Day2
1Samuel 27
Week 44
“David said to Achish, “If I have now found favor in your eyes, let them give me a place in one of the cities in the countryside, that I may dwell there. For why should your servant dwell in the royal city with you?” Then Achish gave him Ziklag that day. Therefore Ziklag has belonged to the kings of Judah to this day.”
1 Samuel 27:5-6 MEV
Cross references
Nehemiah 11:28;
Joshua 15:31
The Power Of Persuasion
Have you ever been persuaded to do something and after the fact regret your decision?
We have all given in to the power of persuasion a time or two in our lives.
The very meaning of “Philistine” “is to wear down, to roll or wallow in self (pity)”.
David used his gift of persuasion and a little trickery to get King Achish of the Phillistines to give him a portion of enemy territory. Ziklag. It would seem that David had lost hope and wanted to settle in the enemy’s territory.
*NOTE: Ziklag: Scholars have identified two separate roots of the form צוקiti1: The verb צוק (suq I) denotes pressing someone (mentally) in order to bring out what’s kept inside. 2: The verb צוק (suq II) also denotes the bringing forth of something contained internally, which is done either by applying pressure or by smelting. From rock, copper is smelted.
Saul stopped pursuing David because he had settled in the enemy’s territory.
The enemy of our soul uses the power of persuasion to convince us to lose hope and settle where we are.
Have you retreated from the pressure of your circumstances?
Maybe you have lived with pain in your body for a long time or been under financial pressure or mental anguish. Sometimes we simply learn to live with it and stop pursuing God’s promises.
God uses pressure to bring out things from the inside of us that otherwise would not be possible.
If we take matters into our own hands and retreat to relieve the pressure, then we will never see our potential revealed.
We are to seek God, not temporary comfort. True comfort only comes after the process of pressure is complete.
“Be sober and watchful, because your adversary the devil walks around as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him firmly in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. But after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called us to His eternal glory through Christ Jesus, will restore, support, strengthen, and establish you.”
1 Peter 5:8-10 MEV
https://bible.com/bible/1171/1pe.5.8-10.MEV
Action Step
We can use the power of persuasion found in God’s Word to become fully persuaded in our faith and learn to fully rely on God in our seasons of pressure.
Ask Holy Spirit to to fill you with hope today.
Remember that the devil only presses you if he sees that your potential is a threat to him.
The following link is a great resource for more on this topic.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=eaI45PLlZeI&si=mzOvMd5H84tzQ1wz
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