1 Samuel 30:16-31:13

1 Samuel 30:16-31:13

When David went into the camp of the Amalekites, God gave him the victory just as He had promised. Except for the 400 men who escaped immediately, no one survived David’s attack. As a result, David was able to recover all that the Amalekites had taken, including his two wives. When he and his men returned to the rest of their group, some of those who had fought in the battle refused to share with the men who had stayed behind. David had left a group of 200 men behind to watch their things and keep an eye out for any possible attacks. Just because their job was somewhat easier, some of the men felt like they did not deserve as much of the reward. But David did not listen to his men, and he treated them all equally pointing out that they all had a part in the victory, and he rewarded them all.


Meanwhile, Saul and the Philistines were preparing for battle, which occurred in 1 Samuel 31. The battle itself is quite short. God had already decided that the Philistines would be victorious, and Samuel had told Saul that this would be the day that he and his sons would die. So when the battle began, the Philistines fought hard and earned an early advantage. They continued to push against Saul’s men, and Saul knew quickly that he had no chance. So he asked his armor bearer to kill him, not wanting to give that satisfaction to one of the Philistines. His armor bearer, however, knew better than to kill Saul, no matter the circumstances. So when he refused to do as Saul had asked, Saul fell on his sword and killed himself. This upset the armor bearer, and he killed himself in the same way. In the end, all God had predicted occurred. Saul and his sons died in the battle, and the Philistines found victory.

Although Saul is dead by the end of 1 Samuel, David is still not the king of Israel. Actually, the Philistines are in control of part of the land. David would soon step up to be the next king of Israel, but he was busy fighting his own battle against the Amalekites, and he had not yet returned to Israel. Although David had proven himself faithful to the Philistines, his primary allegiance was to God. This conflict would soon drive David away from the Philistines. He could never remain with a group of people who did not worship the one true God. When they recovered Saul’s body, they put it in a temple where they worshipped their god Ashtaroth.

1 Samuel sets up a contrast between Saul and David. From the time that David is chosen by God as the next king, we see a distinct contrast between these two men. David is a man after God’s own heart. He is faithful to God and does all he can to serve God and make God known among the nations. Saul is a selfish king who fails God time and time again. He has no patience, and when he realizes his mistakes, he feels sorry for what he has done, but he never seeks true repentance. Days later, he is back in his old ways, still running from God. As a result, God rejects Saul and strips the kingdom from him. He then gives the kingdom to David, who has proven time and time again that he is a faithful and obedient servant. 2 Samuel will introduce new problems for David, and he will have his fair share of mistakes, but in the end, David seeks repentance and always turns back to God. We all mess up in life, but what sets us apart as God’s children is that we can always return to Him, and He will forgive us.

Matt Brewer