I Samuel 30:6 And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God.
Today I would like to talk to you about how to climb out of a hole. Maybe you are not in a hole. That is wonderful! But, if you are not now, there will come a time when things will conspire against you in life. Problems will come, and you will be without recourse and time and you will feel as if you are squeezed. Sometimes we fall into a hole. Sometimes we jump into a hole because of our own willful decisions, and sometimes we are thrown into a pit as Joseph was by his brothers.
David knew what it felt like to be stuck in a hole. The Bible says that David’s family and the families of his men were taken captive by an army of marauding Amalekites. I Samuel 30:6 says, “And David was greatly distressed.” The reason was that the men who were with him were grieved and distressed at the loss of their families and they spoke of killing David. So, here is David, hardly knowing who his friends were because he didn’t even know who his enemies were. Were his enemies the Amalekites? Were they the Philistines? Were they Saul and his army? His own men were even wanting to kill him. Who were David’s enemies? He was between a rock and a hard place.
What did David do when he found himself in a hole, distressed and squeezed by life? Well, there are at least three actions David took. First, David encouraged himself in the Lord. Verse 6 says just that, “David encouraged himself in the LORD his God.” Now at a previous time when he was running from Saul and hiding, Jonathan had come to where he was hiding and “strengthened his hand in God.”
It is wonderful to have such friends, but at this point, David didn’t have access to Jonathan. Jonathan would shortly be killed, and so David had to encourage himself. How did he do that? He encouraged himself In the Lord his God. In other words, he broke from focusing on the problem to focusing on the God Who was the answer. He focused on the truth and on God. The truth was that this was not the end for David; this was the beginning. Just a couple chapters later in II Samuel, David would be anointed king. God used bad circumstances to bring to fruition His plan for David’s life. So, David “encouraged himself in the LORD.”
Second, David inquired of God. Verse 8 says, “And David inquired at the LORD.” Now, you would think that in such an obvious situation, should I pursue the enemy or not, it would be obvious what to do. The enemy had their families! Yes, pursue them! But David had lived quite some time now making decisions without regard to what God would want, and he had gotten himself in deeper and deeper trouble. The rule is, if you are in a hole, stop digging. So, David asked God. If you are out of time and options and you feel like a trapped animal, get counsel.
Don’t just ask counsel from someone your age or younger. Don’t just ask someone who is going to give you affirmation. Ask someone who can give an answer, maybe even an answer that is different than the one you would wish. David inquired of God about what He wanted him to do. If you find yourself in a tight spot, God has created a world in which you have family, church, and friends. Find people of godly wisdom who can give you good counsel. It might not always be the guidance you would wish, but it is the guidance that comes from the Word of God.
Finally, David pursued the goal. Verse 10 says, “But David pursued.” He went after the Amalekites. He wasn’t just busy. He had an aim. Sometimes we feel like we are doing something because we are busy. The New Testament talks about not being busybodies, but working. There is a difference between merely being busy and being productively busy. I’m not virtuous just because I’m busy. Most of us are very busy, but David had clarity and direction. He had an aim and he went after it.
At the end of the day, don’t bury yourself. That is what happened to Saul. Saul died subsequent to this story. He buried himself. This was not the end for David; this was the beginning. David was in a dark place, but he took action. He encouraged himself in God. He inquired of God, and he pursued the goal that God had given him. That is a good example for us today.