[1 Samuel 30:1-6 NKJV] Now it happened, when David and his men came to Ziklag, on the third day, that the Amalekites had invaded the South (Negev: “dry”/”parched”; the desert– properly South land) and Ziklag, attacked Ziklag and burned it with fire, 2 and had taken captive the women and those who [were] there, from small to great; they did not kill anyone, but carried [them] away and went their way. 3 So David and his men came to the city, and there it was, burned with fire; and their wives, their sons, and their daughters had been taken captive. 4 Then David and the people who [were] with him lifted up their voices and wept, until they had no more power to weep. 5 And David’s two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the widow of Nabal the Carmelite, had been taken captive. 6 Now David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and his daughters. But David strengthened himself in the LORD his God.

“strengthened” –H.2388 חָזַק khazaq – “to strengthen, prevail, harden, be strong, become strong, be courageous, be firm, grow firm, be resolute, to withstand”

Now interestingly, this word khazaq is used in the story of the plagues in Exodus. Pharaoh hardened his heart. We must understand that it’s imperative that we strengthen ourselves in the Lord and NOT in our own strength, or we may find ourselves resisting what God wants for us. We have to be rigid and resistant against adversity yet totally yielding in meekness and surrender to stand in the Lord’s victory.

 [1 Peter 5:8-11] Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. 9 Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. 10 But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle [you]. 11 To Him [be] the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

“steadfast”  G.4731 stereos: strong, firm, immovable, solid, hard, rigid; in a bad sense, cruel, stiff, stubborn, hard 

“strengthen” G.4599 sthenoo: to make strong, strengthen; of one’s soul

Ziklag destroyed – TZIQLAG – “Winding”; 

צ Tzaddi Ziklag צִקְלַג

There are times walking with the Lord that we can’t understand why we’re going through something; why is God allowing this? Ziklag means winding. When you’re walking on a winding path, you can’t see what’s up ahead. The turns prevent insight into what’s coming. John the Baptist quoted Isaiah 40:3, saying, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the LORD; Make His paths straight.’ ”

G. 2117 euthys: (yoo-thoos) level, straight forward, upright, true, sincere, straightway, immediately, forthwith. Your job is to make YOUR walk SINCERE and TRUE. Not to make the path of the Lord.

If you look at the Hebrew letter Tzaddi, it looks like a person kneeling in prayer. When we’re on the trail and on the journey God has placed us on, prayer is a necessity.  When we kneel we are yielding. In battle, kneeling would be a place of vulnerability. The Lord drew my attention to the fact that the letter “t” at the beginning is silent. If we were to look at it in context, a lowercase “t” looks like a cross ✝️. The work of the cross, His righteousness bearing our sin, goes before us. It is ever present and yet in a moment of despair or turmoil, we may not immediately think of the cross. Our job is to do what Jesus Himself did as Paul wrote in Philippians, “But made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: 8 And being found in fashion as a man, He humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.” [Phil 2:7-8 KJV]

The path that Jesus was destined for from birth always included the cross. The very first word of the bible which means “in the beginning” is the word bereshiyt. 

In Hebrew the word looks like this:

בְּרֵאשִׁית

If we look at the break down of the Hebrew in that word we find this understanding:

“Son” “God” “thorns” “head” “tree” “gift”

The destiny of Christ was set in the beginning. Our destiny in Him has also been set since the beginning. The cross was always part of the destiny He desired for us. It’s all about whether we receive the truth. [Acts 15:18] Known unto God are all His works from the beginning of the world. The meaning of life is this: to understand that God is our Creator. That God made all things by the word of His mouth. That the Word of His mouth is Jesus. Jesus is salvation and freedom from sin through His blood, the blood of the perfect Lamb of God. He was given as a sacrifice for sin at Calvary. By His blood we can choose to change In seeking His will and not our own, we are then transformed in soul, mind, and spirit to again look like Him as He intended, reflecting the fullness of the Godhead who created us in His image. 

