Written by: Nick Lear
1 Samuel 30 v 1-7
On the third day, when David and his men arrived at Ziklag, he found that the
Amalekites had raided southern Judah and Ziklag, attacking Ziklag and burning
it. They captured the women and everyone, young and old, but they had not killed
anyone. They had only taken them away.
When David and his men came to Ziklag, they found the town had been burned and
their wives, sons and daughters had been taken as prisoners. Then David and
his army cried loudly until they were too weak to cry any more. David’s two
wives had also been taken—Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail the widow of Nabal
from Carmel. The men in the army were threatening to kill David with stones,
which greatly upset David. Each man was sad and angry because his sons and daughters
had been captured, but David found strength in the LORD his God. David said
to Abiathar the priest, “Bring me the holy robe.”
Notes
You have to feel sorry for David. He had been anointed as the next king of Israel
and was being hunted down by the current king, Saul. Things had got so bad he
had even offered to join forces with Israel’s enemy, the Philistines, and while
he was away doing that the Amalekites raided David’s base. David and his men
got home to discover that the place had been razed to the ground – and, worse
than that, all their families had been taken away. No wonder they “cried loudly
until they were too weak to cry any more”.
How do you react to tragedy? Your first response may be the same as David and his men: to sob your heart out. Your second may be like that of David’s men. They were angry that this had happened and someone had to be to blame, so they blamed David and threatened to kill him, even though it was not David’s fault.
There has to be someone to blame, even if there is no one at fault. But it doesn’t make us feel any better to blame someone else - all that happens is that the anger becomes bitterness and the sadness is still there, just as raw. David’s response is the better one: “Bring me the holy robe.” This was a special robe that priests wore. He wanted his men to see that he was finding strength in God. Instead of becoming bitter and angry, David gave his emotions to God and allowed him to help.
So … will you get angry with those around you, looking for someone to blame? Or will you tell God how you are feeling and ask him to help you get his perspective on things?
Prayer
Jesus, you know how we feel when things get really bad. You cried when your
friend Lazarus died. Your Spirit shares our pain and feels the hurt. Hear us
when we cry to you. Thank you that you want us to be honest with you about the
way we are feeling.
Jesus, you know that when we get angry we want to take it out on someone. Help us not to be unfair and blame others. Help us to find the strength to cope in you, even if we don’t always find the answers to the question, “Why?” Amen
1 Samuel 30 v 8-15
Then David asked the LORD, “Should I chase the people who took our families?
Will I catch them?”
The LORD answered, “Chase them. You will catch them, and you will succeed in
saving your families.”
David and the 600 men with him came to the Besor Ravine, where some of the men
stayed. David and 400 men kept up the chase. The other 200 men stayed behind
because they were too tired to cross the ravine.
They found an Egyptian in a field and brought him to David. They gave the Egyptian
some water to drink and some food to eat. And they gave him a piece of a fig
cake and two clusters of raisins. Then he felt better, because he had not eaten
any food or drunk any water for three days and nights.
David asked him, “Who is your master? Where do you come from?”
He answered, “I’m an Egyptian, the slave of an Amalekite. Three days ago my
master left me, because I was sick. We had raided the southern area of the Kerethites,
the land of Judah and the southern area of Caleb. We burned Ziklag, as well.”
David asked him, “Can you lead me to the people who took our families?”
He answered, “Yes, if you promise me before God that you won’t kill me or give
me back to my master. Then I will take you to them.”
Notes
David showed great grace. He and his men had lost their families and, with guidance
from God, were in hot pursuit of the Amalekite raiders who had taken them. But
for a third of his men the chase was too much. They were physically and emotionally
drained. So David let them rest while the others carried on. Then they found
the Egyptian slave of one of the Amalekites. Instead of torturing and interrogating
him, David fed him. He showed far more compassion to this man than that man’s
master had done – he had left him for dead because he was sick. David’s kindness
paid off. The slave agreed to help in exchange for his life.
