I Samuel 30
Amalekites invaded Ziklag verse 1- 2
And it came to pass when David and his men were come to Ziklag
on the third day that the Amalekites had invaded the south
and Ziklag and smitten Ziklag – and burned it with fire
And had taken the women captives – that were therein
they slew not any either great or small – but carried them away
and went on their way
David’s men talked of stoning him verse 3- 6
So David and his men came to the city
and behold – it was burned with fire
and their wives – sons – daughters
were taken captives
Then David and the people that were with him
lifted up their voice and wept
until they had no more power to weep
And David’s two wives were taken captives
Ahimoam the Jezreelitess
Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite
and David was greatly distressed
FOR the people spoke of stoning him
BECAUSE the soul of all the people was grieved
every man for his sons and for his daughters
BUT David ENCOURAGED himself in the
LORD his God
David consulted the LORD verse 7
And David said to Abiathar the priest – Ahimelech’s son
I pray you bring me hither the ephod
And Abiathar brought thither the ephod to David
LORD tells David to go after the captives verse 8
And David ENQUIRED at the LORD
saying
Shall I pursue after this troop? Shall I overtake them?
And HE answered him
Pursue – for you shall surely overtake them
and without fail recover all
David takes 400 men to chase the Amalekites verse 9- 10
So David went – he and the six hundred men that were with him
and came to the brook Besor
where those that were left behind stayed
BUT David pursued – he and four hundred men
for two hundred abode behind
which were so faint that they
could not go over the brook Besor
David questions Egyptian man they found verse 11- 14
And they found an Egyptian in the field – and brought him to David
and gave him bread and he did eat
and they made him drink water
And they gave him a piece of a cake of figs – two clusters of raisins
and when he had eaten – his spirit came again to him
for he had eaten no bread – nor drunk any water
three days and three nights
And David said to him
To whom belong you? Whence are you?
And he said
I am a young man of Egypt – servant to an Amalekite
and my master left me – because three days ago I fell sick
We made an invasion on the south of the Cherethites
on the coast which belongs to Judah
on the south of Caleb
And we burned Ziklag with fire
David asks man to lead them to the Amalekites verse 15
And David said to him
Can you bring me down to this company?
And he said
Swear unto me by God – that you will neither kill me
nor deliver me into the hands of my master
and I will bring you down to this company
David finds the Amalekites partying verse 16- 20
And when he had brought him down – BEHOLD
they were spread abroad upon all the earth
eating – drinking – dancing
BECAUSE of all the great spoil that they had taken
out of the land of the Philistines
out of the land of Judah
And David smote them from the twilight even
to the evening of the next day
and there escaped not a man of them
save four hundred young men
which rode upon camels – and fled
And David recovered all that the Amalekites had carried away
and David rescued his two wives
and there was nothing lacking to them
neither small nor great – neither sons nor daughters
neither spoil – nor anything that they
had taken to them David recovered all
And David took all the flocks and the herds
which they drove before those other cattle
and said
This is David’s spoil
Division between David’s men verse 21- 22
And David came to the two hundred men
which were so faint that they could not follow David
whom they had made also to abide at the brook Besor
and to meet the people that were with him
and when David came near to the people
he saluted them
Then answered all the wicked men and men of Belial
of those that went with David
and said
Because they went not with us – we will not
give them aught of the spoil that we have recovered
save to every man his wife and his children
that they may lead them away
and depart
David made a rule verse 23- 25
Then said David
You shall not do so – my brethren
with that which the LORD has given us
WHO has preserved us
and delivered the company that came
against us into our hand
For who will hearken to you in this matter?
BUT as his part is that goes down to the battle
so shall his part be that tarries by the stuff
they shall part alike
And it was so from that day forward
that he made it a statute and an ordinance for Israel
to this day
David shares booty with men of Judah verse 26
And when David came to Ziklag
he sent of the spoil unto the elders of Judah
even to his friends
saying
Behold a present for you of the spoil of the
enemies of the LORD
List of towns helped with booty verse 27- 31
To them which were in Beth-el – south Ramoth – Jattir – Aroer
Siphmoth – Eshtemoa – Rachal
cities of the Jerahmeelites
cites of the Kenites – Hormah – Chor-ashan
Athach – Hebron
and to all the places where David himself and his men
were wont to haunt
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 6 And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God.
