“And David
smote them from the twilight even unto the evening of the next day: and there
escaped not a man of them, save four hundred young men, which rode upon camels,
and fled. And David recovered all that the Amalekites had carried away: and
David rescued his two wives. And there was nothing lacking to them, neither
small nor great, neither sons nor daughters, neither spoil, nor any thing that
they had taken to them: David recovered all. And David took all the flocks and
the herds, which they drave before those other cattle, and said, This is David's
spoil” (1 Samuel 30:17-20).
Introduction
In this brief
passage we find David recovering everything that the Amalekites had stolen from
him. We see how quickly God
fulfilled His promise to him.
The
slaughter
David took the Amalekites by surprise, for as
Josephus writes, “for they were naked, and expected no such thing, but had
betaken themselves to drinking, and feasting, and so they were all easily
destroyed” (Josephus, The Antiquities of the Jews 6:14:363). The slaughter was
great and lasted from twilight until the evening of the following day. The word
“twilight” [Hebrew, nesep] can mean “dawn” as in Job 7:4, “When I
lie down, I say, When shall I arise, and the night be gone? and I am full of
tossings to and fro unto the dawning of the day” and in Psalm 119:147, “I
prevented the dawning of the morning.” Therefore David’s attack might
have started at first light when the Amalekites were hung over.
We have to remember that David and his men
had travelled for three days to Ziklag, and had been distraught when they found
the town destroyed and all they had taken, so their courage in fighting a huge
army is commendable. The text states that only four hundred Amalekites escaped
on camels, therefore the army must have been huge compared with David’s four
hundred men.
It is likely that
David waited until he thought the time was right to attack the enemy, so he may
have watched them getting themselves into a weakened state as they indulged in
food, drink and song. “It is probable, that when he came near
them, he reposed himself, and his army, in some secret place, whereof there were
many parts, for a convenient season; and then marched on so as to come to them
at the evening time” (John Wesley).
The
salvation
Nothing was lost
from what the Amalekites had taken from Ziklag. In the three days since the
invasion, they could have easily sold the women and children as slaves to
foreign traders. God had promised that all would be recovered, and it was. There
is mention of David’s two wives because their recovery probably pleased him
more than everything else.
The
spoil
After the defeat
of the Amalekites there was a great amount of spoil left behind. There was so
much that six hundred men could benefit from it, and David was able to send some
as a gift to his kinsfolk in Judah. So we see that God’s promise fulfilled and
David received more than he initially lost. No doubt they had lost their homes
and other personal belongings when Ziklag was burned to the ground, but this
added supply made up for the loss.
Why was David
allowed to keep the spoil, whereas King Saul was commanded to destroy it? When
Saul disobeyed God’s command he was punished (1 Samuel 15), but not so David.
The answer is found in the fact that David was not commanded to destroy all
Amalekite’s spoil. Also he was only recovering what had been stolen from him,
though he recovered more than was taken we should see that as compensation.
Conclusion
Only our obedience
to the word and will of God can bring us to the place of rich blessings. David
was faced with a terrible situation, but he prayed to God, and it all turned out
for good. We should never underestimate what God can do for us. “The earth
is the LORD'S, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.
For he hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods. Who
shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? or who shall stand in his holy place? He
that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto
vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive the blessing from the
LORD, and righteousness from the God of his salvation” (Palm 24:1-5).
David had “strengthened
himself in the LORD” (1 Samuel 30:6), “inquired of the Lord” (1
Samuel 30:8) and found that God always fulfils His promises. With this exploit
the exile and wanderings of David come to an end.
© 26/10/2009