Day 35: 1 Samuel 27:1–12

So Achish trusted David, thinking, “Since he has made himself detestable to his people Israel, he will be my servant forever” (v. 12).

We must now take a difficult look at the life of David; a situation we probably can’t relate to as well. Chapter 26 of 1 Samuel tells one of the classic David stories. Again Saul came after David. While Saul and his men were asleep, David and Abishai crept into the camp and took Saul’s spear and water jug.

The next morning David called to Saul and his general, Abner. David taunted Abner for failing to protect Saul and offered the purloined articles as evidence that David meant Saul no harm. Once again, the homicidal king recognized his error, apologized, and returned home. The event seems another clear victory for David, but his next action recorded in chapter 27 seems out of character. David thought to himself, “One of these days I will be destroyed by the hand of Saul” (v. 1). So he fled with his men to the land of the Philistines. They went to king Achish of Gath as political refugees.

In retrospect, Achish does not seem to have been the sharpest knife in the drawer, but we could see how he chose to receive David. Achish saw Saul as his greatest threat. In politics “the enemy of my enemy is my friend.” So Achish gave David the town of Ziklag on the frontier with Judah. Finally David had a reasonably safe place. They lived in Ziklag a year and four months.

I am frankly somewhat at a loss to understand what happened next. David and his men became raiders attacking neighboring cities, and “he did not leave a man or woman alive” (v. 9).

My mind filled with questions when I first saw 1 Samuel 27. What has happened to David? Why was he taking up an alliance with the Philistines? Why was he on a rampage with every surrounding village? I believe two verses hold the keys for understanding David’s uncharacteristic actions. In verse 1, he thought, “One of these days I will be destroyed by the hand of Saul.” Then in verse 11 we read that David “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.” ’ ”

Life on the run obviously had taken its toll. Fear, frustration, and exhaustion apparently caused David to feel hopeless. Possibly he was driven to the point of paranoia. The result was a literal case of overkill. You can hear the downward spiral of his mood in his thought: “One of these days I will be destroyed by the hand of Saul.” David became convinced he would be destroyed.

David believed his only option was to escape to the land of the Philistines. He knew Saul was afraid of them. David surmised he would at least be safe for a while. He felt like giving up, but he couldn’t because everyone had become an enemy in his eyes! Therefore, he fought everyone with a vengeance—everyone except his two clear enemies: Saul and the Philistines. We have no way of knowing how God responded to his alliance with the Philistines. To be sure, God had an opinion, but He kept the matter between Himself and David. Note, however, that God did not command David to kill all the inhabitants of the villages.

Scholars believe David penned Psalm 10 at this time in his life. Perhaps we gain some insight from it into the feelings he was experiencing. Obviously David felt that God was far away and hidden. In the first verse, he asked God: “Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?” In verse 2, David characterized his enemy as arrogant and himself as weak: “In his arrogance the wicked man hunts down the weak.” At this point David serves as an example of what happens when we focus more on our battles than on God. Our enemy appears bigger, we appear weaker, and our God appears smaller. Beware! Long-term battle can cause vision impairment if eyes focus anywhere but up!

Notice what David apparently believed Saul was saying to himself in verses 6 and 11 of Psalm 10: “Nothing will shake me; I’ll always be happy and never have trouble” and “God has forgotten; he covers his face and never sees.” In verse 13, David says the wicked man reviles God because he tells himself that he will not have to answer for his actions. But even in his despair, David never lost sight of God. In verse 14, he wrote his conviction that God remained the “helper of the fatherless.” In verse 17, David cited three actions God takes in behalf of His children: “You hear, O Lord, the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry.”

We may have a difficult time relating to David’s exact dilemma and his outrageous responses recorded in 1 Samuel 27, but we can certainly relate to his feelings. So the next time you battle an enemy so hard and so long that you feel like giving up or doing something rash, remember David. When you feel powerless over your real enemy and lash out at someone who is innocent, remember Psalm 10.

God has not forgotten. He has seen your battles. He has gathered your tears and blotted your brow. He knows those who have treated you unfairly. He knows when you’re almost ready to give up or give in. Keep telling Him. Stay in His Word. Keep claiming His promises.