1 Samuel Chapter 27

DAVID FLEES TO THE PHILISTINES

A. David joins with the Philistine leader, Achish
1. (1 Sam 27:1) David's discouraged decision
Then David said to himself, "Now I will perish one day by the hand of Saul. There is nothing better for me than to escape into the land of the Philistines. Saul then will despair of searching for me anymore in all the territory of Israel, and I will escape from his hand."

David said to himself: The sad story of 1 Samuel 27 begins with something David says to himself. He may have never said it out loud; he may have never said it to anyone else; he may have never said it to God. But, David said this in his heart. What we say in our heart has a tremendous power to shape our thinking, our actions and even our future.

Now I shall perish someday by the hand of Saul: These are David's true feelings. His heart, tired of trusting God for his continued deliverance, became very discouraged. In his grief and discouragement, David forgot God's past deliverances. David allows his sad heart to direct his path.

Into the land of the Philistines: Convicted that there is no place left in Israel to hide, David seeks refuge in a heathen land. The circumstances of this flight into Philistia are entirely different from those related in 1 Samuel 21:10 and following verses. Back in chapter 21, David was a single fugitive. However, he was quickly recognized as the slayer of Goliath and narrowly escapes from the hands of the Philistines. Now, he is an outlaw leader of a band of stoic warriors. He is welcomed as an ally. David is able to enter Achish's service as a chieftain.

There is nothing better for me than to escape into the land of the Philistines: David decides to leave Israel and live among the idol worshiping Philistines. David was so discouraged that he thought there was nothing better for him in Israel and among God's people.

Saul then will despair of searching for me anymore in all the territory of Israel: Before, David trusted in the LORD to protect him from the hand of Saul. Now, David gave up trusting in the LORD and instead left the promise land, left the people of God and found "protection" among the Philistines.

Saul then will despair: Saul will not despair if David leaves Israel. Saul will not despair if David forsakes the people of God and joins the ungodly. It is David who is in despair, not Saul. Saul could never drive David to the Philistines. If Saul told David, "You must leave the people of God and go live among the Philistines," David would never do it. But discouragement and despair are more powerful enemies than Saul. Discouragement and despair will drive David to do something that Saul could never make him do.


2. (1 Sam 27:2-4) David goes over to Achish, the leader of Gath
So David arose and crossed over, he and the six hundred men who were with him, to Achish the son of Maoch, king of Gath. And David lived with Achish at Gath, he and his men, each with his household, even David with his two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the Carmelitess, Nabal's widow. Now it was told Saul that David had fled to Gath, so he no longer searched for him.

The six hundred men: This was the original number of David's men. They seem to still form the nucleus of David's force, but the total number of people traveling with David was probably far larger. These six hundred men each had their households. David's discouragement and despairing heart did not only affect himself; he led six hundred men with their household out of Israel to live with the ungodly.

Achish the son of Maoch, king of Gath: This seems to be the same Achish to whom David fled back in 1 Samuel 21:11 and is identical with Achish, son of Maachah mentioned in 1 Kings 2:39. This would imply that Achish reigned for over 50 years in Gath. The whole of Philistia subsequently fell under King David's rule. It seems, however, that he permitted, even after the conquest, for Achish to remain in his old city of Gath. This most likely was David's pay back to the king form his kindness.

And David lived with Achish at Gath: David's reception by the Philistines seems to have been one of hospitality. There was a wide difference between the circumstances of this and David's former visit to Gath. Previously, David was a fugitive. Now, David was the head of an army of well trained soldiers. Such a guest might be of the greatest service to the Philistines in their perpetual wars with Saul. We have no record of any Psalms David wrote during this time. This was not a high point in his spiritual life. He seems to not have written any sweet Psalms unto the LORD.

Now it was told Saul: This short statement tells us that up to the moment when Saul heard that David had fled to Gath, he had not ceased to pursue David and to seek his life.


B. David becomes a bandit
1. (1 Sam 27:5-7) David receives the city of Ziklag
Then David said to Achish, "If now I have found favor in your sight, let them give me a place in one of the cities in the country, that I may live there; for why should your servant live in the royal city with you?" So Achish gave him Ziklag that day; therefore Ziklag has belonged to the kings of Judah to this day. The number of days that David lived in the country of the Philistines was a year and four months.

