Where does victory come from? What does the path towards victory look like? What do we do once victory happens? Engage these questions and more as we take a look at 1 Samuel 30 and peel back the layers of the winding yet highly relatable road to victory that David and his army ventured on.
When a detective friend of mine discovered that his son, a believer in Jesus, had been swept up into a cult and was being held in their guarded compound, he sprang into action. He, a six-foot-four, 270-pound blackbelt, and former Vietnam vet, and highly skilled police officer, gathered a small posse together of other trained law enforcement and military men to storm the facility.
Did his team accomplish their goal? Yes. Did anyone get hurt? No. I think the cultists didn’t know what hit them when my buddy and his team showed up. Within a few minutes, he had his black belt-trained son, and not long thereafter, they hooked him up with a deprogrammer. What did his son do after all of this? He got back on track, walking with Jesus and following hard after him. You do this when God works to rescue you from a situation brought about by your penchant for compromise.
David understood this completely. His compromise in finding protection among his enemy, the Philistines, worked for 16 months. But then, suddenly, his life unraveled as the king of Gath, Achish, not only made him his chief bodyguard but also challenged him to bring his 600 warriors to fight alongside the Philistines in their quest to wipe out King Saul and his army. David now had a dilemma he could not extract himself from: fight King Saul and his troops and jeopardize his potential to be Israel’s next king, or fight the Philistines and lose their protection and possibly his life and the lives of his men.
The Lord providentially worked to rescue David and his soldiers by making all Philistine commanders uneasy with Israel’s greatest warrior bringing up their rear flank (1 Sam. 29:4-5). After a tense meeting with these seasoned leaders, the king relented and sent David and his men “home” back to Ziklag on the southeastern border of the Philistine empire. I’m sure they were all relieved and dumbfounded regarding how the Lord had rescued them when they couldn’t figure out how to do it themselves.
God, however, wasn’t finished with David. He had saved him from his compromise, but more work was needed to further shape and hone David’s soul and leadership abilities so he could become Israel’s new king. What he and his soldiers encountered in Ziklag was not what they expected, and how David responded to this new challenge took him to another spiritual level. Such is how it goes when the Lord rescues you from your compromised life. As you head home, realize He has providentially orchestrated other events down to the smallest detail to reclaim His rightful place on the throne of your life. The question is straightforward: Will you rise to the occasion? Will you learn? Will you make your Lord proud of how you handle the next test?
While considering your complex situation, learn some key life principles from a man who chose wisely after God rescued him from a no-win situation brought on by the sin of compromise.
Our learning starts as we move through this lengthy narrative’s structural, historical, and chronological panels.
The Rout (1 Sam. 30:1-3)
Over a period of three long, arduous days, David and his men traveled about sixty miles from Aphek back to Ziklag. If they were on foot, this meant they covered twenty miles per day, while carrying food and supplies. I’m sure they were tired and worn out, but what they found in Ziklag rocked their world.
1 Then it happened when David and his men came to Ziklag on the third day, that the Amalekites had made a raid on the Negev and on Ziklag, and had overthrown Ziklag and burned it with fire; 2 and they took captive the women and all who were in it, both small and great, without killing anyone, and carried them off and went their way. 3 And when David and his men came to the city, behold, it was burned with fire, and their wives and their sons and their daughters had been taken captive. (1 Sam. 30)
Ziklag was burned to the ground, no bodies could be found, yet all the inhabitants of the city had vanished, including all of their wives and children. In an instant, they emotionally went from the mountaintop of joy because God had rescued them to the pit of despair.
At the time, David and his men didn’t know who did this dastardly deed. The text, however, identifies the responsible party: Israel’s ancient enemy, the Amalekites. God had placed them under an extermination ban during the rulership of Moses for their brutal and merciless treatment of the Israelites as they headed toward Canaan (Ex. 17:8-13; Deut. 25:17-1-19). King Saul lost his regal reign because he failed to destroy them when he had the opportunity (1 Sam. 15). They now rose to terrorize the Israelites on another day. Does this all sound all too familiar? God, however, worked even in this tragedy to prepare David to be the kind of king Israel desperately needed. A. W. Tozer’s words certainly ring true here: God cannot use you greatly unless He hurts you deeply.
