1 Samuel 30 - David Strengthens Himself in the Lord

Previously in 1 Samuel, the Philistines were readying their armies for battle with the Israelites. As they were numbering their troops, the lords of the Philistines saw David and his men among them. They became angry with Achish, and told him to send David away so that he would not fall away to Saul in the battle. David appeared to be disappointed with this, but nonetheless, Achish sent him and his men back to Ziklag the following morning.

It took them about three days to get back to Ziklag, so they would have traveled about 25 miles a day. This would have left them tired and hungry, and they would have been looking forward to coming home to their families. However, when they got there, things were not as they had hoped. While they were gone, the Amalekites had attacked Ziklag, carried away all their wives and children as captives (David’s wives included), and burned the city with fire. If we recall, the Amalekites were among the groups that David attacked while living in Philistine country, so this was likely an act of retaliation. God had gotten David out of the mess of fighting with the Philistines, but there were still consequences for his decisions over the last 16 months.

When the men saw the city and that all their wives and children were gone, they wept until they were out of strength to weep any longer. The men were so embittered by what had happened that they spoke of stoning David. They had entrusted David as their leader, and in David’s attempting to please Achish, he overlooked the possibility that the Amalekites would take revenge on him for what he had done. David was greatly distressed, but it states he strengthened himself in the Lord his God. This was a difficult time for David, but it was an important test before he would take the throne. David needed correction, and he needed practice of what to do when everyone turns on him. I have heard it said that you don’t really know that Jesus is all you need until Jesus is all you have. David made the right choice in strengthening himself in the Lord his God, for the Lord is the only one who can truly give men strength when they are weary.

This is the first time in 16 months that we have record of David seeking the Lord. So far, he has been running from the Lord’s people and doing what seemed good in his own eyes, but now he is seeking the Lord for direction. He called Abiathar the priest to enquire of the Lord, and the Lord said “Pursue, for you shall surely overtake them and without fail recover all.” It is a wonder that the cruel Amalekites did not harm any of the women and children, but this was the Lord’s mercy on David and his men. David made some wrong choices in a tough spot, but the Lord was merciful because He knew David’s heart was in a state where he would respond to His correction.

After this, David and his men pursued after the Amalekites, and they came to the brook Besor where he left 200 of his men because they were too weary to go any further. David was now left with only two thirds of his men. Then they found an Egyptian in the field who had not eaten food nor drunk water in three days, for he had gotten sick and been left behind by the Amalekites. So, David gave him some food and water, and his strength revived. The Egyptian told David what had happened, and David asked him if he could take him down to where the Amalekites were. The Egyptian said that he would do so if David would swear to him by God that he would not kill him or deliver him into the hands of his master.

When the Egyptian brought David and his men down, the Amalekites were celebrating their victory over the Philistines and over the tribe of Judah with a big party. They assumed they were safe, since the Philistines and Israel were preparing for battle further to the north. David attacked them by surprise, and killed them until evening of the next day. None of them escaped except for four hundred men who fled away on camels. David and his men recovered all; nothing was lacking from their wives, children, or goods. In addition, David took the Philistine’s spoil, and returned to the 200 men that were left at the brook Besor.

When they got back to their camp, the wicked men among them said that because the 200 men did not go with them into battle, they would not share the spoil with them. They would give them their wives and children, and then have them depart. However, David said that they should not do so. The Lord had delivered their enemies into their hands, given them back their wives and children, and given them the spoil, so they should share with everyone. So, David made a statute and ordinance for Israel that “as his part is who goes down to the battle, so shall his part be who stays by the supplies; they shall share alike.” There is so much that the Lord has given us out of His sheer goodness, and as a result, we should be willing to share that with others. Also, these men were too weak to go any further. Paul wrote to the Romans that those who are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak (Rom 15:1). David knew what it was like to be weary, and he wanted to show mercy to those who had been too weak to go with him.

David also sent a portion of the spoil to the elders of the tribe of Judah and to the other places he and his men were accustomed to stay. His own tribe had not always been good to him, for if we recall, the Ziphites had betrayed him twice to Saul. However, he returned this with kindness from the abundance the Lord had given him. David did not know this, but Saul was already dead by this point. It would be soon after this that the tribe of Judah would rally around David, and he would rule over them as king for seven and a half years.

