I Samuel Chapter 27 "Provocation of Saul; Ziklag, David's Possession." This Bible
Study is written by Roger Christopherson, and it's
transcription is provided with written permission by http://www.theseason.org I Samuel 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." David knew that if he stuck around in the land of the Israelites, Saul would eventually come after him and kill him. So David planned to take his household, his men and their families and go into the land of the Philistines. In time, David thought, Saul would forget about me, and I will escape from this threat that Saul had for his life. David did this act speedily, and on his own. God expects us to think on our own, and use the common sense that He has given to us. The only mistake that David made here was not to have asked God's blessing on his actions here. It is not written that David asked for God's help in his decision of going into the land of the Philistines. Even through all this, God still was watching over David, as he will you when you are in a tight spot. I Samuel 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." King Achish had served about a fifty year reign, and he knew the legend about David and how he had taken on Goliath and had killed him. I Samuel 27:3 "And David dwelt with Achish at Gath, he and his men, every man with his household, even David with his two wives, Ahimoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the Carmelitess, Nabal's wife." Remember it was Abigail that had given David the message of the Lord and prevented David from shedding innocent blood for the foolishness of her husband Nabal. When God ended Nabal's life in a stroke, David took this beautiful lady as his wife. So we see here that Saul has chased David over to the enemy, to the land of the Philistines. David and his men are now residing in the land of the Philistines and under the protection of the heathen king, Achish. Even though Saul had repented to David for the acts against him, because of the evil spirit that possessed Saul, David still trusted this heathen king, more than Saul. Several time David could have killed Saul, but he chose not to, because Saul was God's anointed. David love Saul's family; Jonathan was David's best friend, and Michal was David's wife. I Samuel 27:4 "And it was told Saul that David was fled to Gath: and he sought no more again for him." Just as David planned, it worked, Saul stopped looking for David. I Samuel 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." This is the start of an covert act against an enemies of God and the Israelites. In David's action, God actually blessed David because He too was against these enemies of God. Covert actions have been used throughout the Scriptures to fulfill the promises of God. That is how Jacob received the blessing promises of God, that God revealed to Rebecca through her dream. How that the blessing of Abraham would be given to Jacob the younger of the brothers, rather than the older Esau. Covert activity is not necessarily against God's law, if it is against an enemy that with no considerations of God and His law. I Samuel 27:6 "Then Achish gave him Ziklag that day: wherefore Ziklag pertaineth unto the kings of Judah unto this day." Originally this land of Ziklag had been part of the land that Joshua had given to the tribe of Judah and Simeon. However in war the land was taken from the Israelites and had been in the possession of the Philistines for the past several hundred years. The land of Ziklag was used as a buffer zone for the protection of the capital of the Philistines, and now that the king had trusted David and knew that his own people hated him, he gave it to David. So even though David and his people are allowed to live and have that land, it really belonged to the people of the Judah in the first place. I Samuel 27:7 "And the time that David dwelt in the country of the Philistines was a full year and four months. David was not comfortable with so many Philistines around him. David, his men and their families have become well established in this new homeland in that first year and a half. David had become friends of the enemy because of the evil spirit that had taken over the mind of Saul. I Samuel 27:8 "And David and his men went up, and invaded the Geshurites, and the Gezrites, and the Amalikites: for those nations were of old the inhabitants of the land, as thou goest to Shur, even unto the land of Egypt." The Amalikites were a constant enemy of Israel, and the Gershurites and Gerzrites were their allies. David was now a friend of the Philistines, and these nations were also the friends of the Philistines. These people were nomads, and had possessed these land for centuries, even when the Israelites had came out of Egypt. I Samuel 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." After David had killed all these people and taken the lands of those that were friends of king Achish, he brought all the spoils right to the steps of king Achish's house. David didn't normally kill men, women, and children, but this is one of those cases that demanded it. These people had been witness against David and his men in the past, and he absolutely did not want their lies to torment him again. I Samuel 27:10 "And Achish said, "Whether 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." "Road" as stated here mean "raid". King Achish was asking David where he raided to get such a wealth of spoils. Pay close attention to the word "Kenites" for these are the sons of Cain, the offspring of Satan and Eve from the garden of Eden. David attacked their land and killed off many of them. In the words spoken here by David, he is now misleading the king in a covert act. The people that David attacked are stated in verse eight. They were the Gezrites and the Amalekites, and group of nomadic people that were friends of Achish. But David was naming some common enemies to Ashish, and the old king thinks that is just great. There was no person around left alive to tell the truth to what David really did, and reveal who was actually killed. These geographic locations that David was giving here were actually in the land of Israel, and it would appear to indicate that David was actually fighting his own kin. I Samuel 27:11 "And David saved neither man nor woman alive, to bring tiding 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.' " David told king Achish that he killed all those people, men, women and children, lest they come and kill you in the future. However, the reason that all were killed, was that there would be no witnesses. Do you get the picture? The king received all the spoils for the covert action, and this made him happy. The people that were actually killed were the friends of the Philistines that would be allies to them in war, yet David told king Ashish that it was his own people that he killed for the sake of protecting him, so they could not come against him in times of war. This was David's covert action, and the king loved the story that David told to him. David was living amongst the enemy, enjoying their protection, yet at the same time, killing off the Israelite people's enemies. I Samuel 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." When old king Achish looked down at the huge number of sheep, goats and other wealth that David left at his doorsteps, the king stated that "David's own people have to utterly hate him for all the destruction that he has caused to them. David slew the former champion Goliath of Gath, and now the king thought he had another champion to parade out in battle against the Israelites. He was going to use David as the warrior to defeat the Israelites and take the land back from them. David kind of lied to the king, but it was done for the sake protecting David while Saul was out for his life. The plot has gone forth and the enemy deceived, and God did not show any resentment from this. Remember that David still had the responsibility for six hundred men and their families, and it was all done to secure their protection also. Even in the enemy camp, David was still fighting the enemy in the only way he could, by deception and covert actions. Even though David said that he attacked and killed the Kenites, remember that it was part of the lie to the king, for they had attached themselves to the Israelites and their lands, and God made them part of his people, as the negative part of his plan. So David is now in a bit of trouble in the future, for the king assumes that David and his men will continue to kill and fight with his own people. It appears outwardly that David has gone over to the enemy and outside of God's help.
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