David and his men hurt deeply. Yet even in the midst of this mind-numbing terror of a brutal enemy having your loved ones, God worked most proficiently to mature all of them so they’d be prepared for greater roles when David replaced Saul.
The spiritual maturation started with the leader, David.
The Request (1 Sam. 30:4-8)
This particular request from David reveals how he had moved from compromise back to a confessional, intimate walk with the Lord.
4 Then David and the people who were with him lifted their voices and wept until there was no strength in them to weep. 5 Now David’s two wives had been taken captive, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess and Abigail the widow of Nabal the Carmelite. 6 Moreover David was greatly distressed because the people spoke of stoning him, for all the people were embittered, each one because of his sons and his daughters.
As David’s body shook from crying over the loss of his wives, the grief of losing all their wives and children overcame the tough, battle-hardened soldiers. David had formed them into a formidable fighting force from the Cave of Adullam, and they enjoyed many victories on the battlefield. But this personal loss undid everything. One burned-out city devoid of family members caused these well-armed men to look around for stones to kill their leader. His compromise had cost them all too much, so it was time to terminate his leadership.
Instead of arguing with them, David humbled himself before God:
But David strengthened himself in the LORD his God. 7 Then David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelech, “Please bring me the ephod.” So Abiathar brought the ephod to David. 8 And David inquired of the LORD, saying, “Shall I pursue this band? Shall I overtake them?” (1 Sam. 30)
David, the David of Goliath fame, was back! David’s compromise had painted him and his men into a corner with the Philistines in Aphek, yet God had miraculously and providentially delivered them. David knew this, and that’s why he wasted no time seeking God’s will in this debacle, because he knew God’s hand worked even in this.
The situation was divinely set up to see what David would do now. Up north, King Saul faced a challenging situation with the Philistine army camped on the valley floor of Jezreel. Instead of turning to God, he turned to a witch for wisdom and insight. David was nothing like Saul. When painted into another corner, David contacted the Lord, who specializes in rescuing His people from escape-proof corners.
David asked for Abiathar, the priest, to bring the ephod. What was this? The Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible gives us the helpful answer:
Upper garment worn during religious services associated with the tabernacle or temple. “Ephod” generally referred to the ornamented vest that the high priest wore over a blue robe (Ex 28:31). Included with the ephod were the Urim and Thummim, the sacred lots. Sometimes “ephod” meant the complete dress of the high priest (1 Sm 2:28; 23:6, 9; 30:7) or similar garments worn by lesser priests. Made of dyed material and fine linen, the garment was embroidered in blue, purple, scarlet, and gold. At the upper end were attached two shoulder straps, each having an onyx stone inscribed with the names of Israel’s 12 tribes. The breastplate, also containing the tribal names, was bound to the ephod by an elaborate series of cords and chains (Ex 28:39).[1]
This is great, but it generates another question: What were the Urim and Thummin?
Though loth to add to the already overburdened list of conjectures about these words, it appears to the present writer that if Urim and Thummim are antonyms, and Urim means “light,” it is by no means difficult to connect Thummim with darkness, inasmuch as there is a host of Heb stems based on the root -tm, all indicating concealing, closing up, and even darkness (cf אטם, חטם, חתם, עתם, טמה, טמן [see Job 40:13], סתם and even תמם and cognate Arab. words in BDB). This explanation would make Urim and Thummim mean “illuminated” and “dark” (cf Gaster in Hastings, ERE, IV, 813), and, while fitting well with the ancient theories or traditions, would not be excluded by the recent theory of lots of opposite purport.[2]
How did they work? I suspect if you posed a question demanding a yes or no answer from God, the Urim would glow for “yes” and the Thummim would remain dark for “no.” Don’t you wish you had these daily? David had them, but he relied on his insight and ingenuity when he led his men into Philistia to escape Saul’s wrath. Now, after God had taught him a lesson about the danger of compromise, David immediately turned to God to know His mind regarding what he should do now. Should they mount up and attempt to hunt down the perpetrators of this terroristic act to save their families, possibly, or should they stand down and wait for further divine guidance? What a humble and noble step of faith. Perhaps it is one the Lord is waiting for you to make. He has rescued you from your compromise, and you know it. But now you face another test that is even more challenging. Will you finally turn to Him?
