“The Amalekites had made a raid… They had overcome Ziklag and burned it with fire and taken captive the women and all who were in it, both small and great… And when David and his men came to the city, they found it burned with fire, and their wives and sons and daughters taken captive. Then David and the people raised their voices and wept until they had no more strength to weep. David’s two wives also had been taken captive… And David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because all the people were bitter in soul, each for his sons and daughters. But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God…
“And David inquired of the Lord, ‘Shall I pursue after this band?’ He answered him, ‘Pursue, for you shall surely overtake and shall surely rescue.’ So David set out…
“[The Amalekites] were spread abroad over all the land, eating and drinking and dancing, because of all the great spoil they had taken from the land of the Philistines and of Judah. And David struck them down… David recovered all that the Amalekites had taken, and David rescued his two wives. Nothing was missing, whether small or great, sons or daughters, spoil or anything that had been taken. David brought back all. David also captured all the flocks and herds…
“David said, ‘[T]he Lord has given us [spoil and] preserved us and given into our hand the band that came against us.'” 1 Samuel 30:1-2a,3-6,8-9a,16-19a,23
David the warrior was fueled by passion: love for his people and a gripping sense of justice. He would not forsake those whom and what belonged to him, and gave his all to rescue them from captivity. He went at God’s direction and triumphed in His strength, and restored everyone and everything to right relationships. His righteous motive and inspired skill are palpable and powerful.
And so it is with our Lord Jesus. Fully understanding the wiles of the enemy and helplessness of man’s captivity, He set out to earth to rescue His own. Driven by single intent, He gave His all that we might be restored to a right relationship with Him and be supplied with all we need to live for Him. (Luke 9:51; Philippians 2:5-8; Hebrews 12:2; 1 John 3:16)
Do we recognize and give thanks for this passion of the Lover of our souls? If so, do we share it for the lost? Are we even informed enough to grasp the magnitude of those suffering in physical, spiritual, and national captivity? Does it distress us, or are we too narrow in our sympathies to care? Do we genuinely mourn and pray, or are we too prejudiced to value those different or distant from us?
If we confess the sins of indifference, self-righteousness, and wayward passions, the Lord is faithful and just to forgive us and give us a new heart. How will we determine to develop a mindset and heart-set to be more like His? (Ezekiel 36:25-26; 1 John 1:9)
Lord, give me holy passion. Teach me to love what and whom You love, and to expend myself for You and Your eternal, redemptive purposes and glory.
As the rain and snow 