The Philistines Reject David
In this story God is working through the Philistine commanders to keep David from fighting God’s chosen people.
God can use anyone for His Purpose.
1 Samuel 29 NLT
29:1 The entire Philistine army now mobilized at Aphek, and the Israelites camped at the spring in Jezreel. 2 As the Philistine rulers were leading out their troops in groups of hundreds and thousands, David and his men marched at the rear with King Achish. 3 But the Philistine commanders demanded, “What are these Hebrews doing here?”
And Achish told them, “This is David, the servant of King Saul of Israel. He’s been with me for years, and I’ve never found a single fault in him from the day he arrived until today.”
4 But the Philistine commanders were angry. “Send him back to the town you’ve given him!” they demanded. “He can’t go into the battle with us. What if he turns against us in battle and becomes our adversary? Is there any better way for him to reconcile himself with his master than by handing our heads over to him? 5 Isn’t this the same David about whom the women of Israel sing in their dances,
‘Saul has killed his thousands,
and David his ten thousands’?”
6 So Achish finally summoned David and said to him, “I swear by the Lord that you have been a trustworthy ally. I think you should go with me into battle, for I’ve never found a single flaw in you from the day you arrived until today. But the other Philistine rulers won’t hear of it. 7 Please don’t upset them, but go back quietly.”
8 “What have I done to deserve this treatment?” David demanded. “What have you ever found in your servant, that I can’t go and fight the enemies of my lord the king?”9 But Achish insisted, “As far as I’m concerned, you’re as perfect as an angel of God. But the Philistine commanders are afraid to have you with them in the battle. 10 Now get up early in the morning, and leave with your men as soon as it gets light.”
11 So David and his men headed back into the land of the Philistines, while the Philistine army went on to Jezreel.
Examine the Scriptures
1 Samuel 29 NLT
1 Samuel 29 resumes he story that ended at 1 Samuel 28:2
1 Samuel 28:1-2 NLT
28:1 About that time the Philistines mustered their armies for another war with Israel. King Achish told David, “You and your men will be expected to join me in battle.”
2 “Very well!” David agreed. “Now you will see for yourself what we can do.”
Then Achish told David, “I will make you my personal bodyguard for life.”
1 Samuel 28:3-25 was the story of Saul Consulting a Medium.
The Philistines Reject David
29:1 The entire Philistine army now mobilized at Aphek,
- The Philistines were preparing their armies for another war with Israel.
About 90 years earlier (Before Israel had a king.)
4 : 1 And Samuel’s words went out to all the people of Israel.
The Philistines Capture the Ark
At that time Israel was at war with the Philistines. The Israelite army was camped near Ebenezer, and the Philistines were at Aphek.
10 So the Philistines fought desperately, and Israel was defeated again. The slaughter was great; 30,000 Israelite soldiers died that day. The survivors turned and fled to their tents. 11 The Ark of God was captured, and Hophni and Phinehas, the two sons of Eli, were killed.
- Israel had not effectively subdued the Philistine’s during Saul’s reign as king.
and the Israelites camped at the spring in Jezreel.
Refer to a map.
Aphek and Jezreel are about 40 miles apart.
2 As the Philistine rulers were leading out their troops in groups of hundreds and thousands, David and his men marched at the rear with King Achish.
The Philistines had a large, powerful, well-trained army.
- David and his 600 soldiers were bringing up the rear of the Philistine procession.
3 But the Philistine commanders demanded, “What are these Hebrews doing here?”
And Achish told them, “This is David, the servant of King Saul of Israel. He’s been with me for years, and I’ve never found a single fault in him from the day he arrived until today.”
To Achish, David was a valued defector.
- Achish thought of David as an honorable and righteous man.
Achish defended David.
David’s tactics described in 27:10-12 were highly successful.
1 Samuel 27:10-12 NLT
10 “Where did you make your raid today?” Achish would ask.
And David would reply, “Against the south of Judah, the Jerahmeelites, and the Kenites.”
11 No one was left alive to come to Gath and tell where he had really been. This happened again and again while he was living among the Philistines. 12 Achish believed David and thought to himself, “By now the people of Israel must hate him bitterly. Now he will have to stay here and serve me forever!”
4 But the Philistine commanders were angry. “Send him back to the town you’ve given him!” they demanded.
1 Samuel 27:6 NLT
6 So Achish gave him the town of Ziklag (which still belongs to the kings of Judah to this day),
“He can’t go into the battle with us. What if he turns against us in battle and becomes our adversary?
- The Philistine commanders, except for Achish, thought that David was a plant, planning to mount an attack from within the Philistine defenses.
