Thoughts from Mark "Hat" Rackley

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.”
So David and the six hundred men with him left and went over to Achish son of Maok king of Gath. 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. When Saul was told that David had fled to Gath, he no longer searched for him.
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?”
So on that day Achish gave him Ziklag, and it has belonged to the kings of Judah ever since. David lived in Philistine territory a year and four months.
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.) 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.
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.” 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. Achish trusted David and said to himself, “He has become so obnoxious to his people, the Israelites, that he will be my servant for life.”

• 1 Samuel 27:1-12

In those days the Philistines gathered their forces to fight against Israel. Achish said to David, “You must understand that you and your men will accompany me in the army.”
David said, “Then you will see for yourself what your servant can do.”
Achish replied, “Very well, I will make you my bodyguard for life.”
Now Samuel was dead, and all Israel had mourned for him and buried him in his own town of Ramah. Saul had expelled the mediums and spiritists from the land.
The Philistines assembled and came and set up camp at Shunem, while Saul gathered all Israel and set up camp at Gilboa. When Saul saw the Philistine army, he was afraid; terror filled his heart. He inquired of the Lord, but the Lord did not answer him by dreams or Urim or prophets. Saul then said to his attendants, “Find me a woman who is a medium, so I may go and inquire of her.”
“There is one in Endor,” they said.
So Saul disguised himself, putting on other clothes, and at night he and two men went to the woman. “Consult a spirit for me,” he said, “and bring up for me the one I name.”
But the woman said to him, “Surely you know what Saul has done. He has cut off the mediums and spiritists from the land. Why have you set a trap for my life to bring about my death?”
Saul swore to her by the Lord, “As surely as the Lord lives, you will not be punished for this.”
Then the woman asked, “Whom shall I bring up for you?”
“Bring up Samuel,” he said.
When the woman saw Samuel, she cried out at the top of her voice and said to Saul, “Why have you deceived me? You are Saul!”
The king said to her, “Don’t be afraid. What do you see?”
The woman said, “I see a ghostly figure coming up out of the earth.”
“What does he look like?” he asked.
“An old man wearing a robe is coming up,” she said.
Then Saul knew it was Samuel, and he bowed down and prostrated himself with his face to the ground.
Samuel said to Saul, “Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?”
“I am in great distress,” Saul said. “The Philistines are fighting against me, and God has departed from me. He no longer answers me, either by prophets or by dreams. So I have called on you to tell me what to do.”
Samuel said, “Why do you consult me, now that the Lord has departed from you and become your enemy? The Lord has done what he predicted through me. The Lord has torn the kingdom out of your hands and given it to one of your neighbors—to David. Because you did not obey the Lord or carry out his fierce wrath against the Amalekites, the Lord has done this to you today. The Lord will deliver both Israel and you into the hands of the Philistines, and tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. The Lord will also give the army of Israel into the hands of the Philistines.”
Immediately Saul fell full length on the ground, filled with fear because of Samuel’s words. His strength was gone, for he had eaten nothing all that day and all that night.
When the woman came to Saul and saw that he was greatly shaken, she said, “Look, your servant has obeyed you. I took my life in my hands and did what you told me to do. Now please listen to your servant and let me give you some food so you may eat and have the strength to go on your way.”
He refused and said, “I will not eat.”
But his men joined the woman in urging him, and he listened to them. He got up from the ground and sat on the couch.
The woman had a fattened calf at the house, which she butchered at once. She took some flour, kneaded it and baked bread without yeast. Then she set it before Saul and his men, and they ate. That same night they got up and left.

