When David came to Ziklag, he sent part of the spoil to his friends, the elders of Judah, saying, “Here is a present for you from the spoil of the enemies of the LORD.” It was for those in Bethel, in Ramoth of the Negeb, in Jattir, in Aroer, in Siphmoth, in Eshtemoa, in Racal, in the cities of the Jerahmeelites, in the cities of the Kenites, in Hormah, in Bor-ashan, in Athach, in Hebron, for all the places where David and his men had roamed.
Comment: I think that David must have been realising that Saul was losing the grip on his throne, and that if his own anointing was to be put into practice then he’d better be getting ready for it! Obviously without people supporting him things would be very difficult. So when it came to dividing, what was obviously very significant, booty, he had some taken to the various elders of Judah, in whose regions he and his band had been living for some years.
Prayer: Help me to be wise but neither manipulative nor hypocritical, please.
As I read it! 
Thank you Barry for your comments on this passage. Accumulating booty was a very lucrative thing when you were the winner of the battle. There was always plenty for everyone, and some left over, I imagine. Keeping it for oneself was a very greedy and selfish thing to do. It reminds me of the story of the 5 men I think it was, who found the tables set and the food sitting there in the tents, and everyone had fled. They decided to share it with everyone and not be greedy, because there was obviously too much for them anyway. It was just outside the walls of Jericho, if I remember rightly. They said, “This is a day of rejoicing, and we cannot keep it to ourselves.” God bless you.
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