1 Samuel 29-30: “While David Goes To Battle Against Israel
With The Philistines Ziklag Is Burned And The Wives And Children Taken Captive”
By
1.
INTRO:
1.1.
In our last study, we looked at chapters 28 and the story of
Saul going to the witch of Endor.
1.1.1. In that chapter, we saw that
the Philistine army assembled to fight against King Saul and his army. King Saul was very nervous as he realized
that the hand of the Lord had long since departed from him, and that the Lord
had even told him that his kingdom would be taken away and given to another man
(that would be David). The king sensed
that things were not going to go well for him and his army in this battle. He determined to inquire of the Lord about
what to do and whether or not he would win the battle that will ensue. However, the Lord was completely silent and
would give him no word through any channel.
Therefore, he went to a medium at Endor to see if she would call up
Samuel so that he could get some counsel from Samuel. Samuel did in fact appear to Saul, however he had a word from the
Lord of impending judgment for Saul that he and his sons would be killed in
battle on the next day and Israel would be defeated by the Philistines.
1.2.
In our study today, we are going to look at chapters
29 and 30.
1.2.1. We have seen in the previous
28 chapters of the book of 1 Samuel how that the Lord had been using David’s
trials and difficulties to mold him into the man that He wanted David to be,
the man whom the Lord would have to be king over His people. In our study today, we will see that the
final step in that process is completed before David next begins to reign upon the
throne over Israel. In the next chapter
after our study, King Saul and his sons are killed in battle and not too long
after this David is made to be king over Israel.
1.2.2. In chapter 29, we see that
David and his men are found in a very compromising position. Because David and his men had gone over and
lived among the Philistines and served the king of the Philistines, the king of
the Philistines now commands David and his men to come with the Philistines in
battle as he plans a campaign to attack Israel.
1.2.2.1. If David were to disobey the
Philistine king’s command to go to the battle against Israel, he could be
killed by the king. However, David
cannot go up and fight against Israel either for they are God’s people and he
has been told by the Lord that he will be the next king over Israel.
1.2.2.2. David had taken his men and
gone to live among the Philistines because he was tired of the Lord placing him
in difficult circumstances, especially regarding King Saul who was always
chasing him down and hunting him to kill him.
This decision of David’s to take his men and go and live in Philistia
was done because:
1.2.2.2.1. David was not living in
faith in the Lord but rather in unbelief.
1.2.2.2.2. David had lost the
confidence that the Lord was mighty and had promised to protect him and give him
victory in battle.
1.2.2.2.3. David was in rebellion
against the Lord.
1.2.2.2.4. David tired of the trials he
was going through in running and hiding from King Saul who was constantly
trying to kill him and rather than learn the character lessons that the Lord
was trying to teach him in these trials, he chose instead to circumvent God’s
working in his life and thus he chose instead to take the easy path and serve
the enemy of the Lord and Israel.
1.2.2.3. Now, David is facing the
consequences of his actions as he is going up to fight against Israel.
1.2.2.4. The Lord will deliver David
from having to fight against God’s people when the Philistine commanders become
concerned about having David and his men in battle with them against the
Israelites, thinking they will turn and begin to fight against the
Philistines. However, when David and
his men are forced to return from the battle and they go back to their home
city of Ziklag, they discover it has been burned down and all of their women
and children are missing.
1.2.2.5. The Lord uses this
circumstance at Ziklag to bring David to the end of himself, to truly repent of
going his own way apart from the Lord.
1.2.2.5.1. David has lost everything
now and his men are even threatening to stone him because they are holding him
responsible for what has happened.
1.2.2.5.2. After repenting of his sin,
David encourages his heart in the Lord.
Then, he inquires of the Lord about whether he and his men should pursue
the Amalekites (he hadn’t inquired of the Lord in many months). He is told to go and given assurance that he
will recover all safely.
1.2.3. In chapter 30, we see that
David and his men pursue the Amalekites and surprise them in battle. The Amalekites are soundly defeated by David
and his men and everything taken by the Amalekites is recovered just as David
had been told by the Lord.
1.2.4. We will look in our study
today how that at times we as Christians follow in David’s footsteps and lose
our passion for serving the Lord as well as the vision of what the Lord wants
to do in our lives.
2.