• 1 Samuel 28:1-25

The Philistines gathered all their forces at Aphek, and Israel camped by the spring in Jezreel. As the Philistine rulers marched with their units of hundreds and thousands, David and his men were marching at the rear with Achish. The commanders of the Philistines asked, “What about these Hebrews?”
Achish replied, “Is this not David, who was an officer of Saul king of Israel? He has already been with me for over a year, and from the day he left Saul until now, I have found no fault in him.”
But the Philistine commanders were angry with Achish and said, “Send the man back, that he may return to the place you assigned him. He must not go with us into battle, or he will turn against us during the fighting. How better could he regain his master’s favor than by taking the heads of our own men? Isn’t this the David they sang about in their dances:
“‘Saul has slain his thousands,
    and David his tens of thousands’?”
So Achish called David and said to him, “As surely as the Lord lives, you have been reliable, and I would be pleased to have you serve with me in the army. From the day you came to me until today, I have found no fault in you, but the rulers don’t approve of you. Now turn back and go in peace; do nothing to displease the Philistine rulers.”
“But what have I done?” asked David. “What have you found against your servant from the day I came to you until now? Why can’t I go and fight against the enemies of my lord the king?”
Achish answered, “I know that you have been as pleasing in my eyes as an angel of God; nevertheless, the Philistine commanders have said, ‘He must not go up with us into battle.’ Now get up early, along with your master’s servants who have come with you, and leave in the morning as soon as it is light.”
So David and his men got up early in the morning to go back to the land of the Philistines, and the Philistines went up to Jezreel.

• 1 Samuel 29:1-11

To read 1 Samuel 30, click the link HERE.

Now the Philistines fought against Israel; the Israelites fled before them, and many fell dead on Mount Gilboa. The Philistines were in hot pursuit of Saul and his sons, and they killed his sons Jonathan, Abinadab and Malki-Shua. The fighting grew fierce around Saul, and when the archers overtook him, they wounded him critically.
Saul said to his armor-bearer, “Draw your sword and run me through, or these uncircumcised fellows will come and run me through and abuse me.”
But his armor-bearer was terrified and would not do it; so Saul took his own sword and fell on it. When the armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he too fell on his sword and died with him. So Saul and his three sons and his armor-bearer and all his men died together that same day.
When the Israelites along the valley and those across the Jordan saw that the Israelite army had fled and that Saul and his sons had died, they abandoned their towns and fled. And the Philistines came and occupied them.
The next day, when the Philistines came to strip the dead, they found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa. They cut off his head and stripped off his armor, and they sent messengers throughout the land of the Philistines to proclaim the news in the temple of their idols and among their people. They put his armor in the temple of the Ashtoreths and fastened his body to the wall of Beth Shan.
When the people of Jabesh Gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul, all their valiant men marched through the night to Beth Shan. They took down the bodies of Saul and his sons from the wall of Beth Shan and went to Jabesh, where they burned them. Then they took their bones and buried them under a tamarisk tree at Jabesh, and they fasted seven days.

• 1 Samuel 31:1-13

Noted Biblical Scholars, Teachers, and Preachers Comments

1 Samuel 27:1 ‘Did David think all was lost?’: “David could not put his finger on any entry in his diary and say of it, ‘Here is evidence that God will forsake me.’ In looking back through his whole life, from the time when he kept his father’s sheep and killed the lion and the bear, onward to the day when he challenged the Philistine, and upward to this moment when he had just escaped from his bloodthirsty pursuer, he could not find a solitary fact which would be proof that God had changed his mind and would leave his anoint­ ed to fall into the hands of his cruel enemy. I challenge heaven and earth and hell to bring any proof that God is untrue. From the depths of hell. I call the fiends, and from this earth I call the tried and afflicted believers, and to heaven I appeal and challenge the long experience of the blood-washed host, and there is not to be found in the three realms a single one who can bear evidence of a fact which should disprove the goodness of God or weaken his claim to be trusted by his servants. What we have known of our faithful God goes to show that he will keep us to the end, and even to the last he will be our helper.”

• Charles H. Spurgeon, from sermon notes

1 Samuel 27:5 ‘the royal city’: “i.e., Gath. David requested a city of his own in the country so that he could be free from the constant surveillance to which he was exposed in Gath, and so that he could avoid the pagan influence of that Philistine city.”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

1 Samuel 27:7 ‘one full year and four months’: “For 16 months David was able to deceive Achish concerning his actions. He remained there until after Saul’s death when he moved to Hebron (2 Sam. 1:1; 2:1, 2).”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

1 Samuel 27:10 ‘Judah … Jerahmeelites … Kenites’: ” The regions S of the hill country centering around Beersheba. This region was far enough away from Gath so that Achish would be ignorant of David’s movements. David implied to Achish that the hostility of Judah toward David was increasing, while in fact he was gaining the appreciation and loyalty of Judah toward himself by raiding their wilderness neighbors. Achish thought David was more securely his servant as his own people turned against him (vv. 2–4), but just the opposite was true.”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

