When praying about revival this morning, an Old Testament passage popped into my mind. It concerned the Egyptian servant David and his men found near death in a field whilst pursuing the band who plundered and burned Ziklag. The men mourned the loss of their wives and children taken captive by the Amalekite raiders. After David inquired of God, He bid them to pursue and overtake their enemy and they would recover all.
As David and his 400 men pursued the troop, we read in 1 Samuel 30:11-12, "Then they found an Egyptian in the field, and brought him to David; and they gave him bread and he ate, and they let him drink water. 12 And they gave him a piece of a cake of figs and two clusters of raisins. So when he had eaten, his strength came back to him; for he had eaten no bread nor drunk water for three days and three nights." The KJV describes the effect of eating and drinking in this way: "...and when he had eaten, his spirit came again to him." In other words, eating bread and drinking water revived the man. The cake of figs and clusters of raisins caused the man's strength to come back to him. Without adequate food the strength of the Egyptian waned, and what is true in the physical realm in this case is true spiritually. Feeding on the Word of God has the capacity to revive our weary souls.
I remember a t-shirt in the 80's which read something like, "7 days without reading the Bible makes one weak." This is certainly true and the sentiment is appreciated by lovers of puns, yet we must do more than read the Bible like we would other books. We must come to the scripture empty and hungry, expecting to receive something from the LORD. Our souls must be engaged with this spiritually discerned book with the intent to obey, and this is only possible by the power of the Holy Spirit. Even as the Egyptian was too weak to help himself, so we need to submit to God's power to nourish us. Genuine revival cannot happen without God, prayer, and the Word of God. Only God has the words of life and can raise the dead to life.
An additional principle on this theme can be gleaned from the passage. Once the Egyptian's strength returned to him, he agreed to lead David and his men to his former master under one condition. His master had abandoned him and left him to die due to illness, and he said in 1 Samuel 30:15, "...Swear to me by God that you will neither kill me nor deliver me into the hands of my master, and I will take you down to this troop." This Egyptian had been treated as expendable once and valued his life. As bad as death would be for David to deliver him to his previous master! When our spirits are revived, we ought to use our newfound strength to shift our allegiances from the old life to a new one. Having been delivered from a sinful malaise, those who are quickened by the Holy Spirit will despise and avoid the old life devoid of love or compassion which held us in bondage.
The first thing mentioned the man was given to eat was bread, and this is suggestive. It reminds me how Jesus Christ is the Living Bread come down from heaven, the Word which became flesh and dwelt among us. Those who partake of Him by faith will live forever! After eating bread the Egyptian was given water to drink, and Jesus is the One who sends the Holy Spirit as Living Water which refreshes our souls. Instead of skimming the scriptures, how important it is to be immersed in them. What we read we also should put into practice. It's amazing how we become alive to the scriptures when we do this! Praise God for the richness of His Word and the soul-sustaining truth provided therein. Feeling weak? Open the scriptures with a hungry heart and receive all God says.
As David and his 400 men pursued the troop, we read in 1 Samuel 30:11-12, "Then they found an Egyptian in the field, and brought him to David; and they gave him bread and he ate, and they let him drink water. 12 And they gave him a piece of a cake of figs and two clusters of raisins. So when he had eaten, his strength came back to him; for he had eaten no bread nor drunk water for three days and three nights." The KJV describes the effect of eating and drinking in this way: "...and when he had eaten, his spirit came again to him." In other words, eating bread and drinking water revived the man. The cake of figs and clusters of raisins caused the man's strength to come back to him. Without adequate food the strength of the Egyptian waned, and what is true in the physical realm in this case is true spiritually. Feeding on the Word of God has the capacity to revive our weary souls.
I remember a t-shirt in the 80's which read something like, "7 days without reading the Bible makes one weak." This is certainly true and the sentiment is appreciated by lovers of puns, yet we must do more than read the Bible like we would other books. We must come to the scripture empty and hungry, expecting to receive something from the LORD. Our souls must be engaged with this spiritually discerned book with the intent to obey, and this is only possible by the power of the Holy Spirit. Even as the Egyptian was too weak to help himself, so we need to submit to God's power to nourish us. Genuine revival cannot happen without God, prayer, and the Word of God. Only God has the words of life and can raise the dead to life.
An additional principle on this theme can be gleaned from the passage. Once the Egyptian's strength returned to him, he agreed to lead David and his men to his former master under one condition. His master had abandoned him and left him to die due to illness, and he said in 1 Samuel 30:15, "...Swear to me by God that you will neither kill me nor deliver me into the hands of my master, and I will take you down to this troop." This Egyptian had been treated as expendable once and valued his life. As bad as death would be for David to deliver him to his previous master! When our spirits are revived, we ought to use our newfound strength to shift our allegiances from the old life to a new one. Having been delivered from a sinful malaise, those who are quickened by the Holy Spirit will despise and avoid the old life devoid of love or compassion which held us in bondage.
The first thing mentioned the man was given to eat was bread, and this is suggestive. It reminds me how Jesus Christ is the Living Bread come down from heaven, the Word which became flesh and dwelt among us. Those who partake of Him by faith will live forever! After eating bread the Egyptian was given water to drink, and Jesus is the One who sends the Holy Spirit as Living Water which refreshes our souls. Instead of skimming the scriptures, how important it is to be immersed in them. What we read we also should put into practice. It's amazing how we become alive to the scriptures when we do this! Praise God for the richness of His Word and the soul-sustaining truth provided therein. Feeling weak? Open the scriptures with a hungry heart and receive all God says.
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