VS 29:1-10 -
“1 Now the Philistines gathered together all
their armies to Aphek, while the Israelites were camping by the spring which is
in Jezreel. 2 And the lords of the Philistines were proceeding on by
hundreds and by thousands, and David and his men were proceeding on in the rear
with Achish. 3 Then the commanders of the Philistines said, “What are
these Hebrews doing here?” And Achish said to the commanders of the
Philistines, “Is this not David, the servant of Saul the king of Israel, who
has been with me these days, or rather these years, and I have found no
fault in him from the day he deserted to me to this day?” 4 But
the commanders of the Philistines were angry with him, and the commanders of
the Philistines said to him, “Make the man go back, that he may return to his
place where you have assigned him, and do not let him go down to battle with
us, or in the battle he may become an adversary to us. For with what could this
man make himself acceptable to his lord? Would it not be with
the heads of these men? 5 “Is this not David, of whom they sing in
the dances, saying, ‘Saul has slain his thousands, And David his ten
thousands’?” 6 Then Achish called David and said to him, “As the
Lord lives, you have been upright,
and your going out and your coming in with me in the army are pleasing in my
sight; for I have not found evil in you from the day of your coming to me to
this day. Nevertheless, you are not pleasing in the sight of the lords. 7 “Now
therefore return and go in peace, that you may not displease the lords of the
Philistines.” 8 David said to Achish, “But what have I done? And
what have you found in your servant from the day when I came before you to this
day, that I may not go and fight against the enemies of my lord the king?” 9
But Achish replied to David, “I know that you are pleasing in my sight,
like an angel of God; nevertheless the commanders of the Philistines have said,
‘He must not go up with us to the battle.’ 10 “Now then arise early
in the morning with the servants of your lord who have come with you, and as
soon as you have arisen early in the morning and have light, depart.”” -
2.1. In the previous chapter of 1 Samuel, we saw that Achish the king of the Philistines had commanded that David and his men would accompany his army to go up in battle against Israel. At that time, David had replied to Achish, “Very well, you shall know what your servant can do.” David intentionally made this vague reply to Achish in order to deceive him, for David knew that there was no way that he could fight against God’s people. As David had intended, Achish interpreted David’s words to mean that he would see firsthand just how awesome a fighting force David and his men were, and thus Achish replied to David, “Very well, I will make you my bodyguard for life.”
2.2.
David was in the dilemma of his life.
2.2.1. It was mentioned in the
previous study that whenever we as God’s people become bound together with
non-believers that we are eventually going to be expected to reciprocate with
them, but in doing so we will have to compromise our morals. This was David’s position. He was now being expected to fight on the
side of the Philistines against Israel.
2.2.2. David feared that if he
refused to fight against Israel that the Philistine king would kill him. Yet, he also knew that it would be horribly
wrong for him to go to war against Israel, God’s people, the very ones whom he
had been promised by the Lord that he would one day rule over.
2.3.
By the providence of God, David is delivered out of
his dilemma.
2.4.
We see here though that in spite of the compromise
that David had allowed in his life, and his backslidden heart, that the Lord
delivers David. Some of the Philistine
commanders began to question Achish and his decision to allow David and his men
to fight against Israel with them. The
commanders are worried that in the battle that David and his men might turn
against the Philistines and fight them and that in this way that David might
reconcile himself to King Saul of Israel.
Therefore, Achish tells David to take his men and to return to their
home early in the morning.
2.4.1. At times the Lord seems to
overlook our present condition or state before him and act in deliverance for
us even though there are some character issues and sin that He knows need to be
dealt with in our lives. During those
times, the Lord is looking towards our future and acting according to His
sovereign plans for our life.
2.4.2. When the Lord delivers us in
these types of situations, it is not because He looks the other way concerning
our sins and need for repentance, nor that He condones our actions, rather,
just as happens with David a little further in our story, He plans to deal with
us regarding those issues at a later time in the future.
2.4.3. If each of us were to sit
down and think about our lives for a moment, I think we would come to the
conclusion that there have been many times that the Lord has delivered us from
the consequences of our sins, delivering us from our circumstances even when
our hearts were not perfect towards Him.
What a gracious and merciful God it is that we serve!
2.5.
David was quite an actor here, was he not? When Achish tells David that he and his men
are going to have to return home, David feigns being very disappointed and even
angry on account of not being able to fight with the king against Israel.
2.6.
Achish, for his part reveals that he is a bit
naïve. He seems to want to believe in
David’s loyalty and he treats David very considerately and respectfully. However, Achish did not understand that
within David’s heart burned a great love and a passion for the God of Israel,
and thus the Philistines would always be the enemies of the Lord and of Israel.
