“Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of God.” (Romans 14:10 RSV)
When the Philistines gathered all their armies at Aphek to fight against the Israelites, David and his men joined forces against their brethren. However, the lords of the Philistines rejected the support of David and his men (1 Sam. 29:1-7).
But the Amalekites had invaded the city before David and his men returned to their settlement in Ziklag, from where they went to ally themselves with the Philistines against their brethren. They burned it with fire and took captive all their families left behind in Ziklag.
1 Samuel 30:1-4 – NKJV
1 Now it happened, when David and his men came to Ziklag, on the third day, that the Amalekites had invaded the South 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.
All the things that happened to the saints of old, recorded in the Bible, are meant to serve as examples, lessons, cautions, or warnings for us today (1 Cor. 10:11, Rom. 15:4). Therefore, it is wise for us to carefully examine how David and his men became vulnerable to their enemies and thus lost all that they had in Ziklag to their enemies.
First, David allied himself with Achish, the king of Gath. Therefore, when Achish was going to battle against the children of Israel, David had no choice but to fight alongside him against his brethren to prove his loyalty.
1 Samuel 28:1-2 – NKJV
1 Now it happened in those days that the Philistines gathered their armies together for war, to fight with Israel. And Achish said to David, “You assuredly know that you will go out with me to battle, you and your men.”
2 And David said to Achish, “Surely you know what your servant can do.” And Achish said to David, “Therefore I will make you one of my chief guardians forever.”
David and his men lost their families and inheritances when they joined Achish (a Gentile) to please him. So, beware of whom you ally yourself with!
When you, as a believer, become unequally yoked together with unbelievers and thus conform to the customs of this present evil world, you will become vulnerable to Satan’s invasion or intrusion.
The Scripture warns against being unequally yoked together with unbelievers.
2 Corinthians 6:14-16 – NKJV
14 Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness?
15 And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever?
16 And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will dwell in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they shall be My people.”
Second, David and his men became vulnerable to their enemies, thereby losing their families and inheritances when they came under the leadership of the five Philistine lords, even though it was only for a short time (1 Sam. 29:1-3).
Today, being under the leadership of the five lords of the Philistines implies operating under your five natural senses. It speaks of being controlled, dominated, directed, and influenced by the flesh.
When you choose not to walk by faith but by sight—by what you can see, hear, smell, taste, touch, or feel in the natural, you will become vulnerable to Satan’s attack.
The Christian life is purely a life of faith. You began the Christian life, or journey, simply by trusting in the person of Jesus Christ and His finished redemptive work.
Paul writes, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” (Eph. 2:8-9 NKJV).
Similarly, through faith in Christ, you can continue in the Christian life and successfully complete the Christian journey. Therefore, Paul admonishes, “As you have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him.” (Col. 2:6 NKJV).
It is purely by faith that you can appropriate and possess all your inheritance in Christ (Rom. 5:1-2). Only by faith can you experience and enjoy Christ’s victory for you. By taking the shield of faith, you can quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one (Eph. 6:16).
Therefore, when you choose to walk by sight, by the leading of your five natural senses, you will become vulnerable to Satan to rob you of your inheritance in Christ.
Lastly, while David and his men were out to join the Philistines in the battle against their brethren, their enemies entered their city, set it on fire, and took captive all their families left behind in Ziklag (1 Sam. 30:1-3).
The Scripture records, “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.” (1 Sam. 30:3 NKJV).
What a lesson and warning to us today!
Beloved, it is perilous to take sides with Satan, the adversary and accuser of the brethren, to accuse, judge, condemn, betray, or oppose God’s children.
When you give yourself to the ministry of accusation and condemnation rather than the ministry of reconciliation and intercession, you have taken sides with Satan, the adversary and the accuser of the brethren, and you have yielded yourself to him to use, work, and flow through you.
Paul warns, “But if you bite and devour one another, beware lest you be consumed by one another!” (Gal. 5:15 NKJV).
Paul also queries, “Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of God.” (Rom. 14:10 RSV).
Prayer:
My Dear Heavenly Father, I repent today of conforming to the world, walking by sight, and taking sides with the devil to judge, accuse, and condemn my brethren, in Jesus’ name. Amen.