Remember Your Friends

“And when David came to Ziklag, he sent of the spoil unto the elders of Judah, even to his friends, saying, Behold a present for you of the spoil of the enemies of the LORD;” (1Sa 30:26 AV)

And this is why David had the heart of the people even before he took the throne.  Some of the spoil originally came from Judah.  The Amalekites attained their spoils from invasions to the north in the territory of the Philistines and Judah.  What David did was give the spoils back to their original owners with interest.  He did this for two reasons.  Frist, some of these spoils were from Judah.  But second, they provided David with temporary sanctuary from Saul in that they did not join with Saul while Saul hunted for David.  They allowed for passage without completely giving him up.  There were two cities that gave him up.  But the tribe as a whole did not.  Remember, David did not exact judgment against those who would give him over to Saul.  He forgave them and ruled them without bias or prejudice.  However, he did reward his friends.  And rightly so.

Sometimes, our adversaries take more attention than they should.  We are preoccupied as to how to overcome them.  We don’t want to harm them, but we do want to overcome the trouble that they cause.  This can become so overwhelming that we forget those who have been there all along.  Our friends.  Those who have faithfully served with us or, at the very least, prayed for us.  Perhaps they ran interference that we knew nothing about.  These are our friends.  It is important to remember your friends when the opportunity arises to do just that.  A kind word.  A thank you note.  A smile or a hand shake go a long way. 

When Saul dies in the very next chapter, David has already laid the foundation of a friendship with his own tribe.  Judah would be the first to help him ascend the throne.  They, and Benjamin would provide the support.  He would have to rule from Hebron for the first seven years.  When the other ten tribes realize that David is indeed the king and the house of Saul has been diminished, then David returns to Jerusalem.  But it would be his friends, the ones he acknowledged to begin with, that would stick with him because he appreciated them.  Remember your friends when opportunity arises.