1 Samuel 28:2 ‘what your servant can do’: “Being a man of honor, David would not fail to help those who had shown him kindness. David was drawing attention to the fact that he had proven himself as a valiant and successful warrior and was assuring Achish of his fidelity and ability. chief guardians. In light of David’s victory over Goliath (17:49–54) and imagined bad reputation among the Israelites, Achish was expressing considerable trust in David’s loyalty and ability, for ‘chief guardian’ lit. means ‘keeper of my head.’”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

1 Samuel 28:3 ‘mediums … and spiritists’: “By divine law, they were banned from Israel (Deut. 18:11), and Israel was not to be defiled by them (Lev. 19:31). Turning to them was tantamount to playing the harlot and would result in God setting His face against the person and cutting him off from among His people (Lev. 20:6). Mediums and spiritists were to be put to death by stoning (Lev. 20:27). Even Saul understood this and had previously dealt with the issue (see v. 9).”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

1 Samuel 28:5 ‘his heart trembled greatly’: “Saul had hidden himself when he was chosen by lot to be king (10:22). When the Spirit of the Lord came upon him, he was changed (10:6), but after the Spirit had departed (16:14), he was afraid and dismayed by Goliath (17:11, 24). He feared at Gilgal when faced by the overwhelming size of the Philistine army (13:11, 12). Saul was also afraid of David because he knew that the Lord was with David (18:12, 29). But, Saul was to fear God (12:24), not people.”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

1 Samuel 28:6 ‘magic practices’: “All magic practices are essentially alike in that they are based upon three erroneous assumptions.
“These are: 1. That natural substances possess moral and spiritual qualities or that such qualities can be imparted to them; 2. That God is capricious and that His laws are whimsical and easily circumvented; 3. That there are invisible beings who can be persuaded to aid men or in­ jure them if certain gestures are made or if certain secret words are mumbled, or if some object is worn, caressed, or hung on the wall.”

• A. W. Tozer, Of God and Men

1 Samuel 28:12 ‘The woman saw Samuel’: “Though questions have arisen as to the nature of Samuel’s appearance, the text clearly indicates that Samuel, not an apparition, was evident to the eyes of the medium. God miraculously permitted the actual spirit of Samuel to speak (vv. 16–19). Because she understood her inability to raise the dead in this manner, she immediately knew 1) that it must have been by the power of God and 2) that her disguised inquirer must be Saul.”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

1 Samuel 28:15 ‘disturbed me’: ”Samuel’s comment expresses agitation caused by Saul’s efforts to contact him since living humanity was not allowed to seek out discussions with the dead (Deut. 18:11; Lev. 20:6). Witchcraft puts the seeker in contact with demons impersonating those who are being sought, since the dead person cannot ordinarily be contacted, except in this unique case.”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

1 Samuel 28:16-19 ‘A Prediction of Saul’s Death’: “On the eve of battle against the Philistines, a desperate Saul summoned Samuel from Sheol, the realm of the dead. The prophet delivered an ominous message from beyond the grave and made four devastating points.
“First, he informed Saul that the Lord had not only departed from the king’s life, but, due to Saul’s disobedience in the Amalek affair, had actually become his adversary. Second, since Samuel and Saul’s heated confrontation over the Amalek matter a decade and a half earlier (1 Samuel 15:22-35), God had been in the corner of Saul’s rival, David, to whom the kingdom of Israel had been divinely conferred. Third, Israel’s army would suffer a crushing defeat on the following day at the hands of the Philistines. And finally, Saul and his three sons would fall in course of battle, joining Samuel in the realm of the dead (28:16-19).
“The ignominious deaths of Saul and his sons, as well as Israel’s defeat, are described in 31:1-8 and 1 Chronicles 10.”

