We left off last time and David was sharing the spoils of his raid on the Amalekites with those who helped him in the past.
The following passages are also in 1Chronicles (Chapter 10:1ff).
Here is clearly a continuation of the battle whose preparations were talked about in Chapter 29 where Israel had encamped at Jezreel. The battle did not go well for Israel and they suffered a big defeat. For Saul an important day has arrived. It's called...
Payday
And the Philistines followed hard upon Saul
and upon his sons; and the Philistines slew Jonathan,
and Abinadab, and Malchi-shua, the sons of Saul.
And the battle went sore against Saul,
and the archers overtook him;
and he was greatly distressed
by reason of the archers.
(1 Samuel 31:2-3 - ASV)
Saul is losing the battle and now is on the run. Saul's sons are dead having been killed by the Philistines in the battle. The Philistine archers are about to catch up to him and it looks like the end is near.
But Saul had a lot to answer for. God had, for his own purposes, extended the reign of Saul, but he was nevertheless, a reject. Things turned out even as Samuel the prophet spoke, that God had torn the Kingdom from his hand. But Saul was very hard headed. Moreover he was seriously oppressed by some kind of evil spirit that pushed him to murder; the attempted murder of David and the slaughter of God's priests.
I see Saul as kind of a symbol of what power can do to people. In Saul's case, I think it twisted his mind up to such a degree that he was often simply not rational. But that is just my view. Power can do strange things to people and when one gives power to a small minded person, or one with a grudge or who is full of bitterness and hatred, you are simply going to have all kinds of trouble. But Saul's main problem was that he disobeyed the Lord on several occasions. After he disobeyed, he made a careful display of repentance. But it was not enough. His 'repentance theater'? Neither the Lord nor Samuel were buying it.
Saul did great evil in God's sight, this after having been greatly favored by the Lord. His rebellions continued right on towards the end... even having gone to a witch to contact the dead.
God does not forget and he will repay. Let those who hold power now who like to prance and dance when they do some evil to others out of political spite or personal hatred, plain old viciousness or as is the case today, often out of willful ignorance or just plain stupidity. Such men and women... they need to know that God see's the deeds of men. He will get around to dealing with those who do evil and I note that Saul's end was one of the worst fates that can befall a person. He watched his son's die just before he did. This is not all that dissimilar to what happened to King Zedekiah. The last thing he saw was his sons being slain just before his eyes were plucked out (Jeremiah 52:10-11).
Rebellion has a high price tag and can put one in the spiritual debtors prison... forever. So let the religious and political leaders of the day think on this. You may do your victory dance today over some evil you did or some wicked policy you implement or some court ruling that persecutes others, but you will do a very different dance later, when payday arrives... and arrive it surely will.
Then said Saul to his armorbearer,All hope is lost. The day belongs to the Philistines. Saul decides to do himself in and asks his armorbearer to do it for him. I note that this was a job that David had before. But I also notice this day coincides with David's readiness to assume power. David finally inquired of the Lord before he went off and took his men to fight and recover his wives and goods from the Amalekites - he learned to inquire and obey.
Draw thy sword, and thrust me through therewith,
lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through,
and abuse me. But his armorbearer would not;
for he was sore afraid. Therefore Saul took his sword,
and fell upon it. And when his armorbearer
saw that Saul was dead, he likewise fell upon his sword,
and died with him. So Saul died, and his three sons,
and his armorbearer, and all his men,
that same day together.
(1 Samuel 31:4-6 - ASV)
Before that he seemed to be in a kind of spiritual wilderness and while God did protect him to large degree, he had many problems and 'conflicts of interest' as he wandered. But David was now ready and it was time for Saul to go. I note this too - that the passage said that all men who went with Saul also died. It looks like his army and or perhaps just his 'royal court' and the men who were in his company all died that day, leaving a substantial power vacuum.
I feel led to say this too. Serving evil kings, governments and/or leaders can lead us to share in their punishment. I just don't think that we Christians should be partakers in organizations that are evil and hostile to God. Could a Christian... a real one, be loyal to a man like Hitler, and implement his wicked policies? Could a Christian have been an SS guard and shoot and gas innocent men, women and children in cold blood? We are what we do and we do what we believe. You could not put on that SS uniform in Nazi Germany without taking the oath. My point is an important one. Be careful what you join and whom you serve.
And when the men of Israel
that were on the other side of the valley,
and they that were beyond the Jordan,
saw that the men of Israel fled,
and that Saul and his sons were dead,
they forsook the cities, and fled;
and the Philistines came and dwelt in them.
And it came to pass on the morrow,
when the Philistines came to strip slain,
that they found Saul and his three sons
fallen in mount Gilboa. And they cut off his head,
and stripped off his armor, and sent into
the land of the Philistines round about,
to carry the tidings unto the house of their idols,
and to the people. And they put his armor
in the house of the Ashtaroth;
and they fastened his body
to the wall of Beth-shan.
