Read 1 Samuel 27
David Among the Philistines
1 But David thought to himself, “One of these days I will be destroyed by the hand of Saul. The best thing I can do is to escape to the land of the Philistines. Then Saul will give up searching for me anywhere in Israel, and I will slip out of his hand.”
2 So David and the six hundred men with him left and went over to Achish son of Maok king of Gath. 3 David and his men settled in Gath with Achish. Each man had his family with him, and David had his two wives: Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail of Carmel, the widow of Nabal. 4 When Saul was told that David had fled to Gath, he no longer searched for him.
5 Then David said to Achish, “If I have found favor in your eyes, let a place be assigned to me in one of the country towns, that I may live there. Why should your servant live in the royal city with you?”
6 So on that day Achish gave him Ziklag, and it has belonged to the kings of Judah ever since. 7 David lived in Philistine territory a year and four months.
8 Now David and his men went up and raided the Geshurites, the Girzites and the Amalekites. (From ancient times these peoples had lived in the land extending to Shur and Egypt.) 9 Whenever David attacked an area, he did not leave a man or woman alive, but took sheep and cattle, donkeys and camels, and clothes. Then he returned to Achish.
10 When Achish asked, “Where did you go raiding today?” David would say, “Against the Negev of Judah” or “Against the Negev of Jerahmeel” or “Against the Negev of the Kenites.” 11 He did not leave a man or woman alive to be brought to Gath, for he thought, “They might inform on us and say, ‘This is what David did.’” And such was his practice as long as he lived in Philistine territory. 12 Achish trusted David and said to himself, “He has become so obnoxious to his people, the Israelites, that he will be my servant for life.”
Go Deeper
When this chapter picks up, David is on the run from King Saul, who is eager to have him killed. Because of this very real danger, David thinks to himself, “The best thing I can do is to _________” (v. 1). What do you think David, often called a man after God’s own heart, would think in this situation? Likely, he would think to himself, “The best thing I can do is to trust in God.” Or perhaps, he might say, “The best thing I can do is to pray for Saul’s heart to change.” Instead, he thinks, “The best thing I can do is to escape to the land of the Philistines.” What?! This is such a scandalous move from David. The Philistines were the Israelites’ fiercest enemies. By doing this, David was forsaking the people of God to find safety and comfort in the enemy. A younger David, the one who killed Goliath the Philistine, would no doubt have been ashamed of this move.
It wasn’t Saul that drove David to seek refuge with the enemies of Israel – he doesn’t have that kind of power. But David’s own discouragement and despair led him to make some out of character decisions to flee to the land of the Philistines. Fear is a powerful enemy.
In the same way, whenever we are consumed with discouragement and despair, we can fall into decisions that would normally bring us shame. We can find comfort in laziness, alcohol, sex, bad relationships, etc. There is no shortage of sins that can lure us in under a façade of safety. Rather than following David’s lead in this moment of discouragement, we can learn from him through his better moments. Elsewhere in his life, he would write in Psalm 56:2-3, “My adversaries pursue me all day long; in their pride many are attacking me. When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.” In our hardest times, we must work to place our trust in God. While others may seem to provide the comfort that we need, only He will provide a peace that surpasses understanding. Today, don’t give in to the enemy in times of despair, but rather continue to plant yourself in the shelter of the Almighty.
Questions
- What stands out to you about David in this chapter?
- Did you notice David’s deceit in this chapter? What danger is there in getting comfortable with lying?
- Where do you find shelter in things that aren’t honoring God?
Did You Know?
Much later in his life, David enters a far more notorious season of sin with Bathsheba and ends up killing her husband Uriah to cover his own sin. Though that later event is far more famous, the root of sin that nourished it began in this chapter. Here, many years before David killed Uriah in an attempt to cover his sin, David killed these men and women in his raids to try to cover his sin. The roots of sin must be dealt with or they will only come back with greater strength.
Leave a Comment Below
Join the Team
Interested in writing for the Bible Reading Plan? Email [email protected].
4 responses to “1 Samuel 27”
The NIV Application Bible commentary breaks down this chapter a bit differently: “ David takes decisive action that will affect the role he will play in God‘s plans for the future. He bases his decisions on the logical and rational circumstances around him and appears to have simply trusted God to guide the process. Because we often lust for the tangible and the safety of the discernible, this type of trust is usually difficult for us. “
David kinda is in the mode of “I give up” towards Saul. He was discouraged and tired of running. BUT GOD has told him, shown him and guided him over and over that he is going to be fine and all things will work out. He is worn down emotionally and mentally. He woke up and thought I will just run away, no more Saul pursuing me. Psalm 13:1-2 shows his lament.
How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?
2 How long must I take counsel in my soul
and have sorrow in my heart all the day?
How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?
It takes both faith and patience to recieve what God has promised. There in is the problem, for me anyway. Some days faith is good, patience is low, or vica-versa. We all have a little of David in us, but also a little of Saul. BUT GOD for unfathomable reasons He decided to love mankind and to use us imperfect beings to help with His perfect and holy purposes. All of this is back to freedom of will and choices. David messed up all along the way but kept God in the forefront of his mind. Saul chose himself. BUT GOD loves us and this should give us hope. Even when we fail as long is God is to whom we choose, He will continue to choose us. Even through those stages of our lives that we’re too embarrassed to reveal to those closest to us, and after some of our darkest moments, God can still use us for His Kingdom. We just have to keep choosing Him.
God thank You for choosing me. God thank You for patience and faith to recieve what You have for me. Thank You for all the minutes of this day I can be listening to hear and obey Your voice. God thank You for forgiving me when I do not obey. God give me wisdom to look to You for all my help minutely. God, You are the author and finisher of my faith. God today my minutes glorify and honor You in Jesus name amen.
WOOHOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
1 The best thing I can do is . . .
Very disappointing to see David again to choose to act of fear rather than by faith. To run to the sanctuary of your nation’s longtime enemies?! To raid and then kill all the inhabitants so that no one could reveal what David had done?! At this point, he doesn’t appear to be any more noble than Saul!
Fear can lead to poor decisions and compromise our morals. I know this full well from my own experience even though I trust and know God’s protection. In spite of myself,
God is still in control, and I will choose to remain steadfast to God’s will.