1 Samuel 29:6
King James Version
6 Then Achish called David, and said unto him,
Surely, as the Lord liveth, thou hast been upright,
and thy going out and thy coming in with me
in the host is good in my sight:
for I have not found evil in thee
since the day of thy coming unto me unto this day:
nevertheless the lords favour thee not.
How would a great king fight?
What would it take for him to fight?
How would he defend his people?
Where would he get his counsel from?
How would he recover his people, who have been taken captive?
How would he treat his soldiers?
How would he divide the spoil?
What ensures his victory?
What does he attribute his victory to?
Compare David's experience with what Israel is going through right now.
Notice the similarities.
Notice the differences.
1 Samuel 30:1-2
King James Version
30 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.
1 Samuel 30:3-5
King James Version
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.
1 Samuel 30:6
King James Version
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.
1 Samuel 30:7-8
King James Version
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 enquired 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.
1 Samuel 30:9-10
King James Version
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.
1 Samuel 30:11-12
King James Version
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.
1 Samuel 30:13-14
King James Version
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.
1 Samuel 30:15
King James Version
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.
1 Samuel 30:16-17
King James Version
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.
1 Samuel 30:18-19
King James Version
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.
1 Samuel 30:20
King James Version
20 And David took all the flocks and the herds,
which they drave before those other cattle,
and said,
This is David's spoil.
1 Samuel 30:21
King James Version
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.
1 Samuel 30:22-25
King James Version
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.
1 Samuel 30:26-31
King James Version
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.
Now you saw how a man of GOD, a great king, governs.
You saw how David sought GOD first -- BEFORE battle.
You saw how he fought his enemies, and recovered his people.
You saw how he honored his tired soldiers who could fight no more.
You saw how he divided the spoil.
You saw the kinds of battle GOD prepares His people for.
Most importantly, you saw how GOD cares for His people.
Especially an anointed king of His.
And a chosen nation of His.
GOD ensures the faithful's victory.
But VICTORY, and GLORY, always belong to GOD.
David knew that, thus, his approach.
Are you a man of GOD?
Then, you know how we fight.
And win wars -- of any sort.
ALWAYS from the SPIRIT of GOD.
ALWAYS for GOD's GLORY.
ALWAYS through JESUS.
For these are evil times.
Expect constant ambush from the enemy of CHRIST.
Who feeds upon unbelievers.
That's where the real battle is.
2 Corinthians 4:4
King James Version
4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded
the minds of them which believe not,
lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ,
who is the image of God,
should shine unto them.
Ephesians 6:12
King James Version
12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood,
but against principalities,
against powers,
against the rulers of the darkness of this world,
against spiritual wickedness in high places.
I thank John MacArthur for his sermon, which gave me this Samuel chapter to weave from -- so very apt for these times.
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