The Monday Memo from John Stanko

Memo 1057: Asking On The Go

Guidance should never be a problem for those who know the Lord. God's a great communicator and isn't playing cat-and-mouse or hide-and-seek with His people. If He wants us to do His will, and of course He does, then He must reveal what that will is in clear terms. Of course, He must be sought in faith, for without faith it's impossible to please Him, but we are assured that He rewards those who diligently seek Him (see Hebrews 11:6). We see an example of God's ability and desire to guide His people in this week's story of David as he continued his process of coming back to the Lord after flirting with the enemy. Let's go there now.

HE'S BACK!

We saw last week that David had come back to the Lord but it took a near catastrophe for him to come all the way back:

When David and his men reached Ziklag, they found it destroyed by fire and their wives and sons and daughters taken captive. So David and his men wept aloud until they had no strength left to weep. David’s two wives had been captured—Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail, the widow of Nabal of Carmel. David was greatly distressed because the men were talking of stoning him; each one was bitter in spirit because of his sons and daughters. But David found strength in the Lord his God (1 Samuel 30:3-6).

Other translations render the last phrase as "David encouraged himself in the Lord." In this crisis, instead of running to the Philistines for solace, David ran to the Lord and found a reservoir of strength. Once he had that, he needed direction concerning his next step, which seemed clear to him but he wanted to hear from the Lord. This is significant, for David's family was taken hostage but he did not run ahead to their rescue as anyone would be expected to do. Instead, he sought the Lord's guidance.

If you and I were God, we may have said, "Oh, now you're back because you need me. You got yourself into this mess and now you want my help. Let me get back to you on that." God was gracious, however, and met David at his point of need:

Then David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelek, “Bring me the ephod.” Abiathar brought it to him, and David inquired of the Lord, “Shall I pursue this raiding party? Will I overtake them?” “Pursue them,” he answered. “You will certainly overtake them and succeed in the rescue" (1 Samuel 30:7-8).

We aren't sure how God communicated through the priest and the ephod, but we know that He did. So David set out and along the way found unexpected help in the form of an abandoned Egyptian slave of David's family's captors who was more than willing to lead David to where the raiders and the men's families were: "David recovered everything the Amalekites had taken, including his two wives. Nothing was missing: young or old, boy or girl, plunder or anything else they had taken. David brought everything back" (1 Samuel 30:18-19). God's promise of victory was true and David, God's servant and friend, was back where he needed to be.

YOU GO, YOU'LL KNOW

Let me repeat the point I made at the beginning: God wants you to know His will, otherwise how can He expect you to do it? Yet notice that David's posture wasn't "what should I do?" but rather "this is what it seems natural for me to do, God. Should I proceed?" When seeking guidance, it's important to ask good questions, which David did. But he didn't ask from a dead stop; he asked from a posture of action.

When I have an idea for a book, I start to write and ask God for wisdom as to the way forward: how it should be structured, when and how to write it. I would estimate that I complete about 80% of the projects I start because my question isn't "should I write?" but rather "should I write this?" There's a subtle difference between the two, but the one is asked while I am on the move while the other is asking if I should act at all. It's always better to ask guidance questions while you are on the move.

If it's in your heart to take a missions trip, the right question is, "God, should I go?" and not expect God to tell you to go without you asking. In fact, if you have any opportunity to do good, you should assume God wants you to follow through unless He reveals otherwise. And that doing good may involve starting a business, going back to school, or helping a group of people in need—like the homeless or orphans. You can count on God's help where guidance is concerned but not if you're expecting Him to move you forward from a dead stop. You do your part, which is action in faith, and God will do His part, which is revealing to you the way forward so you can enjoy success. Have a blessed week.

Memo 1056: The Spirit of Pharaoh

Last week, we looked at a chapter in David's life that wasn't his finest hour. He had taken refuge among the Philistines, although if our father-in-law and king were trying to kill us, perhaps we would have done the same thing. At any rate, this week we see that Achish, to whom David had fled, had big plans for his trophy traitor:

In those days the Philistines gathered their forces to fight against Israel. Achish said to David, “You must understand that you and your men will accompany me in the army.” David said, “Then you will see for yourself what your servant can do.” Achish replied, “Very well, I will make you my bodyguard for life" (1 Samuel 28:1-2).

Either David intended to fight Saul with the Philistines, figuring he had a better chance of survival among a larger army, or he was deceiving Achish and had no intentions of fighting against his people. Either way, Achish perceived David's loyalty as genuine and wanted to appoint David his bodyguard for life. This is reminiscent of another king who ruled over David's ancestors and that was Egypt's Pharaoh in Moses' time. What did Achish and Pharaoh have in common? Let's see if we can answer that question.

