Day 73 – 1 Samuel 27:1-12
Scripture Review
1 Samuel 27:1-12
"And David said in his heart, I shall now perish one day by the hand of Saul: there is nothing better for me than that I should speedily escape into the land of the Philistines; and Saul shall despair of me, to seek me any more in any coast of Israel: so shall I escape out of his hand." (1 Samuel 27:1)
This verse opens with a sad turn in David's thinking. "David said in his heart." That means this begins in his inward reasoning. He says, "I shall now perish one day by the hand of Saul." His fear begins inside before it becomes a decision outside. David takes counsel with his own heart, and the narrative says nothing here about prayer, prophet, priest, or ephod. That is a strange sentence coming right after chapter 26, where Saul had again confessed David would prevail. David has been delivered over and over, yet for the moment fear does its dirty work and edits providence out of memory.
"And David arose, and he passed over with the six hundred men that were with him unto Achish, the son of Maoch, king of Gath." (1 Samuel 27:2)
David acts on the thought he has accepted in his heart. He "arose, and he passed over." Fearful conclusions often become quick actions. He does not go alone, but takes "the six hundred men that were with him" to Achish king of Gath. David, the anointed of the LORD, goes for refuge into Philistine territory. He is seeking safety, but he is seeking it in a troubling place.
"And David dwelt with Achish at Gath, he and his men, every man with his household, even David with his two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the Carmelitess, Nabal's wife." (1 Samuel 27:3)
This was not a brief stop. "David dwelt with Achish at Gath." He and his men settle there, and "every man" is there "with his household." David's discouragement did not stay tucked inside David. It touched wives, children, camp order, and the whole wandering commonwealth around him. One man's unbelief in leadership rarely stays private. A discouraged father can move a whole tent. A discouraged pastor can move a whole church. A discouraged king-in-waiting can move six hundred armed men and all their people into Philistine protection. David also is there "with his two wives." This move was complete. David has not merely hidden himself for a night. He has relocated his camp and his household into the land of the Philistines.
"And it was told Saul that David was fled to Gath: and he sought no more again for him." (1 Samuel 27:4)
This is the immediate success of David's plan. Saul hears that David is in Gath, "and he sought no more again for him." David got the result he wanted. Saul stops chasing him once he learns David has fled to Gath. So yes, the expedient "works." That is one of the chapter's dangers. A bad spiritual move can produce immediate practical relief. Saul sought no more again for him. Pressure lifted. The phone stopped ringing, so to speak. But a ceasefire is not the same as blessing. Saul discontinued when informed of David's flight. The verse gives the relief, but the rest of the chapter exposes the bill that comes due for purchasing relief this way.
"And David said unto Achish, If I have now found grace in thine eyes, let them give me a place in some town in the country, that I may dwell there: for why should thy servant dwell in the royal city with thee?" (1 Samuel 27:5)
David now askss Achish for "a place in some town in the country." He does not want to remain in the royal city. On the surface, this sounds humble and reasonable: "for why should thy servant dwell in the royal city with thee?" But it also seems clear that David wants distance. Living away from the royal city would mean less observation and more freedom to act. David is trying to make this arrangement workable, but it is already showing the strain of a compromised position. That is often how backsliding talks when it has learned manners.
"Then Achish gave him Ziklag that day: wherefore Ziklag pertaineth unto the kings of Judah unto this day." (1 Samuel 27:6)
Achish gives David Ziklag. David asked for a place, and Achish granted it "that day." Ziklag becomes David's base of operations. The verse also shows the lasting importance of the place by saying, "Ziklag pertaineth unto the kings of Judah unto this day." Even in scripture where David is acting out of fear, the LORD is still overruling events. David may be weak, but God is not absent. Ziklag will later matter greatly. The verse reminds us that God can work above and beyond the imperfect decisions of His servants.
"And the time that David dwelt in the country of the Philistines was a full year and four months." (1 Samuel 27:7)
David stayed there "a full year and four months." That makes the whole matter even more serious. A fearful choice can shape a long stretch of life. David did not just touch this path and leave it immediately. He lived in this compromised arrangement for sixteen months. Long enough to build routines. Long enough to get used to the smell of Philistine life. Long enough for expediency to quit feeling like an emergency measure and start feeling normal. That is how spiritual decline settles in: not always by dramatic rebellion, but by getting accustomed to what once would have grieved you.
"And David and his men went up, and invaded the Geshurites, and the Gezrites, and the Amalekites: for those nations were of old the inhabitants of the land, as thou goest to Shur, even unto the land of Egypt." (1 Samuel 27:8)
From Ziklag, David and his men launch expeditions against the Geshurites, the Gezrites, and the Amalekites. The verse places these peoples in the southern region, "as thou goest to Shur, even unto the land of Egypt." "invaded" carries the sense of spreading out on a raid, fanning out over roaming people whose defense was mobility. David is not idle in Ziklag. He is active, aggressive, and operating in the borderlands. He is living as a warrior-chief while under Philistine protection.
"And David smote the land, and left neither man nor woman alive, and took away the sheep, and the oxen, and the asses, and the camels, and the apparel, and returned, and came to Achish." (1 Samuel 27:9)
This presents "an unfavorable view" of this part of David's history. It is severe and bloody. "David smote the land, and left neither man nor woman alive." Then he took the livestock and the apparel and returned to Achish. The Bible does not hide the blood on David's sword when David himself is being led by his own accord. This is not the shepherd boy with a harp. This is a hunted captain operating under pressure and now mixing military necessity with deception. He is fighting, taking spoil, and removing all witnesses.
"And Achish said, Whither have ye made a road to day? And David said, Against the south of Judah, and against the south of the Jerahmeelites, and against the south of the Kenites." (1 Samuel 27:10)
Achish asks David where he has raided: "Whither have ye made a road to day?" David answers in a way that gives Achish the impression he has been attacking the south of Judah and related peoples. This is where the compromise becomes even clearer. David is not speaking openly. He is shaping Achish's understanding in a false direction. The man who once spoke so plainly to Saul is now living by concealment before Achish.
"And David saved neither man nor woman alive, to bring tidings to Gath, saying, Lest they should tell on us, saying, So did David, and so will be his manner all the while he dwelleth in the country of the Philistines." (1 Samuel 27:11)
The reason is now given. David "saved neither man nor woman alive, to bring tidings to Gath." He does this "lest they should tell on us." He is protecting the secret of what he is really doing. One compromised step has led to another. David fled out of fear, then settled among the Philistines, then began to live in such a way that the truth had to be hidden to preserve his position there.
And Achish believed David, saying, He hath made his people Israel utterly to abhor him; therefore he shall be my servant for ever." (1 Samuel 27:12)
Achish believes David completely. He thinks David has now made himself-hatredd by Israel beyond repair: "He hath made his people Israel utterly to abhor him." Then he concludes, "therefore he shall be my servant for ever." Achish thinks David now belongs to him. David is still God's chosen servant, but here he is not at his strongest. He is acting under fear, and fear has carried him into a path of expediency. That tells me we must be careful what voice we listen to when we are tired, discouraged, and worn down. If fear speaks in the heart long enough, it can persuade us that "there is nothing better" than a path we should never have chosen.
Chapter 27 is what happens when a good man gets tired of the cave and starts envying Gath. David does not quit being the LORD's man. But he is not walking in clean, bright faith here. He is scared, shrewd, cornered, and compromised. The mercy of God in the chapter is not that David made all the right choices. The mercy is that the LORD did not throw His servant away while he was making some very poor ones. That is about the only reason any of us make it through our own Ziklag seasons.