Recovering from Ruins – Part 5

Be Magnanimous in Victory

In part 4, we learned that to recover from ruins, we must be ready to fight or rebuild. It is not enough that we seek God’s face and receive instructions from Him, we must obey and do the required work. David and his men acted on God’s word and fought their way to victory and recovery. This brings us to the concluding lesson for this topic and from 1 Samuel 30:1-31; be magnanimous in victory.

God’s promise to David in 1 Samuel 30:8 was fulfilled through the actions of David, victory and recovery became the only inevitable outcome.

“The LORD fulfilled His promise, but He used David’s actions to fulfill the promise. God’s promise didn’t exclude David’s cooperation, the promise invited his cooperation”

– David Guzik.

 The victory David and his men enjoyed was beyond what they anticipated and they recovered everything that was stolen from them, nothing was missing (1 Samuel 30:18 – 20). A story that began on a sad and disappointing note ends with joy and victory. Victory is sweet and victory is ours because we have God on our side. Even when it doesn’t seem like victory, even when it is not glamorous and doesn’t come with all the pomp and pageantry victory exudes, it is still victory when God is on our side. David did not become victorious only after the battle, David got into the battle as a victor because he was not fighting for recovery by his strength alone.

I know it is difficult to accept that we are victorious in the face of defeat. Our flesh will always be loud enough to remind us of the chaos we face but we should learn to rest in the knowledge that victory through Jesus Christ has been given to us whether we understand it or not. It is a challenge to accept this concept because our humanity comes with a limited understanding and perspective, but one thing is certain, all things will eventually work for our good (Romans 8:28).

“But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ”.
- 1 Corinthians 15:57

David was accompanied by six hundred men for this battle but two hundred stayed behind at some point. They were exhausted and couldn’t cross the valley (1 Samuel 30:9-10, NIV), so David fought the Amalekites with four hundred men. After the victorious battle, David approached the men that were left at the valley. He asked after their welfare (1 Samuel 30:21) and was willing to share the spoils of victory with them but some of the four hundred men did not like this gesture. They said: “Because they did not go out with us, we will not share with them the plunder we recovered. However, each man may take his wife and children and go.” (1 Samuel 30:22, NIV).

Once again, David’s kindness and selflessness is revealed, he intervened and said that the spoils of victory had to be shared equally between those who fought the battle and those who stayed back at the valley with the supplies. (1 Samuel 30:23-25). David was gracious in victory.  There is a reason David was not selfish in his approach, he looked at victory as a gift from God and not what they earned from their handwork; “… No, my brothers, you must not do that with what the Lord has given us …” (1 Samuel 30:23). When we realise that the victory or progress we enjoy is a gift from God, our hearts will be open to allowing others partake of it.

Victory is a difficult concept to grasp in the face of defeat because our humanity comes with a limited understanding and perspective of God’s victory but one thing is certain, all things will eventually work for our good. Click To Tweet

Even as we experience victory, we must not forget those that God used in various ways to help us rebuild and achieve recovery, it doesn’t matter how small or insignificant the part they played was. The two hundred men that stayed behind looked after the supplies and handled the logistics. Even though they did not actively fight, David considered their effort an important part of their victory. Indeed, this is a reminder that God blesses us all equally irrespective of the part we play in His plan and purpose on the earth. Don’t forget to appreciate the “little” effort your spouse, sibling, friend, colleague, pastor, or leader played in helping you become victorious. God used and coordinated them like an orchestra to produce beautiful music out of what the devil intended to be perpetual tears, sorrow, and anguish for you. When God’s grace for victory rests upon us, we should remind ourselves that we are not the only partakers of this grace. God has called others who would partake of this grace through us and for His glory. Imbibe the habit of blessing the lives (i.e. giving gifts) of fellow soldiers who fought with you during your battles. 

The lesson we can take from this story of David is that recovering from ruins is possible and that God is still in the business of recovery and restoration. Jesus Christ came to do just that, He restored us back to the path of life from the path of death and damnation. Jesus came for us in our weary, weak, rejected, and dejected state. He reconciled us back to the Father and now we can boldly stand before the father unashamedly, full of everlasting life and without any loss both in life and death.

So far in this series, we learned that we can recover from ruins by Encouraging ourselves in the Lord, Seeking God’s face, Being kind and compassionate, Getting down to work, and Being magnanimous in victory. My hope and prayer is that you will recover all that you have lost in every aspect of your life that yearns for victory, recovery and restoration.

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