(1 Samuel 31:7-10 - ASV)
The passage is self explanatory. Israel was in confusion and had to leave. So they had to leave their cities and homes for the Philistines, who had won the day. Their victory seems to have been total. They were probably now all lifted up with pride and war glory and now needed a symbol of their victory. What better than Saul, whose body they pinned to a wall at Beth-shan. This they did, after they cut off his head and sent it to the house of their god Dagon (1 Chronicles 10:10). Beth-shan by the way, is a city known today as Beit She'an located in the Northern part of Israel near both the West Bank and Jordan.
And when the inhabitants of Jabesh-gileadAgain, this passage is self explanatory. They buried him under a Tamarisk tree. He seemed to like this kind of tree and was once before sitting under one (22:6).
heard concerning him that which the Philistines
had done to Saul, all the valiant men arose,
and went all night, and took the body of Saul
and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Beth-shan;
and they came to Jabesh,
and burnt them there.
And they took their bones,
and buried them under
the tamarisk-tree in Jabesh,
and fasted seven days.
(1 Samuel 31:11-13 - ASV)
The fate of a man like Saul? The book of Job sums it up...
This is the portion of a wicked man with God,
And the heritage of oppressors,
which they receive from the Almighty:
If his children be multiplied, it is for the sword;
And his offspring shall not be satisfied with bread.
(Job 27:13-14 - ASV)
There was genuine morning for Saul or so it appears. But one cannot help but wonder how much of it was also for the situation that Israel now faced, with the Philistines now occupying some of the cities.
Back To Contents
So David went,
he and the six hundred men that were with him,
and came to the brook Besor,
where those that were left behind stayed.
But David pursued, he and four hundred men;
for two hundred stayed behind,
who were so faint that they could not go over
the brook Besor.
(1 Samuel 30:9-10 - ASV)
We left off last time with David asking of the Lord if he should go after those who kidnapped the women and children and burned down Ziklag. David gets the divine go ahead and now they are on the move and arrive at the brook Besor. We have to keep in mind that they traveled a long time to get home (Ziklag) and only found it in ruins and now they were on the move again so they were very tired and hungry. So tired that some just could not make it. So those who could not, stayed behind at the river.
And they found an Egyptian in the field,
and brought him to David, and gave him bread,
and he did eat; and they gave him water to drink;
and they gave him a piece of a cake of figs,
and two clusters of raisins: and when he had eaten,
his spirit came again to him; for he had eaten no bread,
nor drunk any water, three days and three nights.
And David said unto him, To whom belongest thou?
and whence art thou? And he said,
I am a young man of Egypt,
servant to an Amalekite; and my master left me,
because three days ago I fell sick.
We made a raid upon the South of the Cherethites,
and upon that which belongeth to Judah,
and upon the South of Caleb;
and we burned Ziklag with fire.
(1 Samuel 30:11-14 - ASV)
David and his men came across a stroke of good fortune or rather God's providence. It could easily have been missed if David and his men decided to ignore this man who was alone in the desert, famished. They could have just rode on and forgot about him, but instead they show him kindness. In so doing, they gathered a gold mine of actionable information.
It turns out he was with the Amalekites when they were on their raids, which included Ziklag. But he got sick and they left him behind. Household and long-held slaves were often not treated so badly sometimes being treated kind of like members of the extended family. But if this was a man who was recently captured and then fell ill, this treatment of him makes more sense. Since he was not an Amalekite but was an Egyptian, this seems lend some credence to this idea.
David, now under divine guidance now finds the things he needs to accomplish his task. When God gives us a task to perform - Jehovah jireh - the Lord will provide. But if you want his best provisions, you have to be in his will and do your best for God.
And David said to him,David realizing he has a powerful source of information in his hands asks the Egyptian, 'will you take us there?'. Yes, he'll do it under two conditions. One that after he does this thing, David won't kill him and second he won't deliver him over to his former master. If David meets these two conditions, then he'll take them there.
Wilt thou bring me down to this troop?
And he said, Swear unto me by God,
that thou wilt neither kill me,
nor deliver me up into the hands of my master,
and I will bring thee down to this troop.
(1 Samuel 30:15 - ASV)
And when he had brought him down,
behold, they were spread abroad over all the ground,
eating and drinking, and dancing,
because of all the great spoil
that they had taken out of the land of the Philistines,
and out of the land of Judah.
And David smote them from the twilight
even unto the evening of the next day:
and there escaped not a man of them,
save four hundred young men,
who rode upon camels and fled.
And David recovered all that the Amalekites
had taken; and David rescued his two wives.
(1 Samuel 30:16-18 - ASV)
This passage is pretty self-explanatory. The Egyptian led them to where they were. When they got there they were partying down. They had the bottles open, they had been music blaring (proverbially) had been celebrating their victory and the spoils they captured. Seeing this, it was clear they were probably in no condition to fight with any real skill... fumbling and stumbling around for their swords and shields with whiskey spilling on their garments. David took them all. But the battle appears to have not been so easily won as it took a good while to win. But remember, David and his men were tired and hungry. When the smoke cleared, David recovered all that was lost, including his two wives. The triumph of the Amalekites was short lived as is the victory of the wicked man over the just. They may raise their glasses in a toast for a minute or two, but God see's all and will repay.
