Until they had no strength left to weep

“So David and his men wept aloud until they had no strength left to weep.” (1 Samuel 30:4)

 

David, who was a shepherd as the youngest son of Jesse, was given a special choice by God. The process of making stable his position as a king wasn’t easy. Because Saul the king followed continually David in order to kill him. David took refuge from Saul or pretended even to be crazy to respond without hostility. David ran away from Saul and went to Achish king of Gath. And when David returned to Ziklag in three days, Amalek people had already burned Ziklag and all the people of David had gone captured by them, so no one remained there. When David and his men saw the worst situation, they wept bitterly so that they had no strength even to weep more. They couldn’t control their miserable feelings in the face of extreme realities of refuge, distrust, and under invasion.

 

The process of life can never be smooth. The person who lives overcoming difficulties is a blessed person rather. In general, it is said to be blessed to live in ease without much difficulty of economy. But in absolute sense, there cannot be the life without difficulties. If you have any difficulties, rather you are more likely to become a better person as much as. Contrary to that, comfortable people who are with good circumstances and conditions are more likely to fail in life. From the time the anointed as king, David had to be through much a series hardships in his life. But as a result, he had become the greatest king in Israel’s history. The path of a saint who believes in and follows Christ is bound to be difficult in this world. And a pastor who charges a ministry of the gospel would face more trials than others. If they refuse to go through the ordeal, that would be same to give up their path to follow Christ.

 

If difficulties overlap continually, it isn’t easy to overcome it even if you are a strong-willed person. Moreover, How should we behave if we get jealous or betrayed by someone we are close to? Even though Saul was in a position of king where he didn’t have to regard David as enemy, but he was desperate to kill David by all means. Even if it’s parents or brothers and children, it’s a vulgar and wicked characteristic of humans to try to kill if it’s political enemy. This would be a common fact in some people who don’t believe in Jesus Christ. David, unlike Saul, tried anyway to the end to solve all things by good will. His heart was from a thorough idea of faith that “do not harm those who have been ordained by the Lord.” Faith in God’s absoluteness and in Christ’s love are the perfect power to make defeat the enemy.

 

By way to repay evil with evil, it cannot be get good results. The words, “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth” means to carry out severely the punishment imposed after a legal, that is, objective judgment of wrongdoing. Many people know this as a principle of private punishment and use it as a proposition for individual revenge. The most representative people among them seems to be politicians in society. They continue to play fighting with each other for political profits, as if they are good at it, and as is natural. Therefore there is no quiet day in this country and nothing a work going well be done. It seems to be necessary they all get anew a right education with their childhood minds. But that must be impossible, too. Then only as Christian you have no choice but to learn and practice correctly and make affect society for the effects of improvement. Wishing you to be a sincere person following the Almighty, just like David did.

 

If you want to live as a man of Christ, you must not treat evil with evil, but treat it with good. Gath where David fled from Saul was then the district of Philistines’ residence. David, who had nowhere to go in the land of Israel, went to the region of Gentiles to escape from King Saul. Yet there, too, he was protected and guided by the Lord. After then when they returned and saw to Ziklag, where their families had to remained, David and the people were likely going crazy as looking at the miserable situation. For anybody it must be hard to endure when difficulties overlap repeatedly. Because the houses had been burned, and all the family and people had been taken prisoner by the enemy, thus they had felt like they were going to die. Remember definitely those who believe in Jesus Christ can be protected by the Almighty in any situation. What is it meaning indeed ‘can be protected even if we take refuge without knowing what will happen’? However that’s the actual life of true Christians.

 

Those who do not know a thing about it, but only talking with their heads and mouths without their faith in Jesus, are ignorant men in fact. Well, this message now says an intention of purpose to console the pastors who works for the gospel of Christ. Nobody in the world helps really you working as a servant of Christ. So, there must have been times when you cried so that until you didn’t have the strength to weep because you were sad and lonely. However, believe the Lord will console and help you. I want eagerly and pray for all workers of Jesus Christ cheer up like David, in the Holy Spirit!

 

(Written by Koonoh, Pastor of JDO Presbyterian Church in Korea, on August 6th 2023)