1 Samuel 27:5–12 (ESV) — 5 Then David said to Achish, “If I have found favor in
your eyes, let a place be given me in one of the country towns, that I may
dwell there. For why should your servant dwell in the royal city with you?” 6 So that day Achish gave him Ziklag. Therefore Ziklag has belonged to
the kings of Judah to this day. 7 And the number of
the days that David lived in the country of the Philistines was a year and four
months. 8 Now David and his men went up and made raids against
the Geshurites, the Girzites, and the Amalekites, for these were the
inhabitants of the land from of old, as far as Shur, to the land of Egypt. 9 And David would strike the land and would leave neither man nor woman
alive, but would take away the sheep, the oxen, the donkeys, the camels, and
the garments, and come back to Achish. 10 When Achish asked,
“Where have you made a raid today?” David would say, “Against the Negeb of
Judah,” or, “Against the Negeb of the Jerahmeelites,” or, “Against the Negeb of
the Kenites.” 11 And David would leave neither man nor woman alive to
bring news to Gath, thinking, “lest they should tell about us and say, ‘So
David has done.’ ” Such was his custom all the while he lived in the country of
the Philistines. 12 And Achish trusted David, thinking, “He has made
himself an utter stench to his people Israel; therefore he shall always be my
servant.”
NOTE: From one poor
decision, others follow. David does not appear to have sought God in his move
to live with the Philistines. I can only guess that he was tired of living in
the wilderness being chased from one cave to the next. And with foresight, which
David did not have, it appears it would be another nearly two years before
conditions would change. But one bad decision seems to lead to another as David
is reduced to lying in order to maintain his relationship with Achish. David
could justify his actions because the real enemies he was defeating were common
enemies to both Israel and to Philistia. Still, David is now reduced to a
marauder. In some sense, the job did need to be done since Israel had never
conquered the land the way God had commanded. And maybe we can even justify
David's lying since it was to protect the lives of his men and their wives and
children. But his lying doesn't actually save anyone, since the wives,
children, and possessions will be attacked and stolen during his stay in
Philistia (but also recovered). It is a restful, prosperous and yet ugly period
of David's life. He is growing in riches, but he almost loses his men and
everything he was working to accomplish. But in the midst of this, grace
reigns, because God promises to work good for those who love him and are called
to his purpose. In the end, David will reign over Judah, and in seven more
years over all of Israel. What is the application? God's direction is really
less painful than our choice.
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