THE AMALEKITES ATTACK ISRAEL

1 Samuel 30:1-15 / Keywords 30:8

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.”

 

David Destroys the Amalekites

30:1 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.

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.”

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.

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. 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.”

1. When David and his men returned, they found that the Amalekites had attacked the city. They took captive all the people and burned the city. David and his men wept until they ran out of tears. David’s wives were among those captured. Worse than that, the men were so bitter they considered stoning David. In this situation there was nowhere to turn, but David found strength in the LORD his God.

 

2. At this time David sought the priest and inquired of the LORD. He had no plan, but he asked if he should pursue the raiding party, and the LORD answered, “Pursue them.” The LORD promised victory, so David left with 600 men. When 200 became exhausted David continued with the 400 that remained. Finally, he found an Egyptian who was a slave of the Amalekite army. This slave promised to lead David to the raiding party. It was God who was leading David according to his will.

 

Prayer Lord, you are my strength. Help me to depend on your leading in every situation.

One Word Trust God’s leading