CHRIST,  OUR
SYMPATHETIC  HELPER

1 And it came to pass, when David and his men were come to Ziklag on the third day, that the Amalekites had invaded the south, and Ziklag, and smitten Ziklag, and burned it with fire,
2 And had taken the women captives, that were it it; they killed not any, either great or small, but carried them away, and went on their way.
3 So David and his men came to the city and, behold, it was burned with fire, and their wives, and their sons, and their daughters were taken captives.
4 Then David and the people who were with him lifted up their voice and wept, until they had no more strength to weep.
5 And David's two wives were taken captives, Ahinoam, the Jezreelitess, and Abigail, the wife of Nabal, the Carmelite.
6 And David was greatly distressed; for the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters. But David encouraged himself in the LORD his God.

9 So David went, he and the six hundred men who were with him, and came to the brook Besor, where those that were left behind stayed.
10 But David pursued, he and four hundred men; for two hundred abode behind, who were so faint that they could not go over the brook Besor.

17 And David struck them down from the twilight even till the evening of the next day; and there escaped not a man of them, except four hundred young men, who rode on camels and fled.

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1 And David numbered the people who were with him, and set captains of thousands and captains of hundreds over them.
2 And David sent forth a third part of the people under the hand of Joab; and a third part under the hand of Abishai, the son of Zeruiah, Joab's brother; and a third part under the hand of Ittai, the Gittite. And the king said to the people, I will surely go out with you myself also.
3 But the people answered, thou shalt not go forth; for if we flee away, they will not care for us; neither if half of us die, will they care for us. But thou art worth ten thousands of us; therefore, now, it is better that thou send us aid from the city.
4 And the king said to them, What seems to you best, I will do. And the king stood beside the gate, and all the people came out by hundreds and by thousands.

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The latter passage shows David's men fighting Absalom in active combat. Because of his age, and the critical necessity of his survival as king, David would not accompany them to the battlefield. He would instead send them help from the city. Thus he is a type of Christ, sending us help from heaven while we are at the front of the spiritual battle on earth.

But formerly, according to the first passage above, David had been at the battle-front himself, and had been supported from elsewhere by the two hundred men who had "stayed with the baggage" (verse 24). In this he's a type of Christ, prepared to help us sympathetically by experiencing what it is to depend on help. Christ assures us that, whatever we ask in His Name, He will do it for us (John 14:13). He helps us sympathetically because He has been where we now are.

Christ was PREPARED to send us help sympathetically BY  DEPENDENCE  ON  THE   FATHER. He is thus seen in the type furnished by David, being aided by the two hundred men (verse 10) guarding the baggage. Let us not imagine that, since these men were weary, they couldn't have been doing anything important! On the contrary, the baggage they were guarding would have been items necessary for warfare, and food for David's band. This was essential; that's why David put such value on "staying with the baggage" in verse 24. This great value on those men's service makes it a fitting type of the help Christ received from heaven during His earthly life.

Christ depended on the Father BECAUSE  OF  HIS  HUMILIATION. He humbled Himself to the point of depending even on human aid. It was not that He had abandoned access to His divine power; but because He never used His divine power to meet His own needs. but only those of others. For that reason, He needed the human care of Mary and Joseph while He was growing up, as is recognized in God's order for Joseph to flee to Egypt (Matthew 2:13-23), and even in God's warning the wise men to take a different route home (Matthew 2:12). He lived on voluntary support from saints (Luke 8:3), those who "ministered to Him of their substance."

Angels ministered to Christ after His temptation in the desert (Matthew 4:11), which likely included helping Him find food, since He was hungry after His long fast. In Gethsemane (Luke 22:43), "an angel appeared to Him, strengthening Him." In His humiliation, He had voluntarily put Himself in need of this support.

When David was leading the avenging of Ziklag, he consulted God through Abiathar, the priest. This reminds us of Christ's prayer life, which showed His dependence on the Father. Christ prayed after His baptism (Luke 3:21), in which He had set an example for us to follow. He also prayed alone in the desert (Luke 5:16). He prayed all night before choosing His apostles (Luke 6:12). After feeding the five thousand, Christ sent to a mountain to pray alone (Matthew 14:22, 23). He prayed during the Transfiguration (Luke 9:28, 29). He prayed in an unnamed place, after which the apostles asked Him to teach them to pray (Luke 11:1, 2). And He prayed with earnestness that caused blood-like sweat, in Gethsemane (Matthew 26:36, 39, 44). All His prayer life showed His dependence on support from heaven.

Christ also depended on the Father  TO  REVEAL  HIS  CHARACTER. This is typified in David, while he was fighting Amalek, in his showing grace toward the Egyptian who had been abandoned by his Amalekite master. He took care of him in his sickness. This reminds us of Christ, who, while He was fighting the spiritual battle on earth, "went about doing good" (Acts 10:38). His care for the unfortunate man illustrates both truths of John 10:10. Satan, represented by Amalek, destroys. Christ, represented by David, gives life.

