(1 Sam. 30)
“TO whom belongest thou, and whence art thou?” says the king here to this stranger, and gets for answer, “I am a young man of Egypt.” I am a worldling. Egypt in Scripture is the figure of the world where Satan reigns. Egypt is the type of the world as a sphere of sin, lust, and folly, and holds every man until he is converted and brought to God. This man says, “I am a young man of Egypt”; but he goes further— “servant to an Amalekite.” Amalek has a large place in Scripture. It is the flesh, used by the devil to keep a man away from God. He does not care how he keeps you, or how he holds you. He is not careful as to the means by which he maintains his grip of you. “Divers lusts and pleasures” are his tackle. With one man it is money, with another the wine-cup, with another the gambling-hell, with another the card-table, with another the race-course. With others it may merely be the football field, the cricket field, ―or something yet more refined, as music, painting, sculpture, and the like; but Satan uses the flesh to be your keeper.
It is a very small matter what comes in between your soul and Christ. If there be, as it were, but the thickness of the finest piece of gold-leaf between your soul and Christ, where are you? You are on your road to eternal judgment. It is better far to own that you are the servant of the Amalekite, than to shut your eyes to your real state. This young man fully owns his, saying, “And my master left me, because three days ago I fell sick.” I think that is very touching. He was left to die like a dog in the field, because he could not be of use to his old master. The devil eventually treats all his servants badly. Look at the prodigal in Luke 15. As long as he had plenty of money, he was “Hail fellow! well met.” As long as his funds held out he was sought for, but afterward “no man gave unto him.” I daresay some of you know the same thing. What a nice fellow you were when you had plenty of money. Everybody was your friend. When your money ran out, some of your boon companions―your quondam friends―put up their glasses, and even then did not see you. They simply dropped you when you were of no more use to them. When you want the world, the world does not want you. That is the example you get from this scene.
What a tale! “My master left me, because three days ago I fell sick.” I was of no more use to him, and he left me to die like a dog in the field. You know the story of Beau Brummel, the man who said to royalty, “George, ring the bell.” He was the leader of Europe’s fashion. The cut of his coat and the shape of his collars were copied, and so favored was he by royalty that he made a bet that he would ask a royal prince to ring the bell, and he did it. The prince, offended by the request, nevertheless complied, and the bell was rung. When the footman came, the command was given, “Order Mr. Brummel’s carriage,” and from that moment he fell. You know how he died. In a dirty low garret in Paris, felled by the most loathsome disease that can attack a man―small-pox―he lay alone and neglected, with none to soothe him, or close his dying eyes. That is just an illustration of how the devil treats his servants. You had better change your master. It is far better to be on Christ’s side.
The young Egyptian, encouraged by David’s grace, makes a clean breast of his sins. “We made an invasion on the south... and we burned Ziklag with fire.” He says in effect: ―I know who you are, the one against whom I have sinned; but I know that there is enough grace in your heart to forgive all, even though I helped to put the flame to your city. The man who owns his sin always gets blessing from God. The man who owns his true state is the man who receives mercy invariably from God. Oh that you might own your sin, and, if you have been until now a man of the world and amongst those who are serving the flesh and the devil, would now change your master! God is giving you a fine chance tonight.
“And David said to him, Canst thou bring me down to this company?” He says, as it were, Will you have a new master? That is the proposal God makes to you tonight. Young man, will you have a new master? Unconverted, unsaved man, will you have a new master? It is a very fine answer that David gets here. “Swear unto me by God, that thou wilt neither kill me, nor deliver me into the hands of my master, and I will bring thee down to this company” (1 Sam. 30:1313And David said unto him, To whom belongest thou? and whence art thou? And he said, I am a young man of Egypt, servant to an Amalekite; and my master left me, because three days agone I fell sick. (1 Samuel 30:13)). He wants to be sure of his own safety, and of his full and final deliverance from the captivity which had been so galling to his spirit. “Canst thou bring me down to this company?” is Christ’s word to you also. Wilt thou be converted, and go back to your old friends, taking God with you? The Lord converted me at ten o’clock one Sunday night, and what did I do? I went straight away home to my lodgings in the north of London, where was a young fellow who lived with me. He had been that night at the meeting with me, but at the close of the preaching he went home, while I stayed, and was converted.
When I got home he was seated in front of the fire, and tears were rolling down his cheeks. He was anxious to be saved. I said, “Well, Tom, how is it with you?” He turned, and said, “I see how it is with you. I know it by your face.” “Thank God!” I replied, “I am saved. I believe in Jesus, and He has saved me.” “And then what did I do? I tried to bring my friend to Jesus, and within twenty-four hours I had the joy of seeing him at the Saviour’s feet, and seeing him on the Lord’s side. There is nothing more glorious and blessed than, first of all, to come to the Saviour, and then to bring men to Him.
