Which do you think is worse – a sore loser or an ungracious winner? Well, after David’s smashing victory over the Amalekites, he certainly had an opportunity to gloat. After all, verse 17 says that David and his men continued the battle all night and all the next day, killing almost all of their enemies. More importantly, David’s men were able to recover all of their family members who had been kidnapped, along with all the possessions and livestock they had lost. In fact, since the Amalekites had stolen things from some other towns before they attacked Ziklag, David and his men ended up with more than they had before the Amalekites raided their hometown.

Yes, it’s hard to imaging a greater victory. But some of the soldiers in David’s army wanted to be selfish about the spoil they had gained. They didn’t want to share any of their newfound wealth with the 1/3 of their army that had been too exhausted to go into battle, but had instead guarded their camp and their supplies (verses 10 and 22).

But instead of lording his military triumph over the men who hadn’t been involved in the fight, David was both gracious and magnanimous. He insisted that everyone in his army should have an equal share in the spoils of war, regardless of the role they played in the conflict (verse 24). But he went even further than that, giving portions to the elders of other nearby towns (verses 26-31).

So, why was David so generous? Because, as he explained in verse 23, he knew it was the Lord who gave them the victory and the spoils that went along with it. It was God Who told them to go into battle, and God Who allowed them to run across an Egyptian who just happened to know where the Amalekites might have set up camp. David thus knew that his success wasn’t due to his own efforts, but only to the Lord’s sovereign grace.

And having the same kind of perspective can help all of us avoid the temptation to be ungracious winners. For we not only need to remember the valuable role that other people on our team have played in our victories. We must also give the proper glory to God for the successes He allows us to have. And with such a humble and grateful attitude, well, we won’t have any room left for pride will we? For it’s a lot harder to be selfish with what we have gained when we realize that everything we have is a gift from God.

I Samuel 30:9-31 (NASB)

9 So David went, he and the six hundred men who were with him, and came to the brook Besor, where those left behind remained.
10 But David pursued, he and four hundred men, for two hundred who were too exhausted to cross the brook Besor, remained behind.
11 Now they found an Egyptian in the field and brought him to David, and gave him bread and he ate, and they provided him water to drink.
12 And they gave him a piece of fig cake and two clusters of raisins, and he ate; then his spirit revived. For he had not eaten bread or drunk water for three days and three nights.
13 And David said to him, “To whom do you belong? And where are you from?” And he said, “I am a young man of Egypt, a servant of an Amalekite; and my master left me behind when I fell sick three days ago.
14 “We made a raid on the Negev of the Cherethites, and on that which belongs to Judah, and on the Negev of Caleb, and we burned Ziklag with fire.”
15 Then David said to him, “Will you bring me down to this band?” And he said, “Swear to me by God that you will not kill me or deliver me into the hands of my master, and I will bring you down to this band.”
16 And when he had brought him down, behold, they were spread over all the land, eating and drinking and dancing because of all the great spoil that they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from the land of Judah.
17 And David slaughtered them from the twilight until the evening of the next day; and not a man of them escaped, except four hundred young men who rode on camels and fled.
18 So David recovered all that the Amalekites had taken, and rescued his two wives.
19 But nothing of theirs was missing, whether small or great, sons or daughters, spoil or anything that they had taken for themselves; David brought it all back.
20 So David had captured all the sheep and the cattle which the people drove ahead of the other livestock, and they said, “This is David’s spoil.”
21 When David came to the two hundred men who were too exhausted to follow David, who had also been left at the brook Besor, and they went out to meet David and to meet the people who were with him, then David approached the people and greeted them.
22 Then all the wicked and worthless men among those who went with David answered and said, “Because they did not go with us, we will not give them any of the spoil that we have recovered, except to every man his wife and his children, that they may lead them away and depart.”
23 Then David said, “You must not do so, my brothers, with what the LORD has given us, who has kept us and delivered into our hand the band that came against us.
24 “And who will listen to you in this matter? For as his share is who goes down to the battle, so shall his share be who stays by the baggage; they shall share alike.”
25 And so it has been from that day forward, that he made it a statute and an ordinance for Israel to this day.
26 Now when David came to Ziklag, he sent some of the spoil to the elders of Judah, to his friends, saying, “Behold, a gift for you from the spoil of the enemies of the LORD:
27 to those who were in Bethel, and to those who were in Ramoth of the Negev, and to those who were in Jattir,
28 and to those who were in Aroer, and to those who were in Siphmoth, and to those who were in Eshtemoa,
29 and to those who were in Racal, and to those who were in the cities of the Jerahmeelites, and to those who were in the cities of the Kenites,
30 and to those who were in Hormah, and to those who were in Bor-ashan, and to those who were in Athach,
31 and to those who were in Hebron, and to all the places where David himself and his men were accustomed to go.”