1 Samuel 29
-The scene shifts back to David, who finds himself
proceeding with his men in the rear of the Philistines flanks as they gathered
to Aphek. He was with his lord Achish in support, but Divine intervention took
place so that he, in integrity, need not raise his hand against his own
countrymen. The commanders of the Philistines, who were proceeding on towards
the battle by hundreds and by thousands, asked emphatically, “What are these
Hebrews doing here?” Achish defended David as being a faithful man who had been
at his side for not only days, but years. He found no fault in David from the
day he deserted the kingdom of Saul for their nation. However, this did not
appease the commanders of the Philistines, and they became angry with Achish
over the matter. They desired that David go back to his assigned place by the
king with no involvement with the looming battle. They feared that he and his
men may become an adversary to them, and favor the kingdom of Israel taking the
heads of Philistines when push came to shove. They no doubt remembered Goliath’s
death and all the victories this warrior of Yahweh had accomplished over their
people as they recalled the infamous refrain concerning David’s prowess, “Saul
has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands (1 Samuel 29:1-5).”
-So, Achish summoned David and told him that even though he
had been completely upright in all his activities with his Philistine neighbors
in their war pursuits, which pleased the king, the lords would not accept his
participation in this particular fight. He told David to “return” and “go in
peace” so that no further disunity occur on the Philistine side. David did not
understand their position asking, “But what have I done?” He recounted his
faithfulness to his lord in his time of distress against his enemies. But
Achish lugubriously replied, “I know that you are pleasing in my sight, like an
angel of God; nevertheless, the commanders of the Philistines have said, ‘He
must not go up with us to the battle.’” He then told him to arise early in the
morning with his men when there was sunlight so that they could depart. David
complied that next morning to return to the land of the Philistines back to the
south and west. Meanwhile, the Philistines continued on up to the Jezreel for
the decisive battle in King Saul’s life (1 Samuel 29:6-11).
-*Application* What I believe we should see from this
passage is how the LORD rewards our faithfulness and works things out when we
act with integrity. His Divine Hand is upon everything in our lives when we
surrender to His will and go His way as followers in the Kingdom of Heaven. We
must allow circumstances to play out in our own lives with authenticity and
uprightness, even when there seems to be conflict and contradiction. We must be
persons of our word, and live in subjection to God’s authority for what He
wants us to do in every situation. It’s not always easy, but it works. Trust
the Sovereign.
Verse to Memorize:
1 Samuel 29:9
No comments:
Post a Comment