“Canst thou bring me down to this company?” the Lord Jesus Christ says to you tonight. Will you be Mine from this night forth? is the query. “Swear to me by God, that thou wilt neither kill me, nor deliver me into the hands of my master, and I will bring thee down to this company,” said the Egyptian. Assured of salvation, he would willingly serve. So is it with the redeemed soul now. But you need have no doubts as to the Lord’s purpose regarding you. He will not kill you! Christ kill you? “The Son of Man is not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them” (Luke 9:5656For the Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them. And they went to another village. (Luke 9:56)). Kill you? Oh no! The Son of God came in grace to bring you life. Kill you? Who would dream of putting a question like that to Christ now? Yet it is in some hearts tonight. To all such doubting believers, what does the Lord say? “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any pluck them out of my hand” (John 10:2727My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: (John 10:27)).
The young Egyptian brought David down to his old company, and what was the result? They were found “eating, and drinking, and dancing.” That is just what the men of the world are doing now, “eating, drinking, and dancing.” They forget the past, and do not fear the future. They; ignore sin, and hope that there will be no judgment, but judgment comes. What follows? “David smote them from the twilight even unto the evening of the next day, and there escaped not a man of them, save four hundred young men, which rode on camels and fled” (vs. 17). Some of them―four hundred young men―got away, but, in the day when the Lord comes in judgment, there will be no camels for you to flee on. There will be no way of escape then; you may be perfectly sure of that, “For when they shall say peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape” (1 Thess. 5:33For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. (1 Thessalonians 5:3)). You had better get to Jesus now. If you are wise you will turn to the Saviour now. If you belong to Him tonight, you can enter on His service straight off.
Get under the flag of salvation, and become one of those who gladly own Christ as their Master. I know that your old comrades may call you a turncoat. Never mind that. When I was converted I was to have sung at a concert, but I wrote to the conductor and said, “The Lord has saved me, and if I come down to your concert I shall have to sing about Christ. I cannot sing about anything else now; I must sing about Christ, and if I do so I am rather afraid I shall spoil your concert.” I did not go, and when people asked where I was, the answer was given that it was feared that my head was turned. It was better than that, my heart was turned, and I wish you had the same complaint. I wish you would turn round and start for the Lord. I have such a good Master, and such a good service now, that I can heartily commend Him and it to you. It is a magnificent thing to be a servant of the Lord, and I pity the man who is still on the devil’s side. I implore you, Get out of that damnation corps―the company serving under the black flag of eternal damnation. Get to the Lord, and if your course in life be long or short, there is nothing but sweetness and gladness in it.
Look at what follows here! Look at the spoil they got. And what about the two hundred who were stopped by the flood of the brook Besor? Ah, they got the same, reward as those who went to the battle! David was faithful and considerate to those whose weakness had detained them. “As his part is that goeth down to the battle, so shall his part be that tarrieth by the stuff: THEY SHALL SHARE ALIKE” (vs. 24). The rewards are yet to be distributed for faithful service, and, as David did not forget the men who abode with the stuff, so Christ our Lord says, “Behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be” (Rev. 22:1212And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. (Revelation 22:12)).
The truth of reward for service is very fully developed in the New Testament. It is never a motive for devotedness, but is always a holy incentive. No action done for Christ can ever be forgotten, “For whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in my name, because ye belong to Christ, verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward” (Mark 9:4141For whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in my name, because ye belong to Christ, verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward. (Mark 9:41)). Again we read: “A certain nobleman (Christ) went into a far country, to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return. And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come” (Luke 19:12, 1312He said therefore, A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return. 13And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come. (Luke 19:12‑13)). When the Lord returns one man can say, “Lord, thy pound hath gained ten pounds” (vs. 16). He is set over ten cities. Another says, “Lord, thy pound hath gained five pounds” (vs. 18). In this case the ability of the servant would seem to be equal, but their devotedness or their zeal differed, and the reward is proportionate—rule over ten cities, and five respectively. On the other hand, we read, “Unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability” (Matt. 25:1515And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey. (Matthew 25:15)). Here the ability differs, and the talent committed in trust is in view of that. When the Lord returns the first can say, “Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents; behold I have gained beside them five talents more” (vs. 20). The second says, “Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents; behold, I have gained two other talents beside them.” To each of these, whose ability differed, but whose devotedness was equal, ―for each had doubled his capital, ―the Lord says, “Well done, thou good aid faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things; enter thou into the joy of thy lord” (verses 21, 23). The ability differed, but the devotedness being equal the reward is identical.
To serve such a Master is joy indeed. Forget not that He says: “If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honor” (John 12:2626If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honor. (John 12:26)).
In conclusion, I implore you to turn to the Lord now, and then if your friends should call you a turncoat, I will tell you what answer you should give them. Just say to them, “Imitate me, aid you will be on the right side of the line, and will have the right Master.” May you give your hearts to Jesus now, and from this moment forth be able to say, I am on Christ’s side through infinite grace, and am seeking to serve Him, the best of Masters.
W. T. P. W.