1. RETRIEVING OUR LOST RICHES:- 1 Samuel 30:1-31

    

   David, in his time, was known as someone who fought the battles of the Lord 1 Samuel 25:28;   2 Samuel 5:2; 1 Samuel 18:7, 30. Even when circumstances forced him to seek refuge in enemy land, he was still fighting against the enemies of the Lord. 1 Samuel 27: 5-12 That was why when on returning to their camp one day, David and his ‘’holy mercenaries’’ met their camp ravaged by a group called Amalekites, they were confused and dejected. In their confusion, the warriors contemplated stoning David.

    

   David found himself in an unenviable situation. He knew his people as people who had left the comfort of their homes to join him in the wilderness at the time he fled from the wrath of King Saul. They were ready to lay down their lives for him. They saw David as their hero and someone whom God has already chosen as the successor to the throne of Israel. They had committed themselves to fighting to protect David but just now, they are ready to lynch him! 1 Samuel 22:1-2.

    

   David however knew the source of his strength and invincibility. In the mist of this scary situation, he took refuge in his God. 1 Samuel 30:6. The bible said David found strength in the Lord his God. What happened to David is today being replicated in the lives of children of God. Think of the times that you believed you were doing your best to serve the Lord and something catastrophic happens to destabilise you and make you now doubt the protection prowess of God Himself. Think of your church or ministry that is growing in leaps and bonds then some scandal or uprising hits her in the under belly without any reasonable warning bringing in its wake, confusion and chaos. The whole church is brought to square one and everything including name has to be rebuilt from scratch. We all agree that this church or ministry is under satanic onslaught.  In the same way Amalekite in the ancient days can be likened to Satan and his cohorts.

    

   Who is the Amalekite; - Genesis 36:12; Exodus17:8-15; Deuteronomy 25:17-19?. If we trace the origin of Amalek, we realise that they were first mentioned as son of Esau in Genesis 63:12 and then when Israel started off from the safe side of the red sea and were headed towards the Promised Land. They were the first enemy nation to attack the people of God. This was at the time Israel was not even yet a nation. They had not yet any form of civil or military administration. (Remember this was before Jethro, Moses’ wise father in law visited and suggested to Moses a form of administrative machinery. Exodus 18:13-23) This was the people Amalek saw fit to attack.

    

   Compare this situation to that of the newly born again Christian. He/she does not know anything yet of Christian living, let alone spiritual battles that he will have to come against. He has not yet learnt much about prayer warfare or righteous living our perseverance in the face of persecution. This seemingly vulnerable person is target of demonic attack. The aim of the forces of darkness is to wipe him off his feet before he can become stable in Christ. Amalek knew that he won’t be any match for a seasoned Israelite nation, so Israel should have to be destroyed in their formative years before they can become a formidable force. In the same way, the enemy of the church or child of God knows that  a prayerful, righteous living, persevering child of God (or church/ministry) won’t be an easy push over, so as young as he/ she is in Christ, he/she should be destabilised to make him/her abandons the Way.

    

   The confusions in our churches James 4:1-3. Amalek does not only stand for the enemy of the new born child of God or church. Amalek is that force that brings distrust, confusion, strife, discouragement and sorrow into the church. The bible said the people wept until they could not weep any more, so they turned round to use their strength left to stone David. A church that has her members deprived of their riches (the people don’t have their desires met) will become a bunch of people among whom will be distrust, strife, discouragement, treachery, backbiting and these negative list goes on! The bible says the reason the children of God don’t have their desires being met is because they have ulterior motives behind their requests. It is the enemy again who is behind these selfish desires which won’t be met, creating the condition for us to weep and finally decide to stone David.