And there was nothing lacking to them,
neither small nor great, neither sons nor daughters,
neither spoil, nor anything that they had taken to them:
David brought back all. And David took
all the flocks and the herds, which they drove
before those other cattle,
and said, This is David's spoil.
(1 Samuel 30:19-20 - ASV)
David here took back what was his.
And David came to the two hundred men,Now we come to those who were too faint to continue the journey all the way to recover their families and goods. There were some of the men who went to fight who wanted to keep the spoil to themselves. They did not want to share with those who were left behind with the baggage. This is an age old problem. Those who go and fight and those who have to stay behind with the supplies. Those who go tend to whine against those who are often ordered to stay behind. The problem is that most of the time the baggage is safe, but what happens when an attack happens at the rear and the baggage is attacked? It is not unheard of, especially after a long campaign and there is much booty and spoils in the baggage.
who were so faint that they could not follow David,
whom also they had made to abide at the brook Besor;
and they went forth to meet David,
and to meet the people that were with him:
and when David came near to the people,
he saluted them. Then answered all the wicked men
and base fellows, of those that went with David, and said,
Because they went not with us,
we will not give them aught of the spoil
that we have recovered, save to every man his wife
and his children, that he may lead them away,
and depart. Then said David, Ye shall not do so,
my brethren, with that which Jehovah hath given unto us,
who hath preserved us, and delivered the troop
that came against us into our hand.
And who will hearken unto you in this matter?
for as his share is that goeth down to the battle,
so shall his share be that tarrieth by the baggage:
they shall share alike. And it was so from
that day forward, that he made it a statute
and an ordinance for Israel unto this day.
(1 Samuel 30:21-25 - ASV)
David's solution was a wise one - we all get the same, those who went and those who stayed behind. But there was clearly a faction within the group who did not like that idea at all. This may have been the same lot who wanted to stone David earlier.
No, this was the best decision for the overall moral of the the army. Otherwise you wind up with bad feelings, enmity and jealousy. Get the spoils in one place and divide them up equally, that way no one can complain about not getting his fair share, or whining about this or bellyaching about that. The author here notes that this became a new law or military regulation from here on. The same principle applies in God's kingdom.
He that receiveth a prophet
in the name of a prophet
shall receive a prophet's reward:
and he that receiveth a righteous man
in the name of a righteous man
shall receive a righteous man's reward.
(Matthew 10:41 - ASV)
David here is starting to think like a leader and not like some robber-marauder as some of these men would certainly have led him on that path if he listened to them. David had to start thinking and acting like a king - a godly king. The following passage shows that he is.
And when David came to Ziklag,David here remembers those who did him and his men right. He does not forget their kindness. Wherever his men had gone and got help, he gave them some of the spoils. It must have been quite a bit. It should be noted that some of these places listed above may have been raided by the Amalekites and this clearly would be a feather in David's cap with the leaders and people when it was time for him to claim the throne.
he sent of the spoil unto the elders of Judah,
even to his friends, saying,
Behold, a present for you of the spoil
of the enemies of Jehovah:
to them that were in Beth-el,
and to them that were in Ramoth of the South,
and to them that were in Jattir,
and to them that were in Aroer,
and to them that were in Siphmoth,
and to them that were in Eshtemoa,
and to them that were in Racal,
and to them that were in the cities of the Jerahmeelites,
and to them that were in the cities of the Kenites,
and to them that were in Hormah,
and to them that were in Bor-ashan,
and to them that were in Athach,
and to them that were in Hebron,
and to all the places where David himself
and his men were wont to haunt.
(1 Samuel 30:26-31 - ASV)
David now it appears is on the right track after having had gone through some serious trials.
Back To Contents
And it came to pass
when David and his men
were come to Ziklag on the third day,
that the Amalekites had made a raid upon the South,
and upon Ziklag, and had smitten Ziklag,
and burned it with fire,
and had taken captive the women
and all that were therein,
both small and great:
they slew not any,
but carried them off,
and went their way.
(1 Samuel 30:1-2 - ASV)
We left off last time with David being politely asked to leave before the big battle, because many of Achish's top men were bellyaching about David's presence. David left the assembled warriors on the King's request and went back to Philistia, where he had been residing. His home if we remember was in Ziklag and when he gets home he finds that his old nemesis, the Amalekites had come and burned it up and kidnapped his wives. The good news is that none of those captured were killed.
The reason the women are mentioned is probably best explained in the fact that all the men were with David, getting ready to war. John Gill (1697-1771) in his commentary notes that this was very good news for David, for when he raided the Amalekites, he did not spare anyone (1Samuel 27:8-9). Why they did not choose to get full 'payback' is not clear, but the same commentator surmises that this may be because they could perhaps be sold off as slaves. God was indeed looking out for David.
And when David and his men came to the city,
behold, it was burned with fire;
and their wives, and their sons,
and their daughters, were taken captive.
Then David and the people that were with him
lifted up their voice and wept,
until they had no more power to weep.
(1 Samuel 30:3-4 - ASV)
The passage is self explanatory. They were all deeply distressed over this shocking news and the state of their homes and city. David and his men probably could not be sure what happened to their families, but the fact that there were no bodies lying about was probably seen as a good sign. But given how David behaved to the Amalekites earlier, the situation could only be a cause for serious consternation.
