Introduction:
A lesson for us and a lesson to pass on to the next generation.
1 Samuel 27 NLT
David among the Philistines
27:1 But David kept thinking to himself, “Someday Saul is going to get me. The best thing I can do is escape to the Philistines. Then Saul will stop hunting for me in Israelite territory, and I will finally be safe.”
2 So David took his 600 men and went over and joined Achish son of Maoch, the king of Gath. 3 David and his men and their families settled there with Achish at Gath. David brought his two wives along with him—Ahinoam from Jezreel and Abigail, Nabal’s widow from Carmel. 4 Word soon reached Saul that David had fled to Gath, so he stopped hunting for him.
5 One day David said to Achish, “If it is all right with you, we would rather live in one of the country towns instead of here in the royal city.”
6 So Achish gave him the town of Ziklag (which still belongs to the kings of Judah to this day), 7 and they lived there among the Philistines for a year and four months.
8 David and his men spent their time raiding the Geshurites, the Girzites, and the Amalekites—people who had lived near Shur, toward the land of Egypt, since ancient times. 9 David did not leave one person alive in the villages he attacked. He took the sheep, goats, cattle, donkeys, camels, and clothing before returning home to see King Achish.
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!”
Examine the Scriptures
1 Samuel 27 NLT
David among the Philistines
27:1 But David kept thinking to himself, “Someday Saul is going to get me.
Two other translations:
Then David said in his heart, “Now I shall perish one day by the hand of Saul. (ESV)
But David thought to himself, “One of these days I will be destroyed by the hand of Saul. (NIV)
- David falters in his faith.
Sometimes we falter in our faith.
Events David needed to remember:
1 Samuel 16:13 NLT
13 So as David stood there among his brothers, Samuel took the flask of olive oil he had brought and anointed David with the oil. And the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David from that day on. Then Samuel returned to Ramah.
1 Samuel 23:14 NLT
14 David now stayed in the strongholds of the wilderness and in the hill country of Ziph. Saul hunted him day after day, but God didn’t let Saul find him.
1 Samuel 23:17 NLT
17 “Don’t be afraid,” Jonathan reassured him. “My father will never find you! You are going to be the king of Israel, and I will be next to you, as my father, Saul, is well aware.”
1 Samuel 24:20 NLT
20 And now I (Saul) realize that you are surely going to be king, and that the kingdom of Israel will flourish under your rule.
1 Samuel 26:25 NLT (previous passage)
25 And Saul said to David, “Blessings on you, my son David. You will do many heroic deeds, and you will surely succeed.” Then David went away, and Saul returned home.
1 Samuel 25:29-31 NLT Abigail
29 “Even when you are chased by those who seek to kill you, your life is safe in the care of the Lord your God, secure in his treasure pouch! But the lives of your enemies will disappear like stones shot from a sling! 30 When the Lord has done all he promised and has made you leader of Israel, 31 don’t let this be a blemish on your record. Then your conscience won’t have to bear the staggering burden of needless bloodshed and vengeance. And when the Lord has done these great things for you, please remember me, your servant!”
REMEMBER all that God has done for you in the past.
David’s own words:
1 Chronicles 16:11-12 NLT
11 Search for the Lord and for his strength;
continually seek him.
12 Remember the wonders he has performed,
his miracles, and the rulings he has given,
Psalm 78:4 NLT (A psalm of Asaph.)
4 We will not hide these truths from our children;
we will tell the next generation
about the glorious deeds of the Lord,
about his power and his mighty wonders.
- Remind yourself of everything God has done for you.
The best thing I can do is escape to the Philistines. Then Saul will stop hunting for me in Israelite territory, and I will finally be safe.”
David does not appear to be seeking God’s guidance like he has done in the past.
One example of this.
1 Samuel 23:2-4 NLT
2 David asked the Lord, “Should I go and attack them?”
“Yes, go and save Keilah,” the Lord told him.
3 But David’s men said, “We’re afraid even here in Judah. We certainly don’t want to go to Keilah to fight the whole Philistine army!”