    

   God is concerned. Whether in the wilderness of old or at Ziklag, in the days of David or in this satanic world in which the church has to operate today, the goodnews is that God is concerned. In the wilderness, He instructed Moses to climb a hill and raise his staff towards the battle ground whiles Joshua chases the enemy away from their route. In the days of David, He instructed him to pursue the enemy to retrieve the lost items and captured people. Today the church is asked to resist the devil and he will flee from before her. James 4:7; 1Peter 5:8-9. God reveals His concern by His judgement Amalek. Exodus 17:14-16; 1Samuel 15:3. Amalek will be completely forgotten (destroyed) from under heaven. Amalek can be likened to that cursed of the Lord who puts a stumbling block on the path of the least of the children of God. Mathew 18:6-7. The bible says it will be better for that person if a stone is fastened at the back of his neck and he is thrown into the sea. I think that is the same as being forgotten from under the heavens! Again the bible is clear as to how God will deal with any force that wants to destroy His temple. 2 Corinthians 3:16-17  (see also Mathew 16:18)

   Retrieving the lost riches. Like David, we are exhorted to go to the source of our strength so we can be renewed. Psalm 103:5; Isaiah 40:31. The destabilising antics of the enemy in the life of any church or born again are aimed at making the church or child of God forsake his/her mentor and seek help from elsewhere. Some in the church today have actually forsaken the source of life giving water to hew for themselves broken wells that can’t hold water. Isaiah 12:3. They pay for things that don’t satisfy the soul. John 7:37-39; Isaiah 55:1-2.

    

   The Egyptian slave: Who is he? Acts13:45-48 Romans 9:25. To discern what the Egyptian slave represents in this story, we have to understand that there are four distinct groups in the bible story frame that we are studying:-

    

   1. There is Israel under King Saul

    

   2. There is David, anointed of God fighting the battles of God but forced to be in the wilderness.

    

   3. There is Amalek who represents the embodiment of the enemy of God..

    

   4. There is this Egyptian slave who under Amalek lordship, was part of the destroying force that attacked and destroyed the camp of David.

    

   Today:-

    

   -The Israel under Saul is equated to Physical Israel who crucified Jesus and chased the believers out of Israel until persecuted Paul had to turn to the gentiles.

    

   - David and his band is the church of Jesus Christ that was started from Jerusalem but which was chased out of the Jewish synagogues into hiding but who has continued over the years to be the only sure home of the Holy Spirit.( David’s camp still had the ephod)

    

   - Amalek is Satan and his web of demons whose avowed aim is to rape the church if he can. 1Peter 5:8

    

   - The Egyptian slave, from all analogy, represents the gentile who, in ignorance, has sold him or herself to the demons that control this world.

    

   In that his position, he ignorantly fights the battles of Satan just as the church of Jesus Christ fights the battles of the Lord on earth. Like the Egyptian slave in the bible, Satan invariably abandons them at the time they needed help most…. And it is then that the church has to come in with the bread of life so they can be revived to life. We should do well to remember that they are not the enemy. They are just pawns in the hands of the enemy. If we revive them and convince them to let us in into their master’s camp, we will retrieve our riches and they will also become part our army. To convince them, the church will have to give assurances of total salvation and deliverance to them. On the other hand, we were also just recently  Egyptian slaves who were saved through the ministry of the church who is bent on retrieving the lost for God. We should take a cue from the willingness of this Egyptian to point out the enemy’s camp to David. This is because; many that have been rescued by the church through the preaching of the bread of life have refused to be sincere with God. They still hide some parts of their past and invariably that becomes the source of their fall in their walk with Jesus.

    

   As we come to the end of the 2009 convention, let us enter the New Year with the determination to strengthen ourselves in the Lord and chase the enemy to retrieve our lost riches. 

   **This message was given by Pastor Ransome Tomety at the end of the MBD annual convention held from 23th - 27^th December at Kalvaria school grounds, Badougbe-Togo. All comments and enquiries can be sent to our sites or emails listed below:

    

   http://alleluiafamilyministries.shutterfly.com, www.mychristianhaven.com/gmsc, www.tangle.com/ransome, www.pastors.com/Ransome, raktometyalleluia@hotmail.com, Kalvariasukku@gmail.com, mibadel@gmail.com,

    

Tags: MBD CONVENTION KALVARIA 2009

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