Sometimes we get angry and want to lash out at people when things go wrong. David could have got angry with the men who couldn’t cope – didn’t they care about their families? He could have got angry at the Egyptian; after all, he had been a part of the group that had raided his home. Instead, he showed compassion in the same way that God graciously shows us compassion: generously accepting the limitations of those he was relying on and offering sustenance and acceptance to someone who was his enemy.
Jesus commands his followers to “turn the other cheek” and “go the extra mile” (Matthew 5 v 38-48). He was not talking about the way in which we respond to our friends, but the way we react to our enemies! This is the opposite attitude to that which demands action based on our rights. When it comes to our relationship with God we have no rights; we rely solely on his grace. He asks that we exercise that same grace and compassion in the way we deal with others.
Prayer
Jesus, help me to become more aware of your grace. All that I have is a gift
from you – including life itself.
I want to thank you for (list five things)
1
2
3
4
5
Help me to show your grace in the way I respond to other people. There are some people who wind me up or annoy me, and there are even some I dislike. Give me your grace in the way I am with them so that they might see you at work in me. Amen
1 Samuel 30 v 16-21
So the Egyptian led David to the Amalekites. They were lying around on the ground,
eating and drinking and celebrating with the things they had taken from the
land of the Philistines and from Judah. David fought them from sunset until
the evening of the next day. None of them escaped, except 400 young men who
rode off on their camels. David got his two wives back and everything the Amalekites
had taken. Nothing was missing. David brought back everyone, young and old,
sons and daughters. He recovered the valuable things and everything the Amalekites
had taken. David took all the sheep and cattle, and his men made these animals
go in front, saying, “They are David’s prize.”
Then David came to the 200 men who had been too tired to follow him, who had
stayed at the Besor Ravine. They came out to meet David and the people with
him. When he came near, David greeted the men at the ravine.
Notes
God was right! In verse 8 he had told David that they would succeed in saving
their families, and they did so. It seems that they overcame a larger force
because “none of them escaped, except 400 young men who rode off on their camels”.
David only had 400 with him and it seems that they must have killed some of
the Amalekites. The women and children were rescued and everything that had
been taken was recovered. Not only that, they also captured the sheep and cattle
that had been plundered from other places.
Sometimes we may wonder if God knows what he is doing. Has he lost control? David had enough faith to trust that God was still sovereign. That faith was based on what God had done previously in his life. He had been able to write: “Even if I walk through a very dark valley, I will not be afraid, because you are with me” (Psalm 23 v 4). Faith is not blind hope or optimism against the odds; it is our knowledge and experience of God taking the next step. What we know from our past (and from others, and the Bible) leads us to be courageous and adventurous in the present.
God never promises that things won’t go wrong for us. He never says that tragedy will not strike. He doesn’t even promise that things will work out for us as well as they did for David. He does promise that he will never leave us and that we can always depend on him to sustain us.
Prayer
Remind me, O God, of when I put my faith in you and you did not let me down.
Give me the courage to do what I believe you are asking me to do, even when
it seems difficult or unlikely to succeed. Help me to put my faith in you more
often and to thank you when you keep your promises again. Amen
1 Samuel 30 v 22-31
But the evil men and troublemakers among those who followed David said, “Since
these 200 men didn’t go with us, we shouldn’t give them any of the things we
recovered. Just let each man take his wife and children and go.”
David answered, “No, my brothers. Don’t do that after what the LORD has given
us. He has protected us and given us the enemy who attacked us. Who will listen
to what you say? The share will be the same for the one who stayed with the
supplies as for the one who went into battle. All will share alike.” David made
this an order and rule for Israel, which continues even today.
When David arrived in Ziklag, he sent some of the things he had taken from the
Amalekites to his friends, the leaders of Judah. He said, “Here is a present
for you from the things we took from the LORD’s enemies.”
David also sent some things to the leaders in Bethel, Ramoth in the southern
part of Judah, Jattir, Aroer, Siphmoth, Eshtemoa, Racal, the cities of the Jerahmeelites
and the Kenites, Hormah, Bor Ashan, Athach, Hebron and to the people in all
the other places where he and his men had been.