If you’ve ever gone hiking or known anyone who does, you know that you’ve got to be prepared. Any experienced hiker will not go for a hike without preparation. They will bring along water, food, safety gear, first aid supplies, and often protection from both unexpected weather or unexpected animal encounters. God does all things with preparation. There are steps He has prepared for every single thing in our lives. There is no such thing as coincidence, or happenstance, or kismet. God ordains and is over all things. [Romans 11:36] For of Him, and through Him, and to Him, [are] all things: to whom [be] glory for ever. Amen. We only see what’s presently happening in our lives, not the 25 previous steps God has appointed for us to arrive at that place at exactly that time! We have freewill to choose; but life is predicated on HIS WILL. Sin (rebellion, arrogance,etc.) gets in the way of His will and distorts and deviates our path from His desire. Psalm 23:3 says, He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. 

True hikers wear the right shoes for the hike. Our feet are to be adorned and adhered with the preparation of the gospel of peace. That means being ready for what is to come. The good news of the Word speaks the peace of Jesus Christ into our hearts by His Spirit. Paul quotes from Isaiah in Romans 10:15: “And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!” The peace we can KNOW as truth is this: All things are under His feet. They are under the feet of His righteousness. 

Hikers know that while the journey will be enjoyable and scenic, there will be adversity in some form. They never know what that might be on any given hike. Just as David, what we do in the moments where we face that adversity is what matters.  

[Deuteronomy 4:29] But from there you will search again for the LORD your God. And if you search for Him with all your heart and soul, you will find Him. 

Right after David realizes that the city’s been burned, everyone’s been taken, and his men are looking for someone to blame in grief, he makes a choice to seek God. [1 Samuel 30:7 NLT] Then he said to Abiathar the priest, “Bring me the ephod!” So Abiathar brought it. [8 NKJV] 8 So David inquired of the LORD, saying, “Shall I pursue this troop? Shall I overtake them?” And He answered him, “Pursue, for you shall surely overtake [them] and without fail recover [all].”

The ephod was a requirement at that time to inquire of the Lord. The veil was not torn and direct access to the Father was not yet given. The ephod was like a vest that had pockets for two stones, the Urim (“lights”) and Thummim (“perfection”). These stones worked as an oracle to consult with God. The priests received counsel in this manner and here is the typology, the preview of the true and eternal Shepherd King to come, consulting with the Father. [James 1:17 NKJV] “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.” We have this access now without stones, but through the Stone which the builders rejected, Jesus Christ. To stand strong in Him we need the armor of God. He is the breastplate of righteousness that we wear. He is the helmet of salvation (Jesus = Yeshua = “salvation”). He is the belt of truth. He is our preparation of the gospel of peace. He is the shield of faith. The word of His mouth is the sword of the Spirit. Therefore, “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.”

“wiles” G.3180 methodia : lying in wait, cunning arts, deceit, craft, trickery

The method Satan will use to try and get us off of God’s path is the very thing that will be on the winding path of righteousness to grow us in Christ. Will we yield in meekness and surrender to stand strong in the Lord’s victory that He gets the glory (God’s desire) or will we harden our heart toward the Lord in brutish defiance to the adversity (Satan’s desire)?

Abiathar means “my Father is great.” Jesus spoke in John 10:29,30 “My Father, which gave [them] Me, is greater than all; and no [man] is able to pluck [them] out of My Father’s hand. 30 I and [My] Father are one.” We are in the Father’s hands. What He has appointed for us is right, and just, perfect and true. It is to grow us in His statutes, in His word, and in faithfulness to Him. 

[Psalm 73:28] But [it is] good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord GOD, that I may declare all Your works.

[2 Samuel 22:31-33] [As for] God, His way [is] perfect; The word of the LORD [is] proven; He [is] a shield to all who trust in Him. 32 “For who [is] God, except the LORD? And who [is] a rock, except our God? 33 God [is] my strength [and] power, And He makes my way perfect.

-CC