In David’s case, God wasted no time in answering his heartfelt, emotional prayer:
And He said to him, “Pursue, for you shall surely overtake them, and you shall surely rescue all.” (1 Sam. 30)
Whoa. God said you won’t just save a few of your family members from the grasp of this godless, cruel enemy, but you will bring every one of them safely home. That was a miraculous word, in and of itself.
David turned and led his men to victory with this divine wind in his sails. Watch how he did it. You might learn some things from him in the process.
The Recon & The Raid (1 Sam. 30:9-17)
Armed to the teeth with weapons and the promise of the Word from God, David and his soldiers set out to track down the perpetrators and rescue their loved ones from slavery, mistreatment, and possible death:
9 So David went, he and the six hundred men who were with him, and came to the brook Besor, where those left behind remained. 10 But David pursued, he and four hundred men, for two hundred who were too exhausted to cross the brook Besor, remained behind.
Nahal (Hebrew for “stream” or “river”) Besor was located about twelve miles south of Ziklag. It emptied into the Mediterranean a few miles south of Gaza. While here, two hundred of David’s men said they couldn’t walk and fight any longer. As you can imagine, they were physically spent after their sixty-mile hike from Aphek back to Ziklag.
As the four hundred soldiers who stayed with David traveled southward, they happened to run upon a sun-baked, half-dead Egyptian slave. No doubt, in all of this open space, God made sure they encountered this man whom his Amalekite owner had left to die. As a sidenote, realize that no encounters in life are by chance. God works in and through all of them.
11 Now they found an Egyptian in the field and brought him to David, and gave him bread and he ate, and they provided him water to drink. 12 And they gave him a piece of fig cake and two clusters of raisins, and he ate; then his spirit revived. For he had not eaten bread or drunk water for three days and three nights.
After the food hit the spot, the weak man became strong, coherent, and cooperative. So, what did David do? He debriefed him to hopefully acquire some viable intel. Let’s read this next historical movement, and then follow up to offer some salient, practical observations.
13 And David said to him, “To whom do you belong? And where are you from?” And he said, “I am a young man of Egypt, a servant of an Amalekite; and my master left me behind when I fell sick three days ago. 14 “We made a raid on the Negev of the Cherethites, and on that which belongs to Judah, and on the Negev of Caleb, and we burned Ziklag with fire.” 15 Then David said to him, “Will you bring me down to this band?” And he said, “Swear to me by God that you will not kill me or deliver me into the hands of my master, and I will bring you down to this band.” 16 And when he had brought him down, behold, they were spread over all the land, eating and drinking and dancing because of all the great spoil that they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from the land of Judah. 17 And David slaughtered them from the twilight until the evening of the next day; and not a man of them escaped, except four hundred young men who rode on camels and fled. (1 Sam. 30)
Consider what this victorious section tells you about David as a leader, a soldier, and a godly man.
One, David showed compassion to an individual in a vulnerable situation. True, he wanted to use this former Amalekite slave as an informant; however, how he did this drips with mercy. Instead of threatening and forcing him to talk, they tended to his needs. Saul was nothing like this, ever. In this way, David was suited to be the next king, for the Lord wanted a man after His heart, and His heart is full of compassion for the less fortunate. This would also point to the ultimate Davidic King, Jesus, the Christ. He always showed compassion to the disadvantaged and destitute people of His day. From the woman caught in adultery and on the verge of being stoned to death by a self-righteous mob, to a man blind from birth, He encountered in Jerusalem, Jesus tended to their needs.
