While Saul had sought the life of David, Israel was a dangerous place for him; so he made an alliance with the Philistine King to find refuge among the Philistines. While David had made this peace pact with King Achish of the Philistines, the officers of the Philistine army were very nervous about the arrangement. Finally, Achish had to send David away for the sake of his men.
1 Samuel 29:6-7 ESV Then Achish called David and said to him, "As the LORD lives, you have been honest, and to me it seems right that you should march out and in with me in the campaign. For I have found nothing wrong in you from the day of your coming to me to this day. Nevertheless, the lords do not approve of you. (7) So go back now; and go peaceably, that you may not displease the lords of the Philistines."
While on his three day journey back to Ziklag, where David’s wives and all of the families of his army were staying; the Amalekites had raided Ziklag and had taken everyone captive and burned the city to the ground. David and his men wept until they could weep no more. David’s two wives, Ahinoam and Abigail, were taken away as captives along with the rest. David’s men were very bitter with him and they wanted to stone him for the loss of their families; but David was strengthened in the LORD and had Abiathar inquire of the LORD if they should pursue after the Amalekites and rescue the people; and the LORD replied, “Yes, you will rescue them.”
1 Samuel 30:6-8 ESV And David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because all the people were bitter in soul, each for his sons and daughters. But David strengthened himself in the LORD his God. (7) And David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelech, "Bring me the ephod." So Abiathar brought the ephod to David. (8) And David inquired of the LORD, "Shall I pursue after this band? Shall I overtake them?" He answered him, "Pursue, for you shall surely overtake and shall surely rescue."
Two hundred of his six hundred men were too exhausted to cross the brook Besor, so they stayed behind. Pursuing the Amalekites with only 400 men, they came across a weary Egyptian who was a slave to one of the Amalekites who had raided Ziklag. He was left behind because he had become sick three days before. They fed him and he was revived. He agreed to show David where the Amalekites were making their camp in exchange for protection and his freedom. David agreed.
When they found the Amalekites, they were celebrating because of all of the plunder that they had taken. David and his men rushed them and slaughtered them through the night and all of the next day until evening. None escaped except 400 who fled on camels. David recovered all that had been taken from them and he rescued his two wives. Nothing was lost, small or great, it was all recovered in addition to all that the Amalekites had.
1 Samuel 30:18-19 ESV 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.
When they returned to Besor, some of the men didn’t want to share the spoils of war with the 200 who stayed behind. Then David made a decree that stood during all of the time he was king, that all would share in the spoils of war; “They shall share alike.”
1 Samuel 30:23-25 ESV But David said, "You shall not do so, my brothers, with what the LORD has given us. He has preserved us and given into our hand the band that came against us. (24) Who would listen to you in this matter? For as his share is who goes down into the battle, so shall his share be who stays by the baggage. They shall share alike." (25) And he made it a statute and a rule for Israel from that day forward to this day.
While David was fighting the Amalekites, Saul had gone into battle with the Philistines. He and all of his sons were killed. When the Israelites, who lived on the other side of the Jezreel Valley and those beyond the Jordan, saw Saul and his sons die, they all fled and abandoned their homes. The Philistines moved in and occupied their towns.
The next day the Philistines stripped the bodies of all of the dead Israelites. When they found the bodies of Saul and his sons, they cut off their heads and hung their bodies to the wall of the city of Beth-shan. When the people of Jabesh-Gilead heard about what was done to the bodies of Saul and his sons; a band of mighty warriors went to Beth-shan by night and removed their bodies and carried them back to Jabesh and buried them. Then the people mourned and fasted seven days.
1 Samuel 31:8-13 ESV The next day, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, they found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa. (9) So they cut off his head and stripped off his armor and sent messengers throughout the land of the Philistines, to carry the good news to the house of their idols and to the people. (10) They put his armor in the temple of Ashtaroth, and they fastened his body to the wall of Beth-shan. (11) But when the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul, (12) all the valiant men arose and went all night and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Beth-shan, and they came to Jabesh and burned them there. (13) And they took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree in Jabesh and fasted seven days.
Now David had returned to Ziklag and on the third day, a man arrived and informed David of the death of Saul and his sons. David asked the man how he knew this and the man said that he was there on the battlefield and that he stood behind Saul and killed him. Then he took his crown and brought it to David along with his arm band. David asked the man why he wasn’t afraid to kill the LORD’s anointed and he ordered the man killed. Then he mourned the deaths of Saul and his sons, especially the loss of his friend Jonathan.
2 Samuel 1:14-17 ESV David said to him, "How is it you were not afraid to put out your hand to destroy the LORD's anointed?" (15) Then David called one of the young men and said, "Go, execute him." And he struck him down so that he died. (16) And David said to him, "Your blood be on your head, for your own mouth has testified against you, saying, 'I have killed the LORD's anointed.'" (17) And David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and Jonathan his son,
Prayer: Heavenly Father thank you for fighting my battles. You always cause me to triumph. Lead me to all that you are blessing and give me the spiritual discernment to walk with you, in Jesus’ name, Amen.
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