3.
VS 29:11-30:7
- “11 So David arose early, he and his
men, to depart in the morning to return to the land of the Philistines. And the
Philistines went up to Jezreel. 1 Then it happened when David and
his men came to Ziklag on the third day, that the Amalekites had made a raid on
the Negev and on Ziklag, and had overthrown Ziklag and burned it with fire; 2
and they took captive the women and all who were in it, both small
and great, without killing anyone, and carried them off and went their
way. 3 When David and his men came to the city, behold, it was
burned with fire, and their wives and their sons and their daughters had been
taken captive. 4 Then David and the people who were with him lifted
their voices and wept until there was no strength in them to weep. 5 Now
David’s two wives had been taken captive, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess and Abigail
the widow of Nabal the Carmelite. 6 Moreover David was greatly
distressed because the people spoke of stoning him, for all the people were
embittered, each one because of his sons and his daughters. But David
strengthened himself in the Lord
his God. 7 Then David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of
Ahimelech, “Please bring me the ephod.” So Abiathar brought the ephod to David.” - David and his men return to their home in Ziklag only to find
that it has been burned by fire and all of the women and children are missing
3.1.
Jezreel where the Philistines now proceed to was
located up in the north of Israel and will be the place where the battle of
Armageddon will take place.
3.2.
Leaving the battle, David and his men begin the
three-day ride south to their home in Ziklag of the Philistines.
3.3.
I can just imagine what might have been going on in
David’s mind on this ride home:
3.3.1. David is feeling pretty good
about himself. He is probably light
hearted and just having a nice, maybe even fun, ride with his men.
3.3.2. David knows that he is not perfect,
that he had made a bad choice in coming to live among the Philistines, and that
he had almost been required to suffer the consequences of his not being right
with the Lord and not seeking the Lord’s will in all areas of his life. However, the Lord had come through for him
even though he had been in this state, and even though he had not repented and
gotten his life right with the Lord.
3.3.3. David probably thought that
he was just a special and unique individual who deserved what the Lord had done
in delivering him on this day.
3.4.
However, after the three-day ride home and as soon
as David and his men get to Ziklag and see the smoke rising from the city and
all of their wives and children missing, this sight must have been a horror of
horrors for David. We can imagine
David’s thoughts at seeing Ziklag on this day:
3.4.1. David knew that it was the
Amalekites who had done this to his city.
The Amalekites had been waiting for an opportunity to exact revenge
against David and his men for the Amalekite cities and people that they had
destroyed. In those attacks David and
his men had destroyed every man, woman and child in the Amalekite cities they
had attacked, therefore David probably thought that the Amalekites would kill all
of the women and children that had been in Ziklag.
3.4.2. David realizes that he had
presumed upon the Lord. He had been
thinking that even though he had removed himself from being in fellowship and
obedience with the Lord that somehow everything would go fine with him, and
that God would be his protection, just as had happened to him all of his life
up to this point. However, in taking
himself out of fellowship with the Lord, David also took himself out from under
the protecting hand of the Lord. David
realizes now that the Lord was under no obligation to protect David at this
point in his life and that the Lord was planning to use the consequences of his
sin to bring him to the place of repentance and again seeking the Lord first in
his life.
3.4.2.1. We Christians need to
realize that we also remove ourselves out from under the protecting hand of the
Lord whenever we turn away from following the Lord with all of our hearts. Though the Lord may protect us during those
times because of His grace and mercy and because of fulfilling His sovereign
will for our lives, we have no assurances that we will not suffer the
consequences of our sins either, just as happened to David on this day.
3.4.2.1.1. In fact, the scriptures
teach in Col. 3:25, “If any man does wrong he shall suffer the consequences
and that without partiality.”
3.4.3. David realizes that because
of his sin and not following the Lord that he has even lost his followers, the
mighty fighting men. They are now
blaming David for this evil that has befallen their home and families, and we
can imagine their thoughts on this day:
3.4.3.1. If David hadn’t taken them
from Israel to live in the enemy’s territory they would still be under the
protection of the Lord.
3.4.3.2. If David hadn’t led them to
attack the Amalekites secretly the Amalekites would not have sought revenge
against them at this time.
3.4.3.3. If David hadn’t told them to
leave Ziklag and go with the king of the Philistines to fight against Israel (a
ridiculous plan), then their city would not have been attacked and destroyed.
