A Position Of Rest

1 Samuel 30:11-15 says:

11 And they found an Egyptian in the field, and brought him to David, and gave him bread, and he did eat; and they made him drink water;

12 And they gave him a piece of a cake of figs, and two clusters of raisins: and when he had eaten, his spirit came again to him: for he had eaten no bread, nor drunk any water, three days and three nights.

13 And David said unto him, To whom belongest thou? and whence art thou? And he said, I am a young man of Egypt, servant to an Amalekite; and my master left me, because three days agone I fell sick.

14 We made an invasion upon the south of the Cherethites, and upon the coast which belongeth to Judah, and upon the south of Caleb; and we burned Ziklag with fire.

15 And David said to him, Canst thou bring me down to this company? And he said, Swear unto me by God, that thou wilt neither kill me, nor deliver me into the hands of my master, and I will bring thee down to this company.

We have heard this story many times about how David and his men came back from battle and their wives and children had been taken by the enemy. They were devastated and cried until they could not cry any more. Then they turned on David and wanted to blame him...wanted to stone him! But David encouraged himself. He knew that God had a plan. What we don't think about is the man who was used to find the enemy...all of the wives and children. God had already put this man in position.

Still A Blessing In A Position Of Rest!

There are key characters in this story, but we never consider the Egyptian man who led David to the enemy to take back what the enemy had stolen. This man was left behind to rest due to sickness. Check out the story from his viewpoint:

• He got sick.

• He was left behind.

• He was left alone.

• His time of rest allowed him to become a pivotal piece in a great story of redemption.

Maybe you feel like you are all alone in this season of life. Maybe you are ill. Maybe you’ve been left behind by those around you. You are lonely, wondering why you have placed on a shelf to dry like an unused vessel. But God says, “I have never left you. And I can use you right where you are." You can still be used of God to be a blessing to others during this down time...this season of rest.

I'm sure that the Egyptian man never considered his time of rest as a set up to help a crucial situation. And we never consider our time of rest as something important. Sometimes we must allow ourselves to “be still and know that He is God” (Psalm 46:10). We don’t need to be in constant motion. God made everything in 6 creative days. And on the 7th creative day, He sat back and rested. It doesn’t make Him any less of who He is. And it doesn’t make us any less of who we are. If we stop and pay attention to the people and things around us...if we are silent...we can listen and hear that “small still voice” (1 Kings 19:12) of God. If we simply stay quietly in position, God can use us to help someone get back what the enemy has stolen!

Still Blessed In A Position Of Rest!

Let’s continue in 1 Samuel 30:

21 And David came to the two hundred men, which were so faint that they could not follow David, whom they had made also to abide at the brook Besor: and they went forth to meet David, and to meet the people that were with him: and when David came near to the people, he saluted them.

22 Then answered all the wicked men and men of Belial, of those that went with David, and said, Because they went not with us, we will not give them ought of the spoil that we have recovered, save to every man his wife and his children, that they may lead them away, and depart.

23 Then said David, Ye shall not do so, my brethren, with that which the Lord hath given us, who hath preserved us, and delivered the company that came against us into our hand.

24 For who will hearken unto you in this matter? but as his part is that goeth down to the battle, so shall his part be that tarrieth by the stuff: they shall part alike.

25 And it was so from that day forward, that he made it a statute an ordinance for Israel unto this day.

What about the soldiers who were left behind to rest?

1. They were weary from previous battles.

2. David identified their need for rest. As a great leader, he understood limitations. We all have need for respite from battle. God understands this. He created us. We need to be in tune with our minds and our bodies so that we can determine: do I need rest or am I good to fight? Don’t wait until you crumble.

3. They were going to be denied the spoils of war by the other soldiers who fought. On paper it look justifiable. But this is not the way Christian living works.

4. David said "no." Those who were weary would also receive the spoils of victory! Your victory is my victory. Your loss is my loss. Are we not one body of Christ?

Lead Me Into A Position Of Rest!

There are times and benefits of rest. God teaches us to do this. In Matthew 11:28, He said, “Come unto me, all ye who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” In Psalm 23:1, The Good Shepard "maketh me to lie down in green pastures."

Rest takes you where work does not. There are times when we need to stop, regroup, renew, and quiet ourselves before God. We can still bless others and be blessed in this time of God-given rest.

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