“They found an Egyptian in the open country and brought him to David. And they gave him bread and he ate. They gave him water to drink, and they gave him a piece of a cake of figs and two clusters of raisins. And when he had eaten, his spirit revived, for he had not eaten bread or drunk water for three days and three nights. And David said to him, “To whom do you belong? And where are you from?” He said, “I am a young man of Egypt, servant to an Amalekite, and my master left me behind because I fell sick three days ago… And David said to him, “Will you take me down to this band?” And he said, “Swear to me by God that you will not kill me or deliver me into the hands of my master, and I will take you down to this band.” And when he had taken him down, behold, they were spread abroad over all the land, eating and drinking and dancing, because of all the great spoil they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from the land of Judah. “ 1 Sam 30:11-17ESV
Each time I read the passage above, I am usually touched by the turn of events that took place concerning that Egyptian man, a servant to an Amalekite, found in the open country, who obviously had been abandoned by the officer he previously worked for. The reason for his abandonment was because he fell sick and so for three days and nights, he laid there until David and his men came along the way. The young man would have died of thirst and starvation because that was what was expected when he was left behind; especially having not eaten for three days and nights in a state of sickness. He surely could not help himself, and the Amalekite soldiers that should have helped him were too busy and task oriented, that they did not want anyone to slow them down; so, he was left behind. To them, he was no longer useful.
What touched me here is the twist that came to his story when David met him. Someone who they thought was no longer useful and abandoned, was still carrying a vital information that made him resourceful to David and his men. They only needed to give him the necessary things that made him revive, and then, he became resourceful. He was dying, yet he still had life to give; he had useful information that would lead to the deliverance of many more. Thank God he did not die off with that vital information; David and his men would have been left clueless as to where to find their wives and children who had been taken captive.
This same scenario played out recently in the war going on between the USA and Iran. This was when two army officers of the United States had their aircraft shot down within the Iranian airspace. Luckily, both pilots escaped with the aid of parachutes from the aircraft when it was hit. They were wounded, but did not die. They signaled their home country and promptly a search and rescue team was deployed. United States of America risked everything to find and rescue both of them; though separately; and one after the other; days apart, because they had a rule: LEAVE NO MAN BEHIND! The number of aircrafts, the costs and personnel deployed to rescue one of these soldiers was mind-boggling! America was not ready to leave him behind on the soil of Iran- he was too resourceful to be! He was also potentially resourceful also, to the Iranian government! Capturing him meant so much to them; they could gather much intelligence information; hence a heavy ransom was placed on him- for whoever could catch the soldier! (I encourage you to please search this story on the internet. It is worth seeing!)
I was amazed at how this story resonates so much with the way God deals with us. He would not want us lost into the hands of the enemy; He did and is still doing everything to rescue us; to preserve us for further use and for His glory. Jesus, our Great Shepherd is the one that will risk it all, leaving the ninety-nine to go after the one lost sheep! That sheep must not be left for the wolves, bears or lions to devour. He does everything to rescue, revive and restore. Oh, what love and commitment!
The Egyptian man in the story above, still had a ray of hope; he still had something useful if only someone was going to rescue and help him back to life. His former military officer was not ready for this and he felt the next thing to do, was to abandon him. David and his men nursed him back to life and he became an asset. He gave them the useful information that led to the rescue of their wives and children…including their plundered livestock and goods. The man who was abandoned to die off, carried a destiny that still mattered to the restoration of many, back to their families. There was much more for him to do on Earth; his purpose was not yet exhausted, but the circumstances of his illness was going to diminish his purpose. Meanwhile, this turned out to be a blessing in disguise. His destiny was rescued and restored because help came right on time.
May God send help my (&your) way early and on time. May we come in contact with our destiny helpers early enough. May we also, be helpers to the destiny of others. In situations where we seem to have been abandoned or forgotten, for reasons beyond our control; may the Divine step in to bring restoration of life and hope; may strength come again; may life come again. May the circumstances of life not limit our usefulness and resourcefulness. May every deposit of the grace and the endowments of God, find expression in and through us. Amen!
© Funmi Adebayo