Ziklag

Dear Friend,
How are you? Hope you are well.

Are you familiar with David’s story in Ziklag? I was not. Interestingly enough, though, God spoke to me about it 4~5 times in a month of June this year.  A few hours before a monthly zoom meeting in June, I prayed that He would speak to me through my pastor’s wife who was supposed to share a word. She talked about Psalm 46 on that day, and she made a comment on Ziklag story in 1 Samuel 30. It was the 3rd time I heard about it, after reading it from Eugene Peterson’s Leap over a Wall and David Wilkerson’s America’s Last Call.
“Now it happened, when David and his men came to Ziklag, on the third day, that the Amalekites had invaded the South and Ziklag, attacked Ziklag and burned it with fire, and had taken captive the women and those who were there, from small to great; they did not kill anyone, but carried them away and went their way. So David and his men came to the city, and there it was, burned with fire; and their wives, their sons, and their daughters had been taken captive. Then David and the people who were with him lifted up their voices and wept, until they had no more power to weep. And David’s two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the widow of Nabal the Carmelite, had been taken captive. Now David was greatly distressed, for the 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. (1 Sam. 30:1~6)”

David had 600 men who accompanied him in his wilderness life.  But as they found out their beloved family had been taken captive, they tried to kill their leader, David. But when David inquired of the Lord and was told to pursue the enemy and recover all, 400 men joined him. But 200 timid men were left. Now the story after David recovered all is :
“Then all the wicked and worthless men of those who went with David answered and said, “Because they did not go with us, we will not give them any of the spoil that we have recovered, except for every man’s wife and children, that they may lead them away and depart.”
But David said, “My brethren, you shall not do so with what the Lord has given us, who has preserved us and delivered into our hand the troop that came against us. (1 Samuel 30:22~23)

“Ziklag, for me, is the premier biblical location for realizing that when we get serious about the Christian life we eventually end up in a place and among people decidedly uncongenial to what we had expected. That place and people is often called a church. It’s hard to get over the disappointment that God, having made an exception in my case, doesn’t call nice people to repentance.
The Christian life is never just my story; it’s a community of stories.  I learn my story in company with others. Each story affects and is affected by each of the others. Most of these others are distressed, in debt, and discontent. … We’re a company….
Disillusioned, we go off on our own and cultivate a pure spirituality uncontaminated by religious hucksters and hypocrites. But eventually, if we’re honest and reading our Bibles honestly, we find we can’t do it. We can’t survive in the wilderness alone. We need others, and we need a leader. And then we begin to get it: God’s purposes are being worked out most profoundly when we’re least aware of them. Spirituality most of the time doesn’t look like spirituality, or at least what the moralists and secularists told us it was supposed to look like….
Every time I move to a new community, I find a church close by and join it - committing myself to worship and work with the company of God’s people. I’ve never been anything other than disappointed: everyone turns out to be biblical, through and through: murmurers, complainers, the faithless, the inconstant, those plagued with doubt and riddled with sin, boring moralizers, glamorous secularizes. (From Leap over a Wall)”

Through this story, I felt the Father was trying to teach me that no matter whether it’s house church or traditional auditorium church, I would have company like David’s company, who might try to stone me.  The Bible says “all the wicked and worthless men” for 400 men. As Eugene Peterson wrote, it might be disillusion or unbiblical if I would think I would go on my own spiritual journey alone or I would always meet mature Christians as my company or I would have congenial company in my home group all the time.  Even Jesus had Judas among his precious 12 disciples. And I came to think of the verse:
“that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. (Phil. 3:10~11)” If I choose to be His follower and know Him in person, the fellowship of His sufferings seems to be inevitable. Just like the wicked and worthless men of David, we have the wicked and worthless in church. Perhaps we are one of them.

Looking back upon my home groups in Shanghai and Singapore, I recall not all members were mature and Christ-like. Some were very self-centered, still loved the world, gossiped, backbit and complained, just like Eugene wrote. It didn’t seem that aging guarantees maturity. I think the Father wanted to teach me through David in Ziklag. In all honesty, I’ve imagined that I would have perfect spiritual friends in my future house church.  Certainly, He would give me some, but not all of them would be congenial.  Some might try to stone me, though not literally. Backstabbing, backbiting or lying about me, even after sharing meals at home.  It even happened in my family.  Then, why wouldn’t it happen in church?  But, David’s story didn’t end there.
Pastor David Guzik wrote in Enduring Word:
“This is the final step in David’s getting things right after his time of backsliding among the Philistines.
· David strengthened himself in the LORD his God.
· David inquired of the LORD.
· David believed God’s promise.
· David did what God told him to do.
· David showed unexpected care and kindness to others.
· David saw it as the LORD’s victory.
· David shared the reward with others.
· David did what he could to mend relationships.”

I found that in the life-threatening situation, David prayed. He listened to God. In the middle of pursing the enemy, David happened to meet an Egyptian who later helped David locate the enemy.

“b. Then David said to him, “To whom do you belong, and where are you from?” David took a caring interest in this man. He showed simple care and kindness to a nobody. They didn’t just give this Egyptian food and water; they gave him care and kindness.
c. I am a young man from Egypt, servant of an Amalekite…. we burned Ziklag with fire: In showing unexpected kindness to this Egyptian, God showed David unexpected blessing. The Egyptian promised to guide David to the camp of the Amalekites.” (From David Guzik’s Enduring Word)

I found David had no ulterior motive when he extended grace and kindness toward this Egyptian.  He was simply kind, as he was after God’s heart. Just like David, if we would be after His heart and have His kindness and meekness, we would unexpectedly see His providence and provision. Then, I also found very encouraging insight of David Guzik:
“c. This is David’s spoil: God gave David even more than what He promised. He received spoil from the battle, beyond what was taken from Ziklag. This was a blessing straight from the grace of God.”
At the end of the day, David recovered all his family as well as the family of 600 men, and he received spoil.   

Friend,
I believe that God wanted to teach me and prepare my heart for the fellowship of His sufferings, in following our Lord, Jesus and making disciples.  We will have 600 men of David, and Judas Iscariot in our church, the community whom we have meals together with at home.  But, we strengthen ourselves in the Lord and learn from Him.  

“Generosity (David at the Brook Besor)
Everything we have is a gift from God; we share it with who are saved by God” (I Samuel 30:23~25)
… These are the men of Ziklag with nothing in their backgrounds to be proud of, all of them picked up from a disreputable life and brought, though no merit of their own, into the net of God’s providence and salvation.
... One of the reasons that Christians are dispersed in the world is to recover a life for others and practice a priesthood of all believers - connect with others in an earthy, Davidic compassion so thoroughly that no expert or professional can ever again bluff us into passivity or consumerism.
David at the Brook Besor anticipates Jesus: ‘Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me and you’ll recover your life.  I’ll show you how to take a real rest.  Walk with me and work with me - watch how I do it.  Learn the unforced rhythms of grace.  I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you.  Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly’ (Matt. 11:28~30, The Message) (From Eugene Peterson’s Leap over a Wall)”

Have a bliss!
Julie

Then Peter came to Him and said, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?”
Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven. (Matt. 18:21~22a)