And David's two wives were taken captive,
Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail
the wife of Nabal the Carmelite.
And David was greatly distressed;
for the people spake of stoning him,
because the soul of all the people was grieved,
every man for his sons and for his daughters:
but David strengthened himself
in Jehovah his God.
(1 Samuel 30:5-6 - ASV)
David's troubles were double everyone else's. His wives were gone but clearly, the people now were starting to blame David for this calamity. I can just hear them now, 'if we hadn't listened to you, we would not be here in Philistia, on the wrong side of the war, with our homes burned down and our families gone'. They were going to stone David, not unlike Israel was going to stone Moses (Exodus 17:4; Numbers 14:10).
But this is usually the reaction when there is tragedy. Everyone is looking for someone to blame and often it turns on those least culpable, like leaders. The real enemy were the Amalekites, not David, who was doing the best he could with what he had. Certainly they had cause to be deeply distressed and perhaps on one level, David did share in some of the blame. After all, I don't ever remember the Lord telling him to flee to Philistia. So yes, I think to some degree, David could have at least some of the blame laid upon him here. But every man's soul is his own and the simple fact is, they chose to follow David and his rag-tag group of men... well many of them were not particularly welcome in Israel anyway (see 1 Samuel 22:2).
Everyone was turning against David. Did he weep and whine; go and hide in a corner? No, he encouraged himself in the Lord! Everything was turning out badly - he was a burden to Achish who liked him but was a source of division with the Philistine lords, was almost forced into battle with Israel, the people God wanted him to lead, and now they come back home and find nothing but a pile of ashes and their families kidnapped. Moreover, they had been traveling for three days and were probably hungry and tired and looking for rest and a good home-cooked meal after their journey and instead, they get this horrible shock. Things were not going the way anyone wanted. Yes David could have gotten down and depressed, but instead encouraged himself. How? The scriptures did not say exactly, he may have prayed, or as he was known to do, sing a Psalm to the Lord in such a time.
David did not forsake the Lord nor forget about him in his distress. No, instead he inquired of him.
And David said to Abiathar the priest,
the son of Ahimelech, I pray thee,
bring me hither the ephod.
And Abiathar brought thither
the ephod to David. And David inquired of Jehovah,
saying, If I pursue after this troop,
shall I overtake them?
And he answered him, Pursue;
for thou shalt surely overtake them,
and shalt without fail recover all.
(1 Samuel 30:7-8 - ASV)
So David here seeks the Lord. Just like Moses did when he was in trouble with those whom he was to lead.
Leading men is hard. It's not easy to do and mistakes - all of us make them - can cost a leader his ability to inspire and lead. The situation for David and his men did not look good, but David knew his God and was going to do what the Lord told him. How did he know what that was? In those days it was with the Urim and Thummim. So he calls the High Priest. What is not clear from the text was if the High Priest wore the Ephod or if it was David. The text seems to imply David.
David gets that positive word that brings him that powerful encouragement. He can go and pursue the Amalekites because in so doing, he can recover those things he lost.
David I think may finally be at an end to following his own judgment and is now going back to finding out what God wants him to do. He was consistently making questionable decisions. They may have seemed OK in the natural realm at the time they were made, but were not fully according to God's plans. I think it took this shock to get David thinking and acting along divine lines, rather than his own questionable judgment which had put them all in this unenviable position.
It seems he had not sought the Lord's guidance for some time and his decisions and actions at times, were not wholly in keeping with God - like the time he was going to go in and deal with those at Nabal's ranch (1 Samuel 25:34); going to Philistia, etc. No, David was walking in what I think was a kind of 'benign compromise'. Not rebellion, he just was not putting God first in his key decision and thus was having these problems.
This is not a good place for any of us to be. For many of us we just have to remember that God is not supposed to be at our beckon and calling, but we at his. We are there to serve him and to find out what he wants us to do, not expect him to bless us when we are walking in our own ways. It's a key factor in service - God is the boss, we are the servant. God was looking for a person who was after his own heart and truly wanted to be of use and of service to him.
God here I think is tempering David and teaching him the right way to go about things through the furnace of tough experiences, hard knocks and rivers of tears.
David would eventually be just the kind of man that God wants him to be as it said in the New Testament Book of Acts.
And when he had removed him,
he raised up David to be their king;
to whom also he bare witness and said,
I have found David the son of Jesse,
a man after my heart,
who shall do all my will.
(Acts 13:22 - ASV)
We shift here from Saul and the witch of Endor and now to what is going on with David, who is dwelling with the Philistines.
In short, David is between a rock and a hard place. Here he is getting ready to go to battle, on the wrong side. The armies are forming up and David is with the King of the Philistines. David and his men look like they may be part of the rear guard or merely observing the troops march as he is with the King. It is not clear why this battle takes place so far North. Aphek is believed to be located at or near the modern Golan Heights.
Then said the princes of the Philistines,After the movement of the troops, the various princes of the Philistines make a serious complaint to the king. They wants to know why these Hebrews are among their warriors. It's not an unreasonable concern from a military perspective. The last thing these men would want in the heat of battle would be troops from the rear turning on them and then attacking while they engage in battle from the front.
