THE BURNING OF ZIKLAG The Amalekites made use of David’s going out of Ziklag with his men to take part in the battle; and in a sudden attack, they invaded the southern region, struck Ziklag, burnt it, and took captives the women who were there, among whom were David’s two wives: Abinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the widow of Nabal the Carmelite. David inquired of the Lord; and instead of despair, he set forth together with his men, attacked the Amalekites, and recovered all what the Amalekites had carried away, including the women, the children, beside much spoils some of which he sent to his friends the elders of Judah. 1- Ziklag burnt 1 – 6. 2- David’s victory 7 – 20. 3- Sharing the spoil with those who stayed back by the supplies 21 – 25. 4- Sending a share of the spoil to the elders of Judah 26 – 31. 1- ZIKLAG BUNTS Having departed from the battle field, David and his men returned to Ziklag on the third day to find that the Amalekites had invaded the south - between the mountain of Judah and the wilderness, as well as Ziklag which they burnt with fire, after taking all women and children captives, amongst whom were David’s two wives. Here, David and his men lifted up their voices and wept, until they had no more power to weep. David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because he took all of them, and left nobody to guard the city. If the word ‘Ahinoam’ means (Brother joy)1; and the word ‘Abigail’ means (Father or source of wisdom)2, David married both of them, to possess both the inner joy in the Lord, and the source of wisdom. So, while the Son of David grants us His kingdom, as an advance payment of eternal joy; and presents Himself to us as the source of heavenly wisdom, the work of the devil, on the other hand, the opponent of our Christ, is to take into captivity, our joy and wisdom, to let us live broken down with the spirit of despair and distress filled up with the darkness of ignorance and lack of wisdom. I wish we strive with the Spirit of the Lord, to recover our inner joy, and our wisdom in the Lord, in order to live the new life, that is ours in Jesus Christ, the secret of our joy and wisdom. 2- DAVID’S VICTORY David did not go on weeping, nor was he broken by despair, but “strengthened himself in the Lord his God” (1 Samuel 30: 6); saying in his psalms: “I will love You, O Lord, my strength; The Lord is my rock and myfortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in Whom I will trust;... The pangs of death encompassed me; and the floods of ungodliness made me afraid. The sorrows of Sheol surrounded me; the snares of death confronted me. In my distress I called upon the Lord; and cried out to my God; He heard my voice from His temple, and my cry came before Him, even to His ears. Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations of the hills also quaked and were shaken, because He was angry;... He sent from above, 1 Strong's Exh. Concordance, art قاموس الكتاب المقدس، ص 293. 36 2 Ibis art. قاموس الكتاب المقدس، ص 26. 201 2 He took me; He drew me out of many waters. He delivered me from my strong enemy; from those who hated me, for they were too strong for me. They confronted me in the day of my calamity, but the Lord was my support. He also brought me out into a broad place. He delivered me because He delighted in me. The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness; According to the cleanness of my hands He has recommenced me; For I have kept the ways of the Lord, and have not wickedly departed from my God...” (Psalms 18: 1 - 21). “Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord” (Psalms 27: 14). “In You, O Lord, I put my trust; Let me never be ashamed; Deliver me in Your righteousness” (Psalm 31: 1). David asked Abiathar the priest to bring him the ephod, to inquire of the Lord if he should pursue the troop of the invaders; and as the divine response was positive, he took 600 men and came to the Brook Besor, south of Ziklag and the land of Judah - probably the Brook of ‘Sharia’ (the law). Although the 600 men were all strong men of valor, 200 of them stayed behind by the supplies, having been so weary that they could not cross the Brook Besor. David crossed with the 400 men, after commanding the 200 to stay on account of their weariness. They did not stay back out of fear nor of rebellion; but as is said: “whom they also had made to stay at the Brook Besor” (1 Samuel 30: 21). They found an Egyptian lad in the field, who had been totally worn out, having eaten no bread, nor drunk any water for three days and three nights; he was a servant of an Amalekite, left behind by his master, because he fell sick and became unable to serve him. After offering him a piece of a cake of fig, and two clusters of raisins, his strength came back to him, and told them that he was with his master when the Amalekites invaded the southern area of the Cherithites [a tribe of Philistines (Ezekiel 25: 16; Zephaniah 2: 5); probably of Cretian origin]; in the territory which belongs to Judah, and of the southern area of Caleb; and when they burned Ziklag with fire. David asked the Egyptian to guide them to where the troop of invaders were; He approved after David swore to him in the name of the Lord, not to kill him nor to deliver him to his master. They used, in the old days, to use a guide in war, then kill him lest he would betray them. The Egyptian brought David and his men down to the Amalekites, and there they were, spread out all over the land, eating, drinking and dancing, because of all the great spoil which they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from the land of Judah. They were in a mood of celebration, knowing that both the Philistines and the Israelites were engaged in battle, and could not reach them swiftly enough. The Amalekites, as we see here, were a violent congregation, that knew nothing but looting; who made use of the existing war to rob the two parties. It seems that David and his men reached the region by evening; laid waiting until the Amalekites fell asleep; then attacked them from twilight until the evening of the next day. Not a man of them escaped, except 400 young men who rode on camels and fled. David then rescued his two wives and all the women and children, and recovered all the spoil, not