READ: 1 Samuel 29-31
The Philistines are preparing
for war and the majority of the men do not want David to accompany them into
battle. They don’t trust him, which is probably wiser than the king, who still
thinks David has been spending his days attacking Israelite cities all this
time. So David is sent out of the Philistine’s protection. Chapter 30 follows
David while chapter 31 tracks the actions of Saul and the Philistines.
David and his men move south,
away from the battle that is beginning in northern Israel. When they reach
Ziklag, they find the city plundered and in flames with no trace of the women
and children. The Amalekites, seeing that the majority of Israel’s armies had
gone to battle against the Philistines, chose an opportune time to raid Ziklag.
David and his men charge further south in search of the army of Amalek. By the
time they reach the brook of Besor, 200 of the men are exhausted and unable to
go any further. And so David leads the remainder onward, eventually rescuing
the women and children, destroying the enemy and taking back the plunder. When
the army returns to Besor, some of those who took part in the rescue proclaim
that they don’t want the 200 who stayed behind to share in the plunder. David
immediately shuts this down and makes a decree that plunder will always be
shared with those who could not join in the fight. David is a good ruler. He
shows himself to be wise and compassionate, righteous and generous in his
leadership. He has definitely learned from watching Saul what not to do as a leader of Israel, but it
is his faithful walk with Yahweh that has prepared him for his upcoming role as
king. It is hard to say how long David ran from Saul; somewhere between 5 and
20 years; whatever the case, it was a long chase – tiring and very discouraging
at times. But 1 Samuel 29:6 is a perfect descriptor of David: “But David strengthened himself in the
Lord.” He had come to know the truth that there is nowhere else where
sustainable strength can be found. He knew himself to be weak – he had referred
to himself as nothing but a dead dog and a flea (1 Samuel 24:14)! But with God,
he could accomplish impossible feats. Later, based on all he had experienced,
David would write: “The Lord is
my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in
whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my
salvation, my stronghold… With Your help I can advance against a
troop; with my God I can scale a wall.” (Psalm 18:2, 29)
Meanwhile, the Philistines and
the Israelites were battling on Mount Gilboa. It is a massacre. Many die,
including Saul and his three sons. It is a sad day for Israel. The king they so
desperately wanted lies headless in a field, his three natural successors lie
dead alongside him. In 1 Samuel 12, the prophet charged the people to follow
the Lord in obedience if they wanted things to go well for them, but he also
put this responsibility on the king: “…
if both you and the king who reigns over you will follow the LORD your God, it
will be well.” Their king did not
follow the Lord, and all is not well
in Israel.
But God, in His love and
sovereignty, has been preparing a new and wonderful king for His people. Though
we are sad to see David’s faithful friend Jonathan lying slain on the mountain,
God is making the way for an easy transition for David’s kingship; there is now
no son to take over his father’s throne. Though the book of 1 Samuel ends on a
solemn note, we are left greatly anticipating the coronation of the great King David
– the man after God’s own heart.
JOURNALING AND PRAYER
1. “But David strengthened himself in the
Lord.” How is this good news to you today? In prayer, prepare yourself for
what lies before you by strengthening yourself in the Lord.
2. Take
some time to think through the leaders you have met through the book of 1
Samuel: Hophni, Phineas and Saul in comparison to Samuel and David.
a. What
strengths and weaknesses did you observe?
b. What
does the Lord want you to take away from what you have studied? What is something
specific He wants to teach you about an area of leadership that you have?
3. Ask
God to show you something in your character that pleases Him. Pray that God
would continue to work in you, making you more and more into a man/woman after
His heart.
4. What
is a main theme you noticed in David’s life? Pray that this truth would be
developed in the hearts of believers in our church and country.