What do these Hebrews here?
And Achish said unto the princes of the Philistines,
Is not this David, the servant of Saul the king of Israel,
who hath been with me these days,
or rather these years, and I have found
no fault in him since he fell away unto me
unto this day?
(1 Samuel 29:3 - ASV)
The King answers them expressing his full confidence in David and his constancy for the time he had fell away to him. Fell away here means just that, he turned towards Achish away from (and thus deserting) his own countrymen, or so Achish clearly believed. Some think that even before David went to Achish, the two may have kept up some kind of communications (Jamieson, Fausset and Brown Commentary - 1871).
But the princes of the PhilistinesThis was no little argument. The Princes were quite angry with the King over David's presence and were indeed worried about David turning on them during the battle. In short they insist that the King send David back. While no ultimatum had been stated, the King was probably concerned that either they would not fight without David being gone or they might take matters into their own hands and make sure David did not go out to battle... any more forever, if you know what I mean.
were wroth with him; and the princes
of the Philistines said unto him,
Make the man return,
that he may go back to his place where
thou hast appointed him, and let him not
go down with us to battle, lest in the battle
he become an adversary to us: for wherewith
should this fellow reconcile himself unto his lord?
should it not be with the heads of these men?
(1 Samuel 29:4 - ASV)
Keep in mind that Philistia contained five key cities and each prince probably had some kind of voice in key decisions, though Achish was their nominal head. Here he was clearly out-voted.
So yes, they were concerned that he would betray them and be reconciled to Saul. One way they surmise that David could reconcile himself to Saul would be to deliver the heads of the top Philistines to Saul. This was their concern and if one puts ones self in their shoes, their concern was hardly without justification.
Is not this David,
of whom they sang one to another in dances,
saying, Saul hath slain his thousands,
And David his ten thousands?
(1 Samuel 29:5 - ASV)
The princes continue their complaint to the King and add to their list of concerns the fame of David and his ability to kill the enemy in battle. Clearly the Israelite 'pop song' about David's battle victories was heard about in Philistia. It did not amuse these princes.
Then Achish called David, and said unto him,
As Jehovah liveth, thou hast been upright,
and thy going out and thy coming in with me
in the host is good in my sight;
for I have not found evil in thee since
the day of thy coming unto me unto this day:
nevertheless the lords favor thee not.
Wherefore now return, and go in peace,
that thou displease not the lords
of the Philistines.
(1 Samuel 29:6-7 - ASV)
Achish had to run down the situation to David, let me paraphrase... 'David... my man... You're OK in my book, you can always be counted on to do the right thing as far as I am concerned. But these princes who are about to go to battle, they don't like you and they don't trust you. So it's better you go now so they don't get even more riled up about you than they already are'.
You now what I find of great interest here? That Achish does not swear by his gods but by the God of David, Jehovah. Was David's behavior having an effect on Achish, spiritually? I suspect so.
But I think the suspicion of the Lords of the Philistines worked in David's favor. Now he did not have to go out and fight against his own people.
And David said unto Achish,
But what have I done?
and what hast thou found in thy servant
so long as I have been before thee unto this day,
that I may not go and fight against the enemies
of my lord the king? And Achish answered
and said to David, I know that thou art good
in my sight, as an angel of God:
notwithstanding the princes of the Philistines have said,
He shall not go up with us to the battle.
Wherefore now rise up early in the morning
with the servants of thy lord that are come with thee;
and as soon as ye are up early in the morning,
and have light, depart.
(1 Samuel 29:8-10 - ASV)
David protests, how deeply he actually felt this protestation well... you can draw your own conclusions. I just don't think David was wild about partaking of this war, but he is perhaps putting on a good show for the King.
Achish once again compliments David's character and makes I think a very telling comparison to an Angel of God (Malak Elohim - vs 29:9). This is interestingly, very similar to how the prophet Zechariah describes David (see Zechariah 12:8).
My suspicion is that David and Achish may have spent many a long night eating and enjoying themselves and the subject of the Hebrew God came up more than once in their conversations. He was probably most curious about this God of whom the Philistines were quite afraid (see 1 Samuel 4:8). If they did have such conversations, it looks like they had an effect on Achish.
So David rose up early,
he and his men, to depart in the morning,
to return into the land of the Philistines.
And the Philistines went up to Jezreel.
(1 Samuel 29:11 - ASV)
David here was extricated from a very difficult situation. He got up early with his men and went back to Philistia, probably to his home in Ziklag. And the Philistines head off to the Valley of Jezreel. This is a famous battlefield where Israel has often had to fight its enemies, it is in the same vicinity of Megiddo, where the battle of Armageddon will be fought.
God had David's back here. David, I think was outside of God's will, having left Judah where the prophet told him to go. Instead, he once again fled to Philistia. But God was gracious to him and protected him and gave him favor with Achish. David partaking in the battle would have exposed him to all manner of accusations of treachery in Israel whoever won the battle, making it very hard for him to be King.
