Rock bottom is that moment when we’ve been struggling for ages and finally we hit something which feels like the last straw. It is when we reach our lowest point and we feel like things are completely out of control. I don’t know whether you have experienced reaching such a place, but I think David certainly did. He had been on the run for 10 years and the end of these years saw him hit rock bottom.

David’s decision to flee to the land of the Philistines (1 Samuel 27:1) appears to have been a poor one. There is no sign that he enquired of God and this decision leads him into a pretty dark place. David and his men went to Achish, son of Maoch, king of Gath. He settled with him there in Gath before being given the city of Ziglag (27:6). David spent 16 months living there in Gath and spent his time raiding various places. He communicated to Achish that he was attacking places in Israel, but in actual fact he was attacking the Gershurites and Amalekites. When he attacked somewhere he ensured that he left nothing alive! He did not show any mercy and as far as we can see was acting entirely on his own initiative.

Over time, David earns the trust of Achich, but this alliance almost ends up with him having to fight against his own people. Having been completely convinced that David had now turned against his people, Achish wants David to fight alongside them. God, however, intervenes and the Philistine rulers object to his part in the battle. The Philistine commanders had not forgotten that this was David who the Israelites had sung about in their dances. David therefore sets out to return to the city of Ziglag (29:1-11).

1. Reaching Rock Bottom (1 Samuel 30:1-8):

David and his men could surely not have anticipated what lay ahead of them as they returned to Ziglag. They reached it on the third day of their journey and they were probably already feeling weary, hungry and eager taste home comforts. David and his men were likely on foot and would have seen the devastation from a distance. It also seems probable, that having seen what lay ahead of them, they covered the final few miles rapidly, whilst mentally running through all kinds of worst case scenarios. What had actually happened in their absence, was that the Amalekites had attacked the city and destroyed it by fire. Unlike David however, they had killed no-one, but had taken the women and children captive. This is the reality that David and his men returned to:

¹ David and his men reached Ziklag on the third day. Now the Amalekites had raided the Negev and Ziklag. They had attacked Ziklag and burned it, ² and had taken captive the women and everyone else in it, both young and old. They killed none of them, but carried them off as they went on their way. ³ When David and his men reached Ziklag, they found it destroyed by fire and their wives and sons and daughters taken captive. ⁴ So David and his men wept aloud until they had no strength left to weep. ⁵ David’s two wives had been captured—Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail, the widow of Nabal of Carmel. ⁶ David was greatly distressed because the men were talking of stoning him; each one was bitter in spirit because of his sons and daughters…

1 Samuel 30:1-6a

This really was David’s rock bottom moment and he and the men wept until they had no strength left to weep. To make matters worse, David’s own men were talking about stoning him. He was understandably greatly distressed at this, and the bitterness that his men felt about the loss of their families. But, David then turns to the one who alone had the power to come through for them. We haven’t seen David do this for some chapters and it acts as a huge turning point in the story. We read, “But David found strength in the Lord his God” (v6b). This is a hugely important statement. It is reminiscent of what Jonathan did for David (1 Samuel 23:16), but here it is David himself who finds this strength in God. From that point on he pulls himself together, pulls his men together, wins back their confidence, persuades them not to despair and to look to their God.

If you have had moments when you have felt like you’ve been at rock bottom, what was it that helped you change direction. For myself I don’t know whether I could say that I’ve been at rock bottom, but there have certainly been plenty of low moments when turning to God has proved pivotal. During these times, it was not so much that God removed the issue, struggle or crisis, but more that in turning to God, He gave me fresh perspective to stand firm and begin to move forward.

2. Trusting God to Rescue (1 Samuel 30:9-31):

In faith, David now leads the men in pursuit of the Amalekites. He sets out with 600 men, but when they come to the Besor Valley, 200 of them are too weary to continue (see previous blog for more on that). That leaves David with 400 men for the remainder of the pursuit. We see again and again in the life of David that numbers are not the key issue if God is truly with them. Indeed, God miraculously leads them to victory. First, he brings them to an Egyptian who hadn’t eaten or drunk in three days/nights. After they fed him and he was revived, he agreed to take them to the Amalekites. Then having found them, David and his men push beyond their limits, to go and to win a great victory. Indeed, they manage to recover everything that had been lost (30:19). In all of this, it is God Himself who comes through for them and it is an incredible example of the consequences of finding strength in God.

At some stage or other, we all reach rock bottom. But, do we know how to find strength in the Lord even when there is no Jonathan around to help us? David’s method of strengthening himself in the Lord is especially interesting. What exactly did he do? Where did he go? What did he do with his thoughts? The truth is that we don’t really know what David did, but its possible that Psalm 31 could be a reflection of his thoughts at this time:

¹In you, O LORD, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame; deliver me in your righteousness. ²Turn your ear to me, come quickly to my rescue; be my rock of refuge, a strong fortress to save me. ³Since you are my rock and my fortress, for the sake of your name lead and guide me. ⁴Free me from the trap that is set for me, for you are my refuge. ⁵Into your hands I commit my spirit; redeem me, O LORD, the God of truth.

Psalm 31:1-5

Even if it doesn’t originate from this particular occasion, the truths contained here reveal some very interesting things about how David understands God. He declares that God is his refuge, his rock and his fortress (v1-2). It is a strong declaration of David’s unshakable trust in God and he asks God to save/rescue him (v2) and to lead/guide him (v3). He speaks of the trap which he wants God to set him free from (v4). He felt boxed in and really couldn’t see a way out. So he commits his spirit into God’s hands and asks God to redeem him. Listen to how he describes his distress in the following verses:

⁹ Be merciful to me, Lord, for I am in distress; my eyes grow weak with sorrow, my soul and body with grief. ¹⁰ My life is consumed by anguish and my years by groaning; my strength fails because of my affliction, and my bones grow weak. ¹¹ Because of all my enemies, I am the utter contempt of my neighbours and an object of dread to my closest friends—those who see me on the street flee from me. ¹² I am forgotten as though I were dead; I have become like broken pottery. ¹³ For I hear many whispering, “Terror on every side!” They conspire against me and plot to take my life.

Psalm 31:9-13

David’s distress is something he feels physically – in his eyes, his soul and his body. He is consumed with anguish and his strength fails him. He experiences the contempt of others and he describes himself like broken pottery. When have you been at rock bottom and found strength in God? There will be times when each of us need to strengthen ourselves in the Lord. None of us will make it if we cannot find strength in the LORD. What we are talking about here, is not just about keeping our heads above the water, but about being able to trust God and step forward in faith.

Our confidence in God is the bedrock that enables us not merely to survive, but to thrive. We’ve seen in previous posts that God is looking for men and women after His own heart. He wants us to move forward with Him and bring others along with us. David is a fantastic example of a man who looked to God from rock bottom, and found the strength to get up and lead his men to a famous victory. Psalm 31 ends by instructing us to “Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the LORD” (v24). This is such helpful advice for every one of us.

Cover Photo by Road Trip with Raj on Unsplash