Stolen Property

The Amalekites came into Israel and took property from them that needed to be reclaimed. Have you been robbed of what you had with the Lord? It is not lost. You can get it back.

I Samuel 30:1-8: And it came to pass, when David and his men were come to Ziklag on the third day, that the Amalekites had invaded the south, and Ziklag, and smitten Ziklag, and burned it with fire; And had taken the women captives, that were therein: they slew not any, either great or small, but carried them away, and went on their way. So David and his men came to the city, and, behold, it was burned with fire; and their wives, and their sons, and their daughters, were taken captives. Then David and the people that were with him lifted up their voice and wept, until they had no more power to weep. And David's two wives were taken captives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite. 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. And David said to Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech's son, I pray thee, bring me hither the ephod. And Abiathar brought thither the ephod to David. And David enquired at the LORD, saying, Shall I pursue after this troop? shall I overtake them? And he answered him, Pursue: for thou shalt surely overtake them, and without fail recover all.

From the scripture we see that David's enemy took the land by surprise and destroyed the homes and kidnapped the women and children. The enemy did not face David directly but took things that mattered to him. The Amalekites were short, stocky people and compared to the 10-feet tall Philistines, they appeared harmless, but they were deadly.

Satan will not face you head on. If you saw the evilness of him you would reject him at all cost. He sneaks in, puts on a good face, and acts like a friend and all the while he is stealing what is most precious to you. Have you, like David, all of a sudden found something missing and wonder how it happened? Did you say, I didn't see it coming? That's the way the devil works. The seemingly innocent things, the little things, those small foxes, are what will rob you. Take a good look and see if something is missing. Is it something personal–your ability to pray? Is it your place–the place you once held with God and its peace and security? Are they somehow gone?

Stop and realize you can't live without them. David and his men realized the necessity of their families and property that were stolen. What took it away? David knew. In our lives we see the little doubts, little defects, and neglect of God's word. We have followed another way, given a little here, a little there. Things take us away from prayer, Bible study, and church. It's gone. The Amalekites have stolen it.

Having a Bible on the night stand unopened and unread is no good. It must be in our heart. We let things of the world take first one thing, then another, and we don't bat an eye. If your profession is all you have left and you are nothing but an empty shell, you must come to realize that. David realized what he had lost and wept until he could cry no more. He realized he needed it. You cannot do without what has been taken from you. Realizing the need to get it back gives the desire to do so. If you have lost ground to the devil, it's your fault; you let it be stolen.

Verse 6 says David encouraged himself in the Lord. That's what you need to do. Have a talk with yourself, an honest appraisal. There were no dead bodies around, so David knew his family was out there somewhere. Realize what you have lost is out there somewhere. David admitted it was his fault for not being where he should have been. Admit your wrong. Then you will be on the road to recovering what you lost.

David had a talk with the Lord. Your very means of getting to God is at his altar, your altar. Consult God and he will answer you just as he did David. Verse 8 says David inquired of the Lord. Should he pursue the enemy? The verse says and he [the Lord] answered him, Pursue: for thou shalt surely overtake them, and without fail recover all. God tells you to go after what you lost. Pursue it and you will overtake it. God will lead you to it. Take back what belongs to you and without fail recover all.

Do you ask yourself if you can get it back? Sure you can! Verse 19 says when David found them there was nothing lacking. It was all there. David did recover it all. It's time to pursue. It's time to overtake. You, like David, will recover all. Isn't it time to get back your stolen property?