ON THE VANGUARD

MY PERSONAL ZIKLAG
“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.”
I Samuel 30:6

In the past month I have heard the story of David at Ziklag more than once. I have learned that when that is the case, it normally means that God is trying to tell me something. With that said, I took the time to read this story with my son this morning while we were watching the sun come up and having our manly morning devotionals. What I found was very eye opening to me personally.
To set that stage, in I Samuel 30, David and his men are coming up on their camp in Ziklag after traveling for the past three days. When they reached the city, they found that the Amalekites had not only raided the place, but had also taken captive the women and children. David and his men saw the desolation left behind and wept. When the weeping was done, however, the men in David’s army began speaking about stoning David because of his actions days prior to leave the land and families behind. But David called for the ephod and inquired of the LORD as to his next step. The response from the LORD through Abiathar the priest was to go, pursue, and overtake.
Now with this story briefly outlined for you, I want to touch on the specifics as God has shown them to me. While I have never walked onto the scene of a burning city, pillaged and suffering, I have walked onto the scene of desolation. My life has not been the greatest at all times. I have walked onto the scene of divorce, the scene of miscarriage, the scene of death, and the scene of job loss to name but a few. But what was the first thing David and his men did? They wept. In fact, I Samuel 30:4 says they wept to the point of having no more strength. I can relate to this. When my dad passed away, I wept for days before finally feeling as though I could go on. But David didn’t stay in a weeping frame of mind. While he knew his men were considering stoning him, still he did not allow himself to stay in a poor frame of mind.
In I Samuel 30:6, David found strength in the LORD his God. He called for the ephod from the priest and took cover. The ephod was a priestly garment, made of threads of blue, purple, scarlet, and fine twined linen, embroidered in gold thread. But the ephod here is mentioned in connection with a sacred oracle. As we see in this passage, when David wished to question God through the oracle, in this case Abiathar the priest, he commanded the priest to bring the ephod. While tucked in this garment he inquired of God whether or not he should pursue. May I offer to you that this garment was in that moment David’s prayer closet? David, knowing the pain of the men and knowing they were speaking death concerning him, encouraged himself in the LORD and sought his next move. He wanted only to move in the way which he was commanded by God.
I have been in Ziklag myself. I have felt firsthand the pain of loss, and have heard the voices as they vow to destroy me. I have fought the words of suicide, the yells of worthlessness, and the screams of ill speech. But I have not allowed myself to live there. I have found that I must encourage myself in the LORD. I must tuck myself in the ephod, in my prayer closet, and vow only to move as He leads me. And so I encourage you to do the same. I encourage you to seek His will, to question of God your next move. As David sought God’s voice, the response came to him to pursue them for he and his army would overtake them. With this assurance David moved. Let us be of those who like David, inquire in our personal Ziklag for the LORD’s commanded step.