"I CAN USE YOU"

Both Pharaoh and Achish were only too happy to use the strength and gifts of God's people for their own ends. Pharaoh had an empire to build and Achish had a career as a marauder and pirate to further, so both leaders were looking for a few good men (and women no doubt) to further their cause. They were ready to use people in the worst sense of the word use. They saw God's people as a commodity to co-opt for their own convenience and purpose but the problem was that God has other plans for His people and still does today. Achish had the same spirit that Pharaoh had and that spirit is still prevalent in leaders today, whether they be in business, government, or even the church. Those leaders forget that it's not about them, it's about Him and the purpose He has for the people.

In both cases, God thwarted the plans of the ruler and intervened with a message that said, "Let my people go." In David's case, it was the other Philistine rules who ousted him from their midst:

But the Philistine commanders were angry with Achish and said, “Send the man back, that he may return to the place you assigned him. He must not go with us into battle, or he will turn against us during the fighting. How better could he regain his master’s favor than by taking the heads of our own men?" (1 Samuel 29:4).

Whatever David was thinking or doing came to an end, but as we will see in the lesson next week, he did not fully recover his senses until a near tragedy engulfed him and his followers.

AS UNTO THE LORD

God's people always walk a fine line between being in the world but not of it. Most people work for a Pharaoh or Achish who is looking to build their kingdom with little regard for God's. Paul wrote these instructions for slaves but substitute the word "workers" or "employees" and it is still applicable:

Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to curry their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving (Colossians 3:22-24).

Part of your training for reigning is learning how to see that you are serving God when you are serving others over you. You are to devote who you are to them without becoming like them. You are not to pretend to be one person with them and then another person around the things of God. If you are serving Pharaoh and Pharaoh's spirit is overwhelming yours, then it's time to trust the Lord and clarify your allegiance.

James wrote, "You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God" (James 4:4). I'm not sure if David was only "dating" the Philistines or had made a covenant with them in his mind, but he was playing with fire and you are too if you are giving the best of your purpose and creativity to Pharaoh. The good news is that God helped David extricate himself from Achish and He will do the same for you if you find yourself in a partnership that is taking more than you are getting in return and want to escape. If not, then He may just leave you where you are. Have a blessed week.

Memo 1055: The Power of a Thought

As we continue to read about David, we come upon a season of his life that was not his best version of himself. David despaired of God's continuing help and, being tired of fleeing for his life while he also protected his people, consequently fled to King Achish in Gath, the same king before whom he had acted like a madman in 1 Samuel 21. When he took refuge there this second time, David became a liar, a deceiver, a bandit, a mercenary, and a murderer. What happened? How could the man who had done so much, of whom songs were composed to commemorate his exploits, have fallen so far so quickly? We will see that the source of David's downfall was one single thought. Let's take a look at that thought so we can be on guard against such renegade ruminations in our own lives.

ONE DEGREE OFF

When a missile is launched, it has been programmed to follow a certain course to its target. Let's say that missile is one degree off when it is launched. Could we tell by looking at it that it was off course? No, for it would be imperceptible to the naked eye. Yet I read that a missile one degree off that was launched from New York with a destination of California would be 60 miles off course when it finally landed. That's the way it is with your thought life. It may be a bit "off" at first, but it seems like nothing serious. Just a small thought of fear or doubt or despair won't make that much difference in our lives, will it? It will, and to prove it, let's see where David got off course in this sordid chapter of his life:

"But David thought to himself, 'One of these days I will be destroyed by the hand of Saul. The best thing I can do is to escape to the land of the Philistines. Then Saul will give up searching for me anywhere in Israel, and I will slip out of his hand'" (1 Samuel 27:1-2).

God had preserved David up to that point in his life, but David thought, "I'm tired of this. I'm sick of running and hiding. I'm going to go over to our enemies and pretend to be one of them—even though I'm not." From that one thought came all of David's problems for the next 18 months because he acted on his thoughts as we all do. The power of his thought that at first seemed rational and even excusable after all David had been through led to one problem after another. As we will see later, it almost cost David his family and those of his 600 companions.

What's more, David knew better. This is the same man who had the thought when first seeing Goliath that led to his victory over the giant. While the army "thought" that Goliath was too big to hit, David "thought" he was too big to miss. That one thought—and a correct one it was—led to David's victory that snowballed into Israel's rout of the Philistines. Yet there David was ten chapters later engaging in wrong thinking that almost led to his undoing.

TRANSFORMED ONE WAY OR THE OTHER

Paul wrote in Romans 12:1-2,

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Paul taught that we will be transformed not by external things but by the renewal of our minds. Since the business of the mind is thinking, then our thought life plays a role in becoming the people God's wants us to be—or not. David is a good example of this. He thought "right" and he took on Goliath; he thought "wrong" and descended to the depths of depravity in a short period of time. David's despair caused him to play footsie with the devil and the results were not pretty. They won't be for you when you do the same.