(2388 “encouraged” [chazaq] means to fasten upon, to seize, be strong, to bind, conquer, to be of good courage, be established, lean, or be stout)
DEVOTION: The Philistine leaders had asked David to leave their camp. They were afraid David would fight for Israel instead of them. So, David and his men headed home to Ziklag.
When they arrived home, they found their town burned to the ground. They found that all their families had been taken captive by the Amalekites. The men were tired from the long trip home. They wept for their families until they could weep no more. Now they were angry with David for taking them away from their home for so long. It allowed the enemy to come and take their family. They wanted to kill David. They were thinking about stoning him.
David had been a leader of men for many years. These men had followed him everywhere, they were not the best of men but they were his men. Yet, when tragedy hit, they turned on him. They blamed him for all their troubles. They wanted to kill him.
He had nowhere to turn but to the LORD. He fastened himself on the LORD. Once he was strong in the LORD, he sent for the ephod to consult with the LORD what he should do next. This is the first time in a while that he had consulted the LORD for direction.
The LORD told him that he would have victory of the enemy and recover ALL. It was a great answer to prayer. There are going to be times when we are out of fellowship with the LORD that a major incident will happen to bring us back to HIM.
It usually takes a tragedy to get us closer to the LORD. It would be great if it didn’t take that but it seems that we are hardheaded. The LORD wants us to be totally dependent on HIM.
When everyone and everything seems to be going wrong – fasten yourself to the LORD. We should do it all the time but especially during the hard times. HE will never let us down. Do we need strength from the LORD today? Are we someone who builds up the Christians around us?
CHALLENGE: When the going gets tough – consult with the LORD. Find your encouragement in the LORD. People will let you down but the LORD is closer than we think.
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DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 8 And David enquired at the LORD, saying, Shall I pursue after this troop? Shall I overtaken them? And HE answered him, Pursue: for you shall surely overtake them, and without fail recover all. (5337 “recover all” [natsal] means deliver, spoil, to recover from evil or harm, rescue, snatch away, extricate, or retake plunder)
David went to the LORD when he saw what had happened to Ziklag. First he had to recover from the shock of having the LORD allow his wives and all their possessions to be taken away. Remember that the LORD delivered him from having to kill his fellow Israelites but he was still going to suffer for lying to the king and not trusting the LORD.
After he got over the shock he turned to the priest Abiathar and asked him to consult the ephod to see what the LORD would have him do. Once he had encouraged himself in the LORD because his men wanted to stone him he realized that he needed to stop trusting in himself and turn to the LORD for answers.
The LORD told him that he would “recover all” and so he went out to rescue his family and the families of his soldiers. When the LORD told him that he would recover all he was sure that the LORD would keep HIS word to him.
David believed the LORD and headed out to rescue everything that he had lost. He didn’t care how big the army was that took his city he knew that with the LORD’S help he would recover all.
We need to stop trying to do everything ourselves and make sure that we are encouraging ourselves in the LORD and then going out to battle. We may lose some battles but with the LORD the war is won!!
Our lives are in the hands of the LORD each day. We need to count on HIM to help us with each of our battles. When we go to battle on our own we will lose but with the help of the Holy Spirit we will have victory over any temptation the LORD allows in our life. David trusted the LORD and the outcome was victory. Are we trusting the LORD with the outcomes of our battles or are we trying to enter our battles without a time of prayer?
CHALLENGE: Pray without ceasing as the LORD commands us and watch the LORD work in our life with many victories.
