In our spiritual journey,
seeking God’s guidance is just one part of the equation, following what He has
revealed is another. David had sought the direction of the LORD, and it
was now left to him to act upon what He had revealed. Like David, God expects
us to collaborate with Him. We need to seek God so that we can move in the
right direction, but acting and moving in that direction is our
responsibility. Faith is active. It requires that we act on what we believe God
has shown us. We need to know that we are saved by grace through faith,
but the working out of our salvation with fear and trembling is our
responsibility. As we responsibly work with God and work out what we need to
do, then God in His part will bring about spiritual growth.
Here
we see David illustrating it for us. Having given the green light by God to
pursue, he still had to make the decision about where to start and which way to
go. So they headed south. Midway, David still had to decide to leave behind 200
exhausted men at Besor. Like David, the outcome of our spiritual journey is
promised. But meanwhile, we need to be disciplined and work on the process
toward the outcome. Receiving Christ and being justified in Him is only the
first step. Having to move in tandem with God through the process of
sanctification towards the ultimate state of glorification, are steps that we
need to take incrementally in collaboration with God.
As
David did his part, soon something turned up that would become key to his
mission to rescue his people. They stumbled onto an Egyptian who was left
behind by his master, an Amalekite. He was sick and the master did not want to
be burdened by him, so he abandoned him. Here he was, sick, starving and
parched, for he had not eaten or drunk for three days. David and his men then
nourished him. When he was better they interrogated him and discovered
that the Amalekites had been raiding “…the Negev of the
Cherethites, and on that which belongs to Judah, and on the Negev of
Caleb, and we burned Ziklag with fire”. So now we see that Achish’s
thought that David was the one who had made himself a stench to the Israelites
was wrong. It was the Amalekites who were raiding the Israelites camp. What
they did contribute to Achish’s trust of David. But the last clue that the Amalekites
were the ones who had burned Ziklag was critical to David. So he asked the
Egyptian to bring them to where the Amalekites were. That Egyptian was smart to
make him promise, saying, “Swear to me by God that you will not kill me or
deliver me into the hands of my master, and I will bring you down to this
band.”
The
lesson: God always works in collaboration with us. While it is true that He is
for us, but taking steps in tandem with His leading is our responsibility. In
our journey and in everything we do, remember to seek God for guidance. When He
shows us what we need to do, be sure to be obedient and act on
them. Taking action is our part!
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