August 3 – 1 Samuel 30:16-20

August 3 – 1 Samuel 30:16-20

 

16  And when he had taken him down, behold, they were spread abroad over all the land, eating and drinking and dancing, because of all the great spoil they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from the land of Judah.  17  And David struck them down from twilight until the evening of the next day, and not a man of them escaped, except four hundred young men, who mounted camels and fled.  18  David recovered all that the

Amalekites had taken, and David rescued his two wives.  19  Nothing was missing, whether small or great, sons or daughters, spoil or anything that had been taken. David brought back all.  20  David also captured all the flocks and herds, and the people drove the livestock before him, and said, “This is David’s spoil.”

            

As David and his men followed God’s direction they found the Amalekites spread about, eating, drinking, dancing and basically partying and gloating over their spoils taken.  David and his men swooped in, surprising them and took back everything in battle.  This reminds me of how easy it is to let our guard down ourselves.  The Bible shares in Peter 5:8-10, “Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.  Resist him by standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of suffering.”   

 

These verses clearly suggest that we should remain alert and clear-minded, looking out for the devil wanting to destroy us.  We can resist the devil by staying firm in our faith and trusting God to keep his promises.