Scripture reading – 1 Samuel 30
David and his men lived at Ziklag for sixteen months, and prospered in the midst of the Philistines (27:8-11). Tragedy, however, struck while the men were deployed to the battlefront with king Achish and the Philistines. Knowing the Philistines had removed to wage war with Israel, the Amalekites determined to use their absence as an opportunity to attack Ziklag, no doubt to exact revenge for David’s raids upon their cities (27:8-9). With the men away, the Amalekites encountered no opposition, and took away the women, sons and daughters, and burned the city (30:1-2).
David’s men departed the battlefront, and arrived at Ziklag on the third day (30:1), and found the city destroyed, and their wives and children missing (30:3). Distraught, and overcome with grief, David and his men wept until there were no more tears (30:4), yet grief quickly turned to bitterness. As mankind is so prone to do, the men, without delay, set upon whom to blame, and “David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him” (30:6a).
In his distress, “David encouraged himself in the Lord his God,” and commanded Abiathar the priest, to bring the ephod of the high priest, and “David inquired at the Lord…[and the LORD] answered him, Pursue: for thou shalt surely overtake them, and without fail recover all” (30:8). David obeyed without hesitation, and with six hundred men followed after the Amalekites (30:9). Two hundred of the six hundred men, had become faint and were left behind, while David continued his pursuit of their families (30:9-10).
They came upon an Egyptian slave whose master had abandoned him without food or water (30:11-15). Reviving him with food and water, the Egyptian agreed to lead David and his men to the Amalekite’s camp, with a promise his life would be spared (30:15). Finding the Amalekites celebrating the spoils they had taken from Ziklag, David and his men attacked them “from the twilight [darkness] even unto the evening [setting sun] of the next day: and there escaped not a man of them, save four hundred young men, which rode upon camels, and fled” (30:17).
It was a glorious victory, and all that had been taken was recovered, including David’s two wives (30:5, 18). David took the spoils of the Amalekites for himself, and sent some of the spoils as presents to the elders of Judah (30:26-31).
There were some wicked men among David’s four hundred, described as “men of Belial,” who begrudged returning the possessions of the two hundred men who had stayed behind (30:9, 22). David quickly intervened, and reminded those complainers that it was not they, but the LORD who had given them the victory, preserved them, and saved their wives and children (30:23).
David’s decision became a law for Israel thereafter, being reminded the battle, and the victory is the LORD’S. (30:24-25)
Copyright 2021 – Travis D. Smith