Sep 20, 2020. I Samuel 29

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WHERE LOYALTIES LIE. I Samuel 29. 9/20/20. #80.

1 Samuel 29 [New King James Version]

¹ Then the Philistines gathered together all their armies at Aphek, and the Israelites encamped by a fountain which is in Jezreel. ² And the lords of the Philistines passed in review by hundreds and by thousands, but David and his men passed in review at the rear with Achish. ³ Then the princes of the Philistines said, “What are these Hebrews doing here?” And Achish said to the princes of the Philistines, “Is this not David, the servant of Saul king of Israel, who has been with me these days, or these years? And to this day I have found no fault in him since he defected to me.” ⁴ But the princes of the Philistines were angry with him; so the princes of the Philistines said to him, “Make this fellow return, that he may go back to the place which you have appointed for him, and do not let him go down with us to battle, lest in the battle he become our adversary. For with what could he reconcile himself to his master, if not with the heads of these men? ⁵ Is this not David, of whom they sang to one another in dances, saying: ‘Saul has slain his thousands, And David his ten thousands’?” ⁶ Then Achish called David and said to him, “Surely, as the Lord lives, you have been upright, and your going out and your coming in with me in the army is good in my sight. For to this day I have not found evil in you since the day of your coming to me. Nevertheless the lords do not favor you. ⁷ Therefore return now, and go in peace, that you may not displease the lords of the Philistines.” ⁸ So David said to Achish, “But what have I done? And to this day what have you found in your servant as long as I have been with you, that I may not go and fight against the enemies of my lord the king?” ⁹ Then Achish answered and said to David, “I know that you are as good in my sight as an angel of God; nevertheless the princes of the Philistines have said, ‘He shall not go up with us to the battle.’ ¹⁰ Now therefore, rise early in the morning with your master’s servants who have come with you. And as soon as you are up early in the morning and have light, depart.” ¹¹ So David and his men rose early to depart in the morning, to return to the land of the Philistines. And the Philistines went up to Jezreel.

• Mixed allegiances
  • David has been put in a delicate position
    • In order to escape Saul’s pursuit, David defected to the Philistines at Gath under King Achish
    • Previously, David had killed 1000’s of Philistines
    • David is accepted by Achish because each had a common enemy in Saul
  • Achish does 3 questionable things in regard to David:
    • He receives him as a loyal subject and ally
    • He gives David and men Ziklag in southern Philistia
    • He gives David free reign in the south of his land
  • David deceives Achish
    • David had been plundering non-Philistine villages in the southern part of land, leaving no one alive
    • He lies to King Achish, stating that he raided Judah
• Abhorrence at Aphek
  • The 5 lords of the Philistines gather at Aphek to fight Israel
    • Aphek was north of Mt. Carmel near Phoenicia at the west end of the Plain of Jezreel
    • Achish brings David and his men to fight with him
  • The other lords of the Philistines are appalled that David is there
    • They seemed to be surprised that Achish trusted him
    • They ask, “Why have you brought this Hebrew here?”
  • Achish states that David had been completely loyal to him
  • The Philistines lords reject David as an ally
    • David is an Israelite
    • David may turn in battle and attack the Philistines to win favor with Saul to affect a reconciliation with him
  • Achish is forced to send David home (David protests)
  • Unanswered questions:
    • Would David have attacked his own people?
    • Did God prevent David from committing treason?
    • Would David had turned against the Philistines?
    • Did David have some scheme in mind?
    • Had David inquired of Lord before joining Achish?
• Hard choices
  • David was placed in a hard position
    • He could have betrayed his people to fight Saul
    • Hadn’t God stopped David, history would be different
  • David had played Achish for a fool
    • The king never found out that David was raiding him
    • Achish viewed David as a prize captive
    • The other four lords correctly saw David as a threat
  • Many have had to make hard loyalty choices:
    • Rahab chose to identify with Israel instead of Jericho
    • Esther opposed her husband’s orders
    • Peter and John chose to continue preaching
  • David had to try to stay alive by aiding Achish, while also staying loyal to Israel (God prevented this test to occur)
  • It is important to decide loyalties in advance
    • God vs. country: Neb. and 3 Heb., John the Baptist, Stephen
    • Judges and guards in Nazis Germany
    • Oscar Schindler = making faulty weapons
  • No one knows what David would have done, but he would have defied God to fight against God’s people