Doing the right thing has never been the most celebrated value in our society. We praise success, talent, wealth, and achievement, but rarely do we pause to honor simple righteousness. In I Samuel 30, David models a way of living that challenges our priorities and calls us back to God’s heart.
David and his men had returned from battle victorious. Four hundred fought; two hundred were too exhausted to continue and stayed behind with the supplies. When the spoils of war were gathered, some of the fighters insisted that the weary men deserved nothing. But David stood firm. He said, “No, my brothers… we will share and share alike.” He made it a law because it was the right thing to do.
This moment teaches us three truths about righteousness. First, doing right begins with knowing right. David understood that every person has value in God’s plan. Peter and Paul were different—one a fisherman, the other a scholar—yet God used both mightily. When we see people through God’s eyes, we learn to treat them with fairness, dignity, and love.
Then, doing right requires courage. David’s decision was not popular, but there is nothing popular about doing right. The world invests heavily in what is wrong—systems of greed, exploitation, and injustice. To stand for right is to stand against the current. But God calls His people to be courageous witnesses, even when others resist.
Third, doing right demands action. Knowing and wanting are not enough. David didn’t form a committee or take a vote; he acted. Naysayers will always be present, but righteousness requires someone willing to say “No”—like the Hebrew boys in Babylon, like Rosa Parks on a Montgomery bus, like Jesus on the cross. Doing right often means refusing what is easy to honor God.
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