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1SAMUEL
CHAPTER 30

1 And it came to pass, when David and his men were come to Ziklag on the third day, that the Amalekites had invaded the south, and Ziklag, and smitten Ziklag, and burned it with fire; 2 And had taken the women captives, that were therein: they slew not any, either great or small, but carried them away, and went on their way. 3 So David and his men came to the city, and, behold, it was burned with fire; and their wives, and their sons, and their daughters, were taken captives. 4 Then David and the people that were with him lifted up their voice and wept, until they had no more power to weep. 5 And David's two wives were taken captives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite. 6 And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God.

While David and the men had been oof with Achish the Amalekites had come and burned down Ziklag and taken the wives and children captive. Makes one wonder! Here is a man who's gone to battle thinking that God would protect his family, and then he comes home to find his town burned and his family taken captive.
Do you ever wonder at the things that happen to you? I remember once, my wife had a flat one morning. I fixed the flat, and thought she'd surely be off to work on time. Then the car wouldn't start. So I got the trusty jumper cables and got it started, and surely she would be on her way. But not a mile down the road, she had ANOTHER flat. I couldn't believe what was happening. I was supposed to be at work too. But we just couldn't seem to gett off the ground that day. To top it all off, these were two almost NEW automobiles. WHY? Why was the Lord allowing this DIFFICULTY?
Then, when we finally got going, we passed a tremendous wreck on the interstate highway. We COUL HAVE been IN that wreck! God didn't want us on the road for a PURPOSE.
Listen, if you're letting God have control of your life, and you are facing tremendous difficulties, it is for your benefit and His glory.
The problem with the Amalekites would take David FAR AWAY from the battle of the Philistines and Israel. Because of this adversity in his life, he would never be accused of causing Saul's death; he would never be accused of breaking his word; he would never be accused of siding with the Philistines.

7 And David said to Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech's son, I pray thee, bring me hither the ephod. And Abiathar brought thither the ephod to David. 8 And David inquired at the LORD, saying, Shall I pursue after this troop? shall I overtake them? And he answered him, Pursue: for thou shalt surely overtake them, and without fail recover all. 9 So David went, he and the six hundred men that were with him, and came to the brook Besor, where those that were left behind stayed. 10 But David pursued, he and four hundred men: for two hundred abode behind, which were so faint that they could not go over the brook Besor. 11 And they found an Egyptian in the field, and brought him to David, and gave him bread, and he did eat; and they made him drink water; 12 And they gave him a piece of a cake of figs, and two clusters of raisins: and when he had eaten, his spirit came again to him: for he had eaten no bread, nor drunk any water, three days and three nights. 13 And David said unto him, To whom belongest thou? and whence art thou? And he said, I am a young man of Egypt, servant to an Amalekite; and my master left me, because three days agone I fell sick. 14 We made an invasion upon the south of the Cherethites, and upon the coast which belongeth to Judah, and upon the south of Caleb; and we burned Ziklag with fire. 15 And David said to him, Canst thou bring me down to this company? And he said, Swear unto me by God, that thou wilt neither kill me, nor deliver me into the hands of my master, and I will bring thee down to this company.

David had learned a valuable lesson. Upon going to battle with Achish, no mention ismade of him asking God's desire about it. But here, he surely wants to know God's desire.
When God assured David that it was all right to chase the Amalekites, he and his men left in pursuit. But 200 of them became weak from all the travel and he left them at the brook Besor (verse 10).
Another blessing from the Lord happened when they found an Egyptian who had been a slave to one of the Amalekites. They nurtured him and helped him. Then they asked if he could lead them to the Amalekites. His answer was that if they would let him live and not turn him over to his former master, he would guide them.
The lost, who are enslaved to sin, are seeking someone to nurture them and help them and lead them to safety and freedom.

16 And when he had brought him down, behold, they were spread abroad upon all the earth, eating and drinking, and dancing, because of all the great spoil that they had taken out of the land of the Philistines, and out of the land of Judah. 17 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. 18 And David recovered all that the Amalekites had carried away: and David rescued his two wives. 19 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.

When David's army (now only 400) found the Amalekites, they were having a big celebration. This must have been a much larger army than David's because verse 17 tells us that 400 of them got away on camels. But the army of David fought against them "from twilight even unto the evening of the next day." (Remember, the Jewish "day" of that time was from 6PM to 6PM - not 12midnight to 12midnight like ours).
So the battle began about 5AM and went until sometime after 6PM...almost 14 hours.
All was recovered: every woman and child and all the other things the Amalekites had taken.

20 And David took all the flocks and the herds, which they drave before those other cattle, and said, This is David's spoil. 21 And David came to the two hundred men, which were so faint that they could not follow David, whom they had made also to abide at the brook Besor: and they went forth to meet David, and to meet the people that were with him: and when David came near to the people, he saluted them. 22 Then answered all the wicked men and men of Belial, of those that went with David, and said, Because they went not with us, we will not give them ought of the spoil that we have recovered, save to every man his wife and his children, that they may lead them away, and depart. 23 Then said David, Ye shall not do so, my brethren, with that which the LORD hath given us, who hath preserved us, and delivered the company that came against us into our hand. 24 For who will hearken unto you in this matter? but as his part is that goeth down to the battle, so shall his part be that tarrieth by the stuff: they shall part alike. 25 And it was so from that day forward, that he made it a statute and an ordinance for Israel unto this day.

There were some flocks and herds of cattle left that had not been taken at Ziklag. Everyone received his own which had been taken, but there was MORE. David took that and determined it to be "spoil," or PROFIT from the battle. This would be divided among the people.
When they came back to the brook Besor, they found the 200 men they had left there. And some of the army said not to divide the spoil among them because they didn't WORK for it.
But God has given David much wisdom in all these years of running and fighting. He said there are those assigned to battle and those who are assigned to pray, wait and watch.
BOTH should participate in the profit and reward. In fact he made that a law among his people (verses 24-25).
It is true in Christianity today. Some are assigned great battles, and some are assigned to be prayer warriors, givers, recorders, etc. But BOTH share in the victory!

26 And when David came to Ziklag, he sent of the spoil unto the elders of Judah, even to his friends, saying, Behold a present for you of the spoil of the enemies of the LORD; 27 To them which were in Bethel, and to them which were in south Ramoth, and to them which were in Jattir, 28 And to them which were in Aroer, and to them which were in Siphmoth, and to them which were in Eshtemoa, 29 And to them which were in Rachal, and to them which were in the cities of the Jerahmeelites, and to them which were in the cities of the Kenites, 30 And to them which were in Hormah, and to them which were in Chorashan, and to them which were in Athach, 31 And to them which were in Hebron, and to all the places where David himself and his men were wont to haunt.

David took some of the "spoils of war" and sent them to his friends in Judah who had helped him. These were the "elders" who had given him refuge, sent him food, helped him with clothing, kept quiet about his whereabouts.
David remembered their good deeds, and he rewarded them for their effort.
I'm sure that the Lord used this for David's benefit later. For when he first succeeded Saul as king, Judah was the first tribe to pledge allegiance to him.
For every one who gives us blessings, we should give thanks and return blessings.

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