• Tim LaHaye and Ed Hindson, Exploring Bible Prophecy

1 Samuel 29:1 ‘gathered … encamped’: “The Philistines were assembling for battle while the Israelites were still camping by the spring. This picks up the story line originally started in 28:1, but which was sidelined to communicate Saul’s encounter with the medium. Aphek. Located about 24 mi. N of Gath (cf. 4:1). Jezreel. Only a few mi. S of Shunem, and 40 mi. NE of Aphek, Jezreel was N of Mt. Gilboa.”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

1 Samuel 29:5 ‘David, of whom they sang’: “The fame of David had spread throughout the land. The Philistine lords were no stranger to the skill and the victories that God had given to mighty David.”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

1 Samuel 30:6 ‘Responding to circumstances without prayer’: “His city was burnt, his wives were gone, the sons and daughters of his comrades were all captive, and little Ziklag, where they had made a home, smoked before them in blackened ruins. The men of war, wounded in heart and mutinied against their leader, were ready to stone him. David’s fortunes were at their lowest ebb. To understand his position, we must go a little farther back in his history. David was greatly distressed, for he had been acting without consulting his God. His general habit was to wait on the Lord for direction; for even as a shepherd lad, he took joy in singing, ‘He leads me.’ But for once David had gone without leading and had chosen a bad road. He was plotting and scheming like the worst of unbelievers, and he must be made to see his error and taught to abhor the way of lying. Therefore, in one moment, the Lord launches at him bereavement, plunder, mutiny, and danger of life that he might be driven to his God and made to hate the way of cunning. What wonder that David was greatly distressed? But at this point he ‘found strength in the Lord his God.’ Then how grand he is amid the ruins! He rises to his full height while his fortunes fall. He reminds us of his youthful days when he said, ‘The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.’ He is no longer in bondage to craft, but he is a person, again strong in the strength of God, for he casts himself away from all earthly trusts and encourages himself in the Lord. He did not sit down in sullen despair, nor did he think, as Saul did, of resorting to wrong means for help. No, he went, sinner as he was, confessing all his wrong doings, straight away to his God and asked for the priest to come that he might speak with him in the name of the Most High. If there is anything in this world for which I would bless him more than for anything else, it is for pain and affliction. I am sure that in these things the richest, most tender love has been manifested toward me. Love letters from heaven are often sent in black-edged envelopes. The cloud that is black with horror is big with mercy.”

• Charles H. Spurgeon, from sermon notes

1 Samuel 30:6 ‘We only need God’: “It is part of my belief that God wants to get us to a place where we would still be happy if we had only Him! We don’t need God and something else. God does give us Himself and lets us have other things, too, but there is that inner loneliness until we reach the place where it is only God that we desire.
“Most of us are too social to be lonely. When we feel lonely, we rush to the telephone and call Mrs. Yakkety. So we use up thirty minutes, and the buns are burned in the oven. With many, it is talk, talk, talk, and we rush about looking for social fellowship because we cannot stand being alone.
“If you will follow on to know the Lord, there comes a place in your Christian life when Mrs. Yakkety will be a pest instead of being a consolation. She won’t be able to help you at all. There will not be a thing that she can do for you. It is loneliness for God-you will want God so badly you will be miserable. This means you are getting close, friend. You are near the kingdom, and if you will only keep on, you will meet God. God will take you in and fill you, and He will do it in His own blessed and wonderful way.”

• A. W. Tozer, The Counselor

1 Samuel 30:7-8 ‘Victory over the Amalekites’: “During the absence of David and his men from Ziklag, the Amalekites again enter the narrative by torching the town and kidnap­ ping the families of David and his men (30:1-6). David sent for Ahiathar the priest and inquired of the Lord through means of the Urim and Thummim as to whether he could successfully overtake the Amalekite raiders. He received an encouraging prediction of victory, and his forces pursued their enemies (30:7-9). The subsequent defeat of the Amalekites and the liberation of the kidnapped families are recorded in 30:9-20.”

• Tim LaHaye and Ed Hindson, Exploring Bible Prophecy

1 Samuel 30:13 ‘Who do you (and we) belong to?’: “David addressed this question to a young man of Egypt who was servant to an Amalekite. He had fallen sick, and his master, being in a hurry, had left him to perish alone in the field and had gone his way. Had the master taken his servant with him and nursed him, his own life might have been preserved, but God avenged this poor servant, who had been so neglected, by making him the means of revealing to David where his master was-and David’s sharp and swift sword soon overtook him and his brother plunderers. This is a question of universal pertinence, however. We may put it to any person most fairly because there is an owner both of the church and of the world. We either belong to God, or else we belong to his enemy. We are either bought with Jesus’s precious blood, or else we are still a slave of Satan. There is no such thing as being in the valley while the two armies are on either side on the mountains. We are either this day standing shoulder to shoulder with Prince Immanuel’s warriors, or else, when the muster roll of the army on the opposite side is read, we are most certainly numbered there. All attempts to serve Gad and the world must end in bitter failure.”

