“Then David came to the two hundred men who had been too exhausted to follow him and who were left behind at the Besor Valley. They came out to meet David and the men with him. As David and his men approached, he asked them how they were. But all the evil men and troublemakers among David’s followers said, ‘Because they did not go out with us, we will not share with them the plunder we recovered. However, each man may take his wife and children and go.’ David replied, ‘No, my brothers, you must not do that with what the Lord has given us. He has protected us and delivered into our hands the raiding party that came against us. Who will listen to what you say? The share of the man who stayed with the supplies is to be the same as that of him who went down to the battle. All will share alike.’ David made this a statute and ordinance for Israel from that day to this. When David reached Ziklag, he sent some of the plunder to the elders of Judah, who were his friends, saying, ‘Here is a gift for you from the plunder of the Lord’s enemies.’ David sent it to those who were in Bethel, Ramoth Negev and Jattir; to those in Aroer, Siphmoth, Eshtemoa and Rakal; to those in the towns of the Jerahmeelites and the Kenites; to those in Hormah, Bor Ashan, Athak and Hebron; and to those in all the other places where he and his men had roamed.”—1 Samuel 30:21–31 (NIV) 

Have you ever felt frustrated by the lack of recognition or appreciation you felt when doing work that’s more behind the scenes? What about feeling annoyed that those who seem to do “less” than you get the same amount of praise and benefits as you do? These are completely normal human experiences because we’re all imperfect and selfish! We don’t instinctively want to share, especially as adults who grow to become increasingly more stubborn and set in their ways. As we finish up the story in 1 Samuel 30 today, we’re reminded of a few different important lessons we should carry with us into everyday life. 

After David and some of his men rescue and redeem their families and possessions from the Amalekites, David returns with even more treasures they plundered. The men who fought with him wanted to make sure those who didn’t go fight with them also didn’t receive any of the plunder. They only wanted them to receive their family back and that’s it. This sounds reasonable when you think about it, but Scripture calls these men evil and troublemakers. Their hearts were selfish and greedy! 

Instead, David stood his ground and operated from these three truths:

Everyone is valuable because everyone has an important part to play.

David recognized the men who stayed behind weren’t remaining idle. They stayed with the supplies. He knew they had an important part to play in supporting their front-line fighters. Whenever you find yourself operating in an “unseen” responsibility or place, don’t ever feel unimportant because the Lord sees you and is thankful when you serve Him in humility! Your work, as long as it’s unto the Lord, will always matter.

The Lord is the only one who deserves all the glory and recognition!

Even more crucial than recognizing that everyone’s role is valuable, David ultimately attributes all the success to God! He reminds his soldiers the victory was given to them by the Lord. He was the one who protected and delivered them. When we don’t make this recognition in our daily lives, we can easily slip into pride and think the good things about us or what we do are a result of our goodness. In reality, everything we get to do or become that resembles Christ is only due to His grace and power in the first place! 

We’re always called to share what God’s blessed us with.

Lastly, David’s desire to share in the plunder with everyone depicts a heart of generosity that we’re all called to imitate and grow in as followers of Jesus. This ultimately comes from the belief that all of life, everything we have, is a gift from God. It’s all from Him, which means we should not be stingy or possessive of anything; rather, we should overflow with both gratitude and generosity.

Living these truths out isn’t easy. David went through his own season of being distracted and misguided, but what brought him back to these truths and lifestyle was repentance and humility. He turned from his disobedience and asked God to guide him once again. He humbled himself before the Lord and chose submission instead of trying to control things himself and do things his way. Don’t ever underestimate the power of repenting, humbling yourself, and inviting God to change your heart!

Pause: Consider these three truths and ask yourself which one is hardest for you to live by and why.

Practice: Find a way to practice these truths this week in your daily life.

Pray: Father God, You deserve all the glory all the time! You’re so holy and wonderful, and I’m honored to be Yours! Thank You for sending Jesus to forgive and redeem us. Because of Your generosity and love, I want to live a life that reflects that wholeheartedly! In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.