1 Samuel 30 - Introduction

David Arrives At Ziklag To Find It In Ruins With All Its Inhabitants Taken To Be Sold Into Slavery By The Amalekites (1 Samuel 30:1).

David and his men arrived back in Ziklag after a two day march only to discover that it had been sacked in their absence. Taking advantage of the Philistine invasion which had fully occupied the warriors of both Philistia and Israel, a confederation of tribes of the fierce and nomadic Amalekites took the opportunity to ravage the towns in the Negeb (the extreme South of Canaan). Their purpose was in order to obtain spoil and slaves to be sold in Egypt. The size of the spoil that they took demonstrates the large scale nature of their invasion. This was not just one wandering tribe, but a gathering of a good number of them.

The consequence was that all the women and children of David's men had been taken to be sold into slavery. Indeed David's men were so angered by the fact that they were considering stoning David. Was it not he who had persuaded them to take up residence in this vulnerable town? Was he not responsible for its defence? Why had he allowed it to be denuded of protectors? Things were looking very uncomfortable. David, however, in this emergency, sought to the only One Whom he knew could help him in these circumstance. He turned to YHWH for strength and guidance.

The writer may well have seen in this attack by the Amalekites on Ziklag, (a city which at the time contained the weak and the helpless of those who were to be the foundation of the new nation of Israel/Judah), a parallel to what had previously happened under Moses. When Moses had begun the journey through the wilderness with the new nation of Israel, and with the conquest of God's inheritance (Canaan) in his mind's eye, the first adversaries who had molested God's people were the Amalekites (Exodus 17:8; Numbers 24:20; Deuteronomy 25:17), and they had attacked the weak and the helpless among God's people (Deuteronomy 25:18), only to give Moses his first victory after leaving Egypt. Now the weak and the helpless of the people through whom YHWH was again shortly to deliver Israel had been molested by the Amalekites, and the Amalekites were to be defeated again, in accordance with Exodus 17:16, by the one who would then go on to take over God's inheritance. The writer possibly saw history as repeating itself.

Analysis.

a And it came about that, when David and his men were come to Ziklag on the third day, the Amalekites had made a raid on the Negeb, and on Ziklag, and had smitten Ziklag, and burned it with fire, and had taken captive the women and all who were in it, both small and great. They did not kill any, but carried them off, and went their way (1 Samuel 30:1).

b And when David and his men came to the city, behold, it was burned with fire, and their wives, and their sons, and their daughters, were taken captive (1 Samuel 30:3).

c Then David and the people who were with him lifted up their voice and wept, until they had no more power to weep (1 Samuel 30:4).

And David's two wives were taken captive, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite. And David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters (1 Samuel 30:5 a).

a But David strengthened himself in YHWH his God (1 Samuel 30:6 b).

Note that in ‘a' the tragic situation is described, and in the parallel David strengthens himself in YHWH. In ‘b' the wives, sons and daughters are carried away captive, and in the parallel David has lost his wives and David's men are grieved at losing their sons and daughters. Centrally in ‘c' the great grief and loss of David and his men is described.