Pastor Marshall Ochs | July 23, 2023
In this message, Pastor Marshall teaches from 1 Samuel 29-30. These chapters close the wilderness years of David and bring all his lessons to close. After the many years of running from Saul, David reflects on the generosity of God through it all.
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Read 1 Samuel 29:1-11. In this passage we learn what happened to David after he spent 16 months in sin – lying and serving the king of the Philistines. The Lord was kind and generous to David by getting him out of trouble. Have you ever experienced a season of being caught up in sin and rebellion against God and yet, He was generous to you? The Lord’s kindness and generosity in the midst of our sin is a path to repentance and life. (See Romans 2:4 and Acts 11:18 for reference.) Marshall reminded us today that this is the perfect picture of Grace. This truth reminds me of Romans 5:8. “But God showed His great love for us in that while were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
The Lord used Achish to give David wise counsel to leave and not join the Philistines in battle. David was deceiving himself by believing in his own wisdom. One of the tools the enemy uses to get us off track and outside of the will of God is the deception of the lies we tell ourselves in order to justify our attitudes and actions. We have all fallen prey to unwise choices. When we find ourselves in these circumstances, we must seek wise counsel and take inventory of our decisions in comparison to God’s Word. Pray and ask the Lord to show you any area of your life where you are not in line with God’s will and plan.
Read 1 Samuel 30:1-6. When David returns home he sees the consequences of the lies and deceptions he believed. What does David do? He repents! He chooses God over himself. As a result of David’s repentance, he grew strong in the Lord. When we confront our sin, it gives us the chance to mature and grow deeper and stronger in our faith. Are you in a season of needing to confront sin in your life? Run to your Savior! Repent and experience God’s Amazing Grace!
Read 1 Samuel 30:7-15. We see the Lord being generous to David once again. The Lord provides a man to give David the information that he needed in order to have victory over the Amalekites. The truth we are seeing here is that without the Lord’s provision, generosity, kindness, love – His grace – we are lost! Take the time to thank Him today for His generosity and unconditional grace!
Read 1 Samuel 30:16-31. David conquered the Amalekites and shared the spoils with everyone. Because of the Lord’s generosity to David, he became a generous man. When you reflect on all that God has done for you, does it make you grateful? When we think about all that God has forgiven us for, should we not forgive others? Please read Marshall’s notes from today’s sermon and pay close attention to his “conclusion.” These are truths that will help shape our character. I pray we will live generously because we have known great generosity!