1 Samuel 30: Strength in the Lord
Finding Ziklag burned and his family taken, a distressed David strengthens himself in God, pursues the raiders, and recovers all.
1 Samuel 30 (WEB)
1 When David and his men had come to Ziklag on the third day, the Amalekites had made a raid on the South, and on Ziklag, and had struck Ziklag, and burned it with fire,
2 and had taken captive the women and all who were therein, both small and great. They didn’t kill any, but carried them off, and went their way.
3 When David and his men came to the city, behold, it was burned with fire; and their wives, and their sons, and their daughters, were taken captive.
4 Then David and the people who were with him lifted up their voice and wept, until they had no more power to weep.
5 David’s two wives were taken captive, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite.
6 David was greatly distressed; for the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David strengthened himself in Yahweh his God.
7 David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelech, “Please bring me here the ephod.” Abiathar brought the ephod to David.
8 David inquired of Yahweh, saying, “If I pursue after this troop, shall I overtake them?” He answered him, “Pursue; for you shall surely overtake them, and shall without fail recover all.”
9 So David went, he and the six hundred men who were with him, and came to the brook Besor, where those who were left behind stayed.
10 But David pursued, he and four hundred men; for two hundred stayed behind, who were so faint that they couldn’t go over the brook Besor.
11 They found an Egyptian in the field, and brought him to David, and gave him bread, and he ate; and they gave him water to drink.
12 They gave him a piece of a cake of figs, and two clusters of raisins. 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 David asked him, “To whom do you belong? Where are you from?” He said, “I am a young man of Egypt, servant to an Amalekite; and my master left me, because three days ago I fell sick.
14 We made a raid on the South of the Cherethites, and on that which belongs to Judah, and on the South of Caleb; and we burned Ziklag with fire.”
15 David said to him, “Will you bring me down to this troop?” He said, “Swear to me by God that you will neither kill me, nor deliver me up into the hands of my master, and I will bring you down to this troop.”
16 When he had brought him down, behold, they were spread around over all the ground, eating, drinking, and dancing, because of all the great plunder that they had taken out of the land of the Philistines, and out of the land of Judah.
17 David struck them from the twilight even to the evening of the next day. Not a man of them escaped from there, except four hundred young men, who rode on camels and fled.
18 David recovered all that the Amalekites had taken; and David rescued his two wives.
19 There was nothing lacking to them, neither small nor great, neither sons nor daughters, neither plunder, nor anything that they had taken to them. David brought back all.
20 David took all the flocks and the herds, which they drove before those other livestock, and said, “This is David’s plunder.”
21 David came to the two hundred men, who were so faint that they could not follow David, whom also they had made to stay at the brook Besor; and they went out to meet David, and to meet the people who were with him. When David came near to the people, he greeted them.
22 Then all the wicked men and base fellows, of those who went with David, answered and said, “Because they didn’t go with us, we will not give them anything of the plunder that we have recovered, except to every man his wife and his children, that he may lead them away, and depart.”
23 Then David said, “You shall not do so, my brothers, with that which Yahweh has given to us, who has preserved us, and delivered the troop that came against us into our hand.
24 Who will listen to you in this matter? For as his share is who goes down to the battle, so shall his share be who tarries by the baggage: they shall share alike.”
25 It was so from that day forward, that he made it a statute and an ordinance for Israel to this day.
26 When David came to Ziklag, he sent of the plunder to the elders of Judah, even to his friends, saying, “Behold, a present for you of the plunder of the enemies of Yahweh.”
27 He sent it to those who were in Bethel, and to those who were in Ramoth of the South, and to those who were in Jattir,
28 and to those who were in Aroer, and to those who were in Siphmoth, and to those who were in Eshtemoa,
29 and to those who were in Racal, and to those who were in the cities of the Jerahmeelites, and to those who were in the cities of the Kenites,
30 and to those who were in Hormah, and to those who were in Borashan, and to those who were in Athach,
31 and to those who were in Hebron, and to all the places where David himself and his men used to stay.
1 Samuel 30 (KJV)
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.
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 enquired 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.
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.
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.
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 Beth–el, 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 Chor–ashan, 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.
1 Samuel 30 (ASV)
1 And it came to pass, when David and his men were come to Ziklag on the third day, that the Amalekites had made a raid upon the South, and upon Ziklag, and had smitten Ziklag, and burned it with fire,
2 and had taken captive the womenand allthat were therein, both small and great: they slew not any, but carried them off, and went their way.
3 And when David and his men came to the city, behold, it was burned with fire; and their wives, and their sons, and their daughters, were taken captive.
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 captive, 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 strengthened himself in Jehovah his God.
7 And David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelech, I pray thee, bring me hither the ephod. And Abiathar brought thither the ephod to David.
8 And David inquired of Jehovah, saying, If I pursue after this troop, shall I overtake them? And he answered him, Pursue; for thou shalt surely overtake them, and shalt 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 stayed behind, who 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 gave him water to drink;
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 ago I fell sick.
14 We made a raid upon the South of the Cherethites, and upon that which belongeth to Judah, and upon the South of Caleb; and we burned Ziklag with fire.
15 And David said to him, Wilt thou bring me down to this troop? And he said, Swear unto me by God, that thou wilt neither kill me, nor deliver me up into the hands of my master, and I will bring thee down to this troop.
16 And when he had brought him down, behold, they were spread abroad over all the ground, 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, who rode upon camels and fled.
