If you would turn to the 30th chapter of 1 Samuel, we will be reading the chapter in its entirety. This is 1 Samuel chapter 30, and I would remind you that this is the word of the Lord. Then it happened when David and his men came to Ziklag on the third day, that the Amalekites had made a raid on the Negev and on Ziklag, and had overthrown Ziklag and burned it with fire. And they took captive the women and all who were in it, both small and great, without killing anyone, and carried them off and went their way. 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 had been taken captive. Then David and the people who were with him lifted their voices and wept until there was no strength in them to weep. Now David's two wives had been taken captive, Ahinoam, the Jezreelites, and Abigail, the widow of Nabal the Carmelite. Moreover, David was greatly distressed because the people spoke of stoning him, for all the people were embittered, each one because of his sons and his daughters. But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God. Then David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelech, Please bring me the ephod. So Abiathar brought the ephod to David. And David inquired of the Lord, saying, Shall I pursue this band? Shall I overtake them? And he said to him, Pursue, for you shall surely overtake them, and you shall surely rescue all. So David went, he and the six hundred men who were with him, and came to the brook Besor, where those left behind remained. But David pursued, he and four hundred men, for two hundred who were too exhausted to cross the brook Besor remained behind. Now they found an Egyptian in the field, and brought him to David, and gave him bread, and he ate. And they provided him water to drink, and they gave him a piece of fig cake and two clusters of raisins, and he ate. Then his spirit revived, for he had not eaten bread or drunk water for three days and three nights. And David said to him, to whom do you belong, and where are you from? And he said, I am a young man of Egypt, a servant of an Amalekite, and my master left me behind when I fell sick three days ago. We made a raid on the Negev of the Cherithites, and on that which belongs to Judah, and on the Negev of Caleb, and we burned Ziklag with fire. Then David said to him, Will you bring me down to this band? And he said, Swear to me by God that you will not kill me or deliver me into the hands of my master, and I will bring you down to this band. And when he had brought him down, behold, they were spread over all the land, eating and drinking and dancing, because of all the great spoil that they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from the land of Judah. And David slaughtered them from the twilight until the evening of the next day. And not a man of them escaped, except four hundred young men who rode on camels and fled. So David recovered all that the Amalekites had taken and rescued his two wives. But nothing of theirs was missing, whether small or great, sons or daughters, spoil or anything that they had taken for themselves. David brought it all back. So David had captured all the sheep and the cattle, which the people drove ahead of the other livestock. And they said, this is David's spoil. When David came to the two hundred men who were too exhausted to follow David, who had also been left at the brook Besor, and they went out to meet David and to meet the people who were with him, then David approached the people and greeted them. Then all the wicked and worthless men among those who went with David answered and said, Because they did not go with us, we will not give them any of the spoil that we have recovered, except to every man his wife and his children, that they may lead them away and depart. Then David said, You must not do so, my brothers, with what the Lord has given us, who has kept us and delivered into our hand the band that came against us. and who will listen to you in this matter. For as his share is who goes down to the battle, so shall his share be who stays by the baggage. They shall share alike. And so it has been from that day forward that he made it a statute and an ordinance for Israel to this day. Now when David came to Ziklag, he sent some of the spoil to the elders of Judah, to his friends, saying, Behold, a gift for you from the spoil of the enemies of the Lord, to those who were in Bethel, and to those who were in Ramoth of the Negev, and to those who were in Jetir, and to those who were in Arur, and to those who were in Shifmoth, and to those who were in Ashtamoah. and to those who were in Rakol, and to those who were in the cities of the Jerachmelites, and to those who were in the cities of the Kenites, and to those who were in Hormat, and to those who were in Bor-Ashan, and to those who were in Athah, and to those who were in Hebron, and to all the places where David himself and his men were accustomed to go. In 1 Samuel chapter 28, we read that it was the purpose of the Lord on the day when Saul and his sons would be slain, that it was the purpose of the Lord to give Israel into the hand of the Philistines. This would be the culmination of Israel's discipline from the Lord on account of her rejection of the Lord when she chose a king for herself, a king like the nations of the earth. This discipline, it was to be a reminder to Israel that if you follow after one who is hostile to God, if you follow one who refuses to submit to the will of God, if you do not repent of following after