Are we like David who was weary? At the worst possible time in our lives, has everyone turned on us, blamed us (justly or unjustly), and sought to do us harm? Sure, we probably don’t have people who want to stone us, but people can certainly make our lives difficult when they have a mind to. If so, let us be like David who strengthened himself in the Lord his God. The Scriptures state, “But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:31) Jesus is truly all we need; everything else is icing on the cake. Let us also show kindness to those who are weak and weary, remembering how the Lord has helped us in our time of need. In the final chapter of 1 Samuel, the scene will shift back to Saul and Israel’s battle with the Philistines. 

1 Samuel 29 - David Rejected by the Philistines

 

Previously in 1 Samuel, we saw the Philistines gather their armies together at Shunem, and Saul gathered Israel together at Gilboa. Saul was able to look down on the hosts of the Philistines, and he trembled with fear. He sought counsel from the Lord, but the Lord would not answer him. As a result, he sought out a medium to call up Samuel from the dead to find out what he should do. Normally, a medium would only talk to an evil spirit that would impersonate the dead person, but it appears in this instance that the Lord allowed Samuel to be called up as a witness against Saul. Whatever the case, visiting a medium is strictly forbidden in the Scriptures. Samuel reminded Saul that the kingdom had been taken from him because he refused to obey the Lord by destroying the Amalekites, and that it was given to his neighbor, David. Samuel told him that all Israel will be delivered into the hand of the Philistines, and that tomorrow Saul and his sons would be with him. In other words, Saul and his sons would die in battle. This pronouncement of judgment was likely a direct response to Saul’s decision to visit a medium rather than repent from his sins, and his choice will unfortunately affect his sons and the rest of the nation as well.

Next, the scene shifts back to the Philistines and to David and his men. If we recall, Achish wanted David and his men to go into battle with him, and David agreed to do so. We do not know what David’s true intentions were here: was he planning on fighting with the Philistines against his own people, or was he planning on turning on the Philistines in battle? Either way, his options did not look good.

The Philistines gathered their armies together at Aphek, and the Israelites gathered together near a fountain in Jezreel. As the Philistines numbered their men, they saw David and his men, and said, “What are these Hebrews doing here?” Achish replied that it was David, and that he had found no fault with him since he had defected to him more than a year ago. However, the lords of the Philistines were angry with Achish, and told him to send David back to his appointed place so he would not turn on them in battle. They saw the inherit risk here, and understandably so. David could finally win Saul’s favor with the heads of some Philistines. They remembered several years earlier when David had killed their champion, Goliath, and how the women sang, “Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands.”

Achish called David, and told him that he had to return back to Ziklag. He said that as the Lord lives, he knew that David was upright and he had not found any evil in him, but he did not want to displease the lords of the Philistines. It is interesting that Achish is invoking the name of the Lord here. This could be out of respect for David, or maybe David’s presence there had some positive influence on Achish. David should not have been there, but the Lord can still bring good out of our sinful choices. David objected to this, stating, “But what have I done? And to this day what have you found in your servant as long as I have been with you, that I may not go and fight against the enemies of my lord the king?” Again, this could mean David was actually intending on fighting against his own people, or he was lying to Achish as before to further his plan to reconcile himself to Israel and to Saul. Achish replied, “I know that you are as good in my sight as an angel of God; nevertheless the princes of the Philistines have said, ‘He shall not go up with us to the battle.’ Now therefore, rise early in the morning with your master’s servants who have come with you. And as soon as you are up early in the morning and have light, depart.” So, David and his men departed in the morning, and the Philistines headed up to Jezreel.

David was about to make a terrible choice that could have jeopardized his kingdom and possibly his life, but God got him out of the mess. The Lord used rejection to accomplish His will in  this situation; He used the ungodly Philistine’s rejection of David to get David back where he was supposed to be. Rejection never feels good in the moment, but especially when it comes from the ungodly, there is usually a good reason for it. I’m so glad the Lord gets us out of our messes at times. I think back on some of the choices I have made, and how God either kept me from going through with it or He spared me from all the consequences of my actions. This is just the kindness and mercy of God at play here in David’s life. The Lord knew David would make these mistakes when He anointed him king, but He also knew David’s heart. He knew that David would respond to His discipline and turn back to Him, and that is what we will see in the following chapter.