Today’s Devotion
Topic: Pursue, Overtake And Recover (Part 2)
(Self Assessment)
BACKGROUND: This is a continuation of last week’s self assessment. There is still so much we can learn for David’s engagements with the Philistines and the consequences thereof.
Text: 1 Samuel 30: 9- 16
9 David and the six hundred men with him came to the Besor Valley, where some stayed behind. 10 Two hundred of them were too exhausted to cross the valley, but David and the other four hundred continued the pursuit. 11 They found an Egyptian in a field and brought him to David. They gave him water to drink and food to eat –
12 parts of a cake of pressed figs and two cakes of raisins. He ate and was revived, for he had not eaten any food or drunk any water for three days and three nights. 13 David asked him, “Who do you belong to? Where do you come from?” He said, “I am an Egyptian, the slave of an Amalekite. My master abandoned me when I became ill three days ago.
14 We raided the Negev of the Kerethites, some territory belonging to Judah and the Negev of Caleb. And we burned Ziklag ”15 David asked him, “Can you lead me down to this raiding party?” He answered, “Swear to me before God that you will not kill me or hand me over to my master, and I will take you down to them.” 16 He led David down, and there they were, scattered over the countryside, eating, drinking and reveling because of the great amount of plunder they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from Judah. Amen
Questions
i. When God told David to pursue the enemy, 200 of his men became too exhausted to cross the valley. But David carried on with the remaining 400. Does it mean that it is not always the case that the people that share your vision can continue with you to the end although all of you may have been commissioned by God? As the leader, what must you do then? (Verse 10)
ii. David didn’t have to show kindness to the Egyptian they found in the field. But he did. Little did he know that God had allowed that Egyptian there to help him trace the enemy. What can you say about being kind and gentle with those we come to contact with, even as we pursue a vision God has given us?
iii. Do you think the Egyptian offered to help David because He was grateful David saved his life or bitter that his Amalekite master left him to die or both. Kindly explain your answer.
iv. What can you say about the way we treat people who fail to meet our expectation (as the Amalekite raiders did to the Egyptian slave).
v. Why do you think the Egyptian made David swear an oath in verse 15, before agreeing to help him? He may have been a slave but was he a wise man too?
vi. Verse 16 reveals what the enemy does with items he steals from us if we look on unconcerned. What have you learnt from today’s Bible study?
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