18 And David recovered all that the Amalekites had taken; 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 anything that they had taken to them: David brought back all.
20 And David took all the flocks and the herds, which they drove before those other cattle, and said, This is David’s spoil.
21 And David came to the two hundred men, who were so faint that they could not follow David, whom also they had made 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 base fellows, of those that went with David, and said, Because they went not with us, we will not give them aught of the spoil that we have recovered, save to every man his wife and his children, that he may lead them away, and depart.
23 Then said David, Ye shall not do so, my brethren, with that which Jehovah hath given unto us, who hath preserved us, and delivered the troop that came against us into our hand.
24 And who will hearken unto you in this matter? for as his share is that goeth down to the battle, so shall his share be that tarrieth by the baggage: they shall share alike.
25 And it was so from that day forward, that he made it a statute and an ordinance for Israel unto this day.
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 Jehovah:
27 to them that were in Beth-el, and to them that were in Ramoth of the South, and to them that were in Jattir,
28 and to them that were in Aroer, and to them that were in Siphmoth, and to them that were in Eshtemoa,
29 and to them that were in Racal, and to them that were in the cities of the Jerahmeelites, and to them that were in the cities of the Kenites,
30 and to them that were in Hormah, and to them that were in Bor-ashan, and to them that were in Athach,
31 and to them that were in Hebron, and to all the places where David himself and his men were wont to haunt.
Summary
When David and his men return to Ziklag, they find it burned by the Amalekites and their wives, sons, and daughters carried off. David and his men weep until they have no strength left, and David's own wives are among the captives. Bitter and grieving, the men speak of stoning him, and David is greatly distressed, but he strengthens himself in Yahweh his God. He calls for the ephod and inquires of the Lord whether to pursue, and God promises he will surely overtake them and recover all. David pursues with six hundred men, two hundred too faint to cross the brook Besor. They find an abandoned Egyptian slave, revive him, and he leads them to the raiders, who are feasting over their plunder. David strikes them from twilight to evening and recovers everything, losing nothing, rescuing his two wives and bringing back all the people and goods. When some wicked men refuse to share the spoil with the two hundred who stayed by the baggage, David rules that those who guard the supplies share equally with those who fight, making it a lasting statute in Israel. He also sends gifts from the plunder to the elders of Judah, his friends.
Main Characters
- David — The grieving leader who strengthens himself in the Lord, inquires of God, pursues the raiders, recovers all, and rules fairly over the spoil.
- Abiathar — The priest who brings the ephod so David can inquire of the Lord before pursuing the Amalekites.
- The Egyptian servant — An abandoned, sick slave of an Amalekite, revived by David's men, who leads them to the raiders' camp.
- The Amalekites — The raiders who burn Ziklag and carry off its families, feasting over their plunder until David overtakes them.
Key Verse
1 Samuel 30:6 (WEB)
David was greatly distressed; for the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David strengthened himself in Yahweh his God.
Lessons Learned
- In our lowest, most distressing moments, we can strengthen ourselves in the Lord our God.
- Before acting in crisis, it is wise to inquire of God and seek his direction.
- God's people are called to kindness, even toward a stranger, who here becomes the key to victory.
- Grace shapes how we treat the weak; those who guard the baggage share equally with those who fight.
- Strengthen yourself in the Lord. Surrounded by grief and threats, “David strengthened himself in Yahweh his God” (1 Samuel 30:6, WEB). When all support fails, the believer's strength is found in God himself.
- Seek God's guidance in crisis. David inquires, “If I pursue after this troop, shall I overtake them?” and God says, “Pursue” (1 Samuel 30:8, WEB). He acts on God's word rather than panic.
- Kindness opens unexpected doors. Reviving an abandoned Egyptian leads David straight to the enemy (1 Samuel 30:11-15, WEB). Mercy shown to the lowly can become the very means of deliverance.
- All who serve share in the reward. “As his share is who goes down to the battle, so shall his share be who tarries by the baggage” (1 Samuel 30:24, WEB). Grace, not merit, governs how David shares the spoil.
- What does David find at Ziklag, and how do he and his men first respond?
- What does it mean that 'David strengthened himself in Yahweh his God,' and how did he do it?
- How does the kindness shown to the Egyptian servant figure into the victory?
- What principle does David establish about sharing the spoil, and what does it reveal about his heart?
- When you are 'greatly distressed,' what practical steps help you strengthen yourself in the Lord?
- David finds Ziklag burned and the families taken, and he and his men weep until they have no more strength, while the bitter men talk of stoning him (30:3-6). It is one of the darkest moments of David's life.
- Rather than collapse or retaliate, David turns to God, strengthening himself in the Lord, and then calls for the ephod to inquire of him (30:6-8). His example shows where to find footing when everything else gives way.
- David's men revive a starving, abandoned Egyptian slave with food and water, and he becomes their guide to the raiders' camp (30:11-15). Mercy to a stranger becomes the unexpected key to recovering everything.
- David rules that those who stayed with the baggage share the spoil equally with those who fought, making it a lasting statute (30:23-25). His insistence on grace and fairness reveals a heart shaped by gratitude to the God who gave the victory.
- This is a personal-application question. Invite members to name concrete practices, such as prayer, Scripture, worship, or godly friends, that help them find strength in God amid distress. Point to David strengthening himself in the Lord as a model for the hardest days.