losing a single man. All returned with joy, driving before them a great spoil that they called “David’s spoil” (1 Samuel 30: 20). Who is that Egyptian taken and enslaved by the Amalekite, who used up all his energy, until he fell ill, then left him to die in the fields, of hunger and thirst; Who is he, but the robber on the right hand, who was enslaved by sin, and humiliated by the devil who used all his energies in evil; and finally he was lifted up on a cross, to die in a condition of agony, hunger and thirst, deprived of every relative or friend. To 3 him, the Son of David, the true fighter against Amalek, offered food and drink, carrying him from the land of battle, to enjoy the triumph of Christ, and to rejoice with the spoil of his Master, Who brought down the gates of Hades, to rescue the captives, and to bring them back into his paradise. David rescued his two captive wives: Ahinoam the Jezreelitess and Abigail the widow of Nabal the Carmelite, and brought them back to him. They were the two Churches of the Old and New Testaments. The Son of David set forth to Hades to destroy the real Amalekite, the Devil; and to recover the men of both the Old and the New Testaments, as a holy Church eternally united to Him. 3- SHARING THE SPOIL WITH THOSE WHO STAYED BACK BY THE SUPPLIES How gentle was David’s heart! With few men he conquered the mighty Amalekites; yet this conquest did not let him forget to care for those men whom he had made to stay at the Brook Besor because of their weariness; “When David came near (those) people, he greeted them” (1 Samuel 30: 21). We often get so preoccupied by our conquests, to forget about our brethren: the weak, the needy, and the afflicted; But David was a true spiritual leader, who cared for all. Some of the wicked and worthless men among David’s men, requested from him to deny the 200 men who stayed by the supplies, any part of the spoil, except for every man’s wife and children. But David insisted on giving them their share, according to the law (Numbers 31: 25 - 27). Yet, even here, he talked to those wicked and merciless men gently, meekly, and with wisdom, to avoid any dissension. He did not use his lawful authority to give orders, but with love as a brother he said to them:“My brethren, you shall not do so with what the Lord has given us, who has preserved us, and delivered into our hand the troops that came against us. For who will heed you in this matter? But as his part is who goes down to the battle, so shall his part be who stays by the supplies; they shall share alike” (1 Samuel 30: 23, 24). He showed love to all his men; and he attributed the victory to the Lord, who granted them a free gift; so it was fitting for them also to give their brethren from that same free gift. Partaking of the spoil between those who stayed by the supplies, because of their weariness, with those who crossed the brook together with David to fight Amalek, is like when men of the Old Testament, who were weary under the law, shared with those of the New Testament, who crossed by Baptism - the Jordan - to the battle of the cross, and gained all the conquest by the Son of David who conquered on their behalf. 4- SENDING A SHARE OF THE SPOIL TO THE ELDERS OF JUDAS David’s heart was so full of generosity, that he thought of sharing the spoil with his brethren and friends, the elders of Judah saying to them: “Here is a present for you from the spoil of the enemies of the Lord”(1 Samuel 30: 26). He sent to the elders of countless cities, as a blessing, not from him, but from the Lord, the Grantor of the conquest and victory, and the Giver in abundance.. It is as though, David fought, not on behalf of himself nor his men, but fought the battles of the Lord, on behalf of all the people. He sent presents to the following cities: 4 Bethel1: That was not ‘Bethel’ of Benjamin, but a city to the south of Judah (Joshua 12: 6); also called ‘Chesil’ (Joshua 15: 30), ‘Bethul’ (Joshua 19: 4), and ‘Bethuel’ (1 Chronicles 4: 30); probably it was located where ‘Kherbet El-Ras’ is nowadays, between Beersheba and Kholifa. Ramoth of the south2: That was not ‘Ramoth Gilead’; also called ‘Ramah’ of the south (Ramah of Nagb), and ‘Baaalath Beer’ (Joshua 19: 8) - a village south of the territory of Simon. Jattir: a city of priests in the mountains of Judea, 6 miles north of ‘Molada,’ and 13 miles south west of Hebron. It was probably ‘Kherbet Jettir’; Jettir means (superiority), (Preference), or (exaltation). Aroer3: Different from Aroer in Moab; It is a village in Judah, on the way from Gaza to Wadi Mousa, about 12 miles south east of Beersheba, whose remains are still found in Wadi arara. [Aroer means (naked) or (a jungle of Oror trees)]. Siphmoth4: A Hebrew name, that probably means (Moustaches); probably south of Judah. Eshtemoa5: A city of priests; whose name nowadays is ‘Semoa’; 9 miles south of Hebron. ‘Eshtemoa’ is a Hebrew name that means (listening or obedience). Rachal: or ‘Rakal’6; a Hebrew name that means (commerce); a city in Judah, of unknown location nowadays. Cities of Jerahmeelites: (See 1 Samuel 27: 10). Cities of the Kenites: (See 1 Samuel 15: 6). Hormah7: Originally called ‘Zephath’ (Judges 1: 17); was a portion of Judah, then was transferred to Simon. Located in the south toward the territory of Edom, was probably located in Wadi El-Melh (Valley of the salt), about 3 miles south east of Beersheba [called Hormath after its destruction (Judges 1: 17)]. Chorashan: (Forn El-Dokhan) or (Oven of smoke), or ‘Borashan’ (Pit of smoke), or ‘Ashan’ (smoke); in the valley of Judah, transferred to Simon, then to the Levites; known as ‘Kherbet Assan, north east and close to of Beersheba8. Athach9: A village south of Judah; probably ‘Ether’ (Joshua 15: 42). Hebron: That is ‘El-Khalil’ nowadays. David gave of the spoil to the elders of all these cities, beside those of all the locations he and his men went to, as a token of gratitude for their generous hospitality. 1 Westminster Dict. Of the Bible, p قاموس الكتاب المقدس، ص 113. 392 2 Ibid قاموس الكتاب المقدس، ص 791. 1053 3 Ibid قاموس الكتاب المقدس، ص 448. 619 4 Ibid p. قاموس الكتاب المقدس، ص 65. 470 5 Ibid, p. قاموس الكتاب المقدس، ص 887. 390 6 Ibid, p 277. 7 Ibid , p 789. 8 Ibid , p 40. 9 Ibid 68.
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