How's your thought life these days? Is it causing you to seek out and destroy your Goliaths or to run and hide among the Philistines? Are you playing the world's game acting like one of "them" while trying to stay true to the Lord? Where does your thought process need an infusion of God's truth for a course correction for the missile of your life? The good news is that David came to his senses, as we will see in future lessons, but only by God's grace when the heathen he had turned to in his charade turned on him and sent him packing, I pray the Lord will do the same for you if you have cozied up with erroneous thinking that has led you down the wrong path. Have a blessed week.

Memo 1054: Walkabout

As we continue our travels with David while he was fleeing Saul, we encounter a story in 1 Samuel 26 that seems like déjà vu. We saw the same scenario in 1 Samuel 24: Saul was pursuing David, David was hiding, Saul goes to sleep, David gets near to the king, his advisor suggested they kill Saul, but David refused to raise his hand against the reigning king, even though the king was behaving badly—murderously badly.

This makes me wonder why David didn't stay in hiding. He was outnumbered and he knew if Saul captured him, it was the end for him and God's purpose. And even when he found Saul's camp, why did he have the need to get even closer by entering the camp with just one companion while 3,000 of the enemy were asleep? The slightest noise would have ended 1 Samuel with chapter 26. But instead, we see that David once again proved himself to be Saul's superior, not only as a warrior but as a servant of God.

SNEAK IN, SNEAK OUT

The story begins as follows:

The Ziphites went to Saul at Gibeah and said, “Is not David hiding on the hill of Hakilah, which faces Jeshimon?” So Saul went down to the Desert of Ziph, with his three thousand select Israelite troops, to search there for David. Saul made his camp beside the road on the hill of Hakilah facing Jeshimon, but David stayed in the wilderness. When he saw that Saul had followed him there, he sent out scouts and learned that Saul had definitely arrived (1 Samuel 26:1-4).

As usual, people seemed only too glad to betray David's cause by informing Saul of his whereabouts and as usual, Saul set out with an army that outnumbered David five to one. David had learned not to rely on the information of others when he could see for himself, so he set off to confirm the reports of Saul's presence. Sure enough, Saul was at it again and David was in danger. Yet then David did something unusual, counterintuitive to common sense. Instead of fleeing or hiding out, David decided to get a closer look.

Then David set out and went to the place where Saul had camped. He saw where Saul and Abner son of Ner, the commander of the army, had lain down. Saul was lying inside the camp, with the army encamped around him. David then asked Ahimelek the Hittite and Abishai son of Zeruiah, Joab’s brother, “Who will go down into the camp with me to Saul?” “I’ll go with you,” said Abishai. So David and Abishai went to the army by night, and there was Saul, lying asleep inside the camp with his spear stuck in the ground near his head. Abner and the soldiers were lying around him (1 Samuel 26:5-7).

David sneaked into Saul's camp with only one companion, which meant he was then outnumbered 1,500 to one! We don't know the reason why he would risk such a move or what he hoped to accomplish, and even one of the two men he invited to go with him said, "No thanks." When David arrived, he was so confident of God's protection that he and his comrade engaged in a prolonged conversation as to what their next step should be. Abishai wanted to kill Saul, but just like in the cave in 1 Samuel 24, David wouldn't allow that to happen. Instead, he "borrowed" Saul's spear and water jug and they left the way they had come.

IF GOD BE FOR YOU

Maybe David was still hoping to talk to Saul and reason with him to stop the madness. Perhaps David was tempted to take matters into his own hands and assassinate Saul. Or maybe it was a foolish endeavor and God covered David's folly. Whatever the reason, we have to admire David's faith and courage. He was confident that he could get within arm's length of his mortal enemy and be safe. He was indeed safe, for we read, "So David took the spear and water jug near Saul’s head, and they left. No one saw or knew about it, nor did anyone wake up. They were all sleeping, because the Lord had put them into a deep sleep" (1 Samuel 26:12).

It's easy to quote the Bible but much harder to do what we quote. We can easily recite Romans 8:31: "If God is for us, who can be against us?" or Romans 8:37, "In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us." Yet then we don't travel because we are afraid of the unknown, don't create for fear of criticism and failure, or don't speak up lest others think we are stupid. Our enemies pursue us but instead of running at them to defeat them, we hide in the wilderness of our minds—or better yet, hide out in church where it's safe.

Perhaps it's time this week to have a walkabout in the land that seems to be foreign and dangerous for you. That may mean applying for university, shopping for a new car, or looking for better living quarters even when you can't see how to pay for them. James wrote in his epistle a simple truth: "In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead" (James 2:17). Whatever David was thinking when he went on his walkabout, he trusted God and he put feet to his faith. It's time this week for you to do the same.

Don't be content to hear reports of what God or the enemy are doing, but go see for yourself. When you do, God will put your enemies into a deep sleep while He remains wide awake, and you will then have a testimony of what God did on your behalf when you didn't just watch your enemies, or sing about them, but when you went out to confront them, perhaps if only the enemies hidden in the recesses of your mind. Have a blessed week.