1 Samuel 29:1-11 CSB
Philistines Reject David
1 The Philistines brought all their military units together at Aphek while Israel was camped by the spring in Jezreel.
same ‘spring of Harod’ from Judges 7:1
YHWH told Gideon to reduce his troops
2 As the Philistine leaders were passing in review with their units of hundreds and thousands, David and his men were passing in review behind them with Achish. 3 Then the Philistine commanders asked, “What are these Hebrews doing here?”
Philistine kings & commanders are inspecting their forces.
They see Achish followed by David & his mercenary men
Achish answered the Philistine commanders, “That is David, servant of King Saul of Israel. He has been with me a considerable period of time. From the day he defected until today, I’ve found no fault with him.”
Achish made David his personal bodyguard.
4 The Philistine commanders, however, were enraged with Achish and told him, “Send that man back and let him return to the place you assigned him. He must not go down with us into battle only to become our adversary during the battle. What better way could he ingratiate himself with his master than with the heads of our men? 5 Isn’t this the David they sing about during their dances:
Saul has killed his thousands,
but David his tens of thousands?”
Philistines don’t trust David at all
David killed Goliath & decapitated him with his own sword
6 So Achish summoned David and told him, “As the LORD lives, you are an honorable man. I think it is good to have you fighting in this unit with me, because I have found no fault in you from the day you came to me until today. But the leaders don’t think you are reliable. 7 Now go back quietly and you won’t be doing anything the Philistine leaders think is wrong.”
8 “But what have I done?” David replied to Achish. “From the first day I entered your service until today, what have you found against your servant to keep me from going to fight against the enemies of my lord the king?”
9 Achish answered David, “I’m convinced that you are as reliable as an angel of God. But the Philistine commanders have said, ‘He must not go into battle with us.’ 10 So get up early in the morning, you and your masters’ servants who came with you. When you’ve all gotten up early, go as soon as it’s light.” 11 So David and his men got up early in the morning to return to the land of the Philistines. And the Philistines went up to Jezreel.
Philistines head north up to Jezreel
David & his men head south toward Ziklag.
What is God doing?
The LORD is protecting David.
The LORD is shepherding David.
The LORD is preparing David to be king.
Psalm 23:4-5 ESV
4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
God is telling His story with our lives.
He is intimately involved in every single detail.
3 reasons why David returning to Ziklag is a good thing
David won’t have to fight against Israel.
David will be far away when Saul dies.
David gets back to Ziklag sooner…
1 Samuel 30:31 CSB
David’s Defeat of the Amalekites
1 David and his men arrived in Ziklag on the third day. The Amalekites had raided the Negev and attacked and burned Ziklag. 2 They also had kidnapped the women and everyone in it from youngest to oldest. They had killed no one but had carried them off as they went on their way.
Women & children are now slaves
The Hebrew verb translated “carried them off” always refers to driving livestock
3 When David and his men arrived at the town, they found it burned. Their wives, sons, and daughters had been kidnapped. 4 David and the troops with him wept loudly until they had no strength left to weep.
Irony
David initially fled to Philistine territory bc women & children (Ch 27)
5 David’s two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelite and Abigail the widow of Nabal the Carmelite, had also been kidnapped.
God is NOT condoning multiple wives here
God values women
God values you wives
Proverbs 18:22 CSB
22 A man who finds a wife finds a good thing
and obtains favor from the LORD.
6 David was in an extremely difficult position because the troops talked about stoning him, for they were all very bitter over the loss of their sons and daughters. But David found strength in the LORD his God.
David finds strength in YHWH his God.
Psalm 34:4-6 CSB
4 I sought the LORD, and he answered me
and rescued me from all my fears.
5 Those who look to him are radiant with joy;
their faces will never be ashamed.
6 This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him
and saved him from all his troubles.
Where do you find strength when you are afraid?
7 David said to the priest Abiathar son of Ahimelech, “Bring me the ephod.” So Abiathar brought it to him, 8 and David asked the LORD, “Should I pursue these raiders? Will I overtake them?”
David not only finds his strength in the LORD…
David also seeks guidance from the LORD.
The LORD replied to him, “Pursue them, for you will certainly overtake them and rescue the people.”
The LORD will answer you.
The LORD hears you.
The LORD is speaking to you.
Do we want to hear what He has to say?