When David discovered what Amalek had done to Ziklag, he experienced the height of rejection. He had been in exile for many years, leading a band of outlaws who had joined him. But now, even some of his own band spoke of stoning him (verse 6). In this he portrays Christ, who was rejected on earth but led a small company of disciples. At his most critical hour, just before going to the Cross, He experienced the height of rejection when all His disciples forsook Him and fled (Matthew 26:56), and Judas even betrayed Him.

Yet David "encouraged himself in the LORD his God" (verse 6). This was like Christ's confidence in the Father's justifying Him

7 For the LORD God will help Me; therefore shall I not be confounded: therefore have I set My face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed.
8 He is near that justifies Me; who will contend with Me? . . .

After this preparation by depending on the Father during His earthly life, Christ is. NOW  SENDING  US  HELP  FROM  HEAVEN, as is represented by David's sending help to his army from Mahanaim while they were fighting Absalom. We are assured that He will provide help sympathetically, since He once was where we now are, experiencing the same need of help from above.

On a bitterly cold day in January, the president of the telephone company serving New York City was seen coming out of a manhole, wearing his executive clothes. Observers wondered whether there had been a serious problem with phone lines, or whether he was worried about business problems. But in reality he had simply gone down to encourage his men who were working on an emergency job, to make them feel appreciated and understood. Likewise Christ experienced what our world is like, and helps us with our problems sympathetically.

We can count on Christ's help from heaven because of. HIS  CAPABILITY. David's army said he was "worth ten thousand of them." It is certainly not mere coincidence that this is the same figure that's cited in Song of Solomon 5:10, saying that Christ, our heavenly Bridegroom, is the "chiefest among ten thousand." But in one detail here, David is a type of Christ by contrast. David would have been able to be either with his army, or in the city to send help to them, but not both. Christ is both in heaven, from where He sends us aid, and among us on earth.

David would provide aid for his band by providing their needs, and by receiving them within the city walls if they were obliged to flee. Christ provides our similar needs in the spiritual battle by aiding us when we flee temptation, or other dangers, and assuring us that we're never tempted above what He enables us to bear (I Corinthians 10:13).

We can also count on Christ's help from heaven because of  HIS  FAITHFULNESS. It is believed that David wrote Psalm 20 when his men were going out to fight Absalom's army, and that he spoke these words to them as they passed through the gate of Mahanaim to go to the battlefield. The details of it fit the occasion so well:--

1 The LORD hear you in the day of trouble; the name of the God of Jacob defend you;
2 Send you help from the sanctuary, and strengthen you out of Zion;
3 Remember all your offerings, and accept you sacrifice.
4 Grand you according to your own heart, and fulfill all your counsel.
5 We will rejoice in your salvation, and in the name of our God we will set up our banners; the LORD fulfill all your petitions.
6 Now I know that the LORD saves His anointed; He will hear him from His holy heaven with the saving strength of His right hand.
7 Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; but we will remember the name of the LORD our God.
8 They are brought down and fallen; but we are risen, and stand upright.
9 Save, LORD; let the king hear us when we call.

When David's men were leaving Mahanaim to fight Absalom's army, it certainly was a "day of trouble" for them (verse 1). Though David would be sending them help from the city, he was only an instrument; the ultimate source of help would be God, in the sanctuary in heaven (verse 2). David was assured that victory would come, and they would rejoice and set up banners (verse 5). Horses and chariots were seldom used in Israel in David's time, and before. They were used rather by foreign nations, and God had discouraged the use of horses. It was Solomon who made them common in Israel. Yet Absalom had procured himself a chariot and horses (II Samuel 15:1), and was trusting partly in them (verse 7). King David would be answering the army with help; but also he and his army together would be calling on God as their supreme King (verse 9).

This same Psalm shows us how Christ sends us help. He assures us of help from the heavenly sanctuary (verses 2 and 6). Christ remembers our sacrifices (verse 3) of praise (Hebrews 13:15), good works (Hebrews 13:16), and our bodies (Romans 12:1). He answers our prayers (verse 5). He assures us of His victory, to be finalized in His return (verse 6). Therefore we trust in God rather than in human means for all our needs (verse 7). These include our living, for no means of livelihood is infallibly guaranteed, but God provides one for His own. They include our health, for the care we take of it only gives the body the best conditions to keep itself well, and God does the rest. They also include our spiritual strength, and wisdom for our duties.

Christ's High-Priestly ministry therefore includes sending us help from heaven; and He does so as a High Priest who became like us so as to sympathize with us (Hebrews 2:17). He is aware of our needs. He was prepared to send us help by experiencing Himself how it is to receive help, when He lived in dependence on the Father. Let us therefore trust Him fully as a faithful and infallible Helper. He assures us that the Father knows our needs-- physical and spiritual-- even before we ask (Matthew 6:8, 32). He will meet them by the means and in the manner that He knows to be best. Let us come to our heavenly Helper freely and confidently; He has promised us help from above.