October 14, 2019: Day 30 – I Samuel 30

David gets back after being rejected by the Philistines, for whom he worked for a number of years now, and finds that his village, Ziklag, had been raided and burned to the ground.  All of his wives and children were taken off by the Amalekites and there was nothing left.  There was almost  a mutiny, as it says in vs.6 that David was in great danger.  He wasn’t sure what to do so he did what most people ought to do, he asked his pastor.  His pastor told him to pursue those who were taken and he would surely bring them back safe and sound.

He does that, on the way 200 of the 600 stayed behind at a river along the way, for they were too tired to go any further.  They find the camp of the Amalekites and slaughter them and get back all that which had been taken from them.  There is an interesting coda to the story which is often overlooked.  As they were making their way back to their home, Ziklag, they stopped at the stream where they had left the 200 who simply were not able to go any further.  In vs.22 it tells us that all those who were worthless and corrupt out of the 400 thought it would be a good idea not to give those 200 who stayed at  the stream any of the spoil.  They should only get what was originally theirs, their wives and children.

You can tell by the fact that the idea was attributed to those who were worthless and corrupt that it was not a good idea.  David says: “For the share of the one who goes down into the battle shall be the same as the share of the one who stays by the baggage, they shall share alike.”  What a great  example of equity and further proof that David is going to make a good ruler.