In chapter 14 we read about Jonathan’s daring, but successful, attack on a Philistine outpost.
1 Samuel 14:21 NLT
21 Even the Hebrews who had previously gone over to the Philistine army revolted and joined in with Saul, Jonathan, and the rest of the Israelites.
Is there any better way for him to reconcile himself with his master than by handing our heads over to him?
Achish trusted David
but the other Philistine commanders did not trust David.
They were afraid that David, a Hebrew, would turn against the Philistines in order to be reconciled with Saul.
1 Samuel 17:51 NLT
51 Then David ran over and pulled Goliath’s sword from its sheath. David used it to kill him and cut off his head.
When the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they turned and ran.
1 Samuel 18:27 NLT
27 he and his men went out and killed 200 Philistines. Then David fulfilled the king’s requirement by presenting all their foreskins to him. So Saul gave his daughter Michal to David to be his wife.
5 Isn’t this the same David about whom the women of Israel sing in their dances,
‘Saul has killed his thousands,
and David his ten thousands’?” 1 Samuel 18:7
1 Samuel 18:7
This passage found in 1 Samuel 18:7 referred to slain Philistines. (And Achish still trusted David.)
- The fame of David had spread throughout the land.
- The Philistine commanders had good reason to doubt David’s loyalty to the Philistine army.
6 So Achish finally summoned David and said to him, “I swear by the Lord that you have been a trustworthy ally.
For polytheistic people, it was quite acceptable to make an oath in the name of a god other than the gods they normally served.
Achish swore by the existence of David’s God. Many in the pagan world knew about God. (King Darius and King Nebuchadnezzar- Daniel)
This oath by Achish makes Achish’s support of David appear to be genuine. (Review verse 3.)
1 Samuel 29:3 NLT
… And Achish told them, “This is David, the servant of King Saul of Israel. He’s been with me for years, and I’ve never found a single fault in him from the day he arrived until today.”
I think you should go with me into battle, for I’ve never found a single flaw in you from the day you arrived until today. But the other Philistine rulers won’t hear of it. 7 Please don’t upset them, but go back quietly.”
- Against his will, Achish asked David to go back to Ziklag.
In this story, God was working through the Philistine commanders to keep David from fighting God’s chosen people.
If David had fought with the Philistine army, this would probably have prevented him from being accepted by Israel as king.
David would have been considered a traitor to his country. The Israelites would have objected to having David as their king.
- In this story God was working through the Philistine commanders to keep David from fighting God’s chosen people.
8 “What have I done to deserve this treatment?” David demanded. “What have you ever found in your servant, that I can’t go and fight the enemies of my lord the king?”
- David pretends to be disappointed.
Who was “my lord the king”?
Was David referring to Achish, a Philistine king of Gath? We can be sure this is what David wanted Achish to believe.
Or
Was David referring to Saul?
- David continued his deception.
Remember David’s own words:
1 Samuel 24:6 NLT
6 He said to his men, “The Lord forbid that I should do this to my lord the king. I shouldn’t attack the Lord’s anointed one, for the Lord himself has chosen him.”
1 Samuel 26:9 NLT
9 “No!” David said. “Don’t kill him. For who can remain innocent after attacking the Lord’s anointed one?
The providence of God kept David from fighting against the Lord’s anointed and his own countrymen.
9 But Achish insisted, “As far as I’m concerned, you’re as perfect as an angel of God.
This sounds a bit extreme.
But the Philistine commanders are afraid to have you with them in the battle. 10 Now get up early in the morning, and leave with your men as soon as it gets light.”
11 So David and his men headed back into the land of the Philistines, while the Philistine army went on to Jezreel.
Jezreel is where the Israelites were camped (verse 1).
Jezreel was frequently used as a major battlefield for many armies.
- David and his men headed back into the land of the Philistines, while the Philistine army went on to Jezreel.
In this story God was working through the Philistine commanders to keep David from fighting God’s chosen people. If David had fought with the Philistine army, this would probably have prevented him from being accepted by Israel as king.
This chapter is an encouraging revelation of how God takes care of His own when they are under extreme stress and not entirely obedient.
“David’s sixteen months at Ziklag marked a low point in his spiritual walk with God.
He displayed a lack of faith in going there, as though God could not protect him in his own land;
he was not honest with Achish after he arrived there;
Significantly, too, it was during this time that his men nearly mutinied against him, not being sure that he was leading them aright.” (Constable Bible Commentary)
1 Samuel 30:6 NLT
6 David was now in great danger because all his men were very bitter about losing their sons and daughters, and they began to talk of stoning him.
