I Samuel Chapter
27
Memory verses for this week:
Gen 26:2 And the LORD appeared unto him, and said, Go not down
into Egypt; dwell in the land which I shall tell thee of:
Introduction: We continue
our study on Samuel this week. In last week’s lesson, we studied
about Saul seeking David again in the wilderness of Ziph. David and
one of his men went down and took Saul’s spear and his cruse of
water, but does not harm Saul. David then cries out to Abner, the
captain of the army, that he had not done a good job in protecting
the king. Saul again promises to not harm David after admitting he
had done wrong, but David went another way after leaving Saul. With
Saul’s quick ability to change his mind and intentions, David had no
reason to trust him.
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David
Goes to Philistia
1 Sam
27:1 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.
Rather than
going back to the palace with King Saul, David went to the land of
the Philistines. It appears David knew that Saul might attempt to
put him to death again. In verse one, he makes mention that he might
one day perish at Saul’s hand. David felt at this time that his best
alternative was to escape to the land of Israel’s enemies. That had
not worked out well the first time David went, but it did not stop
him from going again.
1 Sam
27:2 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 Sam
27:3 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.
David
decides to go down to Gath and seek refuge from Saul with the
Philistine king, Achish. This was truly an astonishing thing that
David did. The Philistines were the known enemies of Israel, God’s
chosen nation. It makes you wonder how he could have so quickly
forgotten what happened when he went there the first time. Perhaps
David’s faith was low at this time to come to the conclusion that
this was the proper plan of action. Time after time, David had seen
God preserve him from Saul. In a large number of the Psalms which
David penned during this time, he gave praise to God from his
wonderful deliverance from Saul. Surely David could not have
forgotten he disgraceful conduct to which he had stooped to save
himself on his last trip to Philistia. Being afraid for his life, he
had acted like a crazy man that they might send him away. David gave
God the credit for preserving his life. He at this time took his 600
men with their families and his two wives and asked for asylum to
Achish, the king of Gath.
1 Sam
27:4 And it was told Saul that David was fled to Gath: and he sought
no more again for him.
1 Sam
27:5 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?
Word came to
Saul that David had sought the protection of Achish, and Saul seemed
content to have David there in exile. David did not ask to stay in
the royal city with the king, but asked just for a place where he
and the men could dwell in safety.
J. Vernon
McGee said this was a low point in David’s life.
This is
obviously a departure from the high plain of faith that
characterizes the life of David. It is a period of just letting
down. We find that the same thing happened to Abraham. It happened
to Isaac, and it happened to Jacob. In fact, it seems that most of
God’s men have had this low period in their lives.
There is a message for you and me in this
chapter. Perhaps this very day you are faced with problems. Perhaps
you have been in a dark valley for a long time, and you wonder if
you will ever come through it. There seems to be no solution to your
problems. Well, if it is any comfort to you, there are many others
who have been in the same valley—it is a well-worn route. This man
David walked that path long before you and I got here. This is one
of the reasons David has been such a help to me in my own Christian
life. I can certainly sympathize with him. It looks as though he may
spend the rest of his life running and will finally be slain by
Saul.
II.
Achish Give David Ziklag
1 Sam
27:6 Then Achish gave him Ziklag that day: wherefore Ziklag
pertaineth unto the kings of Judah unto this day.
1 Sam
27:7 And the time that David dwelt in the country of the Philistines
was a full year and four months.
Achish
decided to give the city of Ziklag to David. This was an area
located in the southwestern plain of Judah. This land had earlier
been allotted to Judah in the days when Joshua divided the land. But
because not all of the inhabitants were driven out as the Israelites
were commanded, the Philistines now possessed the land. David and
his troops lived in Ziklag for sixteen months, which is a very long
time to live in the territory of an enemy.
1 Sam
27:8 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.
David and
his men occupied themselves with invasions and spoiling parties
against the Geshurites, Gezrites, and Amalekites. These all lived
along the caravan route down to the wilderness of Shur and Egypt.
