I Samuel 23- Every Move I make- I'll be asking You!

Read I Samuel 23

2Therefore David inquired of the Lord, saying, “Shall I go and attack these Philistines?”
And the Lord said to David, “Go and attack the Philistines, and save Keilah.”

David is acutely aware of his need for guidance. In this chapter, David asks if he should go in and defend Keilah against the Phillistines.  And God says yes. But some of his soldiers have a bit of a problem with it. Like, really David? We are barely hanging on here, and you want us to go defend someone else?


³ But David’s men said to him, “Look, we are afraid here in Judah. How much more then if we go to Keilah against the armies of the Philistines?” ⁴ Then David inquired of the Lord once again.

So David asks God again, and gets the same answer. They go, they conquer. They sit down for one second and then....

 He hears word that Saul is nearby (never good), so he inquires of the Lord again. Every move he makes, every breath he takes....wait, never mind, lets just say its safe to say that he isn't making any decision without consulting the Lord first. Why is he so dependent? Because he is in a battle for his life, for his kingdom, for his legacy. He is ready for a fight. Which begs the question, Are you ready for a fight?
One of the greatest strategies of the devil is to make us forget that we are in a battle.

The enemy knows that if we realized we were in a battle, we would need to consult the Captain for strategy, for direction, for provisions. David knew that with one false move, he could lose everything.

The simplest but most common display of pride is denying our need for daily devotions and constant contact with God. Pray without ceasing. So many times you hear people say, I just wish I knew God's will. But the reality is, that many times we wait till a big decision comes along, and then ask, when the best way to find God's will is to be talking to Him all day long, bring your daily decisions through the filter of God's Word.

11Will the men of Keilah deliver me into his hand? Will Saul come down, as Your servant has heard? O Lord God of Israel, I pray, tell Your servant.”
And the Lord said, “He will come down.”
12Then David said, “Will the men of Keilah deliver me and my men into the hand of Saul?”
And the Lord said, “They will deliver you.”
13So David and his men, about six hundred, arose and departed from Keilah and went wherever they could go.

God said to go fight and he did. And he must have felt a much deserved need for a rest. But God told him to keep moving and head back to the wilderness, so he did that too. I am pretty sure he felt like saying “Seriously God? Really? More troubles?? Can't I get a break?” But he does better than that. This guy is a man after God's own heart.  He gives us reality mixed with hope in Psalms 34.

Many are the afflictions of the righteous, But the LORD delivers him out of them all. Psalm 34:19

He will deliver. He will deliver. Out of them ALL!! Thank you Jesus!!

I pray that we would bring our decisions big and small to Jesus. Take it to the throne before the phone! Ha! (I know you've heard that before, but I think I need to tape that on my phone!!) He will answer. And I pray that though our troubles may be many or few, little or big, we will rest in the knowledge that He will deliver us out of them all!