David’s Victory & Rescue vs Saul’s Death & Defeat
October 29, 2019
Commentary
David faced an unexpected crisis. When he and his men returned to Ziklag, they found that their families had been taken captive by the ruthless Amalekites. Their homes had been destroyed. The city lay in ruins. This seeming tragedy served to shake them loose from the comforts and permanence offered to them by Achish, king of Gath. God was preparing David and the people for Israel’s future king. The following is an outline of the events of this chapter as given by Cyril Barber in “The Books of Samuel.”
(1) Removal of Earthly Comforts (vv. 1-6). (2) Reliance upon Spiritual Resources (vv. 7-10). (3) Help from an Unexpected Source (vv. 11-15). (4) Attack upon an Unsuspecting Enemy (vv. 16-20). (5) Rebuke of Unconscious Conduct (vv. 21-25). & (6) Recognition of Past Favors (vv. 26-31).
During this tragedy, many of the men blamed David as they looked for an avenue of revenge, but David did not lose his faith in the Lord. He immediately looked to the Lord as to what he should do. The Lord answered him and a great victory was gained through miraculous circumstances, as they immediately pursued the captures and everyone and everything was rescued.Unknown to David and his men, at the same time, Saul and his sons were fighting for their lives against the Philistines on the slopes of Mount Gilboa overlooking the valley of Jezreel. Just as Samuel had prophesied (23:19), the Philistines quickly and easily defeated Israel.
Saul, badly wounded and fearing capture, asked his armor-bearer to kill him. When he refused to comply, Saul committed suicide, falling on his own sword. When the Israelites learned that their king was dead, they abandoned their cities and took to the wilderness. When the Philistines found Saul, they cut off his head and paraded it through the cities and villages of Philistia. They displayed his armor in the temple of the goddess Ashtaroth. They also hung his body along with the dead bodies of his sons on the walls of Bethshan.
In retrospect, we see Saul as a man of great potential whose natural strengths were enhanced by the Spirit of God. Initially he was very successful and stood as an example of what God can do through an individual. At the same time, his life also serves as a warning as we see how he completely turned his back on God and died as a complete failure in life
Application
Each one of us has certain natural gifts and, when I am indwelt by the Holy Spirit, I have great potential for serving God. However, this will only happen as I remain obedient to the Lord.
1 Samuel 30:1– 13 (NET)
1 On the third day David and his men came to Ziklag. Now the Amalekites had raided the Negev and Ziklag. They attacked Ziklag and burned it. 2 They took captive the women and all who were in it, from the youngest to the oldest, but they did not kill anyone. They simply carried them off and went on their way.
3 When David and his men came to the city, they found it burned. Their wives, sons, and daughters had been taken captive. 4 Then David and the men who were with him wept loudly until they could weep no more. 5 David’s two wives had been taken captive—Ahinoam the Jezreelite and Abigail the Carmelite, Nabal’s widow. 6 David was very upset, for the men were thinking of stoning him; each man grieved bitterly over his sons and daughters. But David drew strength from the Lord his God.
7 Then David said to the priest Abiathar son of Ahimelech, “Bring me the ephod.” So Abiathar brought the ephod to David. 8 David inquired of the Lord, saying, “Should I pursue this raiding band? Will I overtake them?” He said to him, “Pursue, for you will certainly overtake them and carry out a rescue!”
9 So David went, accompanied by his 600 men. When he came to the Wadi Besor, those who were in the rear stayed there. 10 David and 400 men continued the pursuit, but 200 men who were too exhausted to cross the Wadi Besor stayed there.
11 Then they found an Egyptian in the field and brought him to David. They gave him bread to eat and water to drink. 12 They gave him a slice of pressed figs and two bunches of raisins to eat. This greatly refreshed him, for he had not eaten food or drunk water for three days and three nights. 13 David said to him, “To whom do you belong, and where are you from?” The young man said, “I am an Egyptian, the servant of an Amalekite man. My master abandoned me when I was ill for three days.