Dealing With Troublemakers...

When you pursue God daily, it’s easier to know how to deal with troublemakers. David’s example here in 1 Samuel chapter 30, helps us see how a heart in the right standing with God benefits others. Some of the men in David’s army were left behind to guard their supplies, mainly due to the fact they were faint and weak from lack of food and rest. David allowed them to stay behind and recover. After defeating the Amalekites, some of his fighting men didn’t want to share in the plunder. David put a stop to that immediately. He rewarded his loyal men who stayed behind, just as he rewarded those who fought in the trenches. We tend to fall into two categories of human beings when we compare ourselves with others. Those that lose sight of our purpose and responsibility to God, and those that know their place, without losing sight. The first type says, “we are better”, “we did more”, “they did nothing”, or “we deserve more”, and thus their attitudes breed dissension. What we forget is as believers we are one body serving Jesus. As Paul said (my paraphrase), “the eye can’t say to the foot, we spotted the treasure so we deserve more. We are more important.” Each body part serves a purpose, and without each, the body couldn’t function properly. The second type of person, who remembers God, and knows his place, responds like David did. Even though the group of men didn’t fight in the battle, they served a purpose, as David clearly stated, “who guard the equipment”. Each loyal member of his small army served a purpose, and David wasn’t going to allow a few greedy, selfish men, turn his group of loyal men into a divided, competitive, group of comparers, that we destroy the cohesiveness of the group. God gave David the wisdom, and infused Him with the right amount of humility, to be the leader he needed to be that would lead Israel into a kingdom God had planned for them. Do you always know how to handle troublemakers? If not, ask God today to give you the wisdom and humility it takes to lead into the kingdom that He has in store for them.

21 Then David returned to the brook Besor and met up with the 200  men who had been left behind because they were too exhausted to go with him. They went out to meet David and his men, and David greeted them joyfully. 22 But some evil troublemakers among David’s men said, “They didn’t go with us, so they can’t have any of the plunder we recovered. Give them their wives and children, and tell them to be gone.”23 But David said, “No, my brothers! Don’t be selfish with what the Lord has given us. He has kept us safe and helped us defeat the band of raiders that attacked us. 24 Who will listen when you talk like this? We share and share alike–those who go to battle and those who guard the equipment.” 25 From then on David made this a decree and regulation for Israel, and it is still followed today. 1 Samuel 30:21-25