• Charles H. Spurgeon, from sermon notes

1 Samuel 30:16 ‘all the great spoil’: “The Amalekites had not only what they took from Ziklag, but much more plunder from all their raids. After David conquered the Amalekites (vv. 17, 18) he returned what belonged to Ziklag (vv. 19, 26) and spread the rest all over Judah (vv. 26–31).”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

1 Samuel 30:22 ‘worthless men’: “From the beginning of David’s flight from Saul, he became captain of those who were in distress, discontent, and in debt (22:2), the least likely to exercise kindness and grace to others. This same expression was used of the sons of Eli (2:12), of those who doubted Saul’s ability as king (10:27), of Nabal the fool by his servant (25:17), of Nabal the fool by his wife (25:25), of David when he was cursed by Shimei (2 Sam. 16:7), of Sheba the son of Bichri who led a revolt against David (2 Sam. 20:1), and of those who would be thrust away like thorns by David (2 Sam. 23:6).”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

1 Samuel 31:2 ‘Jonathan, Abinadab, Malchishua’: “Three of the 4 sons of Saul were killed the same day in battle. The fourth son, Eshbaal, would later be referred to as Ish-bosheth, meaning ‘man of shame,’ an appropriate designation in light of his apparent absence from the battlefield (cf. 2 Sam. 2:8ff.). Jonathan, Ishvi, and Malchishua were named as Saul’s sons in 14:49, but Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua are named here; Ishvi and Abinadab are thus one and the same. First Chronicles 8:33 and 9:39 are the only verses naming all 4 sons.”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

1 Samuel 31:4 ‘uncircumcized men’: “A common term of derision used among Israelites to designate non-Israelites. Circumcision was given as the sign of the Abrahamic Covenant in Gen. 17:10–14. See … 14:6. abuse. Having engaged in several battles against the Philistines, Saul had succeeded in provoking their hatred and resentment. As the king, Saul had certainly received especially cruel treatment from the hands of his enemies, who would have likely made sport of him and tortured him before his death. Saul took a sword and fell on it. Though Saul’s suicide is considered by some to be an act of heroism, Saul should have found his strength and courage in God as David did in 23:16 and 30:6 to fight to the end or to surrender. Saul’s suicide is the ultimate expression of his faithlessness towards God at this moment in his life.”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

1 Samuel 31:9 ‘cut off his head’: “There is a parallelism between the death of Saul and the death of Goliath. The giant champion of the Philistines had his head cut off by David, and the Philistines fled (17:51). The Philistines had taken revenge and done likewise to the giant champion of Israel, King Saul, who was ‘taller than any of the people from his shoulders upward’ (10:23).”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

1 Samuel 31:11 ‘Jabesh Gilead’: “There is a parallelism between the death of Saul and the death of Goliath. The giant champion of the Philistines had his head cut off by David, and the Philistines fled (17:51). The Philistines had taken revenge and done likewise to the giant champion of Israel, King Saul, who was ‘taller than any of the people from his shoulders upward’ (10:23).”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

1 Samuel 31:13 ‘bones … buried’: “It was considered disrespectful not to bury the dead. Abraham went to great lengths to bury Sarah (Gen. 23:4–15), and Jacob made Joseph swear that he would not bury him in Egypt (Gen. 47:29, 30). fasted seven days. In relation to death, fasting was often associated with mourning in the Hebrew culture. It was a sign of respect, seriousness, and grief. First Samuel began with the ark of the covenant being captured by the Philistines (1 Sam. 4:11), and in the end Israel’s king had been killed by them. Second Samuel will recount how God vindicated His honor by David’s defeating the Philistines (2 Sam. 5:17–25), establishing an uncontested kingdom (1 Kin. 2:12), and safely bringing the ark to Jerusalem, the city of God (2 Sam. 6:16–19).”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

My Thoughts

David laments that the constant flight from Saul’s army will lead to his death.  He had been anointed by Samuel as Samuel was directed by God, but Saul was also anointed.  He did something bizarre, but there was a thread of wisdom within his plan.

