It’s no surprise that the Philistine generals don’t want David and his Merry Men to go into battle with Israel.

I have a hard time believing that David would’ve actually fought against his own people beside the Philistines. I mean, there IS that little story in his past about taking down their champion, Goliath. David is a living legend. The Philistine lords even know how his theme song goes…

“Is not this David, of whom they sing to one another in dances, ‘Saul has struck down his thousands, and David his ten thousands’?”
‭‭1 Samuel‬ ‭29‬:‭5‬ ‭ESV‬‬

(This cracks me up. 😆 I can picture these guys singing this little ditty to King Achish.)

We don’t know what David’s plan was, but it’s possible that he would’ve turned against the Philistines in battle. Instead, he was sent home to Ziklag. But while he was gone, the whole town had been raided, plundered, and burned to the ground. 🔥

And who did the plundering? The Amalekites. The tribe that Israel failed to annihilate under Joshua. The tribe that Saul didn’t wipe out when he had the chance and it cost him the throne. This tribe that has been a thorn in humanity’s side since the days of Abraham. You wait and see. They’ve messed with the wrong man now. This will be the last thing they ever do.

I can imagine a group of angry, devastated men coming upon the site of their burned and empty homes.

When tragedy strikes, people often get angry and look for someone to blame. David would’ve been just as angry and grieved as any of the other men. Now he has 600 deadly warriors looking daggers at him and they are desperately wanting justice. 😖😡😠

“And David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because all the people were bitter in soul, each for his sons and daughters. But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God.”
‭‭1 Samuel‬ ‭30‬:‭6‬ ‭ESV‬‬

This….

This is what we must grow into and strive toward. Yes, I get it that community is great when you’re going through hardship and I’m not diminishing that. But sometimes, the community just isn’t there for you. Maybe they don’t know. Maybe they’re actually part of the problem like in David’s case. Maybe your community is depleted and they have nothing left to give. That is when you are forced to grow. The training wheels come off and it’s just you and God.

Y’all, there have been times I have laid hands on my own head and prayed because there was no one else around to do it. And it was good for me. Sometimes you have to strengthen yourself in the Lord. In fact, I’d say that if you want to graduate from child to adult in your walk with God, you will have to face a time when there is no one beside you to strengthen you and you must strengthen yourself in the Lord.

What does that look like?

It looks like prayer for sure. But it also looks like remembering what God has done and recounting His faithfulness. It looks like rehearsing what He has promised for our future. It looks like standing in faith on all of that and quieting our souls.

If you came to you and needed prayer and encouragement, what would you say to you?

Some of you know that I have a tendency to be rather hard on myself – much harder than I am on anyone else by miles. So sometimes I have to get out of my own head and treat myself like I’m someone coming to me for help. I’m much nicer to myself that way. I still expect a lot, but I can definitely feel more grace.

(Some of you will get this. Some of you probably now think I need therapy. 😬 Back to 1st Samuel…)

David asks for the Ephod. (See – I told you this would come up again.) And he asks the Lord what to do. The answer proves that the urim and thummim were complex and capable of more than simple yes & no answers.

The Bible is fascinating. Some pretty major things – like the whole sons of God event in Genesis 6 – get very few details, while we are given the exact menu given to this unnamed Egyptian guy that David’s men find on their way to track down the bandits.

“They found an Egyptian in the open country and brought him to David. And they gave him bread and he ate. They gave him water to drink, and they gave him a piece of a cake of figs and two clusters of raisins. And when he had eaten, his spirit revived, for he had not eaten bread or drunk water for three days and three nights.”
‭‭1 Samuel‬ ‭30‬:‭11‬-‭12‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Y’all gonna be asking God questions in heaven like, “Why did You bury Moses yourself?” And “Who built the pyramids?” Me? I’m gonna ask weird questions like, “Why does scripture tell us that the Egyptian ate bread, 🥖 drank water, 💦 then ate a piece of a cake of figs – not the WHOLE thing, mind you… No no… just a piece of it and TWO ✌🏼clusters of raisins. 🍇 Not one. Not three. Not a few. Not some. NO… Precisely two. WHY?????” 🤔

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I suppose I have something of a vivid imagination. I can put myself right in the sandals of one of these kidnapped women… It’s dreadful. Terrifying. They are now slaves of these filthy, drunken men. And their children…

I don’t know what it looked like when David’s army showed up, but I feel certain that those 400 men fought like angry grizzlies. They weren’t messing around.

And imagine each man searching the tents for his wife and children… and the tearful embraces and cries of relief to find them alive.

“David recovered all that the Amalekites had taken, and David rescued his two wives. Nothing was missing, whether small or great, sons or daughters, spoil or anything that had been taken. David brought back all.” 1 Samuel‬ ‭30‬:‭18‬-‭19‬ ‭ESV‬‬

These verses make me think of how Christ will restore ALL that the enemy has taken. The Son of David will restore life that death has taken. He will rescue and recover and not one of His sheep will be missing from the fold.

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The reaction of the 400 to the 200 who stayed behind reminds me a bit of Jesus’ parable of the laborers in the vineyard in Matthew 20. The ones who had worked all day didn’t think it was fair that the workers who had only worked for the last hour got paid the same wage.

In an intense situation like this was, emotions tend to run high. David models good leadership by keeping a cool, clear head. Having an “other-ward” focus really helps in those times.

I’m reminded of an interview with Mr. Rogers. He was asked how to help children in times of emergency and fear. He said that he told children to “look for the helpers.” There are always helpers when something bad happens.

Thinking about how we can help others keeps the selfish nature in check. Share and share alike became not just a moral proverb but actual law in Israel.

And David set the example for his men of gratitude and generosity by sending gifts from the spoils of the battle to all the places where he and his men had stayed over the past many years.

Yes – years. David is no longer a teen or a young man. He has been seasoned and developed in these years of uncertainty. God has been preparing him to lead more than a few hundred soldiers.

As David and his men were being sent home from the battle at the crack of dawn, Saul was facing the morning after a sleepless night and his secret meeting with the Witch of Endor. Samuel had told him that he and his sons were about to die.

As David and his men head off to rescue their families from the Amalekites in the wilderness, Saul is heading off to meet his end on the slopes of Mount Gilboa.