Day 86 – 1 Samuel 30:26-31

Scripture Review

1 Samuel 30:26-31

"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;" (1 Samuel 30:26)

David does not sit in Ziklag stroking the recovered cattle and muttering, "Mine, mine, mine." He sends. That is the first thing. The spoil must have been abundant, because he is able to distribute it widely and even to the elders of Judah and calls them "his friends." David has come out of a season of compromise, ashes, tears, and near stoning. The once fugitive is back to thinking like a king. He remembers who sheltered him when Saul was mad and the caves were home.

"To them which were in Bethel, and to them which were in south Ramoth, and to them which were in Jattir," (1 Samuel 30:27)

The list starts rolling, and that list is the point. Bethel, south Ramoth, Jattir towns that would mean little to a casual reader and everything to David and his men. David was generous to all his friends, and the repeated naming of places turns that generosity from abstraction into geography. These are not anonymous beneficiaries. They are the old hiding country of Judah. I see this as David's quiet repayment of the little people who never made the headlines but helped keep him alive. The Holy Ghost could have said, "he sent gifts to many towns," but He names them one by one, like a man calling roll after the storm. I always say, "if you make it big, don't forget the little people." David remembers the back roads.

"And to them which were in Aroer, and to them which were in Siphmoth, and to them which were in Eshtemoa," (1 Samuel 30:28)

The list keeps walking southward. These are southern Judean locations. David is tracing his old trail with gifts from the LORD's victory. He is not simply restored; he is restorative. That is different. A man can recover from disaster and still remain small hearted. David comes out of Ziklag large hearted.

"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;" (1 Samuel 30:29)

Here we begin to see clusters of people named. The Jerahmeelites and the Kenites. That matters because David's memory is not narrow. He is not rewarding only the polished places. He remembers the fringes too, the folk on the edges, the people who were not always seated at the center of Israel's public life.

"And to them which were in Hormah, and to them which were in Chorashan, and to them which were in Athach," (1 Samuel 30:30)

The names keep coming. David is making sure the victory doesn't stay trapped in the camp of the fighters. That is exactly what he is doing. The blessing travels.

"And to them which were in Hebron, and to all the places where David himself and his men were wont to haunt." (1 Samuel 30:31)

Finally, we see Hebron at the end. But the verse does not stop with Hebron. It broadens out and says, "all the places where David himself and his men were wont to haunt." What a phrase. The man who was hunted now remembers the haunts. The caves, the strongholds, the back country shelters, the places where he and his band moved like ghosts while Saul chased shadows. He sends blessing back down every trail where mercy once met him.

Not only is this list of places and names evidence of how large the spoils was, but it reminds me of a time when I sent out thank you cards for attending my wedding. I was able to personally thank everyone that made our day special. It might not have been spoils with money or things but it was words directly from my heart.

As I sit back and review my mind keeps returning to the idea that discouragement can either drive you deeper into self pity or back into dependence on God. Chapter 30 shows what that second road looks like. By verse 28 David is not talking to his own fearful heart anymore. He is blessing others with what God has put in his hand. That is one of the strongest signs a man or woman has truly come back from a dark stretch. They stops circling their own wound and start thinking about who else can be helped.

Love Ya'll!