Deep down in the caverns of 1 Samuel, towards the end of the never-ending chase between Saul and David, there is a story with hidden gospel power that needs to be rediscovered.
The king-in-waiting comes to Ziklag to spend time with family and friends when another crisis emerges (1 Sam. 30). A band of Amalekites had raided Ziklag, taking captive women and children, including David’s wives. After gaining divine approval via the ephod, David sets off in hot pursuit, and with the providential help of an Egyptian, catches the Amalekites by surprise, recovering all the spoils (v.18–20).
It sounds like a familiar ‘God-gives-us-victory-over-our-enemies’ Old Testament narrative, but it has an unusual ending. On his way to the Amalekites, David had to leave behind 200 men who were too tired to continue into the battle, and when he returns to them, some men in his army protest: ‘Because they did not go with us, we will not give them any of the spoils that we have recovered’ (1 Sam. 30:22).