this one, then you will in the end share this one's fate. That the Lord, though delivering his people into the hand of the Philistines. He is not through with his people. It is not as though he has washed his hands of his people. For in chapter 29, we read of David, who is rejected by the Philistines, who is sent to the land of the Philistines, that land which is representative of his exile. He is sent before the people of God are delivered into the hand of the Philistines. He goes before Israel, going before her, suffering her fate, that He might then lead her out of her exile unto that new moment in the history of redemption, unto the establishment of the kingdom under the anointed of the Lord. that he might lead her out of exile unto the establishment of the kingdom of God with Christ as its head." This is ultimately the purpose of the Lord for his people, pictured for us in this moment in history in David. And it is in these chapters of 1 Samuel, these closing four chapters, that we here see the faiths of David and Saul finally cross. We read of the crossing of the faiths of David and Saul. when the Lord is pleased to raise up David from the ash heap, when He is pleased to finally set him upon the throne of the Christ, when He is pleased to humble Saul, to bring Saul low, to return him to the dust. It is here the anticipation of that great reversal at the end of history when those who have been conformed to the sufferings of Christ, who have shared in the sufferings of Christ in this age, when they will be visibly exalted and vindicated before the world, when the kings of the earth, and all their glory who have rejected the Lord and His Christ will be brought to nothing." Here we have this intersection, this crossing of faiths on display in the exaltation of David and in the humiliation of Saul. In chapter 28 we read of the certainty of Saul's faith, on the certainty of his demise, and in chapter 31 we will read of his fulfillment. Here in chapters 29 and 30, between these chapters concerning Saul, we then see David's rise from the pangs of death, David's rise from the ash heap unto the imminent fulfillment of his own glorious exaltation. We have here in these chapters of 1 Samuel the imminent fulfillment of the exaltation of David as the Christ over the people of God. In verse 1 of chapter 30, David and his men, having been rejected by the Philistines at Aphek, they return to Ziklag, arriving on the third day of their journey. Ziklag is that city in the field which David was given by Atish, the king of Gath, in chapter 27. David there, preferring to dwell in the fields of the Philistines rather than in the royal city. And this was David's conformity to his Lord, the Lord whose own ark also dwelt in exile earlier in 1 Samuel, also in the fields of the Philistines, in anticipation of the ark's return to the land of promise. So also, David dwells in the fields of the Philistines, again, in anticipation of his imminent exaltation. But while David is waiting for the Lord to bring him to the land, while he is waiting for Him to bring him to the land of promise, disaster comes upon David. For David and his men, when they returned to Ziklag, they find that the Amalekites have made a raid on the Negev and on Ziklag, and that they have burned this city with fire, that they had taken captive their wives, that they had taken captive their sons and their daughters, And in verse 4, we read the response of David and his men to this disaster. They weep. They weep until they had no strength left in them to weep. And this is the cry of the saints in the wilderness. And it is an appropriate response. Their weeping is certainly appropriate. What does Paul say? Rejoice with those who rejoice. Weep with those who weep. It is no sin to weep. Our Lord Himself left It is no sin to weep. Indeed, it is the appropriate response to the sufferings of God's people. However, this weeping, which is an appropriate response to suffering, it turns in verse 6, to bitterness. Now we can understand this bitterness, why the people were bitter, each one having lost his sons and his daughters. But though we might understand, it is nevertheless a response in sin. For the people here have determined to stone David. They have determined to stone David so that David was in great distress. This is a very similar situation to the one which we read in Exodus chapter 17, when there was no water for Israel to drink. They were in the wilderness, and there was no water for them to drink, and so they cry out, rejecting Moses. Rejecting the one whom the Lord had appointed over them, they cry out against him, Why have you brought us up from Egypt to kill us and our children with thirst? Why have you delivered us to kill us? We can imagine David's men likewise crying out these words against him. Why have you brought us to this wilderness, to this wilderness wandering, so that you might kill us and our children? In Exodus, Moses turns and cries out to the Lord, what shall I do with this people? They are ready to stone me. As the people were prepared to reject the purpose of the Lord and Moses, the deliverance of the Lord and Moses, so also here in 1 Samuel, the people, they are ready to reject the purpose of the Lord and David. Perhaps we may say that they have not fully let goods and kindred go for the sake of following But David responds in a way that the people do not. David responds in a way that the people do not. David does not grumble against the Lord. Though he weeps for his loss, He