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: 19 And there was nothing lacking to them, neither small nor great, neither sons nor daughters, neither spoil, nor anything that they had taken to them: David recovered all. (5737 “lacking” [adar] means to be missing, to allow to be missing, omit, to be felt or suffered, fail, to be wanting, or not attain to some measure)
DEVOTION: David has returned from the battle field to find that a group had come to his city and taken all including wives, children, cattle, and everything else that was worth anything by a group of raiders.
So he pursued them and found them and defeated them. He made a full recovery of all that was lost. He got his two wives back. It was a victory for him after a seeming defeat when he got home and found nothing. It was a low point as his men wanted to kill him.
We need to realize that everything happens for a reason and this happened, so that, David could show his man that the LORD was with them. He also had to gain their loyalty back as they were willing to kill him even because of what happened.
Too often we are willing to change leadership or blame leadership for something the LORD allowed for a reason. It has to happen for us to learn to trust HIM and to trust leadership and to continue to lean on the LORD.
Our quick answers are not always the best answers to the problems we face. We need to persevere during hard times because hard times are going to come to any group. It can happen to the church at large and to the local church.
The LORD is in control and knows what needs to happen in our lives to help us learn hard lessons. This was a hard lesson for David’s men. They looked for an easy solution by killing David. It was not the best solution.
Are we looking for an easy solution for our problems or are we looking to the LORD for answers for what HE allows in our lives?
CHALLENGE: Make sure you are not always looking for an easy solution. Sometimes the LORD allows us to struggle to gain our strength in trusting HIM.
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 22 Then answered all the wicked men and men of Belial of those that went with David, and said, “Because they went not with us, we will not give them aught of the spoil that we have recovered, save to every man his wife and his children, that they may lead them away, and depart”. (1100 “Belial” [baliya’al] means wicked, ungodly, evil, naughty, ungodly men. worthless, unprofitableness, base fellows, or good for nothing)
DEVOTION: Remember that David had gathered his men from those who were poor and discontented with life in Israel. His army was a make sift army of those who were not the cream of the crop but the leftovers.
Well, when they went to battle against the Amalekites there was only four hundred soldiers who defeated the large army. We are told that four hundred men escaped from the battle by riding camels away as fast as they could. So the army was much bigger than the army David used to defeat them. The LORD was the one who won the battle not the soldiers.
However, when it came time to divide the spoils of the war, we find that there was a group of soldiers who thought that the two hundred that were too tired to continue to pursue the enemy shouldn’t get anything but their wives and children.
These troublemakers or wicked men or men of Belial who represents the devil wanted to keep all of the spoils for themselves and not share with those who were left behind.
We humans are not good sharers. We at times want everything we can get without giving any of it away to others. We earned the money and why should we share it with the LORD or any of HIS people. Why should we tithe our money? Why should we not just keep it for ourselves and spend it on what we want.
The answer is that the LORD commands us to share our wealth. HE requires us to tithe to the work of the LORD to show that money doesn’t have control over us but we have control over our money. It is the LORD who gives us the ability to work and earn the money to begin with and HE wants us to remember this fact.
Those who claim Christ and don’t want to share a percentage of their money are like these troublemakers in the days of David. They were condemned for wrong thinking by David and the Word of God condemns those who think the same thoughts today.
Are we sharing your wealth with those who are in need? Are we giving part of your wealth to the LORD with the understanding that HE is the one who gives us the power to get wealth?
CHALLENGE: Too often we find that there are some people in every congregation that are not good for the rest of the church. It is sad but true that there are people who are working from the views of Satan rather than from the view of God.
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: 26 And when David came to Ziklag, he sent of the spoil to the elders of Judah, even to his friends, saying, Behold, a present for you of the spoil of the enemies of the LORD (7998 “spoil” [shalal] means gain, booty, goods that have been plundered, valuables taken by violence, possessions of value)
DEVOTION: David understood the truth that the LORD is the one who gives us our wealth. He understood that he didn’t win the battle but the LORD was the one who won the battle for him. He understood the principle of sharing. He made a rule that all soldiers were to receive an equal share in the spoils of war whether they were on the front lines or a support group behind the lines of battle. Both groups were to share the wealth of the battle.