God worked it out so he did not have to go. God can and often does stand with us when we wander off of his perfect path. He does not forget about us. But I strongly suspect that David should have done what the prophet told him and remained in Judah until he got instructions to do something else.
Let none of us make bad or questionable decisions. I always seek God first and ask him what he wants me to do. He will show us if we serve him fully and faithfully.
But if any of you lacketh wisdom,
let him ask of God,
who giveth to all liberally
and upbraideth not;
and it shall be given him.
But let him ask in faith,
nothing doubting: for he that doubteth
is like the surge of the sea
driven by the wind and tossed.
(James 1:5-6 - ASV)
Back To Contents
We left off last time and Saul had gone to a local occultist to get her to call up Samuel. When she saw Samuel, she was shocked and then suddenly recognized that it was Saul who was requesting the occult service.
Saul asks her what she saw that had so unnerved her. Then she describes what she saw for clearly it was something that she had never seen before and was totally unexpected. It was a 'god' coming out of the earth. This is an interesting expression. Basically she something that was 'superhuman' in her reading. The word god is the Hebrew word 430 in Strong's Hebrew Bible Dictionary (1890). It can be rendered as god, ruler, judge or even angel. Whatever she saw he was something of a high order and since Samuel was dead, and it was very different than what she expected. Here is how Keil and Delitizsch Commentary on the Old Testament (K & D - 1868) puts it,
The king quieted her fear, and then asked her what she had seen; whereupon she gave him a fuller description of the apparition: “I saw a celestial being come up from the earth.” Elohim does not signify gods here, nor yet God; still less an angel or a ghost, or even a person of superior rank, but a celestial (super-terrestrial), heavenly, or spiritual being. - K & D CommentaryThis is a very interesting passage of scripture and perhaps gives us the slightest glimpse of what happens to the godly who died in the Lord before the ministry of Christ. Sheol (hell - the abode of the dead) is here and in many other places represented as being in or under the earth. But Samuel was a special 'departed one', a man who served the Lord fully, his whole life. So his form took on a god-like appearance. Is there another place in scripture where men who served God faithfully who died appear later in some glorious form? Yes.
And it came to passYes, there is and it appears that Samuel as well was clearly in God's faithful hall of fame. Even in physical death he does not forget his job as prophet of the Lord. Let's continue the passage.
about eight days after these sayings,
that he took with him Peter and John and James,
and went up into the mountain to pray.
And as he was praying, the fashion
of his countenance was altered,
and his raiment became white and dazzling.
And behold, there talked with him two men,
who were Moses and Elijah;
who appeared in glory,
and spake of his decease
which he was about to
accomplish at Jerusalem.
(Luke 9:28-31 - ASV)
And he said unto her,Saul wants to get more information about what this woman saw and she tells him. She does not say it was Samuel, but describes him sufficiently. But Saul clearly knows who it is and when he finds out, he bows his face to the ground in a show of respect.
What form is he of?
And she said, An old man cometh up;
and he is covered with a robe.
And Saul perceived that it was Samuel,
and he bowed with his face
to the ground, and did obeisance.
(1 Samuel 28:14 - ASV)
Now I must say here to all of you, that there are differing views on what happened here. Some think the witch had concocted some kind of deception on Saul. Others think some kind of evil spirit came to deceive Saul and the third view (which I lean very much towards) is that God allowed this to happen and Samuel did appear as a final rebuke to the rebellious King. These differing views are laid out rather well in the Preachers Complete Homelitical Commentary (actual date of its publication is unknown but probably circa 1892) in its comments on this section. You may take your own view. I would lend more credence to the other views if what Samuel had to say were not so spot on with what he had been saying to Saul for years and at the same time honors the Lord and speaks in his name. Here is what Samuel said.
And Samuel said to Saul,The long and short of it is absolutely nothing new. To paraphrase, Samuel is just saying. Why are you asking me? I serve the Lord, if he isn't answering you what makes you think I can or will? Because of your rebellion, the God whom you seek is now your enemy and your days on the throne are numbered. David will be king hereafter. Oh and by the way, after the battle, you and your sons will be with me, among the dead.
Why hast thou disquieted me, to bring me up?
And Saul answered, I am sore distressed;
for the Philistines make war against me,
and God is departed from me,
and answereth me no more,
neither by prophets, nor by dreams:
therefore I have called thee,
that thou mayest make known
unto me what I shall do.
And Samuel said, Wherefore then
dost thou ask of me, seeing
Jehovah is departed from thee,
and is become thine adversary?
And Jehovah hath done unto thee,
as he spake by me: and Jehovah hath
rent the kingdom out of thy hand,
and given it to thy neighbor,
even to David. Because thou obeyedst
not the voice of Jehovah,
and didst not execute his fierce
wrath upon Amalek, therefore hath
Jehovah done this thing unto
thee this day. Moreover Jehovah
will deliver Israel also with
thee into the hand of the Philistines;
and to-morrow shalt thou
and thy sons be with me:
Jehovah will deliver the host of Israel
also into the hand of the Philistines.
(1 Samuel 28:15-19 - ASV)
It took a long time for Samuel's word to be fulfilled back in the day, but it was. God often takes his time, but he does not forget. Saul had done a lot of evil and this battle was going to be payday.