David, the warrior who had killed Goliath, the Philistine champion warrior, went to Gath, the capitol of the Philistine people, and he volunteered to serve them.  But, he told Achish, son of the king, that he would make Ziklag his military base.  He knew that the Philistines thought of Israelites as being dogs (my interpretation) thus he was unworthy to use the capitol city as his base.  But, being off at Ziklag, he was more autonomous to operate as he had before and have the protection of the Philistines.  Also, he would be less tempted, and less likely to be forced, in worshipping the Philistine gods.  This wise move kept David blameless before God and gave him the means to pick and choose his battles.

Rev. MacArthur (not quoted above) points out that Ziklag has been part of the land of Judah ever since, about halfway between Beersheba and the city of Gaza.

As David raided the surrounding enemies of Israel.  The Geshurites were not a descendant of Canaan, but they were a pesky tribe that moved into Canaan and caused trouble for the Israelites.  The Girzites were Canaanites that the Israelites failed to eradicate when Joshua had his conquests.

And Joshua’s first battle, on the road from Egypt to Sinai before God had given Moses the law, was against the Amalekites.  This was the battle where Moses held up his staff.  As long as the staff was raised, Joshua was victorious, but as soon as Moses let the staff slip downward, the Amalekites got the upper hand.  Thus, Aaron and Hur propped Moses’ arms up so that Joshua would win the battle.  The Amalekites descended from Amalek, a grandson of Esau.  They were not considered part of the Edomites in that they were nomadic, but God placed a curse on the Amalekites due to their attack on the Israelites before God had prepared them to be a great nation.

In each case, David left no survivors in these raids.  As the saying goes, “Dead men tell no tales.”  Plutarch is credited with putting the phrase into writing, as well as placing the phrase in action in the first century AD, but David put the phrase in action centuries before, roughly a millennia before Plutarch put the phrase in writing.

With no surviving witnesses, David could share his spoils with Achish, tell Achish that he had raided villages in the Negev (Israelite territory).  Achish probably did not care as long as he got the spoils.

Note: The region of the Geshuri (Geshurites) is where David’s wife Maakah came from.  She was the mother of Absalom and after Absalom had his friends kill Amnon for raping Absalom’s sister Tamar, his friends went into Geshuri territory to hide from David’s wrath.

But then, David’s loyalty is put to the test in 1 Samuel 28.  Achish is going against Israel, and he wants David to be his personal bodyguard.

But then the narrative shifts to Saul.  Saul went to God when he made his first military victory at Jabesh Gilead, but ever since, he relied on his own strength.  The job got to his head.  But with the evil spirit guiding him, he sees that David is with the Philistines.  He must kill David, but Saul had not done well in fighting the Philistines.  So, now, his faith in himself wavers.  Instead of going to God, he enquires of a medium.

When Samuel is conjured by the medium, much to her distress, Saul said that God does not listen anymore, but had Saul truthfully inquired of God?

Samuel told Saul that the next day, he and his sons would be with Samuel and the Philistine army would be victorious.

Saul refuses to eat at first, but when the medium (witch) at Endor slaughters a calf, he and his men ate her food.

Some people claim that Samuel did not really appear, but that it was witchcraft trickery.  Yet, the Scripture says that it was Samuel, and God could use such a situation to inform Saul of his impending doom.

And now back to the David narrative, the Philistines convince that David will turn on Achish, reminding him of the song about how David had killed his ten thousands.  Although a massive exaggeration, those “ten thousands” were Philistines.  David had backed himself into a corner, but now David was sent as a rear guard, outside the battle.  God had devised an escape plan for David yet again.

David returned to Ziklag to find it burned.  The Amalekites were terrorizing the Negev.  They even took David’s two wives.  Note: David had three wives, but Saul had given Michal to another man when David ran for his life.  The two wives were Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail, who was Nabal’s widow. Ahinoam was the mother of the ill-fated Amnon, and Abigail was the mother of Chileab, which nothing is known other than as a son of David.

David stopped to inquire of God, having Abiathar produce the Urim and Thummim.  God told David to proceed.  Along the way, two hundred of his men are too exhausted to continue.  They stopped, but David marched on.  They thoroughly defeat the Amalekites, and they recover the two wives.  The plunder was considered in this case to be David’s plunder, not sharing with Achish.