Two, David believed God’s promise without pause. How could 4oo tired, swollen-footed, and cotton-mouthed soldiers take on a superior armed force? They could do it with God’s help, and they did. By attacking the drunken Amalekite party animals, he ran the risk of those men killing many of the hostages, yet this possibility didn’t deter him from taking just, definitive action. He sought to right a wrong, and God went before Him and blessed Him with a total victory.
What about you? When God rescues you from the detrimental effects of your spiritual compromise, how will you approach the next adversity God permits in your life? Will you turn to Him in prayer from the beginning? Will you show mercy to people who can’t protect themselves? Will you follow hard after Christ without hesitation, without overthinking the entire endeavor you know you must accomplish?
David stepped out in faith, and God showered blessings on Him:
The Restitution & Reward (1 Sam. 30:18-31)
These brave Israelite warriors achieved the unachievable because they had a leader who had sold out to God for a change:
19 But nothing of theirs was missing, whether small or great, sons or daughters, spoil or anything that they had taken for themselves; David brought it all back.
20 So David had captured all the sheep and the cattle which the people drove ahead of the other livestock, and they said, “This is David’s spoil.”
Underscore those words “but nothing of theirs was missing:” not a donkey, a family heirloom, an innocent lamb, a slow-moving cow, a defenseless child, or a beautiful young wife was unaccounted for. How did that happen when they were surrounded by men who wouldn’t hesitate to murder them in a split second? God is what happened, and David and his men were God’s instruments of justice.
With all the families and animals in tow, David guided everyone back to the refreshing waters of the brook Besor. What happened there is another lesson in how a godly person and leader should behave when God has rescued you from yourself:
21 When David came to the two hundred men who were too exhausted to follow David, who had also been left at the brook Besor, and they went out to meet David and to meet the people who were with him, then David approached the people and greeted them. 22 Then all the wicked and worthless men among those who went with David answered and said, “Because they did not go with us, we will not give them any of the spoil that we have recovered, except to every man his wife and his children, that they may lead them away and depart.”
There are always wicked and worthless people embedded among the godly, good people. If you’ve ever led, or if you lead now, you know what I mean. Adverse situations typically serve to unmask them to reveal their real thinking and motives.
What was the problem with this small group of soldiers? They were greedy and wanted all of the spoil. Greed is a terrible thing. Regarding it, Zeno of Citium (334-262 B.C.), and the founder of the Stoic school of philosophy in Athens, rightly concluded: “the avaricious man is like the barren sandy ground of the desert which sucks in all the rain and does with greediness, but yields no fruitful herbs or plans for the benefit of others.” How true. The want of a greedy person is like sandy soil that continually takes in water but produces nothing.
David met their vile words head-on and gave them no quarter:
23 Then David said, “You must not do so, my brothers, with what the LORD has given us, who has kept us and delivered into our hand the band that came against us. 24 “And who will listen to you in this matter? For as his share is who goes down to the battle, so shall his share be who stays by the baggage; they shall share alike.” 25 And so it has been from that day forward, that he made it a statute and an ordinance for Israel to this day.
David wisely turned this argument among his troops into two principles that formed the bedrock of his leadership until he died.
One, a wise, maturing godly person, realizes that the blessing on his life is from God’s effort, not his.
To these disgruntled soldiers, David underscored the fact that God gave them their families, children, and material goods back, along with all they seized from the fleeing and defeated Amalekites. How could they then be greedy with what God lovingly gave them? No, a maturing saint understands that the blessing he receives after a rescue from compromise is totally from God’s good hand; therefore, he should hold it with an open hand.