Now David was giving some of his spoils from the battle with his friends in Judah. He was sharing with many places that were plundered by the army he defeated. He was not one who kept all the spoils but shared with others the blessings of the LORD.
Did it give him good will with the people of Israel? Yes. Did it give him good will with the LORD? Yes. The LORD wants us to be givers and not hoarders. Too many people are hoarders rather than givers. This even happens in Christian circles. We are to be known as givers and not takers.
We are especially told to help those who are part of the household of God. If there is someone you are thinking of right now who needs your help you should write a check or go over to their house and give them whatever the LORD has laid on your heart. Sometimes it is even good to just put it in their mailbox and drive away without them knowing it was you. The LORD will bless you for your attitude of giving.
CHALLENGE: Sharing is never easy. It takes work to have an attitude of giving to others even if they didn’t do anything to help.
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DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)
SOUL
Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
Frugality (wise use of resources)
Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)
SPIRIT
Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)
Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)
Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
David inquired of the LORD verse 8
LORD answered verse 8
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
Abiathar the priest verse 7
Ahimelech’s son
Ephod verse 7
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DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
LORD – Jehovah (Covenant keeping, Personal) verse 6, 8, 23, 26
God – Elohim (Creator) verse 6, 15
LORD his (David) God verse 6
Inquired of the LORD verse 8
Swear by God verse 15
LORD preserved David and group verse 23
LORD delivered verse 23
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead –God/man, Messiah)
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
Amalekites verse 1, 13- 18
Invaded south of Cherethites
Coast belonging to Judah
Burned Ziklag and took possession
Eating – Drinking – dancing
David killed except 400 that rode of
on camels
Egyptian verse 11- 15
Left behind because he was sick
Told David he would help
Cherethites verse 14
Philistines verse 16
Enemies of the LORD verse 26
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Wicked verse 22
Men of Belial verse 22
Enemies of the LORD verse 26
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Encouragement verse 6
Prayer verse 8
Brethren verse 23
Preserved verse 23
Delivered verse 23
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
David verse 1- 31
Ziklag burned with fire
Found everything gone
Wept over lose
Two wives taken
Greatly distressed
Encouraged himself in LORD
Consulted priest
Swore by God to young Egyptian
Recovered all that was taken
Gave instructions regarding
spoils
Statute and Ordinance made by David
Spoils given to many cites
Ahinoam the Jezreelitess (David’s wife) verse 5
Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite
David’s wife verse 5
People spoke of stoning David verse 6
Six hundred men verse 10-
Two hundred stayed behind
because they were faint
left at brook at Besor
Four hundred went with David
Wicked men in group
Judah verse 14, 16, 26
Given part of spoils by David
South of Caleb invaded verse 15
Israel verse 25
Bethel verse 27
Ramoth verse 27
Aroer verse 28
Siphmoth verse 28
Eshtemoa verse 28
Rachal verse 29
Cities of the Jerahmeelites verse 29
Cities of the Kenites verse 29
Hormah verse 30
Chor-ashan verse 30
Athach verse 30
Hebron verse 30
Church (New Testament people of God)
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QUOTES regarding passage
David, generously calling the troublemakers “my brothers” (v.23; cf. Jesus’ polite use of “friend” in Matt 20:13), reminds them that the booty is not, as they think, “the plunder we recovered” (v.22) but rather “what the Lord has given us” (v.23). God has enabled them to defeat the “forces” (the same Heb. word is translated “raiding party” in vv.8, 15) that came against them. However, exhausted the men who remained behind might have been, they deserve a reward for staying with and guarding the “supplies” (v.24; see comment on “baggage” in 10:22). They are thus not to be considered inferior and are to share equally in the plunder (cf. similarly 25:13) with those who “went down to the battle” (see Notes on 29:4). Like his ancestor Abraham (Gen 14:24), the magnanimous David—who knows full well that he has been divinely deputized to distribute the Lord’s plunder as he wishes (cf. similarly Matt 20:14–15)—makes sure that loyal service is suitably compensated (cf. further 1 Cor 3:8). “The basis of distribution is not risk or victory or machismo but simply membership in the community” (Brueggemann, First and Second Samuel, p. 205).
