1 David and his men reached Ziklag on the third day. Now the Amalekites had raided the Negev and Ziklag. They had attacked Ziklag and burned it, 2 and had taken captive the women and everyone else in it, both young and old. They killed none of them, but carried them off as they went on their way.
This is who they are. They are cowardly, but are opportunistic. Instead of gathering an army to fight against David they cowered and waited until they heard he was off fighting a war. As a king you cannot simply focus on the battle you will be fighting, but also on snake lying in the grass that will use that as an opportunity to kill women and children.
3 When David and his men reached Ziklag, they found it destroyed by fire and their wives and sons and daughters taken captive. 4 So David and his men wept aloud until they had no strength left to weep. 5 David’s two wives had been captured—Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail, the widow of Nabal of Carmel. 6 David was greatly distressed because the men were talking of stoning him; each one was bitter in spirit because of his sons and daughters. But David found strength in the Lord his God.
7 Then David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelek, “Bring me the ephod.” Abiathar brought it to him, 8 and David inquired of the Lord, “Shall I pursue this raiding party? Will I overtake them?” “Pursue them,” he answered. “You will certainly overtake them and succeed in the rescue.”
There is no unsubstantiated conjecture to think that David was praying, inquiring and following the Lord. We see any time he had an important decision he inquired of God. So it is definitely logical to interpret that the decision to go to Philistine was a big decision that involved inquiring of God. Saul said that God had stopped answering him when he inquired and Samuel told him it was because you did not obey his command. Here we see God answering David, so it is illogical to conclude that going to Philistine was contrary to His command.
9 David and the six hundred men with him came to the Besor Valley, where some stayed behind. 10 Two hundred of them were too exhausted to cross the valley, but David and the other four hundred continued the pursuit.
I think it is safe to conclude that they were running hard.
11 They found an Egyptian in a field and brought him to David. They gave him water to drink and food to eat— 12 part of a cake of pressed figs and two cakes of raisins. He ate and was revived, for he had not eaten any food or drunk any water for three days and three nights. 13 David asked him, “Who do you belong to? Where do you come from?” He said, “I am an Egyptian, the slave of an Amalekite. My master abandoned me when I became ill three days ago.
Wow, how pathetic. This kind of treatment of people working for you played a major role in their being caught and killed.
14 We raided the Negev of the Kerethites, some territory belonging to Judah and the Negev of Caleb. And we burned Ziklag.” 15 David asked him, “Can you lead me down to this raiding party?” He answered, “Swear to me before God that you will not kill me or hand me over to my master, and I will take you down to them.” 16 He led David down, and there they were, scattered over the countryside, eating, drinking and reveling because of the great amount of plunder they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from Judah. 17 David fought them from dusk until the evening of the next day, and none of them got away, except four hundred young men who rode off on camels and fled.
Whoa, what? None of them got away except for 400 young men on camels? David’s entire force is 400 men (they left 200 back at the river). This is the importance of being a well trained fighting force. No well trained force would make camp in the valley. No well trained force would be revelling until the campaign was truly over and it isn’t over till you get back to your city. No well trained force would leave the sick man behind when they had 400 camels and plenty of food. Finally, why are they there for three days and nights? This is a great lesson, Sun Tzu says you can know the condition of an army by a single man. Seeing them abandon the Egyptian servant tells David a lot. Seeing them in the valley partying for three days tells him a lot. No doubt they were heavily outnumbered, but strike at night, while they are partying and there will be massive confusion. Many people will be drunk, others will be unable to find their weapons, animals will stampede in chaos, that is truly the best time. Hit them fast, hit them hard, hit them in the dark when they don’t know what is going on.
18 David recovered everything the Amalekites had taken, including his two wives. 19 Nothing was missing: young or old, boy or girl, plunder or anything else they had taken. David brought everything back. 20 He took all the flocks and herds, and his men drove them ahead of the other livestock, saying, “This is David’s plunder.”
Once again, experiences like this build the confidence and trust of those who are following you. Those same people who had despaired and wanted to kill David are now leading his flocks saying “this is David’s plunder”.
21 Then David came to the two hundred men who had been too exhausted to follow him and who were left behind at the Besor Valley. They came out to meet David and the men with him. As David and his men approached, he asked them how they were. 22 But all the evil men and troublemakers among David’s followers said, “Because they did not go out with us, we will not share with them the plunder we recovered. However, each man may take his wife and children and go.”
23 David replied, “No, my brothers, you must not do that with what the Lord has given us. He has protected us and delivered into our hands the raiding party that came against us. 24 Who will listen to what you say? 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.” 25 David made this a statute and ordinance for Israel from that day to this.
How stupid can men be? If they had left 200 men in Ziklag it probably wouldn’t have been burned. What happens if you come back after the battle and all your supplies had been plundered? You have to start thinking like a team.
26 When David reached Ziklag, he sent some of the plunder to the elders of Judah, who were his friends, saying, “Here is a gift for you from the plunder of the Lord’s enemies.” 27 David sent it to those who were in Bethel, Ramoth Negev and Jattir; 28 to those in Aroer, Siphmoth, Eshtemoa 29 and Rakal; to those in the towns of the Jerahmeelites and the Kenites; 30 to those in Hormah, Bor Ashan, Athak 31 and Hebron; and to those in all the other places where he and his men had roamed.