Notes
Didn’t the “evil men and troublemakers” have a point? They were the ones
who had risked their lives to rescue the women and children and recover what
had been taken. They weren’t being unreasonable by allowing the 200 to have
their wives and children but not to benefit from the spoils of war. David had
another perspective. He and his men were a team. Those who were exhausted were
just as much a part of the team as those who had fought. It’s like the England
Rugby Union team winning the World Cup – every member of the squad and support
team was given a winners’ medal, regardless of whether they had played in the
final win over Australia or not. Not only was David gracious towards his own
men, he also shared some of the spoils of his victory with leaders of Judah
who had supported him when King Saul had banished him and sought to kill him.
This is what Jesus meant when he told a parable about a landowner hiring labourers to work in his vineyard, and paying each one the same wage regardless of when they had started work (Matthew 20 v 1-15). He said that this was like the kingdom of God – sometimes God’s values seem upside-down compared to ours. He offers everyone the possibility of heaven, the gift of his Spirit, and the forgiveness of the things they have done wrong, regardless of their lifestyle before they accepted Jesus. When we looked at 1 Samuel 30 v 8-15 we remarked on God’s grace (love when we don’t deserve it). Here we see it in action.
How can you show similar grace to someone else? If you can think of something, write it down and make God a promise that you will do it.
Prayer
Lord, give me your Spirit in greater measure to help me to be gracious to others.
I find it easy to be gracious to the people I like, and to those who are gracious
to me, but I struggle with people who are unpleasant and unfair. Give me your
grace so that I might share it with these people too. Amen
1 Samuel 31 v 1-6
The Philistines fought against Israel, and the Israelites ran away from them.
Many Israelites were killed on Mount Gilboa. The Philistines fought hard against
Saul and his sons, killing his sons Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malki-Shua. The
fighting was heavy around Saul. The archers shot him, and he was badly wounded.
He said to the officer who carried his armour, “Pull out your sword and kill
me. Then those uncircumcised men won’t make fun of me and kill me.” But Saul’s
officer refused, because he was afraid. So Saul took his own sword and threw
himself on it. When the officer saw that Saul was dead, he threw himself on
his own sword, and he died with Saul. So Saul, his three sons and the officer
who carried his armour died together that day.
Notes
This was a dark day for Israel. Not only was their army routed, but their king
and three of his sons died. Saul’s death would ultimately prepare the way for
David to become king, just as God had promised, but we have to wait until 2
Samuel for that!
Here we encounter a sad and sorry event as the once proud king of Israel resorted to suicide rather than being captured and taunted (images of the capture of Saddam Hussein and his being deloused come to mind). Saul could see no way out of his predicament. If we look at 1 Samuel 28 we can see why. Saul had consulted a medium, and the “spirit of Samuel” had come to denounce him and predicted his death. Saul was a broken man who had lost touch with God and feared humiliation at the hands of his enemies more than he feared God, so he took what he saw as the easy way out.
No one enjoys being ridiculed and taunted - we would all prefer to have an easy life. Yet if we let go of our relationship with God, if we keep it quiet and don’t live in a way that honours him, we are taking the “easy way out” too - it shows that our reputation is more important to us than God is. The saddest part of this episode is that Saul did not need to take his own life, just as Judas did not need to after he betrayed Jesus (Matthew 27 v 1-10). Compare Saul and Judas with Peter after he had denied knowing Jesus (John 18 v 15-18, 25-27, and John 21 v 7-19). We can ALWAYS come back and ask for forgiveness and the chance to start again – no matter what we have done.
Prayer point
I hate mornings.
I hate the sounds of life carrying on.
I hate the normality of it all.
It's the end of my world and no-one has noticed.
And most of all I hate the sound of that damned wretched cockerel.
(© 1995 Nick Lear)
What does the cockerel represent for you? Tell Jesus and ask him to reinstate you too.
