1. A Man’s Guide to Self-care
1 Sam 30
New Life Church
Father’s Day, 2017

2. Intro…
If a man is a disciple of Christ, he will take his roles seriously- son, husband, father, friend, worker, supervisor, subordinate, churchman– these constitute a full life
If he is not mindful, he may end up- bored, angry, lonely, tired, hungry– a state which Satan will surely try to leverage
What a man does during these times says much about who he is and what he values
David found himself in just such a position

3. Our text
1 David and his men reached Ziklag on the third day. Now the Amalekites had raided the Negev and Ziklag. They had attacked Ziklag and burned it, 2 and had taken captive the women and everyone else in it, both young and old. They killed none of them, but carried them off as they went on their way. 3 When David and his men reached Ziklag, they found it destroyed by fire and their wives and sons and daughters taken captive. 4 So David and his men wept aloud until they had no strength left to weep. 5 David’s two wives had been captured—Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail, the widow of Nabal of Carmel. 6 David was greatly distressed because the men were talking of stoning him; each one was bitter in spirit because of his sons and daughters. But David found strength in the LORD his God. 7 Then David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelek, “Bring me the ephod.” Abiathar brought it to him, 8 and David inquired of the LORD, “Shall I pursue this raiding party? Will I overtake them?” “Pursue them,” he answered. “You will certainly overtake them and succeed in the rescue.” 

4. What is going on in the text
David and his men has actually been hiding among the Philistines (the bad guys) in order to elude King Saul (supposed to be a good guy, but wasn’t)
Upon their return to home camp, they find all their women and children taken captive
Their grief was overwhelming- it went way beyond normal cultural grief
His men were so bitter that they turned on him, contemplating stoning
Why was their grief so overwhelming?

5. The Amalekites
Trace their lineage back to Amalek (his mother was a concubine of Eliphaz), the grandson of Esau (father of the Arabs), brother of Jacob- Amalek-Eliphaz-Esau-Isaac-Abraham
A nomadic people adept with camels, who lived in the Negev region
Amalek and his clan were the first to war against the Hebrews after the exodus
He was so hated by the Jews that Josephus called him a “bastard” as an insult
Jews saw them as the epitome of evil- some ancient rabbis used them as a symbol of atheism; some saw them as an “eternally irreconcilable enemy” so much so that preemptive violence against them is seen as acceptable
Haman (in Esther) was an Amalekite- thus the Feast of Purim is a celebration of his defeat- Jewish tradition calls for negative noise and shouting (hissing and booing) when Haman’s name is mentioned
In Ex the Lord promised to blot out the name of Amalek
Some modern Jews have even associated the Nazis with the Amalekites

6. What is going on in the text
The families of these men fell into the hands of their worst possible enemy, and they blamed David for it
David was distressed- Tsarar- to be cramped, or in a narrow place
The text says his men were embittered toward him (Kipling- “if you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs and blaming it on you”)
His reaction was to strengthen or encourage himself in the Lord- Chazaq- to grow strong, be firm, resolute, become courageous, rigid or hard
Notice that this self encouragement was a decision on David’s part, and not a feeling- this is not some God given super power- David made a decision that led to a process

7. What did David to to encourage himself?
He called for the high priest
He consulted the urim and the thummin- holy dice
He did what it said

8. Practical points for self-care
Foster intimacy with the Lord via His Word (this is our urim/thumin) and your pastor
Find meaning in relationships with a few, close, real friends- wife, siblings, friends the way you treat those closest to you is a reflection of your relationship with the Lord
Pour into the lives of others, particularly your children if you’re a father, and younger men
Find purpose and meaning in your work (Bridge on the River Kwai)
Remember Johnson’s bullseye- your Lord, your spouse/close relatives, your children/close friends, your work