3.5.
The Lord uses all of these circumstances on this day
to bring David to the end of himself.
David is now repentant of his sins and recommits his way to the
Lord. We can see the fruit of the
repentance of David:
3.5.1. It says here that David
‘strengthened himself in the Lord his God.’
3.5.1.1. If David hadn’t truly
repented at this point, then he would have strengthened himself in his own
self-will, self-centeredness, and self-sufficiency, however now he strengthened
himself in the Lord.
3.5.1.2. David surely recounted the
great things that the Lord had done in his life in the past, including giving
him victory over the giant. He realized
that nothing is impossible with the Lord.
3.5.1.3. David surely recounted many
of the promises of God’s word to His people.
3.5.1.4. David surely recounted the
fact that he had been anointed as king by the Lord and promised that one day he
would rule over Israel.
3.6.
We as believers need to learn to strengthen our
hearts in the Lord our God as well.
3.6.1. If we will but do what David
did on this day and recount past victories of the Lord in our life and His
promises to us from His word, we too will be transformed into a man or woman
who walks in faith and obedience to the Lord.
3.6.2. Whatever we have our mind to
dwell upon will affect our life dramatically.
3.7.
We read here that David asked for Abiathar the
priest to bring to him the ephod so that David could inquire of the Lord. It had been many months since David had
inquired of the Lord. Since moving from
Israel, David had been walking in God’s “permissive will” for his life and
calling the shots in his life. Now,
David has finally learned his lesson and he will no longer make decisions
without first inquiring of the Lord’s will for him.
4.
VS 30:8 - “8
David inquired of the Lord,
saying, “Shall I pursue this band? Shall I overtake them?” And He said to him,
“Pursue, for you will surely overtake them, and you will surely rescue all.”” - David inquires of the Lord and is told to pursue the Amalekites
and that he will recover all that they had taken
4.1.
It is wonderful here to see that as soon as David
has repented of his sins and come to the end of himself that the Lord
immediately begins to speak to him and to lead him.
4.1.1. The Lord didn’t place David
on six months probation before He was willing to work through David’s life
again.
4.1.2. The Lord didn’t tell David
that He no longer knew if He could really trust David.
4.1.3. The Lord didn’t tell David that
he was so unworthy now of any good thing that the Lord would do through his
life that David was now going to have to settle for far less of a role in the
Lord’s kingdom.
4.2.
The Lord promises to David not only victory over the
Amalekites, but also full recovery of all that they had lost to the Amalekites.
4.2.1. When the Lord brings a man
or a woman to salvation through Christ, He not only forgives him of his sins,
not only restores him to fellowship with Himself, not only grants him to have
eternal life through Christ’s sacrifice, but He also “justifies” him. He makes it “just as if I’d never
sinned.” Every effect of a sinful
nature and committing sinful acts before the Lord is removed and the
relationship that a child of God now has with the Lord is made to be just as if
he had never sinned in the first place.
5.
VS 30:9-10 -
“9 So David went, he and the six hundred men
who were with him, and came to the brook Besor, where those left behind
remained. 10 But David pursued, he and four hundred men, for two
hundred who were too exhausted to cross the brook Besor remained behind.” - David and his men make haste to follow the Lord’s leading and
begin heading south pursuing the Amalekites, but they must leave behind 200 men
at Besor who are too weary to proceed
5.1.
Not only did the Lord restore David to himself
immediately upon his coming to the end of himself, because of the Lord’s grace
and mercy He also restored David’s men to him and they are again willing to
follow David into battle.
5.1.1. I wonder if David told his
men at Ziklag on this day that he had in fact really blew it in those decisions
and that he had been at fault before the Lord?
Perhaps this admission is part of the reason they are now willing to
follow David? Though the text does not
tell us this, I think that it is probably the case.
5.2.
David is now so passionate about following the Lord
and His will for his life that he drives his men so hard that after traveling
16 miles, 200 of the 600 men are too weary to continue the pursuit and they are
left at Besor.
6.
