1 Samuel 29

CHAPTERS 29 AND 30THEME: David’s life among the PhilistinesAs we saw in chapter 27, David had become so discouraged and despondent because of Saul’s determination to kill him that he left the land of Israel. God had not told him to leave any more than He had told Abraham to leave the land. On the part of both these men it was a lapse in faith. So David stepped out of the land and moved over into the country of Philistia. The Philistines were definitely the enemies of his people. David spent some time there and became a good friend of the king of Gath, who was one of the lords of the Philistines. Then when war broke out between the Israelites and the Philistines, David found himself in an awkward spot. Since he had become friends with at least one of the lords of the Philistines, he felt he should be his ally. But God intervened and prevented David from attacking his own people. This was a narrow escape for him. Had God not intervened, David would have done something that he would have regretted the rest of his life. Christian friend, we do not realize how many times God intervenes in our lives. We sometimes overstep the boundaries God has set, and we are not where we should be, or we are not doing what we should be doing. When we make errors in judgment, many times God graciously intervenes to keep us from committing a terrible sin that we would regret the rest of our lives. I am sure you can look back upon your life and recall many such occasions.

1 Samuel 29:1

When war was about to break out, David and his men marched with the Philistines. All the lords of the Philistines knew David, and when they saw him marching with them, they did not like itand rightly so. I am sure that if you saw a person who had been your enemy suddenly turn and be on your side, you would want to make sure that he was not going to come up from the rear and attack you. That sometimes happens even among Christian brethren today. When a formerly unfriendly person suddenly becomes friendly, you wonder if he is really your friend or whether he has some ulterior motive in mind.

1 Samuel 29:3

PHILISTINES DISTRUST DAVID TO BATTLE ISRAELThis Philistine lord, Achish, could find no fault with him because David had been a loyal fellow. He had never attempted to undermine himDavid was not that kind of man. I think one of the tragedies in our Christian circles is men who attempt to undermine other Christians.

1 Samuel 29:4

This is the way the Philistine lords reasoned, and there is a certain amount of logic in it. It could have been that David wanted to make peace with Saul, and what better way to do it than to turn and fight against the Philistines during the battle with Israel? That would certainly reconcile him to Saul. Since these men did not know David, they cannot be blamed for the position that they took.

1 Samuel 29:5

These Philistine lords had heard about David; they knew he could be a formidable foe. So I believe their position was a reasonable and logical one. Achish, however, had full confidence in David.

1 Samuel 29:6

Achish is outvoted and outnumbered. The others will not have David, although Achish has confidence in him. In order to have harmony in their midst, Achish asks David to leave. This, my friend, is nothing but the providence of almighty God. It delivers David from fighting his own people.

1 Samuel 29:8

Although King Saul was David’s enemy at the time, David would never turn against his own people. However, David’s lapse of faith in stepping out of the land meant he was also stepping out of the will of God. This opened the way for sin to come into his life. The interesting thing is, Christian friend, that when a child of God steps out of the will of God, he will not lose his salvation, but he will have trouble. In California, after World War II, a man came to see me. He was a young man when he was discharged from the service and was out of the will of God. While in this condition, he married an unsaved girl. His life had been a living hell from that day until the day I talked to him. His only solution to the problem was to get a divorce. I told him, “Don’t get a divorce. Let her go if she wants to leave you, but stick it out, brother. This is what happened to you when you stepped out of God’s will.” You see, the child of God will not lose his salvation when he steps out of God’s will, but he may get something he will wish he did not have. You will always get into trouble when you step out of the will of God. David stepped out of God’s will and was about to commit an awful sin when God intervened.

1 Samuel 29:11

Jezreel is in the north. If you have a good map, you ought to take a look at the geography at this point. It will make clearer a great deal of what is happening. Jezreel is near the Valley of Esdraelon. In fact, I would say it is part of it. It is here that the Scriptures tell us the last great War of Armageddon will be fought. It is being used as a wonderful fertile valley today. As the Philistines go on up to Jezreel, David and his men start back home to Ziklag. It will not be a joyful homecoming, as we shall see.