It is more blessed to give than to receive. Not only is David protecting Judah from the Amalekites he is also giving to them from the plunder which was taken from them. How awesome is that. I come home, my car is stolen, and later that week the police return my car to me. After that I love the police.
This is who they are. They are cowardly, but are opportunistic. Instead of gathering an army to fight against David they cowered and waited until they heard he was off fighting a war. As a king you cannot simply focus on the battle you will be fighting, but also on snake lying in the grass that will use that as an opportunity to kill women and children.
3 When David and his men reached Ziklag, they found it destroyed by fire and their wives and sons and daughters taken captive. 4 So David and his men wept aloud until they had no strength left to weep. 5 David’s two wives had been captured—Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail, the widow of Nabal of Carmel. 6 David was greatly distressed because the men were talking of stoning him; each one was bitter in spirit because of his sons and daughters. But David found strength in the Lord his God.
7 Then David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelek, “Bring me the ephod.” Abiathar brought it to him, 8 and David inquired of the Lord, “Shall I pursue this raiding party? Will I overtake them?” “Pursue them,” he answered. “You will certainly overtake them and succeed in the rescue.”
There is no unsubstantiated conjecture to think that David was praying, inquiring and following the Lord. We see any time he had an important decision he inquired of God. So it is definitely logical to interpret that the decision to go to Philistine was a big decision that involved inquiring of God. Saul said that God had stopped answering him when he inquired and Samuel told him it was because you did not obey his command. Here we see God answering David, so it is illogical to conclude that going to Philistine was contrary to His command.
9 David and the six hundred men with him came to the Besor Valley, where some stayed behind. 10 Two hundred of them were too exhausted to cross the valley, but David and the other four hundred continued the pursuit.
I think it is safe to conclude that they were running hard.
11 They found an Egyptian in a field and brought him to David. They gave him water to drink and food to eat— 12 part of a cake of pressed figs and two cakes of raisins. He ate and was revived, for he had not eaten any food or drunk any water for three days and three nights. 13 David asked him, “Who do you belong to? Where do you come from?” He said, “I am an Egyptian, the slave of an Amalekite. My master abandoned me when I became ill three days ago.
Wow, how pathetic. This kind of treatment of people working for you played a major role in their being caught and killed.
14 We raided the Negev of the Kerethites, some territory belonging to Judah and the Negev of Caleb. And we burned Ziklag.” 15 David asked him, “Can you lead me down to this raiding party?” He answered, “Swear to me before God that you will not kill me or hand me over to my master, and I will take you down to them.” 16 He led David down, and there they were, scattered over the countryside, eating, drinking and reveling because of the great amount of plunder they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from Judah. 17 David fought them from dusk until the evening of the next day, and none of them got away, except four hundred young men who rode off on camels and fled.
Whoa, what? None of them got away except for 400 young men on camels? David’s entire force is 400 men (they left 200 back at the river). This is the importance of being a well trained fighting force. No well trained force would make camp in the valley. No well trained force would be revelling until the campaign was truly over and it isn’t over till you get back to your city. No well trained force would leave the sick man behind when they had 400 camels and plenty of food. Finally, why are they there for three days and nights? This is a great lesson, Sun Tzu says you can know the condition of an army by a single man. Seeing them abandon the Egyptian servant tells David a lot. Seeing them in the valley partying for three days tells him a lot. No doubt they were heavily outnumbered, but strike at night, while they are partying and there will be massive confusion. Many people will be drunk, others will be unable to find their weapons, animals will stampede in chaos, that is truly the best time. Hit them fast, hit them hard, hit them in the dark when they don’t know what is going on.
18 David recovered everything the Amalekites had taken, including his two wives. 19 Nothing was missing: young or old, boy or girl, plunder or anything else they had taken. David brought everything back. 20 He took all the flocks and herds, and his men drove them ahead of the other livestock, saying, “This is David’s plunder.”
Once again, experiences like this build the confidence and trust of those who are following you. Those same people who had despaired and wanted to kill David are now leading his flocks saying “this is David’s plunder”.
21 Then David came to the two hundred men who had been too exhausted to follow him and who were left behind at the Besor Valley. They came out to meet David and the men with him. As David and his men approached, he asked them how they were. 22 But all the evil men and troublemakers among David’s followers said, “Because they did not go out with us, we will not share with them the plunder we recovered. However, each man may take his wife and children and go.”
23 David replied, “No, my brothers, you must not do that with what the Lord has given us. He has protected us and delivered into our hands the raiding party that came against us. 24 Who will listen to what you say? 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.” 25 David made this a statute and ordinance for Israel from that day to this.
How stupid can men be? If they had left 200 men in Ziklag it probably wouldn’t have been burned. What happens if you come back after the battle and all your supplies had been plundered? You have to start thinking like a team.
26 When David reached Ziklag, he sent some of the plunder to the elders of Judah, who were his friends, saying, “Here is a gift for you from the plunder of the Lord’s enemies.” 27 David sent it to those who were in Bethel, Ramoth Negev and Jattir; 28 to those in Aroer, Siphmoth, Eshtemoa 29 and Rakal; to those in the towns of the Jerahmeelites and the Kenites; 30 to those in Hormah, Bor Ashan, Athak 31 and Hebron; and to those in all the other places where he and his men had roamed.
It is more blessed to give than to receive. Not only is David protecting Judah from the Amalekites he is also giving to them from the plunder which was taken from them. How awesome is that. I come home, my car is stolen, and later that week the police return my car to me. After that I love the police.