Let us learn a lesson here about sin, rebellion, disobedience and false repentance. A man here who was powerfully anointed by God who was given great authority and even had the gift of prophecy had come to a very bad end. Why? He disobeyed the Lord time and again... or to put it a better way - once too often.
Then Saul fell straightway
his full length upon the earth,
and was sore afraid,
because of the words of Samuel:
and there was no strength in him;
for he had eaten no bread all the day,
nor all the night.
(1 Samuel 28:20 - ASV)
Saul gets this word and is very afraid. He fell down prostrate because of this word. This passage is I think another reason why I think that this really was Samuel and not some spirit or trick. The narrator does not say this was a trick or that the woman was lying or that it was a spirit. The author states clearly that these were the words of Samuel which by the way, we will see are to be fulfilled.
Saul goes into what probably is best described as a kind of psychological shock. He is clearly having issues trying to digest this powerful and negative word he just got from the departed prophet. Samuel clearly was under some stress before he came to the woman as he had not eaten all day.
And the woman came unto Saul,The passage here is pretty self explanatory. The occultist is clearly concerned for the King and offers him food. He finally arises and sits upon the bed/sofa/litter (4296 in Strong's Hebrew Bible Dictionary - 1890).
and saw that he was sore troubled,
and said unto him, Behold,
thy handmaid hath hearkened unto thy voice,
and I have put my life in my hand,
and have hearkened unto thy words
which thou spakest unto me.
Now therefore, I pray thee,
hearken thou also unto the voice
of thy handmaid, and let me set
a morsel of bread before thee;
and eat, that thou mayest have strength,
when thou goest on thy way.
But he refused, and said, I will not eat.
But his servants, together with the woman,
constrained him; and he hearkened
unto their voice. So he arose from the earth,
and sat upon the bed.
(1 Samuel 28:21-23 - ASV)
And the woman had a fatted calf in the house;For whatever reason, she showed Saul considerable respect. She killed a fatted calf for him got some bread and gave him and his men something to eat and then they left. She clearly was most piteous of this king who was just about to lose his throne and was deeply moved by his mental condition. I cannot help but wonder that after this incident she gave up her occultism and turned towards the Lord. Stranger things have happened and God can work miracles even in the strangest of situations and sometimes they are arranged just for such a purpose.
and she hasted, and killed it;
and she took flour, and kneaded it,
and did bake unleavened bread thereof:
and she brought it before Saul,
and before his servants; and they did eat.
Then they rose up, and went away that night.
(1 Samuel 28:24-25 - ASV)
I think it needful here to say that these dark, occult arts are strictly forbidden to us real followers of the risen Jesus Christ. We must never seek after those who practice these arts. Necromancy (calling up the dead) is very much forbidden to us. We must not seek to contact the dead. As you all probably know, back in the mid part of the 19th to the early part of the 20th century there was a major craze on with spiritualism. Crystal gazing, necromancy, tarot cards, seances... they were what a lot of 'trendy' people were into. One key idea of spiritualism is the idea that the dead still exist and could contact the living.
But me? I leave those dark arts alone - I know that I am forbidden even to dabble slightly in them. Don't think for a second that my view on this passage here is in any way designed to lead you onto this path. The only thing I know I will get in the long run is the kind of word and fate that Saul got, should I choose to rebel in such a way against the God I serve.
But perhaps the commentators that I read who wrote in the late 19th century and had a different view, were dealing with a lot of people who could be tempted to go to one as it was the 'thing to do' in some quarters, even high society. So they took a line of interpretation that was befitting their times.
Today with the continuing rejection of Christianity in mainstream culture, these old 'spirits' are certain to begin their return onto the scene. I am often surprised at how much spiritualism and occultism winds its way into english speaking drama today.
My point is this. These things are probably going to make a come back. Indeed, in some quarters they already are. Moreover, you may find many false preachers and teachers who will make light of it, not discourage their use or even encourage it. Be careful. Those occult arts can be most deceptive and dangerous and they are very much forbidden to us. Samuel may have spoken to Saul, but it was only after years of rebellion, sin, the slaughter of God's prophets that he did this final act of sin and rebellion by visiting a witch. God's answer may have been as much to Saul as it was to his men and the witch herself, who all may have had a very different view of things after this episode. In this final act of rebellion, Saul has sealed his fate - he will die in the battle.
We will take get back to Samuel sometime next week God willing!
Back To Contents
David as we remember from last time, was now among the Philistines and had conducted raids on Israel's enemies, though this fact was obscured from Achish, the Philistine king. The passage above shows that there is going to be a war between Israel and Philistia. Achish here appears to want to make sure David, if he had any doubts, would indeed have to go out and fight against his own countrymen. 'Oh no my friend, you are most certainly coming along, I have given you shelter and refuge from your enemies and a base, now it's time for some payback'. This seems to be the basic thought expressed here from my reading of it. Yes, I think the king had his doubts about David and wanted to make sure that David in this war would destroy his own reputation in the eyes of the people of Israel. David here appears to be making a kind of warriors boast and letting the King know just what kind of warrior he is as he will be observed in battle. But David's interesting answer leaves room for 'interpretation' as to which side he will ultimately choose. If he goes to war, the King offers him the post of personal bodyguard. David was in a tough spot. How could he fight against his own people, whom God wanted him to rule? But my view is that he put himself in the position when he went back to Philista.