does not grumble against the Lord, but rather strengthens himself in the Lord. Now what does this mean, to strengthen oneself in the Lord? If we look to 1 Samuel chapter 23, we find a similar construction in verse 16. There Jonathan comes out to David, David who is in the wilderness, having fled from Saul, who intended to murder him, who seeks David's life, Jonathan comes out to David in the wilderness, and it says there that he strengthens David's hand in God. That is the literal rendering in your footnote, that Jonathan strengthens David's hand in God. Now, verse 16 tells us that Jonathan strengthened David's hand in God, that he strengthened him in God. Verse 17 tells us how Jonathan strengthened David in God. By saying to him, do not fear. The hand of Saul my father shall not find you, you shall be king over Israel." Jonathan strengthens David in God by reminding David of the very certain promises of God concerning David. Jonathan reminds David of the word of the Lord which cannot fail. So also here, David strengthens himself in the Lord, reminds himself of the promises of God concerning him, that even in the midst of suffering and loss, that the Word of God will not fail. That God will accomplish all that He intends. That God will accomplish all that He has spoken. that even in the midst of so great a distress, that even in the midst of so great a suffering, that the Lord is working all things together for David's good. This is where the weeping of the people of God must be led. to comfort, to comforting themselves in the promises of God, to strengthening themselves in the Word of the Lord. Now in verse 7 we read of the particular word by which David strengthens Himself. Again, at this moment in the history of redemption, God speaks to His people. He reveals His will by the ephod. Unless you long for those days, For this means of revelation, I would remind you that in these last days, God has spoken in His Son. You no longer need the ephod to determine the will of the Lord. You have a far greater Word. But certainly at this moment in redemptive history, in 1 Samuel, the ephod was very much an ordained means of revelation. And from it, by it, David receives from the Lord this very particular promise that he would surely overtake the Amalekites and that he would surely deliver. David is promised that he will bring deliverance to his people, that he will bring deliverance to his bride. Now here there is another interesting parallel with Exodus chapter 17. For there, following the people's desire to stone Moses, following that desire, in verses 8 and following, we read of Amalek coming to fight against Israel. This is the first confrontation between them, following the Exodus. And though Joshua overwhelms Amalek with the sword there, the Lord nevertheless says to Moses to write it in a book as a memorial that the Lord will blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven. So that now, here in 1 Samuel, when David goes to strike down the enemies of God, who according to the flesh are reprobate, God having determined to blot their names out forever, when David goes down to strike the enemies of God, he goes down to strike and to deliver. to strike down the enemies of God and to deliver the people of God. And He does and He goes to do that which Saul failed to do. Now in verses 11-15, we read of David and his men finding an Egyptian in the field. And David and his men, they treat this man very well, providing him with bread and water, and then giving to him beyond that costly food, cakes of fig and clusters of raisins. And this Egyptian, he has been in the wilderness since David and his men set out from Aphek for three days and three nights. And this Egyptian, he finds in David kindness not shown to him by his master, an Amalekite, who on account of his falling ill has left him to die in the wilderness. This Egyptian, according to the flesh from that nation who itself has subjected Israel and the people of God to slavery, this Egyptian finds in David kindness and freedom. The Egyptian agreeing to assist David receives his life. The Egyptian agrees to assist David in exchange for his life. And David, by implication, swears to this man that he will neither hand him over to the bondage of Amalek, nor himself kill him. And David, this man left to die, an Egyptian, finds freedom and life. And it is fascinating that in verses 26-31, in the conclusion of the chapter, when David gives gifts to his people, if you count the names of the cities, you will count 13. It is one more than the tribes of Israel. And if you read carefully, you will find that included in this number is a tribe that does not belong to Israel according to the flesh. In verse 29 you read, the Kenites are recipients of David's kindness and blessing. The Kenites who were descended from the father-in-law of Moses. As the kingdom of God is being revealed through David, The Lord continues to reveal His purpose, that through the offspring of Abraham, all the nations of the earth shall be blessed. Indeed, so great is this promise, that one who had persecuted that the people of God might be blessed by the people of God. But the Lord also continues to reveal that though this blessing is for all the nations, it is not for all. Though it is for all the nations, it is not for all. For the Amalekites do not receive this blessing in our text. In verse 16, they are found spread over all the land, eating and drinking and dancing, rejoicing on account of the great spoil that they