1 Samuel 29:1 – 11 “Now the Philistines brought all their forces together at Aphek, while Israel camped by the spring in Jezreel. As the Philistine leaders marched out their units of hundreds and thousands, David and his men marched behind them with Achish.
Then the commanders of the Philistines asked, “What about these Hebrews?”
Achish replied, “Is this not David, the servant of King Saul of Israel? He has been with me all these days, even years, and from the day he defected until today I have found no fault in him.”
But the commanders of the Philistines were angry with Achish and told him, “Send that man back and let him return to the place you assigned him. He must not go down with us into battle only to become our adversary during the war. What better way for him to regain the favor of his master than with the heads of our men? Is this not the David about whom they sing in their dances:
‘Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands’?”
So Achish summoned David and told him, “As surely as the LORD lives, you have been upright in my sight, and it seems right that you should march in and out with me in the army, because I have found no fault in you from the day you came to me until this day. But you have no favor in the sight of the leaders. Therefore, turn back now and go in peace, so that you will not do anything to displease the leaders of the Philistines.”
“But what have I done?” David replied. “What have you found against your servant, from the day I came to you until today, to keep me from going along to fight against the enemies of my lord the king?”
Achish replied, “I know that you are as pleasing in my sight as an angel of God. But the commanders of the Philistines have said, ‘He must not go into battle with us.’ Now then, get up early in the morning, along with your masters’ servants who came with you, and go as soon as it is light.”
So David and his men got up early in the morning to return to the land of the Philistines. And the Philistines went up to Jezreel.”
If the saying “You just dodged a bullet!” was popular in David’s time, David has just dodged a bullet – or perhaps a stone from a sling! David has taken his men and has fled to the Philistines, living in the city of Ziklag. All the time David has been raiding, he has lied to Achish, the king of Gath, telling Achish that he has been raiding in Israel when he has actually been swooping down on other tribes, but not on Israel. So far, David has managed to avoid fighting the Israelites; however, that might be about to change.
The Philistines are marching to war with the Israelites. As bodyguard for Achish, David is accompanying Achish to the battle. But the Philistine commanders want no part of David whatsoever! After all, David is the guy who killed Goliath with his slingshot several years ago when he was only a teen ager. Achish may have confidence in David, but the other Philistine commanders fear that once the battle starts, David and his men will fight a rear action, catching the Philistines between the Israelite army and David and his men.
What is David thinking as he and his men march out with King Achish? Perhaps David is feeling conflicted! It’s one thing to swear allegiance to Achish back in Gath, but what IS David going to do in this battle? As an Israelite, David should fight for Israel. But having given an oath of loyalty to Achish, David is bound to defend Achish and fight on the side of the Philistines. It’s at this point that God delivers David from his dilemma. The Philistine commanders demand David return to Gath.
Originally, David fled to Gath because he was afraid of Saul and tired of being chased through the wilderness, even though God delivered him from Saul many times. Perhaps David has already regretted taking that decision. But one fascinating thing is the influence that David has had on King Achish. “So Achish summoned David and told him, “As surely as the LORD lives, you have been upright in my sight, and it seems right that you should march in and out with me in the army, because I have found no fault in you from the day you came to me until this day.” “Achish replied, “I know that you are as pleasing in my sight as an angel of God.” WHAT? These statements are coming from a Philistine king, a worshiper of Dagon, but they sound like something an Israelite would say. From these statements, it would seem that God has used David’s fears to allow King Achish to come to know Him as the One True Living God through David. Amazing!
APPLICATION: God has delivered David from an impossible situation, one that David got into because his trust in God faltered. This story should give all of us a great deal of encouragement. David was a spiritual giant with much more faith than most of us; yet, David’s faith failed him and he ran to hide with the Philistines, rather than continuing to trust God to protect him. It’s quite likely that David was exhausted physically, emotionally, and mentally when he made that decision. As a result of that poor choice, David found himself in a morally untenable position. It was likely a great relief when the Philistine commanders protested David’s presence, leaving his men and him free to return to Gath.
Sometimes we put ourselves in bad positions and sometimes we are stuck there by the actions of others. Before we ever left America for our first mission assignment, one of our supporters confronted us, demanding to know if the project to which we were being sent was going to benefit a private individual. We gave an unequivocal denial, only to find later on that someone in the situation was attempting to benefit financially. At one point, we went so far as to distribute copies of the brochure from the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability to members of a management board. We pointed out the fact that monies raised for one purpose could not be re – directed to another purpose without the express written consent of the donors. Without such consent, such re – direction would constitute breach of contract. Although we succeeded in defending our stance, it was obvious that this problem would soon re – surface. When we refused to compromise, one of the key figures expecting to benefit reported us to our sending agency. The sending agency failed to investigate, removing us instead.
While this removal was quite painful, we later realized that God had delivered us. We needed a way out, and God provided it. This experience taught us a number of lessons, so that when we interviewed with other mission groups, we could ask all kinds of difficult questions. Subsequently, we were accepted by a different sending agency, one with which we are still working thirty years later.
God specializes in the impossible! Are you stuck in a mess? No matter who created that mess, God can still deliver you from it. But be prepared. Sometimes deliverances are excruciatingly painful.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, many of us may find ourselves trapped in situations from which we see no way out. Help us to turn to You, to trust You, and to hang on tightly, even when You take us through difficult passages. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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