The last word of the sentence “All will share alike” (v.24c) reappears as a grisly echo in 31:6, which reports that Saul and all his comrades died “together” (same Heb. word). David (v.25) makes the principle of equal sharing of plunder a “statute and ordinance” (a technical term for divinely established laws, as in Exod 15:25, “a decree and a law”; Josh 24:25, “decrees and laws”; cf. also Ps 81:4, “decree … ordinance”) for Israel in perpetuity (“from that day to this”; cf. the action of Joseph, with similar long-term effects, in Gen 47:26). (Youngblood, R. F. (1992). 1, 2 Samuel. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel (Vol. 3, pp. 794–795). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)
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The 200 who had remained behind by the Besor Ravine (vv. 10, 21) wanted a share of the Amalekite booty. (On David’s 600 men, see 23:13; 27:2; 2 Sam. 15:18.) So reasonable did their request sound to David that he established a principle that day that would thereafter prevail: The share of the man who stayed with the supplies is to be the same as that of him who went down to the battle (1 Sam. 30:24). But David’s diplomatic masterstroke was his return of the properties stolen by the Amalekites from the cities and towns of Judah (vv. 26–31). Never would they forget his concern for them, and when the time came for him to declare his kingship at Hebron he no doubt enjoyed their enthusiastic support. (Merrill, E. H. (1985). 1 Samuel. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, pp. 454–455). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
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When David said to his troops, “This is David’s spoil” (v. 20), he wasn’t claiming the wealth of the Amalekites for himself in a selfish way but only stating that he would see to its distribution. Each of his fighting men received their part and so did the 200 soldiers who were too weary to continue the pursuit. This generosity of David bothered some of the “evil men and troublemakers” in David’s band (v. 21), but David paid them no heed. He politely laid it down as a rule in his army that all the spoils would be divided among all the men, including those who didn’t actually fight the enemy. After all, it was the Lord who gave them the victory, so nobody had the right to claim the spoils for himself as if the Lord owed it to him. God was gracious and generous to deliver the enemy into their hands, and they should be gracious and generous to share the wealth with others. (Wiersbe, W. W. (2001). Be successful (p. 152). Colorado Springs, CO: Victor/Cook Communications.)
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Ver. 25. And it was so from that day forward, &c.] Or upwards, of old, formerly; and so may refer either to what was done at the war with Midian, Numb. 30:16. or in the times of Abraham, Gen. 14:23, 24 and so Jarchi observes, it is not said, henceforward, but upwards, it being a statute and custom in the days of Abraham; the same he notes on Gen. 14:24. where he, David, learnt this from thence; though Josephus is express for it, that this law obtained from the time of David; and such was his authority, though as yet not king, but a wise and just commander: that he made it a statute and an ordinance for Israel unto this day; it appeared so reasonable and equitable, that it was always regarded and attended to. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 2, p. 561). London: Mathews and Leigh.)
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FROM MY READING:
(Remember the only author that I totally agree with is the HOLY SPIRIT in the inerrant WORD OF GOD called THE BIBLE! All other I try to gleam what I can to help me grow in the LORD!!)
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JESUS, HIS SON
…the blood of Jesus Christ his Son …
1 John 1:7
I would not say there is no value at all in good, uplifting, and moral teaching or that there is no benefit to be derived by society from the consideration of noble ideas and exalted conceptions with regard to life. That is all right, but it is just not Christianity. It has nothing to do with it, in a sense, and we can do no greater violence to the New Testament doctrine than to represent the message of Christ’s birth as but some vague general message of goodwill and of good cheer and happiness. That is not its message at all.