4 So David asked the Lord again, and again the Lord replied, “Go down to Keilah, for I will help you conquer the Philistines.”
David does not refer to God anywhere in this chapter.
We all need to remember to:
Proverbs 3:5-6 NLT
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart;
do not depend on your own understanding.
6 Seek his will in all you do,
and he will show you which path to take.
A reminder for us here today.
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- Seek God’s will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.
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- David decides that he can no longer stay in Israel.
2 So David took his 600 men and went over and joined Achish son of Maoch, the king of Gath.
For the second time David seeks refuge in the land of the Philistines. (David is now known by the Philistines as a formidable adversary of Saul.)
3 David and his men and their families settled there with Achish at Gath.
Gath was one of the five great Philistine cities.
This was the final stage of David’s “outlaw” career.
David and his men present themselves to king Achish as mercenaries.
Mercenaries are soldiers who fight for money, not loyalty or ideology. They have been hired by kings, empires, and warlords throughout history.
David brought his two wives along with him—Ahinoam from Jezreel and Abigail, Nabal’s widow from Carmel.
David and his 600 men and their families move to Gath. Though David is the rightful king of Israel, he believes that he must remain in exile for the time being.
4 Word soon reached Saul that David had fled to Gath, so he stopped hunting for him.
Saul would now have to take on the Philistines to get to David.
With David out of the country he would not appear to be as much of a threat to Saul.
- Saul stops hunting for David.
5 One day David said to Achish, “If it is all right with you, we would rather live in one of the country towns instead of here in the royal city.”
David wanted to get away from the watchful eye of Achish. He wanted the freedom to act without interference.
6 So Achish gave him the town of Ziklag (which still belongs to the kings of Judah to this day), 7 and they lived there among the Philistines for a year and four months.
At this point in time Ziklag was a Philistine town.
In Ziklag David could come and go without constant observation by the Philistines.
David lived in Ziklag until the time of Saul’s death.
- David and his men move to Ziklag, away from the watchful eye of Achish.
8 David and his men spent their time raiding the Geshurites, the Girzites, and the Amalekites—people who had lived near Shur, toward the land of Egypt, since ancient times.
David pretends to be loyal to Achish by attacking various non-Israelite people in the area while giving Achish that he is attacking Israel itself.
The Geshurites, living in an area south of Philistia, were not defeated at the time of the conquest of the Promised Land.
The Girzites are not mentioned anywhere else in the Old Testament.
The Amalekites were bitter foes of Israel.
All three groups were troublesome to both the Philistines and the Israelites.
David was clearing the Promised Land of Israel’s enemies so that the Israelites could occupy the land.
- David pretends to be loyal to Achish by attacking various non-Israelite people in the area while giving Achish that he is attacking Israel itself.
9 David did not leave one person alive in the villages he attacked.
11 No one was left alive to come to Gath and tell where he had really been.
Deuteronomy 20:16-18
16 In those towns that the Lord your God is giving you as a special possession, destroy every living thing. 17 You must completely destroy the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, just as the Lord your God has commanded you. 18 This will prevent the people of the land from teaching you to imitate their detestable customs in the worship of their gods, which would cause you to sin deeply against the Lord your God.
He took the sheep, goats, cattle, donkeys, camels, and clothing before returning home to see King Achish.
This would provide David and his men additional resources necessary for his men and their families to survive. (refer to comments under verse 3)
10 “Where did you make your raid today?” Achish would ask.
And David would reply, “Against the south of Judah, the Jerahmeelites (on friendly terms with David – descendants of Judah), and the Kenites (on friendly terms with the Israelites).”
David lied.
- Achish believed that David was attacking the outposts of Israel itself. He believed that David was being loyal to the Philistines.
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!”
At this point in time David had Achish fooled.
Proverbs 1:32 NLT
Fools are destroyed by their own complacency.
If David had been raiding the southern portions of Judah, he would have alienated himself from the Israelites and would have become dependent on the Philistines.
