1 Samuel 29:1-5
1 Now the Philistines gathered together all their armies to Aphek, while the Israelites were camping by the spring which is in Jezreel.
2 And the governors of the Philistines were proceeding on, leading hundreds and thousands, and David and his men were proceeding in the back with Achish.
3 Then the commanders of the Philistines said, “What are these Hebrews doing here?” And Achish said to the commanders of the Philistines, “Is this not David, the servant of Saul the king of Israel, who has been with me these days, or rather these years, and I have found nothing at all suspicious in him since the day he deserted to me to this day?”
4 But the commanders of the Philistines were angry with him, and the commanders of the Philistines said to him, “Make the man go back, so that he will return to his place where you have assigned him, and do not let him go down to battle with us, or in the battle he may become an adversary to us. For how could this man find favor with his lord? Would it not be with the heads of these men?”
5 Is this not David, of whom they sing in the dances, saying,
‘Saul has slain his thousands,
And David his ten thousands’?”
David Rejected
“What are these Hebrews?”
The story now returns to David. Today’s passage directly follows 1 Samuel 28:2. (1) The Philistines gathered all their forces at Aphek and the Israelites camped by the spring in Jezreel. (2) The Philistine forces consisted of a confederation of the armies of the five city-states. Each city had its own king, who led their respective troops in the march. (3) One of these kings was Achish of Gath and at the back of Achish’s army were David and his men. (4) Seeing this, the other kings asked, “What are these Hebrews doing here?” The term “Hebrews” is a word often used by foreigners to refer to the Israelites. (5) Achish defends David, saying, “Is this not David, the servant of Saul the king of Israel, who has been with me these days, or rather these years, and I have found nothing at all suspicious in him since the day he deserted to me to this day?” Achish said that David had been with him for years, but David was with him for one year and four months. Achish is exaggerating to make his point more convincing. From his words we can tell how skillfully David had been behaving.
The opposition of the kings
The four kings strongly objected upon hearing Achish’s words. They judged that there was a possibility that David might betray them during the battle, earning military achievements, and thereby reconcile with his lord Saul. Indeed, David had no intention of fighting against the Israelites. Rather, he was contemplating how he could escape from this situation. Let’s learn from this situation. (1) By leaving the Promised Land, David placed himself in a dangerous position. David, in this passage, seems overly fearful of people. He was on the verge of committing a great sin. (2) The four kings of the Philistines, while being David’s enemies, brought blessing to David like a true friend as they released him from a tight spot. (3) Behind this event is the hand of the Lord. The Lord delivered David through the hands of his enemies. Blessed are those who can see the Lord’s hand in their daily lives.
Today's prayer
Almighty God, be my shield and fortress today, and protect me. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen.