Of Brooks & Battles

And David came to the two hundred men who were left behind, that they should not follow after David, and he had caused them to remain by the brook of Besor. And they came forth to meet David, and to meet his people with him. And David drew near to the people, and they asked him how he did it. Then every ill-disposed and bad man of the soldiers who had gone with David, answered and said, Because they did not pursue together with us, we will not give them of the spoils which we have recovered, only let each one lead away with him his wife and his children, and let them return. And David said, You shall not do so, after the Lord has delivered the enemy to us, and guarded us, and the Lord has delivered into our hands the troop that came against you.
And who will hearken to these your words? For they are not inferior to us; for according to the portion of him that went down to the battle, so shall be the portion of him that abides with the baggage; they shall share alike. And it came to pass from that day forward, that it became an ordinance and a custom in Israel until this day.- I Samuel 30:21-26


Today, as I came down for coffee, I was greeted with a reading from Max Lucado's Book, "Facing Your Giants." It's been laying around and I've skimmed it previously a bit. It is essentially a study of life-lessons from the life of David.

I recommend you get to know David. His life, love, passions, and weaknesses will give you hope. The way God deals with Him will encourage your Christian faith.

I was reminded that somehow, in all my years, yea decades of Bible reading I had missed this story or the point of it.

As the story goes, David and his men had just returned from battle, only to find that their village had been destroyed, and their families had been taken captive by an enemy army. David's troops were devastated, worn out, and angry. After no little bit of anger and finger-pointing at David they set off to rescue their families and recapture their belongings.

In their pursuit of the enemy band, David and his army came to a brook, called Besor. They rested a while, got some water, and then David gave the command to get back on the trail, but 200 of the soldiers decided this was as far as they'd go. They could go no further. A none too happy army moved on and left them behind.

The author asks, “How tired does a person have to be to abandon the hunt for his own family?”

Later in the chapter Lucado goes on, “The church has its quorum of such folks. Good people. Godly people. Only hours or years ago they marched with deep resolve. But now fatigue consumes them. They’re exhausted. So beat-up and worn down that they can’t summon the strength to save their own flesh and blood. Old age has sucked their oxygen. Or maybe it was a deflating string of defeat. Divorce can leave you at the brook. Addiction can as well. Whatever the reason, the church has its share of people who just sit and rest.” And yes, some have always rested...

I remember the last time I was at Brook Besor. I can still taste the water. I was overwhelmed by Satan’s attacks on every area of my life. I couldn’t fight anymore. I was at the end of my rope. I remember yelling at God, “You promised me that you would never give me more than I can handle, but you did! I can’t take it! I can’t go on like this! If you want me to keep going, you are going to have to do something about it, because I can’t fight anymore!”

He did. He knew...

While I was waiting at the brook, too tired to fight, God did what David and his men did in this story: He fought the battle for me! Within weeks, things had changed. Through little effort of my own, some of the problems simply worked themselves out. Others became more manageable, and I was able to gain perspective on how to better handle each situation. I'm regaining my strength and "mostly" back on my feet, and life is good once again. Well, it's better. And yes, my brook experience is proximate...it's recent.

Just as David and his army continued on in their pursuit, rescuing their families and recapturing their belongings (and making sure that those resting at the brook got their share, even when the the more "fair" and/or greedy of the army wanted to exclude them), Jesus fights our battles, and wins the victory for us! He does more than that though. He gives us more than we deserve.

Two thoughts struck me as I read I Samuel's 29 and 30 (Yes, go on, read the two chapters...it will help God give you a personal perspective on this and you do need it...)

1. Thank you Lord for being my Warrior - for coming to my defense against all of my enemies

2. Thank you for helping me understand that as a leader I need to recognize and show grace and mercy to all your saints both those who enjoin the battle and those who are now at the Brook.

We need a living soul to show us grace and love when we just aren't feeling it inside...ya know?

I remain...

InHISgrip,
~J~