Jan 16: Through the year chronological reading and study of the Bible from James McFerrin; State Line church of Christ Fayetteville, TN. DAVID’S CONFLICT WITH THE AMALEKITES. I Sam. 30:1-31 When David and his six hundred men returned home after being rejected by the Philistine princes, there were no homes. The Amalekites had raided the southern portion of Judah and also Ziklag, the home of David and his men. They had burned the city and taken their wives, children and livestock as captives and spoil. Saul’s rejection by God was due to his refusal to completely destroy the Amalekites. David and his men were suffering their losses because of Saul’s inaction. Their losses deeply distressed David and his men, even to the point that his men turned against their leader and spoke of stoning him. God replied to David’s inquiry that he should pursue the Amalekites and that he would recover all that they had taken. As David and his men pursued the Amalekites, two hundred of them were too tired to go farther than the Brook of Besor. They were left behind to care for the supplies while he and the other four hundred men moved forward. They found a fallen Egyptian, who had been a member of the Amalekite raiders. After caring for his needs, he led David and his men to them. The ensuing battle lasted from early morning until evening. David and his men with the help of God destroyed all of the Amalekites except for four hundred men who escaped on camels. They recovered their families, livestock and the spoils from southern Judah. David returned the rightful property back to the southern Judeans. The two hundred men left behind received their just portion of the spoils over the objections of some of the four hundred men who had fought the battle. David pointed out that all of them had a responsibility—from guarding the supplies to actually waging battle and should share alike. Additionally, it was not by their efforts, but that God had delivered the Amalekites over to them. There are various opportunities that man has today. Some may seem insignificant, but they are as important as those that may seem major. Let each of us serve God according to the abilities that we may possess.
Posted on: Fri, 17 Jan 2014 04:10:08 +0000