A wealthy businessman in my last church approached me with a proposition as we sought to raise money to purchase the entire building we rented. “Pastor Marty, I own an additional home in San Francisco, but I’m going to sell it and donate the proceeds to the church. At that point, you’ll have more than enough money to purchase the building.” “That’s great,” I replied. He sold the house later, and I never saw him again. Strange. God had helped him through a tough time with a child, and he was blessed. It is too bad that he held onto the earthly treasure when the heavenly treasure awaited him, waiting for him to fulfill his word to the church (Matt. 6:19ff). David was the opposite of this saint. He knew the origin of his blessing.
Two, a wise, maturing, godly person is just and fair with others.
True, two hundred soldiers didn’t engage in the big battle; however, they made the battle possible by protecting the assets of the army they couldn’t all take into battle: food, animals, etc. Again, David acted like the greater David, Jesus, by making it a principle that everyone should be blessed. This reminds me of Christ’s parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard in Matthew 20:1-16. A landowner went to a marketplace (Home Depot?) to hire day laborers. After they negotiated the pay, they all headed out to work. The landowner did the same thing at 9 a.m., noon, 3 p.m., and 5 p.m. At the end of the day, he paid all of them the same wage. Those who started work at daybreak complained, but the Lord rebuked them. By so doing, He underscored the truth that he was, and is fair, and desirous of being highly magnanimous toward people. That was David. That was Jesus. Will you be magnanimous toward people, especially those of the household of faith? Will you be fair with the blessing God sends your way after He rescues you from yourself?
Three, a wise, maturing, godly person is magnanimous when God blesses him. This principle emerges in the closing words of this excellent chapter:
26 Now when David came to Ziklag, he sent some of the spoil to the elders of Judah, to his friends, saying, “Behold, a gift for you from the spoil of the enemies of the LORD: 27 to those who were in Bethel, and to those who were in Ramoth of the Negev, and to those who were in Jattir, 28 and to those who were in Aroer, and to those who were in Siphmoth, and to those who were in Eshtemoa, 29 and to those who were in Racal, and to those who were in the cities of the Jerahmeelites, and to those who were in the cities of the Kenites, 30 and to those who were in Hormah, and to those who were in Bor-ashan, and to those who were in Athach, 31 and to those who were in Hebron, and to all the places where David himself and his men were accustomed to go.” (1 Sam. 30)
David took the wealth they acquired from the Amalekites and purposefully distributed it throughout Judah to needy people. Amazing. He sent the blessings around to thirteen locations, and by so doing, he acted like a king of the Lord should act. Like the future king, Jesus, David lived to be highly generous to all. No wonder we are still talking about him.
David certainly would have agreed with these statements:
- We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give. – Unknown
- It is in giving that we receive. – St. Francis of Assisi
- 18th Century preacher and founder of Methodism, John Wesley said –”Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can.”
- Here is a quote from 20th-century American pastor and theologian A.W. Tozer –“Any temporal possession can be turned into everlasting wealth. Whatever is given to Christ is immediately touched with immortality.”
- Evangelist Billy Graham made this statement about generosity: “God has given us two hands, one to receive with and the other to give with.”
David’s example of generosity definitely arrested Solomon’s attention, for many years later, he would write in David-like fashion:
25 The generous man will be prosperous, and he who waters will himself be watered. (Prov. 11)
David would really enjoy Paul’s teaching some 1,000 years later:
18 Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, 19 storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed. (1 Tim. 6)
Ah, those are words spoken by a man who followed the greater David, Jesus.
In the final analysis, Saul’s greed for power and money cost him the kingdom. David’s humility and generosity gave him the kingdom. One was not suited to be the forerunner of the Messiah, but the other was. That man was David.
When God rescued him from the tangled mess his compromises had created, David turned and, as we see in this chapter, did what a maturing saint should do:
Main Idea:
When God rescues you from your sinful mistakes, you should rescue others and bless them.
Now, I think it is your turn. What will you do? Will your hand be closed or open?
[1] Walter A. Elwell and Barry J. Beitzel, “Ephod,” in Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1988), 710.
[2] Nathan Isaacs, “Urim and Thummim,” in The International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia, ed. James Orr et al. (Chicago: The Howard-Severance Company, 1915), 3041.
