Old Testament 2 Lesson 6

Discouragement is one of the devil’s chief weapons. If he can get a Christian
to feel sorry for himself - defeated, dejected, and ready to throw up his
hands and quit - then the battle is more than half won for him.
There are times when there are others around us to encourage us. But there
are also times when we must learn to encourage ourselves in the Lord. At
such times, we should think about all of God’s goodness and kindness
towards us, and the victories He has given us in the past, even in the dark
valleys that we are sometimes forced to walk through.
After David encouraged himself in the LORD, he was ready and willing to
fight again, if it was God’s will. God assured him that it was, and that he
would recover everything that had been taken. David and his six hundred
men pursued after the Amalekites until they came to the brook Besor. Here,
they left two hundred men who were so weak that they could go no further.
At the same place they found an Egyptian who was about to perish from
starvation. He had eaten no food nor drunk any water for three days and
nights. David fed the man until he revived, and then began to question him.
David found out that he was a servant to an Amalekite who had been one
of those who had invaded Ziklag. After making David promise to spare his
life, he led them to the Amalekites, who were right in the middle of a big
victory celebration (I Samuel 30:8-16)
And David smote them from the twilight even unto the evening of the next day:
and there escaped not a man of them, save four hundred young men, which rode
upon camels, and fled.
And David recovered all that the Amalekites had carried away: and David
rescued his two wives.
And there was nothing lacking to them, neither small nor great, neither sons
nor daughters, neither spoil, nor any thing that they had taken to them: David
recovered all
— I Samuel 30:17-19
They also took of the wealth that had belonged to the Amalekites, and
after David and his men returned to Ziklag, David sent it as presents to his
friends in various places where he and his men had lived since his exile (I
Samuel 30:26-31).
Meanwhile, the Philistines were fighting against Israel, and Israel was
suffering a grave defeat at Mount Gilboa. Among those who were slain were
Jonathan and his two brothers, Abinadab and Malchishua. Finally, Saul
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