Friday, June 14 – 1 Samuel 30, 31 – Additional Reading, Patriarchs and Prophets Chapter 68, “David at Ziklag”

1. How did David find courage when the people wanted to stone him in Ziklag? (1 Samuel 30:6)

2. What new rule was established in Israel after the defeat of the Amalekites? (1 Samuel 30:23, 24)

3. Why did Saul’s armor-bearer refuse to kill him? (1 Samuel 31:4)

Commentary and Reflection

After being dismissed by Achish, king of the Philistines, when David and his men arrived in Ziklag, a village of Judah, they found it plundered and burned. To make matters worse, women, children, and all who were there had been kidnapped, although no one was killed. Probably, the purpose was to sell them as slaves.

Adding insult to injury, after he and his men cried until they had no strength, his men turned against David and blamed him for the Amalekites’ revenge. They threatened to stone him, and David was greatly distressed. Faced with this situation, he regained his composure and resolved to cast his lot with God. In the face of this terrible loss, he left us an example of what to do when we find ourselves in a dead end, “But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God” (1 Samuel 30:6). “Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You.” (Psalm 56:3), he said in his heart.

He called for Abiathar, the priest, son of Ahimelech, and “consulted the Lord, saying, ‘Shall “Shall I pursue this troop? Shall I overtake them?” “Pursue,” he answered, “for you shall surely overtake them and without fail recover all.” 1 Samuel 30:8

David and his soldiers pursued their enemies. Their march was so rapid that when they reached the Brook Besor, which empties into the Mediterranean near Gaza, two hundred company men were forced to stay behind due to exhaustion. But David, with the remaining four hundred, continued to advance undeterred. I imagine David remembered the story of Gideon. If, with three hundred men, he could defeat an army, with four hundred, they could do the same, trusting in the divine promise.

Once again, David’s generous spirit is noteworthy. When they returned from defeating their enemies, some did not want to share the loot with those who had stayed behind at the brook due to exhaustion. In contrast, David showed a kind spirit. As he rightly said, the victory came from the Lord. David’s words were irrefutable, “For who will heed you in this matter? But as his part is who goes down to the battle, so shall his part be who stays by the supplies; they shall share alike.” (1 Samuel 30:24). From that moment on, this became the practice in Israel.

After repairing what was destroyed in Ziklag, David and the others wanted to know the outcome of the war between Israel and the Philistines. Israel fled before the Philistines, they pursued Saul and his sons, Jonathan and Malchishua.

Saul ordered his armor-bearer to kill him, but out of fear, he refused. They both fell on their swords.

What a sad end for Saul! With such a promising future, he wasted it by not submitting to God’s will.

Let us pray that we will be like David in obedience and attitude.