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 therein: they slew 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 that were with him lifted up their voice and wept, until they had no more power 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 spake 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.
7 And David said to Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech's son, I pray thee, bring me hither the ephod. And Abiathar brought thither the ephod to David.
8 And David inquired at the LORD, saying, Shall I pursue after this troop? shall I overtake them? And he answered him, Pursue: for thou shalt surely overtake them, and without fail recover all.
9 So David went, he and the six hundred men that 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, which were so faint that they could not go over the brook Besor.
11 And they found an Egyptian in the field, and brought him to David, and gave him bread, and he did eat; and they made him drink water;
12 And they gave him a piece of a cake of figs, and two clusters of raisins: and when he had eaten, his spirit came again to him: for he had eaten no bread, nor drunk any water, three days and three nights.
13 And David said unto him, To whom belongest thou? and whence art thou? And he said, I am a young man of Egypt, servant to an Amalekite; and my master left me, because three days agone I fell sick.
14 We made an invasion upon the south of the Cherethites, and upon the coast which belongeth to Judah, and upon the south of Caleb; and we burned Ziklag with fire.
15 And David said to him, Canst thou bring me down to this company? And he said, Swear unto me by God, that thou wilt neither kill me, nor deliver me into the hands of my master, and I will bring thee down to this company.
16 And when he had brought him down, behold, they were spread abroad upon all the earth, eating and drinking, and dancing, because of all the great spoil that they had taken out of the land of the Philistines, and out of the land of Judah.
17 And David smote them from the twilight even unto the evening of the next day: and there escaped not a man of them, save four hundred young men, which rode upon camels, and fled.
18 And David recovered all that the Amalekites had carried away: and David rescued his two wives.
19 And there was nothing lacking to them, neither small nor great, neither sons nor daughters, neither spoil, nor any thing that they had taken to them: David recovered all.
20 And David took all the flocks and the herds, which they drave before those other cattle, and said, This is David's spoil.
21 And David came to the two hundred men, which were so faint that they could not follow David, whom they had made also to abide at the brook Besor: and they went forth to meet David, and to meet the people that were with him: and when David came near to the people, he saluted them.
22 Then answered all the wicked men and men of Belial, of those that went with David, and said, Because they went not with us, we will not give them ought of the spoil that we have recovered, save to every man his wife and his children, that they may lead them away, and depart.
23 Then said David, Ye shall not do so, my brethren, with that which the LORD hath given us, who hath preserved us, and delivered the company that came against us into our hand.
24 For who will hearken unto you in this matter? but as his part is that goeth down to the battle, so shall his part be that tarrieth by the stuff: they shall part alike.
25 And it was so from that day forward, that he made it a statute and an ordinance for Israel unto this day.
26 And when David came to Ziklag, he sent of the spoil unto the elders of Judah, even to his friends, saying, Behold a present for you of the spoil of the enemies of the LORD;
27 To them which were in Bethel, and to them which were in south Ramoth, and to them which were in Jattir,
28 And to them which were in Aroer, and to them which were in Siphmoth, and to them which were in Eshtemoa,
29 And to them which were in Rachal, and to them which were in the cities of the Jerahmeelites, and to them which were in the cities of the Kenites,
30 And to them which were in Hormah, and to them which were in Chorashan, and to them which were in Athach,
31 And to them which were in Hebron, and to all the places where David himself and his men were wont to haunt.
Chapter 30 of the book of 1 Samuel in the KJV Holy Bible tells the story of David's return to Ziklag after being rejected by the Philistines. The chapter is divided into three main parts: David's return to Ziklag, the Amalekite raid, and David's victory and restoration. The themes of this chapter include faith, obedience, restoration, and the sovereignty of God. Through the events in this chapter, we can see how God remains faithful to His promises and how He works through difficult situations to bring about His plans.
The chapter begins with David and his men returning to Ziklag after being rejected by the Philistines. Ziklag was a town given to David by King Achish of Gath, and it served as a refuge for David and his men while they were on the run from King Saul. However, when the Philistines were preparing to go to war against Israel, King Achish asked David to join them. David agreed, but the other Philistine leaders did not trust him and sent him back to Ziklag. When they arrived, they found that the Amalekites had raided the town and taken their families captive.
David and his men were devastated and wept until they had no more strength. They were not only grieving for their families, but they were also afraid of how their own people would react. The men even spoke of stoning David because they blamed him for their families being taken captive. However, in the midst of this difficult situation, David found strength in the Lord. He encouraged himself in the Lord and sought guidance from Him through the priest Abiathar. This shows David's faith and trust in God, even in the midst of a crisis.
The next part of the chapter tells us about the Amalekite raid on Ziklag. The Amalekites were a nomadic tribe known for their vicious attacks on other nations. They had a longstanding feud with the Israelites and were considered to be enemies of God. The Amalekites had raided Ziklag and taken captive all the women and children, including David's two wives, Ahinoam and Abigail. They also took all the possessions of the people of Ziklag. The Amalekites were known for their cruelty, and it was likely that the women and children were taken as slaves and the men were killed.
When David found out about the raid, he immediately sought God's guidance. He inquired of the Lord through Abiathar, and God answered him. God told David to pursue the Amalekites and promised him victory. David and his men set out to rescue their families, and they were able to find an Egyptian servant who had been left behind by the Amalekites. The servant led them to the Amalekite camp, and David and his men attacked them at night.
God gave David and his men a great victory. They were able to rescue all their families and recover all their possessions. Not a single person was missing, and they even gained additional spoils from the Amalekites. This shows God's faithfulness to His promises and His power to give victory to His people.
After the battle, David and his men returned to Ziklag with their families and possessions. However, some of the men who had fought with David were not willing to share the spoils with those who had stayed behind to guard the supplies. David intervened and declared that the spoils were to be shared equally among all the men, regardless of their role in the battle. This showed David's wisdom and fairness as a leader. He understood that everyone had played a part in the victory and deserved to share in the spoils.
The chapter ends with David sending gifts to the elders of Judah, who had previously rejected him and joined King Saul's army. David's generosity and kindness towards the elders showed that he was a man of integrity and that he had forgiven those who had wronged him. This act also foreshadows David's future reign as king, where he would unite all the tribes of Israel under his leadership.
Chapter 30 of 1 Samuel is a powerful reminder of God's faithfulness and sovereignty. Through the events in this chapter, we see how God works through difficult situations to bring about His plans. Despite the hardships that David and his men faced, God was with them and gave them victory over their enemies. This chapter also highlights the importance of faith and obedience. David's faith in God and his willingness to seek God's guidance in the midst of a crisis led to their victory. Additionally, David's obedience to God's command to pursue the Amalekites resulted in the restoration of their families and possessions.
Another important theme in this chapter is restoration. David and his men had lost everything, but God restored it all to them. This is a reminder that even in our darkest moments, God can restore us and bring us out of our troubles. Additionally, David's act of generosity towards the elders of Judah shows the power of forgiveness and reconciliation. It foreshadows David's future reign as a king who would unite all the tribes of Israel.
Overall, Chapter 30 of 1 Samuel is a powerful testimony of God's faithfulness and sovereignty. It teaches us the importance of faith, obedience, and forgiveness, and it reminds us that no matter what challenges we face, God is with us and can bring us through to victory.
Share this page