VS 30:11-16
- “11 Now they found an Egyptian in the
field and brought him to David, and gave him bread and he ate, and they
provided him water to drink. 12 They gave him a piece of fig cake
and two clusters of raisins, and he ate; then his spirit revived. For he had
not eaten bread or drunk water for three days and three nights. 13 David
said to him, “To whom do you belong? And where are you from?” And he said, “I
am a young man of Egypt, a servant of an Amalekite; and my master left me
behind when I fell sick three days ago. 14 “We made a raid on the
Negev of the Cherethites, and on that which belongs to Judah, and on the Negev
of Caleb, and we burned Ziklag with fire.” 15 Then David said to
him, “Will you bring me down to this band?” And he said, “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.” 16 When he had brought him down,
behold, they were spread over all the land, eating and drinking and dancing
because of all the great spoil that they had taken from the land of the
Philistines and from the land of Judah.” - David and his men find an Egyptian who leads them to where the
Amalekites have camped
6.1.
David and his men are pursuing the Amalekites whom
they know have taken their wives, children, and livestock. However, they don’t know exactly where the
Amalekites have gone, and for this they will have to depend upon the Lord to
lead them.
6.2.
Providence again is given as David and his men come
across an Egyptian who was a servant of one of the Amalekites. This man had gotten sick and was left behind
to die by his master, and this man knows where the Amalekites are headed.
6.3.
The Egyptian strikes a deal with David. He will provide David with the information
about where the Amalekites have gone in exchange for his own life.
6.4.
When David and his men come upon the Amalekites, the
Amalekites are taken completely unawares.
Having believed that David and his men would be in a long conflict far
away with the Israelites, the Amalekites felt that they were so safe they
didn’t even need to post a guard over them.
The Amalekites are scattered all over the land and are having a great
big party enjoying the spoils of their victory over Ziklag.
7.
VS 30:17-20
- “17 David slaughtered them from the
twilight until the evening of the next day; and not a man of them escaped,
except four hundred young men who rode on camels and fled. 18 So
David recovered all that the Amalekites had taken, and rescued his two wives. 19
But nothing of theirs was missing, whether small or great, sons or
daughters, spoil or anything that they had taken for themselves; David brought it
all back. 20 So David had captured all the sheep and the cattle which
the people drove ahead of the other livestock, and they said, “This
is David’s spoil.”” -
David and his men have a great victory over the Amalekites killing all
of them but 400 young men who fled on camels
7.1.
God’s is faithful.
Here we see that just as the Lord told David it would happen that he and
his men recover everything that was taken from them by the Amalekites.
7.2.
When it says here that the men said to David that
the spoil was his, what is meant is that David’s men acknowledged that David
could do with the spoil whatever he felt was best.
8.
VS 30:21-25
- “21 When David came to the two
hundred men who were too exhausted to follow David, who had also been left at
the brook Besor, and they went out to meet David and to meet the people who
were with him, then David approached the people and greeted them. 22 Then
all the wicked and worthless men among those who went with David said, “Because
they did not go with us, we will not give them any of the spoil that we have
recovered, except to every man his wife and his children, that they may lead them
away and depart.” 23 Then David said, “You must not do so, my
brothers, with what the Lord has
given us, who has kept us and delivered into our hand the band that came
against us. 24 “And who will listen to you in this matter? For as
his share is who goes down to the battle, so shall his share be who stays by the
baggage; they shall share alike.” 25 So it has been from that day
forward, that he made it a statute and an ordinance for Israel to this day.” - When David and his men return to the 200 men they had left
behind, some of David’s men didn’t want to share any of the spoils of the
battle with them
8.1.
We see here that the men who didn’t want to share in
any of the spoils with the 200 who stayed behind are called “wicked and
worthless men.” These men were greedy
and didn’t want to share the spoils of the victory.
8.2.
David’s argument with these “wicked and worthless
men” is that since it was the Lord who had given David’s men the victory and
deliverance from the Amalekites that they had to share the spoils of the
victory with their brothers who earlier had simply been too weary to proceed.
8.3.
This principle enforced by David on this day of
sharing the spoils of battle with all regardless of whether or not they had
engaged in the battle was hereafter followed by Israel throughout their history
as a nation.
9.
VS 30:26-31
- “26 Now when David came to Ziklag, he
sent some of the spoil to the elders of Judah, to his friends, saying,
“Behold, a gift for you from the spoil of the enemies of the Lord: 27 to those who were in
Bethel, and to those who were in Ramoth of the Negev, and to those who were in
Jattir, 28 and to those who were in Aroer, and to those who were in
Siphmoth, and to those who were in Eshtemoa, 29 and to those who
were in Racal, and to those who were in the cities of the Jerahmeelites, and to
those who were in the cities of the Kenites, 30 and to those who
were in Hormah, and to those who were in Bor-ashan, and to those who were in
Athach, 31 and to those who were in Hebron, and to all the places
where David himself and his men were accustomed to go.”” - David sends some of the spoil to the elders in Judah
9.1.
