1 Samuel 27:1-12

Relax, Read and Reflect

Prayer- Lord, Open our hearts and open our minds and help us learn. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

1 Samuel 27

David Among the Philistines

¹ But David thought to himself, "One of these days I will be destroyed by the hand of Saul. The best thing I can do is to escape to the land of the Philistines. Then Saul will give up searching for me anywhere in Israel, and I will slip out of his hand."

² So David and the six hundred men with him left and went over to Achish son of Maoch king of Gath. ³ David and his men settled in Gath with Achish. Each man had his family with him, and David had his two wives: Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail of Carmel, the widow of Nabal. ⁴ When Saul was told that David had fled to Gath, he no longer searched for him.

⁵ Then David said to Achish, "If I have found favor in your eyes, let a place be assigned to me in one of the country towns, that I may live there. Why should your servant live in the royal city with you?"

⁶ So on that day Achish gave him Ziklag, and it has belonged to the kings of Judah ever since. ⁷ David lived in Philistine territory a year and four months.

⁸ Now David and his men went up and raided the Geshurites, the Girzites and the Amalekites. (From ancient times these peoples had lived in the land extending to Shur and Egypt.) ⁹ Whenever David attacked an area, he did not leave a man or woman alive, but took sheep and cattle, donkeys and camels, and clothes. Then he returned to Achish.

¹⁰ When Achish asked, "Where did you go raiding today?" David would say, "Against the Negev of Judah" or "Against the Negev of Jerahmeel" or "Against the Negev of the Kenites." ¹¹ He did not leave a man or woman alive to be brought to Gath, for he thought, "They might inform on us and say, 'This is what David did.' " And such was his practice as long as he lived in Philistine territory. ¹² Achish trusted David and said to himself, "He has become so odious to his people, the Israelites, that he will be my servant forever."

This is a very difficult and often ignored part of the story of David. After his second sparing of Saul, David knows he must leave the country. He goes to the king of Gath and becomes his vassal, or servant. You may of heard of Gath before, this was the home of Goliath. Yes, David is working for the Philistines.

David picks up the Philistine way of making a living. He and his band of 600 men raid other nations. David raids and plunders, and kills all he plunders against so they can't talk. The king of Gath, Achlish, likes what David does and thinks he has the Israelites right where he needs them.

Questions:

1. Was David a traitor by working for the Philistines? Or just a deceiver?

2.Why would David feel he must destroy what he raided?

3. What is God's hand in this?