1 Samuel 23:1

1 Samuel 23:1 says, Then they told David, saying, Behold, the Philistines fight against Keilah, and they rob the threshingfloors.  Though David was on the run and hiding from Saul with a limited number of men and resources, when the city of Keilah was under attack by the Philistines, the people still came to David for help and not to Saul.  This would have been an ideal time for David to put his safety first and refuse to help them.  There may be times when our fellow Christians, or even non Christians come to us for help and it would be safer for us to deny them our help, but hopefully we will put our faith in God and help them.  Verse two adds, Therefore David inquired of the LORD, saying, Shall I go and smite these Philistines? And the LORD said unto David, Go, and smite the Philistines, and save Keilah.  At least David was wise enough to first ask God for guidance in whether to help them or not.  Of course, his question implied even more.  He didn't ask if he should go and fight the Philistines, but asked if he should go and defeat them under God's guidance and power.   God told David to go, defeat the Philistines, and save Keilah.  As we engage in battle with the world today, under God's guidance and by His power, the vicory is already ours.  Verse three adds, And David’s men said unto him, Behold, we be afraid here in Judah: how much more then if we come to Keilah against the armies of the Philistines?  David’s men weren't so certain about going.  They said they were already afraid of Saul where they were in Judah, and asked how much more danger would they put themselves in if they went to fight the Philistines.  This would give Saul and opportunity to find them as well.  We cannot allow fear to rule our lives today, but under God's guidance and by His power we must be ready to take on any enemy that we need to, even if doing so doesn't seem logical.  Verse four states, Then David inquired of the LORD yet again. And the LORD answered him and said, Arise, go down to Keilah; for I will deliver the Philistines into thine hand.  After his men questioned him, David again inquired of God, and he got the same answer.  Though we should be ready to accept God's answer the first time we ask Him about something and He has told us to do it, if it involves the safety of others, we may feel the need to ask Him again to be certain.  Verse five adds, So David and his men went to Keilah, and fought with the Philistines, and brought away their cattle, and smote them with a great slaughter. So David saved the inhabitants of Keilah.  David and his men obeyed God and went to Keilah, defeated the Philistines, and saved the city.  This was all done by God's empowering David and his men, and if we today are to be successful in our war against Satan and his forces, it will only be by the power of God that we are.  Verse six continues, And it came to pass, when Abiathar the son of Ahimelech fled to David to Keilah, that he came down with an ephod in his hand.  Abiathar,  Abimelech's only surviving son, came to David at Keilah with an ephod in his hand.  Matthew Henry says this was the ephod of the high priest which contained the urim and thummin, which would have brought great comfort to David, since he couldn't go to the house of worship where they were at.  We need to acknowledge that if for some reason we cannot get to a house of worship today that as followers of Christ the Holy Spirit is always with us, and we are in God's presence no matter where we are.  Of course, this doesn't mean that we are to use any excuse to not gather together with our fellow believers.