All of these groups were friendly to the Philistines, but were
enemies of Israel.
1 Sam
27:9 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.
When David
and his men fought these groups, he totally exterminated them. He
killed both the men, women, and children and then took all of their
animals. He would then return to Achish and no doubt shared the
spoils with him. This kept him on good terms with the Philistine
king.
III.
David Lies to Achish to Protect Himself
1 Sam
27:10 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.
Achish
questions David about where he had been that day. David replies
falsely and says he was fighting against those south of Judah which
were the Kenites and Jerahmeelites. These two were the enemies of
the Philistines, but were friends of Israel. In verse 11, David
commands his men and the women to be sure to speak those same words
to those there in Gath lest Achish find out the truth and go against
David and his men.
1 Sam
27:11 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 Sam
27:12 And Achish believed David, saying, He hath made his people
Israel utterly to abhor him; therefore he shall be my servant for
ever.
From all
this, it can be determined that David’s lack of faith not only made
him seek refuge in a pagan country, but also caused him to tell lies
to cover up. Verse 12 says “Achish believed David”. He felt the
raids would so antagonize the people of Judah against David that he
would never be able to return home. He felt he had a servant
forever. If we are not careful, we too may have moments of weak
faith and put ourselves in a place where the lord lays claim to us.
When this happens, we lose our ability to be a witness of the Lord
Jesus Christ. David’s story should inspire us to realize that the
world is not our friend, and it is always wrong to lie, no matter
the circumstances. Fear can make us do things that are unwarranted
and not in our best interests. Only by faith can we overcome fear.
God wants us to be people with salt, and that means we have to have
some strong convictions and walk circumspectly in this evil world.
1 John
4:18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear:
because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in
love.
Matthew
Henry points out in his commentary that David did some good while in
the land of the Philistines, but his lying brought conviction upon
him.
David
avenged an old quarrel that God had with these nations, and at the
same time fetched in provisions for himself and his army, for by
their swords they must live. The Amalekites were to be all cut off.
Probably the Geshurites and Gezrites were branches of Amalek. Saul
was rejected for sparing them, David makes up the deficiency of his
obedience before he succeeds him. He smote them, and left none
alive, v. 8, 9. The service paid itself, for they carried off
abundance of spoil, which served for the subsistence of David’s
forces. 2. Yet we cannot acquit him of dissimulation with Achish in
the account he gave him of this expedition. (1.) David, it seems,
was not willing that he should know the truth, and therefore spared
none to carry tidings to Gath (v. 11), not because he was ashamed of
what he had done as a bad thing, but because he was afraid, if the
Philistines knew it, they would be apprehensive of danger to
themselves or their allies by harboring him among them and would
expel him from their coasts. It would be easy to conclude, If so he
did, so will be his manner, and therefore he industriously conceals
it from them, which, it seems, he could do by putting them all to
the sword, for none of their neighbours would inform against him,
nor perhaps would soon come to the knowledge of what was done,
intelligence not being so readily communicated then as now. (2.) He
hid it from Achish with an equivocation not at all becoming his
character. Being asked which way he had made his sally, he answered,
Against the south of Judah, v. 13. It was true he had invaded those
countries that lay south of Judah, but he made Achish believe he had
invaded those that lay south in Judah, the Ziphites for example,
that had once and again betrayed him; so Achish understood him, and
thence inferred that he had made his people Israel to abhor him, and
so riveted himself in the interest of Achish. The fidelity of Achish
to him, his good opinion of him, and the confidence he put in him,
aggravate his sin in deceiving him thus, which, with some other such
instances, David seems penitently to reflect upon when he prays,
Remove from me the way of lying. 2
2 Henry,
Matthew, Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Bible, (Peabody, MA:
Hendrickson Publishers) 1997.
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Prov 4:18
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Practice
Random Acts of Kindness. Each act spreads, and many will be blessed.