FINDING STRENGTH IN GRIEF
Play Audio
If you prefer listening to today’s Bible guide reading, play this audio file.
If the audio bar is not appearing, click here to play the audio.
Opening Prayer
As I open my Bible today, Lord, help me to lay hold of and apply what you say to me. Have your Word make a difference in me today.
Read 1 SAMUEL 30
For additional translations of the passage, use this link to Bible Gateway.
1 Samuel
1 Samuel 30
1 David and his men reached Ziklag on the third day. Now the Amalekites had raided the Negev and Ziklag. They had attacked Ziklag and burned it,
2 and had taken captive the women and everyone else in it, both young and old. They killed none of them, but carried them off as they went on their way.
3 When David and his men reached Ziklag, they found it destroyed by fire and their wives and sons and daughters taken captive.
4 So David and his men wept aloud until they had no strength left to weep.
5 David’s two wives had been captured—Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail, the widow of Nabal of Carmel.
6 David was greatly distressed because the men were talking of stoning him; each one was bitter in spirit because of his sons and daughters. But David found strength in the LORD his God.
7 Then David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelek, “Bring me the ephod.” Abiathar brought it to him,
8 and David inquired of the LORD, “Shall I pursue this raiding party? Will I overtake them?” “Pursue them,” he answered. “You will certainly overtake them and succeed in the rescue.”
9 David and the six hundred men with him came to the Besor Valley, where some stayed behind.
10 Two hundred of them were too exhausted to cross the valley, but David and the other four hundred continued the pursuit.
11 They found an Egyptian in a field and brought him to David. They gave him water to drink and food to eat—
12 part of a cake of pressed figs and two cakes of raisins. He ate and was revived, for he had not eaten any food or drunk any water for three days and three nights.
13 David asked him, “Who do you belong to? Where do you come from?” He said, “I am an Egyptian, the slave of an Amalekite. My master abandoned me when I became ill three days ago.
14 We raided the Negev of the Kerethites, some territory belonging to Judah and the Negev of Caleb. And we burned Ziklag.”
15 David asked him, “Can you lead me down to this raiding party?” He answered, “Swear to me before God that you will not kill me or hand me over to my master, and I will take you down to them.”
16 He led David down, and there they were, scattered over the countryside, eating, drinking and reveling because of the great amount of plunder they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from Judah.
17 David fought them from dusk until the evening of the next day, and none of them got away, except four hundred young men who rode off on camels and fled.
18 David recovered everything the Amalekites had taken, including his two wives.
19 Nothing was missing: young or old, boy or girl, plunder or anything else they had taken. David brought everything back.
20 He took all the flocks and herds, and his men drove them ahead of the other livestock, saying, “This is David’s plunder.”
21 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.
22 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.”
23 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.
24 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.”
25 David made this a statute and ordinance for Israel from that day to this.
26 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.”
27 David sent it to those who were in Bethel, Ramoth Negev and Jattir;
28 to those in Aroer, Siphmoth, Eshtemoa
29 and Rakal; to those in the towns of the Jerahmeelites and the Kenites;
30 to those in Hormah, Bor Ashan, Athak
31 and Hebron; and to those in all the other places where he and his men had roamed.
Reflect
The pain of those grieving the loss of a loved one is a pain like no other and can easily overwhelm us.The destruction of Ziklag and the capture of their loved ones by the Amalekites understandably hit David and his men very hard. Waves of grief at such a tragic loss overwhelm them. Battle-hardened warriors are reduced to tears and exhausted by their weeping, including David.
Grief often involves anger and a need to blame someone. David becomes the focus of the men’s rage, and they blame him for the disaster. He has his own grief to deal with, yet he manages to find strength from God to lead them through this tragedy.
As a priority, David seeks the counsel of the priest Abiathar and discerns that he should plan a rescue mission. Providentially, they capture an Egyptian slave who leads them to the Amalekite camp, where they release the hostages and recover their stolen property.
Notice the magnanimity of David toward the Egyptian (vv. 11, 12), those too weak to join them in the fight (vv. 21—25), and those who had supported him in his wilderness years (vv. 26—31). He attributes his success to God, for this is really the Lord’s victory. Gratitude and generosity belong together.
Apply
How has grief affected your life? If you are grieving now, where can you find the support you need? Who might you talk to? Remember, grief is better expressed than repressed.
Closing prayer
Father in Heaven, please comfort those who mourn with your presence. Bring them joy in the midst of their heartbreak because what time cannot heal, Jesus can.
Book and Author Intros
Extras
Click here to sign up to receive the EXTRAs via email each quarter.
© 2026 Scripture Union U.S.A. All rights reserved. Reproduction of the whole or any part of the contents without written permission is prohibited.
Discovery is published in the USA under license from Scripture Union England and Wales, Trinity House, Opal Court, Opal Drive, Fox Milne, Milton Keynes, MK15 0DF.