1Samuel 30:29 - Prayer Tents



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1Samuel 30
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David’s Strength Was in His God

30Three days later, David and his men arrived back in Ziklag. Amalekites had raided the Negev and Ziklag. They tore Ziklag to pieces and then burned it down.H1732H582H935H6860H7992H3117H6003H6584H5045H6860H5221H6860H8313H784 2They captured all the women, young and old. They didn't kill anyone, but drove them like a herd of cattle.H802H7617H4191H376H1419H6996H5090H3212H1870 3By the time David and his men entered the village, it had been burned to the ground, and their wives, sons, and daughters all taken prisoner.H1732H582H935H5892H8313H784H802H1121H1323H7617 4David and his men burst out in loud wails—wept and wept until they were exhausted with weeping.H1732H5971H5375H6963H1058H3581H1058 5David's two wives, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail widow of Nabal of Carmel, had been taken prisoner along with the rest.H1732H8147H802H7617H293H3159H26H802H5037H3761 6And suddenly David was in even worse trouble. There was talk among the men, bitter over the loss of their families, of stoning him. David strengthened himself with trust in his GOD.H1732H3966H3334H5971H559H5619H5315H5971H4843H376H1121H1323H1732H2388H3068H430 7He ordered Abiathar the priest, son of Ahimelech, "Bring me the Ephod so I can consult God." Abiathar brought it to David.H1732H559H54H3548H288H1121H5066H646H54H5066H646H1732 8Then David prayed to GOD, "Shall I go after these raiders? Can I catch them?" The answer came, "Go after them! Yes, you'll catch them! Yes, you'll make the rescue!"H1732H7592H3068H559H7291H310H1416H5381H559H7291H5381H5381H5337H5337 9David went, he and the six hundred men with him. They arrived at the Brook Besor, where some of them dropped out.H1732H3212H8337H3967H376H935H5158H1308H3498H5975 10David and four hundred men kept up the pursuit, but two hundred of them were too fatigued to cross the Brook Besor, and stayed there.H1732H7291H702H3967H376H3967H5975H6296H5674H5158H1308 11Some who went on came across an Egyptian in a field and took him to David. They gave him bread and he ate. And he drank some water.H4672H376H4713H7704H3947H1732H5414H3899H398H8248H4325 12They gave him a piece of fig cake and a couple of raisin muffins. Life began to revive in him. He hadn't eaten or drunk a thing for three days and nights!H5414H6400H1690H8147H6778H398H7307H7725H398H3899H8354H4325H7969H3117H7969H3915 13David said to him, "Who do you belong to? Where are you from?" "I'm an Egyptian slave of an Amalekite," he said. "My master walked off and left me when I got sick—that was three days ago.H1732H559H559H5288H4713H5650H376H6003H113H5800H7969H3117H2470 14We had raided the Negev of the Kerethites, of Judah, and of Caleb. Ziklag we burned."H6584H5045H3774H3063H5045H3612H8313H6860H784 15David asked him, "Can you take us to the raiders?" "Promise me by God," he said, "that you won't kill me or turn me over to my old master, and I'll take you straight to the raiders."H1732H559H3381H1416H559H7650H430H4191H518H5462H3027H113H3381H1416 16He led David to them. They were scattered all over the place, eating and drinking, gorging themselves on all the loot they had plundered from Philistia and Judah.H3381H5203H6440H776H398H8354H2287H1419H7998H3947H776H6430H776H3063 17David pounced. He fought them from before sunrise until evening of the next day. None got away except for four hundred of the younger men who escaped by riding off on camels.H1732H5221H5399H6153H4283H4422H376H702H3967H5288H376H7392H1581H5127 18David rescued everything the Amalekites had taken. And he rescued his two wives!H1732H5337H6002H3947H1732H5337H8147H802 19Nothing and no one was missing—young or old, son or daughter, plunder or whatever. David recovered the whole lot.H5737H4480H6996H1419H1121H1323H7998H3947H1732H7725 20He herded the sheep and cattle before them, and they all shouted, "David's plunder!"H1732H3947H6629H1241H5090H6440H1931H4735H559H1732H7998 21Then David came to the two hundred who had been too tired to continue with him and had dropped out at the Brook Besor. They came out to welcome David and his band. As he came near he called out, "Success!"H1732H935H3967H582H6296H3212H310H1732H3427H5158H1308H3318H7125H1732H7125H5971H1732H5066H5971H7592H7965 22But all the mean-spirited men who had marched with David, the rabble element, objected: "They didn't help in the rescue, they don't get any of the plunder we recovered. Each man can have his wife and children, but that's it. Take them and go!"H6030H7451H376H1100H582H1980H1732H559H1980H5414H7998H5337H376H802H1121H5090H3212 23"Families don't do this sort of thing! Oh no, my brothers!" said David as he broke up the argument. "You can't act this way with what GOD gave us! God kept us safe. He handed over the raiders who attacked us.H559H1732H6213H251H3068H5414H8104H5414H1416H935H3027 24Who would ever listen to this kind of talk? The share of the one who stays with the gear is the share of the one who fights—equal shares. Share and share alike!"H8085H1697H2506H3381H3381H4421H2506H3427H3627H2505H3162 25From that day on, David made that the rule in Israel—and it still is.H3117H4605H7760H2706H4941H3478H3117 26On returning to Ziklag, David sent portions of the plunder to the elders of Judah, his neighbors, with a note saying, "A gift from the plunder of GOD's enemies!"H1732H935H6860H7971H7998H2205H3063H7453H559H1293H7998H341H3068 27He sent them to the elders in Bethel, Ramoth Negev, Jattir,H834H1008H5045H7418H3492 28Aroer, Siphmoth, Eshtemoa,H6177H8224H851 29Racal, Jerahmeelite cities, Kenite cities,H7403H5892H3397H5892H7017 30Hormah, Bor Ashan, Athach,H2767H3565H6269 31and Hebron, along with a number of other places David and his men went to from time to time. 31H2275H4725H1732H582H1980


The Message (MSG). All Scripture quotations are taken from THE MESSAGE, copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress. All rights reserved. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers, a Division of Tyndale House Ministries. More details.
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