It wasn't just David's settlement at Ziklag that the Amalekites had attacked. The former Egyptian slave of one of the Amalekites, who led David to the Amalekite camp, stated that while he was with the raiding party it had attacked "the Negev of the Kerethites, some territory belonging to Judah and the Negev of Caleb". David and his men recover all that was taken from Ziklag along with everything the Amalekites took from other cities and towns. This is why the four hundred men with David refer to the excess goods as "plunder" in this next verse: "He took all the flocks and herds, and his men drove them ahead of the other livestock, saying, 'This is David's plunder'". (1 Samuel 30:20) Not only did David recover everything that was stolen from Ziklag but he is returning with more besides.
Some fellows among the four hundred men who went to fight the Amalekites object to sharing anything with the two hundred who were physically unable to go with them. "Then David came to the two hundred men who had been too exhausted to follow him and who were left behind at the Besor Valley. They came out to meet David and the men with him. As David and his men approached, he asked them how they were. But all the evil men and troublemakers among David's followers said, 'Because they did not go out with us, we will not share with them the plunder we recovered. However, each man may take his wife and children and go.'" (1 Samuel 30:21-22) David is concerned for the welfare of these two hundred men who stayed behind. The first thing he does is inquire about their wellbeing. He's been worried about their health and also about whether they might be attacked by robbers in his absence. He's relieved to see that everyone is still alive and unharmed.
But there are some unsavory characters among David's followers. In 1 Samuel 22:2 we were told that the first four hundred men who joined up with him were "in distress or in debt or discontented". A lot of their distress, debt, and discontentment was due to King Saul's wicked political administration. But some of them may have been in distress, debt, and discontentment because of problems they brought on themselves through sinful living or unwise choices. It could be that these are the guys who say, "Each man can have his wife and kids back but that's it. They can't have any of their personal belongings back. They can't have any of the extra stuff we're coming back with either. In fact, we don't even want them in our midst anymore! We want them to take their families and leave."
The two hundred men who were literally physically incapable of traveling on to the Amalekite camp still put their lives on the line even though they weren't able to fight the enemy. They protected the supplies of the men who did go and fight. They protected the supplies at great risk to themselves because they weren't guarding the goods in a walled city or while hiding in a cave. They were camped around the goods while in an open field down in a valley. If an enemy raiding party or a band of robbers had come along, these two hundred men would have been like sitting ducks. The enemy could have swooped right down on them, surrounding them and attacking them while they were in no physical condition to fight back. They would have had nowhere to run. They might all have ended up wounded or dead with the supplies stolen. Yet, knowing all this, the two hundred chose to remain faithfully with the supplies, caring about what belonged to their fellow man in accordance with the principle of loving one's neighbor as oneself. They were obeying this principle in the way the Apostle Paul worded it in Philippians 2:3-4: "In humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others." If the two hundred men had been unsavory characters like some of their detractors, they would have either abandoned the supplies and run away or they would have stolen every man's goods as they took off for a safer location. But they were good, honest men. David isn't going to listen to any nonsense about keeping these men from having their belongings back plus part of the spoil.
"David replied, 'No, my brothers, you must not do that with what the Lord has given us. He has protected us and delivered into our hands the raiding party that came against us. Who will listen to what you say? The share of the man who stayed with the supplies is to be the same as that of him who went down to the battle. All will share alike.' David made this a statute and ordinance for Israel from that day until this." (1 Samuel 30:23-25) Have you ever heard the expression, "There are no small parts, just small actors."? The same can be said for every person who makes up the body of Christ. There are no small parts. Some jobs in the church are very visible, such as the work the pastor does. Other jobs take place behind the scenes but that doesn't mean they are any less important. Without the workers who keep things running smoothly, the pastor couldn't do his job. Likewise, the person who prays alone at home every day for the needs of others is just as important as the person working in the mission field. David is saying to the four hundred men who went to the fight with him, "Your job was very important, that's true. But the job these two hundred men performed was just as important. They protected your belongings as well as their own. They prayed for our safety and success while we were in the heat of battle. We could not have done our job if they had not done their job. Therefore, they will share in the spoils of war with you."
David sends a great deal of the spoils of war to those who have helped him while on the run from Saul. "When David reached Ziklag, he sent some of the plunder to the elders of Judah, who were his friends, saying, 'Here is a gift for you from the plunder of the Lord's enemies.' David sent it to those who were in Bethel, Ramoth Negev and Jattir; to those in Aroer, Siphmoth, Eshtemoa and Rakal; to those in the towns of the Jerahmeelites and the Kenites; to those in Hormah, Bor Hashan, Athak and Hebron; and to those in all the other places where he and his men had roamed." (1 Samuel 30:26-31) Scholars estimate that from the time David was anointed as king by Samuel until the day his exile ended was anywhere from fifteen to twenty-two years. During those years he continually had to move from place to place to stay ahead of King Saul. He now thanks all the people who allowed him to live in their regions---at some risk to themselves because of King Saul's vengeful personality---by sending them some of the goods he captured from the Amalekites.
David's days of exile are almost at an end. The fate predicted for King Saul by the prophet Samuel will come true. Soon Samuel's prophecy for David's own life will come true: the kingdom that was torn away from Saul will be given to David.
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