9 So David and the six hundred men with him went. They came to the Wadi Besor, where some stayed behind. 10 David and four hundred of the men continued the pursuit, while two hundred stopped because they were too exhausted to cross the Wadi Besor.
Besor Valley is another 15 miles south of Ziklag
David & the 400 men have covered about 80 miles in 4 days
11 David’s men found an Egyptian in the open country and brought him to David. They gave him some bread to eat and water to drink. 12 Then they gave him some pressed figs and two clusters of raisins. After he ate he revived, for he hadn’t eaten food or drunk water for three days and three nights.
13 Then David said to him, “Who do you belong to? Where are you from?”
“I’m an Egyptian, the slave of an Amalekite man,” he said. “My master abandoned me when I got sick three days ago. 14 We raided the south country of the Cherethites, the territory of Judah, and the south country of Caleb, and we burned Ziklag.”
David discovers the Egyptian was part of the Amalekite raiding party
He helped burn Ziklag.
Do you think this is random?
There is nothing that happens in your life that is random.
We should be expectant of God.
This is what it means to live a “Life with Jesus”
Amalekites treat their slaves horribly
15 David then asked him, “Will you lead me to these raiders?”
He [Egyptian] said, “Swear to me by God that you won’t kill me or turn me over to my master, and I will lead you to them.”
16 So he led him, and there were the Amalekites, spread out over the entire area, eating, drinking, and celebrating because of the great amount of plunder they had taken from the land of the Philistines and the land of Judah.
The LORD uses an Egyptian man, near death, to accomplish His plan.
17 David slaughtered them from twilight until the evening of the next day. None of them escaped, except four hundred young men who got on camels and fled.
1 Samuel 30:18-20 ESV
18 David recovered all that the Amalekites had taken, and David rescued his two wives. 19 Nothing was missing, whether small or great, sons or daughters, spoil or anything that had been taken. David brought back all. 20 David also captured all the flocks and herds, and the people drove the livestock before him, and said, “This is David's spoil.”
God always keeps His Word
21 When David came to the two hundred men who had been too exhausted to go with him and had been left at the Wadi Besor, they came out to meet him and to meet the troops with him. When David approached the men, he greeted them, 22 but all the corrupt and worthless men among those who had gone with David argued, “Because they didn’t go with us, we will not give any of the plunder we recovered to them except for each man’s wife and children. They may take them and go.”
Wow.
This is some serious division
23 But David said, “My brothers, you must not do this with what the LORD has given us. He protected us and handed over to us the raiders who came against us. 24 Who can agree to your proposal? The share of the one who goes into battle is to be the same as the share of the one who remains with the supplies. They will share equally.” 25 And it has been so from that day forward. David established this policy as a law and an ordinance for Israel and it still continues today.
David declares that all of their ‘plunder’ is a gift from YHWH.
David gives God the glory.
David’s moral character is being highlighted here.
David’s heart for God is being highlighted.
David is aware that EVERYTHING depends upon his relationship to God.
26 When David came to Ziklag, he sent some of the plunder to his friends, the elders of Judah, saying, “Here is a gift for you from the plunder of the LORD’s enemies.” 27 He sent gifts to those in Bethel, in Ramoth of the Negev, and in Jattir; 28 to those in Aroer, in Siphmoth, and in Eshtemoa; 29 to those in Racal, in the towns of the Jerahmeelites, and in the towns of the Kenites; 30 to those in Hormah, in Bor-ashan, and in Athach; 31 to those in Hebron, and to those in all the places where David and his men had roamed.
David gives gifts to his friends from what he stole back from God’s enemies
[CONCLUSION]
What type of leader is David?
David is a man after God’s very own heart.
David is pointing us to Jesus.
Jesus possesses the very heart of God…because Jesus is God.
Colossians 1:15, 19 ESV
15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.
19 …in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell…
John 1:1, 14, 18 CSB
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
14 The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. We observed his glory, the glory as the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
18 No one has ever seen God. The one and only Son, who is himself God and is at the Father’s side—he has revealed him.
David found strength in the LORD even when facing a horrific disaster
Jesus…
David sought the LORD for guidance & direction & leading
Jesus…
David led his men on God’s mission.
David led the charge.
David rescued all those who had been kidnapped.
Jesus…
David sees strife & conflict & fracture between his men. He makes peace.
Jesus…
David gave gifts to his friends from what He stole back from God’s enemies
Jesus…
How has He been speaking to you today?
What gift is He wanting to give you?
How will you respond?