Day 38: 1 Samuel 30:1–31

David was in a 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 (v. 6).

David and his men returned to Ziklag after a three-day journey. When they arrived, they found that Ziklag had been raided, burned, and their wives and children had been taken captive. When the men saw what had happened to their families, “David and his men wept aloud until they had no strength left to weep” (v. 4). In their grief David’s men even began to discuss stoning him.

David was greatly distressed over the blame his men cast on him, but the circumstance yielded one of the great glimpses of a man after God’s own heart. David was distressed . . . but he found strength in the Lord his God. I’d like to draw a few points from this passage that paints some perfect portraits of human nature.

1. Hurting people often find someone to blame. When we’ve suffered a loss, just like David’s men we often look for stones to throw—and for someone at whom to throw them. Notice that David also suffered the loss of his family. He did not know if he would ever see them again. He had taken many lives. I’m sure he assumed his enemy would not blink an eye at taking the lives of his wives and children. David cried the same tears the other men cried, but because they needed someone to blame, they focused their anger on him.

2. Nothing hurts more than our children being in jeopardy. Many things hurt and cause us to search for stones to throw, but, as in verse 6, nothing has the potential to cause bitterness in spirit like matters involving our children. They are our Achilles’ heel, aren’t they? Someone can treat our child unfairly, and we’re ready to pounce. We almost can’t help living by the philosophy, “If you want to make an enemy out of me, just mess with my kid.” Can you imagine how many poor decisions have been made when parents have hastily thrown the stones of retaliation on behalf of their children? David’s men ultimately arrived at a place of reason. They chose not to act at the peak of their emotions—a wise response for all of us.

3. Nothing helps more than finding strength in our God. Sometimes no one offers us encouragement or helps us find strength. We’d better be prepared to strengthen ourselves in the Lord. Others can help and be encouraging, but this kind of strength comes only from the Lord. After David and his men had poured out their initial cup of grief, they turned to find a solution. David inquired of the Lord if he should pursue the raiding party. God answered: “Pursue them. . . . You will certainly overtake them and succeed in the rescue” (v. 8).

David set out with his six hundred men. At Besor Ravine, two hundred of David’s men were too exhausted to continue, so David left them and went on with the remaining four hundred. They overtook the Amalekites, who were celebrating prematurely. The ensuing battle lasted from dusk until the following evening, but David and his men recaptured all they had lost and much more plunder. Only four hundred young Amalekites escaped from David.

When the battle-weary group returned to the two hundred who had stayed behind, some of the men did not want to share the plunder, but David issued a decree that the “share of the man who stayed with the supplies is to be the same as that of him who went down to the battle. All will share alike” (v. 24).

We can make important life applications from the experiences of David and his men:

1. Assured victory does not mean easy wins. God told David in advance that he would “certainly overtake them and succeed in the rescue,” yet we see references to exhaustion (v. 10), hard work (v. 17), a nonstop, twenty-four-hour battle (v. 17), and four hundred escapees (v. 17). God was absolutely true to His Word. The end was exactly as God had promised, but what we often don’t count on is the means. Many times God gives us a victory that requires blood, sweat, and tears. Why? Because He is practical. When He can bring about a victory and strengthen and mature us all at the same time, He’s likely to do it!

God revels in overcoming and undergirding all at once. You see, God’s idea of victory has virtually nothing to do with plunder; it has to do with people. What comes out of a battle isn’t nearly as important as who comes out of a battle. That day God not only worked a victory through David, He worked one in David. The man after God’s own heart came out of battle with grace and mercy and a little better grasp of God’s sovereignty.

2. We don’t have to “win big” to win. No wholesale slaughter resulted. Quite the contrary. Four hundred men got away, yet God called it a victory! David could have been furious with himself because he let some guys get away. Instead, he chose to focus on the ones he brought home: their families, his family. If your family has come out of a serious battle intact, fall on your face and praise your faithful God. The victory is yours.