If we do not start with the person of the Lord Jesus Christ, if we are not absolutely clear about Him, then there is nothing. There is no good news, there is no evangel, there is no gospel; there is nothing to cheer us up, there is no hope. We are just living in the darkness of the world, and we are unutterably foolish in trying to persuade ourselves that things are better than they really are. There is no such thing, in a sense, as “the Christmas spirit.” That is not the Christian message, which is not a vague spirit; it is a message of news concerning Christ. So, therefore, we must of necessity start at this point and be absolutely clear about this matter.
As has often been pointed out, Christianity is Christ. It all centers around Him, and every doctrine that we have and every idea that we possess is something that comes from Him. Therefore, of necessity we must start with Him, and of course John in this letter has already done so. The whole message that John has to deliver to us is that there is only one way of fellowship and communion with God, and that is because of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is He alone who can enable us to know this fellowship, for there is “one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 2:5).
A Thought to Ponder: Christianity is Christ. (From Fellowship with God, pp. 148-149 by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones.)
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THE CHARACTER OF THE CHRISTIAN
They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. John 17:16
We must consider what our Lord has to say about the Christian. Here is the character of the Christian. The first thing I notice is a negative. He says in John 17:6, “I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world.” Now that is the first thing He says about the Christian. He is not of this world. In verses 6-19 Jesus repeats that four times. In addition to verse 6, He says in verse 9, “I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me,” again in verse 14, “I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world”; and then in verse 16, “They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.” Our Lord goes on repeating that phrase because He wants to impress it upon us.
The first thing that is true about the Christian is that he does not belong to this world. In the light of this, it is vital that we should ask ourselves the question, am I of the world or am I not? That is the fundamental distinction that runs through the Bible from beginning to end. There are only two groups of people in the world today—those who are of the world and those who belong to Christ. In the last analysis there is no other division or distinction that has the slightest importance or relevance. That is why most of us are defeated by life in this world—we recognize other distinctions that are quite unimportant. But when we all come to die, does it make the slightest difference which political party we belong to? Does it matter whether we are rich or poor, learned or otherwise? There is only one fundamental distinction, and that is whether we belong to the world or to Christ.
A Thought to Ponder: The Christian does not belong to this world.
(From Safe in the World, pp. 22-24, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
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Jesus begins His own ministry after John baptizes Him.
INSIGHT
The unique contribution of each of the four Gospels is very important to our understanding of the life of Christ. In the gospel of Matthew, the genealogy takes Jesus’ ancestry back to Abraham. That is because Matthew’s gospel is written by a Jew to Jews and emphasizes distinctly Jewish matters. However, Luke is a Gentile, writing to Gentiles, who emphasizes matters that are of concern to a broader audience.From Matthew we learn that Jesus was a descendant of Abraham, and we see the fulfillment of the promises to Abraham. From Luke, we learn that Jesus is the Son of God, and we see the fulfillment of God’s promises to those of us who are not descendants of Abraham.
(Quiet Walk)
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Years ago, my son Josh and I were making our way up a mountain trail when we spied a cloud of dust rising in the air. We crept forward and discovered a badger busy making a den in a dirt bank. He had his head and shoulders in the hole and was vigorously digging with his front paws and kicking the dirt out of the hole with his hind feet. He was so invested in his work he didn’t hear us.
I couldn’t resist and prodded him from behind with a long stick lying nearby. I didn’t hurt the badger, but he leaped straight up in the air and turned toward us. Josh and I set new world records for the hundred-yard dash.
I learned something from my brashness: Sometimes it’s best not to poke around in other people’s business. That’s especially true in relationships with fellow believers in Jesus. The apostle Paul encouraged the Thessalonians to “make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands” (1 Thessalonians 4:11). We’re to pray for others and seek by God’s grace to share the Scriptures, and occasionally we may be called to offer a gentle word of correction. But learning to live a quiet life and not meddling into others’ lives is important. It becomes an example to those who are now outside God’s family (v. 12). Our calling is to “love each other” (v. 9).
By David H. Roper (Daily Bread)
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