On the way back to the burned ruins of Ziklag, the soldiers who had been in the battle refused to share the spoils with those who had stopped, but David insisted that they all should share.

As predicted by Samuel through the medium (God foretelling), the Israelites were routed by the Philistines, and they fled.  Saul’s sons, Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malki-Shua were killed.  Saul was severely wounded by the Philistine archers.  He told his armor-bearer to kill him with the sword, but the armor-bearer refused.  Saul fell on his own sword, and then with his master dead, the armor-bearer did the same.

When the Philistines discovered the royal family all dead, they cut off Saul’s head and took the bodies as trophies.

When the city of Jabesh Gilead heard of this, they went to Philistia, at great personal risk, and retrieved the bodies, in honor of the king that had saved them at the beginning of Saul’s reign roughly forty years before.

This left Ish-Bosheth as the sole surviving son of Saul.

Some Serendipitous Reflections

1 Samuel 27 1. David escapes Saul only to land in Achish’s lap. When has an escape plan of yours turned into a similar ‘out-of-the­ frying-pan-into-the-fire’ escapade? What good, if any, came of that fiery situation?
“2. What are you getting away with right now (at home, work or school) that you fear someone might blow the whistle on?
“3. What long-standing commandment or covenant with the Lord remains unfulfilled in your life? How will you begin this week to obey in this area?
1 Samuel 28 1. Saul was very prone to say one thing (e.g., expel the mediums and spiritists) and do quite another (consult them). In what areas of your life are you like that? Where do your actions speak louder than your words?
“2. What ‘great distress’ in your life has you seeking God’s will in earnest? Where are you looking for answers? Whom are you consulting?
“3. Do you temporarily ‘repent’ during hard times, only to ‘harden your heart’ when things get better?
“4. Do you ever read your horoscope? Is that acceptable in God’s sight? What other occult things do you play with? Ouija boards? Crystals? Tarot cards? ‘Visualization’? Other ‘New Age’ fads? How do such things compare with Dt 18:10-13?
“5. In light of your present relationship with God, what are your feelings about death and dying? Do you know with certainty where you are going to spend eternity? What is the basis for your certainty?
1 Samuel 29 1. In your life right now, where are you ‘between a rock and a hard place’ caught in the middle whether you do, or don’t do, a particular course of action?
“2. In such dilemmas, how does your Christian faith affect how you decide?
1 Samuel 30 1. Divide your group into ‘thirds’ for a role play: one-third the troublemakers among the victors returning with spoils, one-third the ones left behind the front lines to recover health, one-third advisors to David on how to manage this internal conflict. Using chapter 31, any similar experiences of your own, plus your own vivid imaginations as your script, re-enact this drama in conflict management. Which role-plays seem to fit your real life?
“2. When harm comes to your family or prize possessions, how do you initially respond: With bitterness and fixing blame, as typified by David’s men? Or by finding strength in the Lord, as David does?
“3. Where do you need that divine strength right now? Whom else can you encourage to seek that strength?
“4. What commodity (time, money, possessions) are you least likely to be generous with? Why?
“5. With whom would you like to be especially generous this week, as a reflection of the Lord’s kindness to you?
1 Samuel 31 1. As part of the Christian’s witness, the Puritans stressed the importance of ‘dying well’. How can you get ready to ‘die well’?
“2. What relation between ‘living well’ and ‘dying well’ is typified by Saul’s life? By Samuel’s life? By Eli and his household?
“3. Do you think suicide is an ‘unpardonable sin’: Always? Sometimes? Never? Why? Can suicide be ‘death with dignity’: Always? Sometimes? Never? Why?
“4. Samuel and David took to heart the words of the Lord; Saul took to heart his own sword.  What will you take to heart from this first book of Samuel? Any quotable quotes? Life applications? Group covenants? Pray about these.”

• Lyman Coleman, et al, The NIV Serendipity Bible for Study Groups

There is one set of questions each for 1 Samuel 27-31.

Substitute whatever group for any reference to a small group or ask who could come to your aid.

If you like these Thursday morning Bible studies, but you think you missed a few, you can use this LINK. I have set up a page off the home page for links to these Thursday morning posts. I will continue to modify the page as I add more.

Soli Deo Gloria.  Only to God be the Glory.