1 Samuel 30:1 - Meaning and Application

Here we see the Amalekites raid Ziklag while David was away, and the ruin they left behind. They attacked the city when it had no defense, plundered it, burned it, and carried off the women and children as captives (1 Samuel 30:1, 1 Samuel 30:2). They likely meant to take revenge for the damage David had recently done to them and their land (1 Samuel 27:8). A man who has made many enemies should not leave his own home unguarded. Those who deal boldly with others should expect others to deal boldly with them and prepare for it.

Several lessons come from this. First, Saul’s misguided kindness, as it turned out, in sparing the Amalekites came back in this trouble. If he had destroyed them as he should have, they would not have been alive to do this harm. Second, David was being corrected for being so quick to go with the Philistines against Israel. God showed him that it would have been better to stay at home and take care of his own household. When we go out in the path of duty, we may trust God to watch over our families in our absence, but not otherwise. Third, God clearly restrained the Amalekites from killing the captives. When David raided them, he killed them all (1 Samuel 27:9), and there is no human reason why they did not answer in the same way here, except that God held them back. He has all hearts in his hand, and he can stop the rage of the cruelest people. Whether they spared the captives to parade them, sell them, or use them as slaves, God’s hand was over it all. He meant to use the Amalekites to correct David’s house, not destroy it.

When David and his men returned and found their homes burned and their wives and children taken, they were overwhelmed with grief. They had made a three-day march from the Philistine camp to Ziklag, expecting rest in their homes and joy with their families. Instead, they found a dark and terrible scene (1 Samuel 30:3). They all wept until they had no strength left to weep, and David was not exempt from that sorrow (1 Samuel 30:4). The mention of Ahinoam and Abigail, David’s wives, shows that their capture touched him deeply. Even the bravest men are not dishonored when they grieve over the suffering of family and friends.

This trouble came while they were away, and Amalek had a long habit of striking Israel when it had the advantage. It met them when they came back, and it seems their own eyes were the first to tell them what had happened. We never know what trouble may be waiting for us when we return home. A trip may begin in joy and end in sorrow. So do not boast about tomorrow, or even about tonight, because you do not know what a day, or part of a day, may bring (Proverbs 27:1). If we come home from a journey and find our homes safe instead of ruined, we should praise the Lord for it.

David then faced another bitter trial. His own men spoke of stoning him (1 Samuel 30:6). They blamed him for their disaster, both because he had provoked the Amalekites and because he had left Ziklag without a guard. When people are in trouble, they often lash out at whoever seems to have caused it, while ignoring God’s providence, that is, his wise rule over events. They also turned on David because their hopes had collapsed. They had expected advancement and honor by following him, but now they felt ruined and desperate. Unchecked anger can drive people into foolish and violent actions.

This was a heavy trial for David, the man after God’s own heart. Saul had driven him from his country, the Philistines had driven him from their camp, the Amalekites had plundered his city, his wives had been taken, and now his own companions threatened him with death. These were the very men he had sheltered and fed. Instead of comforting him, they turned against him. Strong faith often has to endure hard testing. Yet David was brought to this lowest point just before he became king. It may even be that this was the very moment when the way was opened for his rise. Things are sometimes worst for God’s people just before they begin to improve.

In all this distress, David turned to God. “David encouraged himself in the Lord his God” (1 Samuel 30:6). His men were bitter and angry, and their discontent made the trouble even heavier. Their own impatience made the grief harder to bear. David handled it better. He gave his graces work while they gave free rein to their passions, and he kept his spirit steady by trusting God. Or this may especially refer to the threats his men made against him. They spoke of stoning him, but David did not try to answer them in revenge, and he was not crushed by their threats. Instead, he strengthened himself in the Lord, his God.

He believed and thought carefully about God’s power, his providence, his justice, and his goodness. He remembered that God often brings people low before he raises them up. He also remembered God’s care for those who serve him and trust him, along with the special promises God had made that David would safely come to the throne. With these truths before him, he held himself up and did not doubt that the present trouble would end well. Those who have taken the Lord as their God can draw courage from that relationship in the worst times. It is both duty and wisdom for God’s people to encourage themselves in him, trusting that he can bring light out of darkness, peace out of trouble, and good out of evil for those who love him (Romans 8:28). David learned this in practice, and it brought him comfort: “When I am afraid, I will trust in you.” Even when he had come to the end of his own strength, he had not come to the end of his faith.