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Discovering Christ Day by Day
Devotional: April 1st

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Today’s Reading: 1 Samuel 28-31

“David’s Spoil”

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. And David took all the flocks and the herds, which they drave before those other cattle, and said, This is David’s spoil.” (1 Samuel 30:18-20)

Throughout this story David is a type of Christ. In his conquest over the Amalekites, in his recovery of that which had been lost, and in the spoils he gathered, David represents our Savior. When Christ accomplished redemption for us by his death on the cross, he recovered all that we lost in the fall and gathered great spoil for us (Isaiah 53:12).

Enriched by the Fall

The spoils which David brought back to Israel were things they could never have possessed had the Amalekites not taken them captive. Their captivity was a very painful and sorrowful thing in the experience of it. But it proved to be a most blessed thing in the end. Israel lost nothing by their captivity, but gained much in their recovery. And God’s elect really lose nothing by our fall in Adam.

It is a painful, sorrowful thing to experience. But in the end it will prove to have been a great act of mercy on God’s part that he ordained the fall of our race in Adam, that we might be redeemed by Christ. I say with Martin Luther, “O happy fall!” In the end God’s elect will find great reason to praise and give thanks to God for their fall in Adam, because it paved the way for our redemption by Christ. Had there been no fall, there could be no song of redemption to the glory of the Lamb (Revelation 5:9-14). Yes, even the fall is among those “all things” that work together for the everlasting good of God’s elect. So great, so magnanimous, so good is God our Savior that he used and uses even the devil and the fall to enrich our souls in Christ!

The Spoils

Here are a few of the spoils Christ has won for us, treasures we could never possess had God not ordained the fall and redeemed us by our great David, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Manhood is lifted to the highest possible glory and honor, because we are now one with Christ our God (Ephesians 5:30).

We shall be creatures in heaven who have known the glory, grace, love, and goodness of God in redeeming us from sin by Christ (Revelation 7:14).

In redeemed sinners God shall show forth the riches of his glory to wondering worlds, as they could never have been known apart from the fall (Ephesians 2:7; Ephesians 3:10).

And we shall be perfectly conformed to the image of Christ in glorious resurrection bodies, which we could never possess had there been no fall.

As David turned Israel’s loss into great gain, our all-glorious Christ turns our fall into a great blessing. In him the promise is fulfilled, “They that spoil thee shall be a spoil” (Jeremiah 30:16-17).

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