Why should your servant live in a royal city with you: The real reason why David wished a separate residence was that he might conduct forays and other affairs apart from the supervision of his Philistine friends. The Philistines had one purpose in welcoming David and his band--to help them defeat Saul. Achish trusted that through David's assistance powerful military attacks would be made against Saul's southern kingdom. At this time, the Philistine nation was preparing for a grand effort against Saul which culminated in the battle of Mount Gilboa. David had quite another purpose in mind. David intended to attack the nomadic enemies of Israel whose homes where in the deserts to the south of Israel.

Now David and his 600 men and their families live in a completely new situation. They live in a fortified city, a formal place of defense. But apart from God, they are not safe in this city.

Ziklag: One of the cities in the Negev (or south country), it was originally assigned to Judah (Joshua 15:31), but then was transferred to Simeon (Joshua 19:5). Ziklag was either never occupied by the Israelites, or it was reconquered by the Philistines. Its site has not been identified, but it was probably somewhere west or northwest of Beersheba.

Ziklag has belonged to the kings of Judah to this day: This note from the hand of the compiler indicated that the book of 1 Samuel was composed after the separation of the kingdom of Judah from the kingdom of Israel, but it was compiled before they were carried away as captives to Babylon.


2. (1 Sam 27:8-9) David's new occupation--a roving bandit
Now David and his men went up and raided the Geshurites and the Girzites and the Amalekites; for they were the inhabitants of the land from ancient times, as you come to Shur even as far as the land of Egypt. David attacked the land and did not leave a man or a woman alive, and he took away the sheep, the cattle, the donkeys, the camels, and the clothing. Then he returned and came to Achish.

The Geshurites: This was a tribe dwelling south of Philistia near the Amalekites.

The Girzites: It is believed they were the remains of a once powerful race dispossessed by the Amorites.

The Amalekites: These were the remnant of that once powerful tribe that Saul was supposed to completely destroy (1 Samuel 15:8).

David has not totally turned against God and His people. For now, David only attacks the enemies of Israel.

And did not leave a man or a woman alive: The reason for these brutal acts is to leave no captive alive to tell King Achish, who was under the delusion that David's feats of arms were carried out at the expense of David's own countrymen. At this, the Philistines were rejoicing when they heard David was burning his only bridge of retreat.

He took away the sheep...: These expeditions were made partly to occupy David's men, but they were done primarily to obtain subsistence. They also seem to have brought David great renown. In 1 Chronicles 12:1-22, we read of warriors from distant tribes coming to David to swell his forces. Even though David attacked the enemies of Israel, David was nothing more than an armed robber and murderer. He killed all the people of the village, took the spoil and did it without the approval or guidance of God. He was now fighting wars for profit instead of for God's honor.


3. (1 Sam 27:10-12) David lies to Achish
Now Achish said, "Where have you made a raid today?" And David said, "Against the Negev of Judah and against the Negev of the Jerahmeelites and against the Negev of the Kenites." David did not leave a man or woman alive to bring to Gath, saying, "Otherwise they will tell about us, saying, 'So has David done and so has been his practice all the time he has lived in the country of the Philistines.'" So Achish believed David, saying, "He has surely made himself odious among his people Israel; therefore he will become my servant forever."

And David said, "Against the Negev of Judah...": The answer David gives to his sovereign lord, the King of Gath, was simply a falsehood. David had been engaged in distant forays against the old Bedaween enemies of Israel, far away in the desert which stretched to the frontier of Egypt. But, David represents these conflicts as raids against his own countrymen.

The Jerahmeelites: These were descendants of Jerahmeel, the firstborn of Hezron (1 Chronicles 2:9; 1 Chronicles 2:25-26). They were one of three large families of Judah which sprang from Hezron. They settled on the southern frontier of Judah.

The Kenites: This was a tribe who were in alliance with the Israelites. ("Saul said to the Kenites, 'Go, depart, go down from among the Amalekites, so that I do not destroy you with them; for you showed kindness to all the sons of Israel when they came up from Egypt'" (1 Samuel 15:6).)

David did not leave a man or woman alive to bring to Gath: In David's raids, David killed all the men and women so his lie to Achish would not be exposed. Much later in his life, David will have a far more notorious season of sin with Bathsheba, in which David kills Bathsheba's husband to cover his sin. Though that later event is far more famous, the root of sin that nourished it began many years before in 1 Samuel 27. Here, David killed these men and women to cover his sin. The roots of sin must be dealt with, or they will come back with greater strength.

So Achish believed David: Achish felt he was in a good place. David seemed to be trapped in a spider web, and Achish was the spider. Achish believed that David had now alienated his own people. It all looks pretty dark for David, but David had not and could not alienate himself from God.