Having almost come against Israel in battle with the
Philistines, David felt that he had to send a gift to the elders of Judah.
9.2.
These cities are the very ones who later, after the
death of King Saul, will name David to be king (2 Sam. 2:1-4).
9.3.
At Hebron, one of the cities who received these
gifts, David will later be anointed king.
He will reign in Hebron for 7 ½ years before moving the capital to
Jerusalem.
10. CONCLUSIONS:
10.1. As we have seen, David had
been walking by faith trusting in the Lord to be his strength, help, and hope,
trusting the Lord to protect and provide for him, however because of the
duration and severity of his trials he had taken matters into his own hands and
moved his family and his men to the land of the Philistines and began to serve
the king of the Philistines. However,
David finally came to repentance and to the end of himself as a result of
having to taste the consequences of his own sin in the choices he had made for
his life.
10.2. David had lost his passion
for serving the Lord as well as the vision for the things that God wanted him
to do in his life, and for each of us today, we ought to ask ourselves if we
also have lost our passion for serving the Lord.
10.2.1. Have you lost your passion for
serving the Lord?
10.2.2. Are you excited about
worshipping the Lord? Are you excited
about praying and claiming souls for salvation or even for healing?
10.2.3. Are you excited about and
praying for opportunities to share your faith with those who don’t know Christ?
10.2.3.1. The following survey
completed by Barna Research in 2002 shows how in the U.S. today that there are
so few people who truly do know the Lord, and these statistics should bother us
as Christians if we are truly sensitive to the fact that those who leave this
life without Christ are going to spend eternity in hell ( the Lake of Fire in
Rev. 20-21 ). If our population in
America is around 300 million, then there are probably at least 200 million
people who if they died today do not know Christ as their personal Lord and
Savior. At least 3 million of those
live right in our state of Wisconsin.
Faith Groups
·
85% of Americans self-identify as Christians.
·
5% of US adults classify as evangelicals (see
Evangelical archive for definition)
·
35% of US adults classify as born again, but not
evangelical
·
37% are self-described Christians but are
neither evangelical nor born again
·
8% of adults nationwide maintain self-identify
as atheists or agnostics
·
9% of the US population identify with a faith
other than Christianity
God
·
95% believe in God (1997)
·
72% believe in God when described as the
all-powerful, all-knowing, perfect creator of the universe who rules the world
today. (2001)
·
10% believe that that God represents a state of
higher consciousness. (2001)
·
7% believe that God is the total realization of
personal human potential. (2001)
·
15% say God is no longer involved in their life.
(1997)
·
Almost nine out of ten people (87%) say the
universe was originally created by God. (2000)
Other
·
43% of American adults attend church in a
typical weekend. (2002)
·
60% of all adults agree that “the Bible is
totally accurate in all of its teachings (45% agree strongly, 16% agree
somewhat) (2001)
·
The most commonly used verse of the Bible in
evangelistic conversations and preaching is John 3:16.
·
Two-thirds of the population (63%) has no idea
what "John 3:16" refers to, much less has the ability to quote that
verse. However, 24% of adults know that it is a verse from the Bible that
addresses salvation. Among born again Christians, 50% were aware of this.
(1994)
10.2.4. Are you excited about just
spending time with the Lord every single day?
10.2.5. As part of keeping our
passion where it should be before the Lord, it is key that we keep our
priorities what they should be. Our
priorities should be God, family, work, hobbies. However, many times Christians get the order exactly opposite: Hobbies, work, family, God. Yet, the thing that really separates
Christians regarding who is truly serving the Lord as he should is whether they
keep their priorities what they should be.
10.2.6. It is important to be in
fellowship with the body of Christ.
However, we must not only get our bodies to church we need to prepare
our hearts before we come to church.
Many times Christians think that if they just get their bodies to church
that they will hear what God has for them, however if their hearts aren’t
receptive to the Lord they will often miss what God wants to say to them at
fellowship. Prepare your hearts before
you come to church.
10.3. Alan Redpath points out that
so many times the church is in the dilemma of either having a revival or a
funeral. If we don’t rend our hearts
before the Lord in repentance and ask Him to do place the fire of passion in
our hearts that He wants to place, then we are in danger of simply flaming out
for the Lord, and the church is in danger of extinction.