Introduction
God
expects us to call upon Him always regardless of what condition we find
ourselves. His promise is whenever the enemies robbed us, we will without fail
recover all.
1, The Journey to
“Ziklag”-1Sam261-3
The
journey to “Ziklag” may not always be a convenient one
Sometimes
people are forced to embark on it
Some
go to “Ziklag” on their own, for lustful purposes
Some
may even find themselves in “Ziklag”
David
took the decision to live in Ziklag because
That was
the last option for him at that moment
Trust
was betrayed
Protection
was no longer truly guaranteed
There
was no freedom any longer (David became a fugitive in his own land)
Things
seem better on that side
What Motivates it?-
David-running
to safety-1Sam271
Israel-Running
from famine-Gen474
Samson-
To satisfy his lust-Jug161
Elimelech-
because of famine-Ruth11-3
Moses-was
born there-Exo2
2, “Ziklag”
“Ziklag”
may be a kind of “Egypt
It
may be a kind of bondage where restriction is placed on the asylum seeker
It
may represent the hope of safety (perhaps that is why David did not leave any
guard to look after his valuables)
It is
a kind of second home-most of us are in our “Ziklag”
The
journey of life at one time or the other may take us to “Ziklag”
Espectations at “Ziklag”
Peace,
prosperity, Comfort, Quietness, Rest,Increase and all good things.
When Ziklag was Raided-1Sam301-2,Mt1324-28
Ziklag
to David means home, posterity, investment, comfort…..
on
the day Ziklag was raided, every good
thing David and his men had was raided- wives, children, processions, and the
ones the enemy could nor cart away were roasted with fire.
Ziklag,
the land known with the cry of children, booming economy, promising growing
warriors, industrious and faithful women, peace and harmony, rich in slaves and
catles,……..was left desolate, baren and waste.
Indications that “Ziklag” has
been invaded
If
Sudden
or gradual change from good to bad-
Children
develop strange behaviors
Inability
to account for profit after labour-
Sudden
loss of job-
Sudden
degenerating health-
You
are underemployed-
You
receive salary but cannot say how it is spent you suddenly begin to have bad
dreams that leave you depressed
You
are married but you experience delay in pregnancy
A
harmonious home suddenly becomes hostile, harsh…………
Reaction to adverse Situations
David’s
men lost confidence in his expertise and they even despised him-no longer
capable. But rather than for him to trade blames with them, he sympathized with
them awhile and quickly focused on the way out.
He
realized there’s non to encourage him, non to help him out of his predicament.
He quickly turned to turned to the Lord
Until You Seek The Lord……..
Hezekiah-
Isa371-2, David-1Sam307-8, Paul & Silas-Acts1623-26, Isa617, Jer323
Until
we learn to seek God for solutions to our problems, we will only continue to
weep and weep-Lk119
For
joy to come in the morning, Christians must learn to call on the Lord in prayer
after weeping in the night-Ps305
You
can only seek the Lord with whom you have relationship-Job2221-30 (acquaint NOW thyself)
The word of the Lord
Pursue,
and you shall surely overtake-launch out success is assured
Seek
after that goal with strong determination and you will reach it
Without
fail you shall recover all (the word of God cannot fail)-Is401,8
Be attentive to Spiritual
Signals
The
enemy is not as strong as he boasts. There is always a loophole:-
God
did not put it in their minds to kill the captives-1Sam302
They
left an Egyptian on the way
David
slung a stone into the hole in Goliath’s forehead-1Sam1749-50
Enemies
tied Samson between posts- Judges1625,30
What Kind of Master are You?
A
servant spoke to Naaman before he agreed to seek Elisha for his healing -2Kgs52-3
God
instructed Gideon to go with a servant for him to be strengthened-Judges79-10
Servant
provided money and also persuaded Saul to see Samuel-1Sam96,8
But
the Amalekites left a servant to die1Sam3013
No comments:
Post a Comment