had taken from the land. They are found to be feasting in the hour of judgment. unaware of the end that awaits them. It is not unlike the words of Jesus and Matthew. In chapter 24 verse 38, For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. And so it is, that David comes as they are eating and drinking, unaware the judgment that is to come upon them. David comes and slaughters them from twilight until the evening of the next day. And except for 400 men, not one of them escape. And following this episode, following this episode, we read of the Amalekites only once more in the opening chapters of 2 Samuel. An Amalekite who was killed by the hand of David. And following that, we do not read again of the Amalekites in the history of redemption. And David and the Christ, God is demonstrating a purpose that by the Christ he will destroy the wicked, that he will blot out their memory from under heaven. But in David, God also accomplishes deliverance for His people. He is also demonstrating His purpose to deliver His people. For David recovers all that the Amalekites had taken. Not one thing was missing. David brings all of it back. And as the people march back in triumphal procession, they drive before them all that David has captured, all of his captives. And the people say, this is David's spoil. And when David returns with his spoil, with his captives, When David returns, he greets those whom had stayed behind, who were too exhausted to follow him into battle. David comes to them and greets them literally. He wishes to them peace. David returns from his act of deliverance and speaks to his people peace. But among His men comes a wicked response. From worthless men comes a wicked response. Worthless men, sons of worthlessness, sons of Belial, with whom Christ has no fellowship, From these men comes a wicked response, that the spoils of this victory, that they not be given to those who stayed behind. That they may take their wives, that they may have their children, but that taking these, they should depart. And David speaks to these worthless men, he speaks to these worthless men, and he calls them, my brothers. David speaks to these worthless men, my brothers, you must not do so. The spoils which we have taken, we have not gained by our own hand. They were given to us by God. If we have received this kindness from the Lord, if we have been the recipients of the Lord's generosity, How shall we fail to be generous to all God's people? How can we speak as though what we have has not been given? David here is the true interpreter of God's Word. He is the true interpreter, the true teacher of God's law. So much so that the word spoken by David becomes a statute among the people. That all shall share alike the spoils of the battle. Those who go down and those who remain with the luggage. those who perform acts of valor, and those who perform tasks that no one would consider to thank. For David himself does not hoard that which has been given to him by God. He does not hoard that which has been given to him, but shares his portion, shares the spoils of David with his brothers, with all, verse 31, among whom he traveled, with all who shared with him in his wanderings in the wilderness. with all who shared with him in his wilderness sufferings. David divides the spoil of the enemies of the Lord among his people. And significantly, the names of these places to which David sends these gifts, it ends with those who were in Hebron, the place of David's coming enthronement as king over Judah. Chapter 30 of 1 Samuel, again it summarizes what it is that David is accomplishing in his exile. Victory over the enemies of God, and deliverance for the people of God, unto his enthronement as king over the people of God, that he might bless the people of God. that he might share with the people of God all that the Lord gives him. It is a revelation It is a revelation of the Christ who was exiled from the land that He might, through the cross, destroy the works of the devil, that He might overcome the principalities and powers of this age, that He might deliver the people of God from their bondage and slavery, that He might return from His exile, that He might be raised from the dead that he might speak to his people peace, that he might call those who were by nature children of wrath, my brothers. It is a revelation of the Christ who, when he ascended on high, turns and gives gifts to men, shares all that He has received. It is the Christ who, when He ascends on high, leaving a host of captives, turns and gives gifts to men. to His church for their building up in conformity to Him. It is for this reason, it is for this reason that there is to be no distinction among us, that no member of the body say to another, I have no need of you. that we not despise those parts of the body which we consider worthy of less honor, whose function is hidden from our sight. Rather, we together are to acknowledge that all that we have, we have from God. That no one deserves what he has received. And so, we suffer together, and we rejoice together. And above all, we love one another with the same love with which Christ has loved us. Behold how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity, for there the Lord has commanded the blessing, forevermore. Let us then, each one, use those gifts which the ascended Christ has given to us through His Spirit. Let us, each one, together, Use those gifts for the building up of the one body unto the glory of God. Amen. Let us pray.