Desirable Character Qualities

We are just about ready to “wrap up” 1 Samuel. Yet are we really? Initially the books of 1 and 2 Samuel were one book. The first half, 1 Samuel, ends with Saul’s death, so it’s kind of a break in the story. But 2 Samuel continues the story of David and Samuel’s prophecies regarding the kingdom of Israel and David’s reign. So, I’m looking forward to continuing the study in 2 Samuel.

But, I’m getting ahead of myself. There are still two chapters in 1 Samuel to study and learn from. Today’s thoughts come from the first of those 2 chapters, chapter 30. This chapter covers what took place when David and his men returned to Ziklag after being turned away by the Philistine leaders when they were assembling to attack Israel (1 Samuel 29). They returned to a ransacked, burned down, and emptied Ziklag. The Amalekites had come and taken anything of value and the women and children. David turned to the high priest who was in their midst and consulted God about what they should do. After God answered some “yes or no” questions, David got the answer he needed and they set off after the Amalekites.

Long story made short, they caught up with the Amalekites, attacked and “not one of them escaped, except for 400 young men who jumped on camels and got away” (vs. 17 CJB). David rescued all the women and children and returned with the spoils and began to distribute the gains. He gave all 600 of his men a fair and equal share (although there was some controversy about it; see verses 22 – 24). He also “sent some of the spoil to the leaders of Judah who were his friends with a note” (vs. 26).

The note said, “Here is a present for you from the spoil of the enemies of Adonai.” He sent the gifts to 13 specifically named places and “to all the places where David and his men had frequently visited” (vs. 31). In the commentaries I looked at (Matthew Henry and Tom Bradford) there were some agreement and some disagreement on the whys of the towns mentioned and chosen. Bradford asked the question, “Was this a godly process?” Maybe it was and maybe it wasn’t. We cannot really tell what David’s motives were from the passage; however, the towns were politically strategic for the most part and this division of the spoils was effective from an earthly perspective.

But this explanation does not account for why David sent gifts to “all the places where David and his men had frequently visited.” We can note several character qualities of David from the distribution of the spoils whether to the significant political towns or the smaller places. These are character traits we should all seek to develop. I’m not going to elaborate on the four qualities (I think we all know what they entail), but I’m going to list them as Matthew Henry listed them:

1.  Generosity

2.  Gratitude

3.  Piety

4.  Consistent Policies

In each of these areas, in spite of David’s frequent disobedience to God’s instructions, we see qualities that we can implement into our own lives. I can’t decide which one I need to use today, but I will be looking this week for times when I can exhibit one of these qualities.