1 Samuel 31 v 7-10
When the Israelites who lived across the Jezreel Valley and those who lived
across the Jordan River saw how the Israelite army had run away, and that Saul
and his sons were dead, they left their cities and ran away. Then the Philistines
came and lived there.
The next day when the Philistines came to take all the valuable things from
the dead soldiers, they found Saul and his three sons dead on Mount Gilboa.
They cut off Saul’s head and took off his armour. Then they sent messengers
through all the land of the Philistines to tell the news in the temple of their
idols and to their people. They put Saul’s armour in the temple of the Ashtoreths
and hung his body on the wall of Beth Shan.
Notes
Israel was in a state of complete disarray. The Philistines had taken over some
of their land and were occupying it. In order to emphasise the completeness
of their victory they put Saul’s armour on display in one of their temples,
and hung his body on a city wall. Saul had sought to avoid humiliation (1 Samuel
31 v 1-6), but he was humiliated even after his death.
So where was God? He does not get a mention in this passage. The forces that opposed his people were in total domination. In an era when it was assumed that the true god had to be the one of a victorious army, God Almighty had apparently been humiliated and the Philistine gods were assumed to be most powerful.
Do you ever ask yourself the same question when you watch the TV news or read a paper? Where is God? Has he given up? Is he defeated or just not interested?
I believe that God was with Saul as he took his own life (1 Samuel 31 v 4), feeling his anguish and desperation and the point of the sword as it pierced him. I believe he was with the people of Israel as they fled, sharing their fear and panic. He would have felt the humiliation as much as anyone. I believe he is with those who are innocent victims of violence, sharing their pain and suffering. I believe he is with refugees and asylum seekers as they flee for their lives, sharing their despair.
I believe he is also there when his people take action - campaigning and standing up for the poor and exploited; giving generously to those who have less than we do; befriending the lonely and marginalised.
Prayer
God, sometimes we wonder where you are. We don’t understand why you allow some
things to happen. We want to know what you are doing, we want it to make sense,
but all we see is pain and suffering.
Help us to see where you are present. Help us also to be present with you – in our praying, in our activity and in our attitudes.
May we weep with those who weep as well as rejoice with those who rejoice. Amen
1 Samuel 31 v 11-13
When the people living in Jabesh Gilead heard what the Philistines had done
to Saul, the brave men of Jabesh marched all night and came to Beth Shan. They
removed the bodies of Saul and his sons from the wall of Beth Shan and brought
them to Jabesh. There they burned the bodies. They took their bones and buried
them under the tamarisk tree in Jabesh. Then the people of Jabesh gave up eating
for seven days.
Notes
Bless them! Not in a patronising way - really bless them. These people of Jabesh
risked their lives to march into enemy territory to recover the bodies of Saul
and his sons. They gave them dignity where the Philistines had sought to humiliate
them. It may seem that they risked their lives for a futile gesture, but even
though Saul had gone off the rails, even though he had taken his own life, he
was still the person God had originally appointed as Israel’s king and they
wanted to honour him for that and give him back his dignity, even in death.
Dignity is not something that we have in ourselves. Dignity is about the way other people react to us and treat us. It is a gift we give to other people and a gift that Jesus gave to everyone he met.
What do you risk when you honour God’s people – when you identify with them in awkward situations? Or how about when you stand up for God’s values when others are putting pressure on you to compromise what you believe? What about when you are confronted by someone who seems to have no dignity and is not valued by society? Are you prepared to risk something to honour someone who seems dishonourable, or give dignity to someone who has none?
Prayer
Jesus, let me see you in the hungry, thirsty, homeless, naked, sick and imprisoned
people in your world. Give me your compassion. Give me also the courage and
desire to do something - to risk something in order to give honour and dignity
to those who have had it taken from them. Amen
word-on-the-web uses the Scripture text taken
from the Youth Bible, New Century Version (Anglicised Edition) copyright 1993
by Word Publishing Milton Keynes