have time to like rehash some of the uh last chapters, and I meant even to like when we're in judges and things where um you were to go and other uh God's hand was on the people, and it was to go utterly, you know, destroy other people and win in victory and to subdue and take over that land.

But instead, um imagine that same blessing still being on, you know, even down to David, but he still inquires of God, strengthened himself in God, and he inquires of God.

Um, because God could have said, Hey, hold off, or nah, not this time, whatever.

Though it seems obvious, he still, like in the man's um human mindset, he still said, Let me inquire of God.

So the ephyte itself, though, was the as we mentioned in past times, but it's the the garment associated with uh seeking God's direction.

David wasn't just looking for luck or relying on instinct, he desired God's will, as we mentioned, um, and that's spiritual maturity maturity.

Because even though the answer looked obvious, as I mentioned, he still inquired of God, and many believers only ask God when they're confused.

David asked God even when he thought he knew the answer.

So the major significance in that stands out where we noticed that though he had the opportunity, David had the opportunity throughout his life to act impulsively.

But this chapter shows a king, king being David, whose greatest strength wasn't his sword, it was his dependence on God.

It wasn't the wrath, it was his dependence on God, and God's response is just as powerful because he doesn't merely say go, he gives David a promise, pursue, and then he also ends up saying, You shall surely overtake them and without fail recover all.

So I don't know about you, but imagine um hearing the go from God is okay, then this is good, and knowing who the guide you serve, but then also the fact that he says yes, go or in the uh pursue, but then he also gives that that promise attached to it, and he says without fail, is like oh, how much more confidence and courage do you have going forth?

It's powerful.

And so when God gives erection, he also gives confidence to it.

So um he also God restores more than what was lost.

So when we look at um going down to 18 and 19, um just know that David he pursues Amalekites and along the way he encounters and abandons uh an abandoned Egyptian servant.

And instead of like ignoring him, David shows compassion.

And I believe that compassion led to the act of kindness becoming the very key that led David to the enemy's location.

Because sometimes your breakthrough is connected to your willingness to show mercy while you're still hurting, to operate in God while you're still hurting.

Then God fulfills exactly what he promised.

So as we were to read uh 18 and 19, it says, So David recovered all that the Amalekites had carried away, and David rescued his two wives, and nothing of theirs was lacking, either small or great sons or daughters, spoil or anything which they had taken from them.

David recovered all.

So notice the repetition.

Um, so I believe he was intentional with having that repetition, the Holy Spirit.

Um, David recovered it all.

So it's not because like David was the strongest warrior, but it's because he first became a dependent worshiper, his dependency on God.

Um, when we look at verse 23 through 24, uh, we're looking at it says, My brethren, well, but but David said, My brethren, you shall not do so with that the Lord has given us, who has preserved us and delivered into our hand the troop that came against us for who will heed, yeah.

For who will heed you in this matter?

But as his part is who goes down to the battle, so shall his part be who stays by the supplies, they shall share alike.

So imagine after um uh the victory, some of David's men just didn't want to share the spoil with uh there was 200 men that stayed behind because they were too exhausted to team, right?

But they're also watching the spoils or the the things that was um theirs.

And um it just shows true leadership because he shares God's blessing.

And we do believe that when David recognized something important, and it was that the victory belonged to the Lord, that if God gave the victory, that nobody gets to boast as if they earned it, like the other people who went out did.

Um so this ends up becoming like a lasting statute in Israel, as it says in verse 25.

And God establishes that everyone has a role in his kingdom.

Some fight on the front lines and some support behind the scenes, but the faithful service matters to God regardless of its visibility.

So whether you're out in the front or in the back, that's what matters.

And in closing, um, we notice this chapter teaches us beautiful progression.

Um, but ultimately, when we ask God, even when the answer seems obvious, his direction will always produce better results than our assumptions.

And so the victories in this chapter didn't just begin when David defeated the Malachites, it began when an exhausted, grieving leader like David chose God's presence over panic.

When you see God before you move, then he doesn't just show you where to go, he gives you the assurance that what he has promised, he is faithful to perform.

And sometimes that the greatest miracles isn't that God restores what you lost, is that he restores you first, so you're ready to steward what he gives back.

And with that, we'll end it there.