Recovery Devotional 314 Share and Share Alike

JMD Devotional 314 1 Samuel 30:18-25 Share and Share Alike

David recovered all that the Amalekites had taken and rescued his two wives. Nothing was missing, small or great, sons or daughters, spoil or anything that had been taken; David recovered all. Also David captured all the flocks and herds [which the enemy had], and the people drove those animals before him and said, This is David's spoil. And David came to the 200 men who were so exhausted and faint that they could not follow [him] and had been left at the brook Besor [with the baggage]. They came to meet David and those with him, and when he came near to the men, he saluted them. Then all the wicked and base men who went with David said, Because they did not go with us, we will give them nothing of the spoil we have recovered, except that every man may lead away his wife and children and depart. David said, You shall not do so, my brethren, with what the Lord has given us. He has preserved us and has delivered into our hands the troop that came against us. Who would listen to you in this matter? For as is the share of him who goes into the battle, so shall his share be who stays by the baggage. They shall share alike. And from that day to this he made it a statute and ordinance for Israel.

We often fail the test of grace. We perceive ourselves as being kind and generous; but when inconvenienced by someone else’s needs, resentment wells up. We may have on a polite mask, but inwardly we judge and condemn the other person for not living with more wisdom, for not making provision, for not being as ‘strong’ as we are, for not carrying their own load. In those situations we fail the see the gift that God is setting before us: a chance to be like Him and extend grace, love and mercy that will adorn our brow for all eternity like golden crowns. We forget that everything we have is a gift from God. David extended grace because he knew that the battle was the Lord’s, and he appreciated the fact that these 200 men wore themselves out fighting an earlier battle for him. Someone had to watch the baggage and hold down the fort. Share and share alike will multiply God’s grace and blessings; there is more than enough to go around!

Dear God,

My first impulse is always pharisaical---please rewire me to be kind and loving; apt to serve without judgment. Only in Christ Jesus can I be that kind of person. In those situations may I put my ledger and accounting tools away; even turn off my teaching propensity for a moment and help me just demonstrate Your love for the individual as Your representative.

Amen

All (but*) quotes are from The Amplified Bible, published by

the Lockman Foundation. (AMP)

Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation

*New International Version (NIV)

Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society

**Scripture taken from The Message. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group. (Eugene Peterson's easy-to-read, contemporary Scripture translation)

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