Now Samuel was dead,
and all Israel had lamented him,
and buried him in Ramah,
even in his own city.
And Saul had put away those
that had familiar spirits,
and the wizards, out of the land.
(1 Samuel 28:3 - ASV)
Samuel's death was still a major sore in the soul of the nation. He clearly still had an extraordinary reputation among Israel. Saul, probably acting on orders from Samuel in bygone days, had gotten rid of the occult influence in the country, as this was part of the Mosaic law (Leviticus 19:31). The passage is important because of what will follow.
Israel was probably concerned about this war because the great Samuel was gone and while Saul was known as a great warrior, it probably was not unknown to the citizens of the kingdom, that there was a rival claimant to the throne, one that the great Samuel had anointed king. There may have been concern here that God was going to forsake the king and the kingdom, now that their spiritual leader was dead.
And the Philistines gathered themselves together,The basic stationing of the armies is outlined. Gilboa is located along the Jordan valley, about 20 or so miles southeast from Megiddo.
and came and encamped in Shunem:
and Saul gathered all Israel together,
and they encamped in Gilboa.
And when Saul saw the host of the Philistines,
he was afraid, and his heart trembled greatly.
(1 Samuel 28:4-5 - ASV)
But when Saul saw the forces arrayed against him, he was very afraid. We all have an expression today that refers to the loss control of certain bodily functions and this is probably what happened here in a proverbial sense. What else could have caused him to, after all this time, go do what he did next?
And when Saul inquired of Jehovah,When in trouble, he comes to the Lord. But Saul if we remember, had turned on God and not a little. He had slaughtered the priests of the Lord when he was trying to get the Lord's anointed, David. There comes a time when men's sins separate them from God to such a point that God just stops listening to their petitions. Saul, who was once specially chosen and anointed by God is now a spiritual reject and God has now turned the 'mute' button to the 'on' position when Saul prayed. Pray and seek all he wants, his supplications were in vain.
Jehovah answered him not,
neither by dreams, nor by Urim,
nor by prophets.
(1 Samuel 28:6 - ASV)
Spiritual rejects? This is not a pleasant subject... at all to write about.
[Emphasis mine]
And Jehovah said unto Samuel,
How long wilt thou mourn for Saul,
seeing I have rejected him
from being king over Israel?
fill thy horn with oil, and go:
I will send thee to Jesse the Beth-lehemite;
for I have provided me a king among his sons.
(1 Samuel 16:1 - ASV)
For many are called,
but few chosen.
(Matthew 22:14 - ASV)
Did you know that we true believers who endure to the end, we too shall be kings and priests (Revelation 1:6)? That like David, we have to stay the course of faith in Christ Jesus through thick and thin before we get a crown under the Lordship of Christ?
The thoroughly rotten apple is not going into the basket with the good fruit.
And Jehovah said unto Samuel,
How long wilt thou mourn for Saul,
seeing I have rejected him from being king over Israel?
fill thy horn with oil, and go:
I will send thee to Jesse the Beth-lehemite;
for I have provided me a king
among his sons.
(1 Samuel 16:1 - ASV)
Those kinds of 'Christians' (rejects) have made their choice and like with Saul, God has made his. I am not to pester the Lord about such people.
The key? Discernment. With many Christians (so-called) over and over again I often see they do not have nor want to develop real spiritual discernment. They want to go with the flow and be popular and successful, in a worldly way. They love the world and its ways (and rewards). God, it seems to me, is merely a tool many think they can use on their way to worldly success. Brothers, I think this is a common problem with Christians here in the prosperous west. Don't think you (or anyone) can 'use' God. But if you are humble and obedient, God may indeed use you.
Yes, there comes a time when repentance comes too late. Yes, you can go too far. Yes, God can and often does cease to hear the prayers of those who have shown such a pattern of sin and rebellion. We must never, ever take the Lord's grace and kindness towards any of us for granted or we could wind up like Saul, sinning great sins and then being sorry for it, then sinning again.
It was the wholly wicked and unholy acts of Saul that won him a special place in the hall of spiritual rejects. Murder was too often on his mind and he turned his sword against God and those whom God loved (his servants and David). In short, Saul had by his actions, showed himself to have become an enemy of the Lord. We see the same thing in ancient Israel in the time of Ezekiel regarding unheard supplications.
And the word of Jehovah came unto me,Brothers, those inquires? Those prayers? They weren't going any further than the ceiling to be immediately bounced right back to the ground.
saying, Son of man, speak unto the elders of Israel,
and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah:
Is it to inquire of me that ye are come?
As I live, saith the Lord Jehovah,
I will not be inquired of by you.
(Ezekiel 20:2-3 - ASV)
And when ye spread forth your hands,Saul's hands were full of blood. The blood of the Lord's servants.
I will hide mine eyes from you;
yea, when ye make many prayers,
I will not hear:
your hands are full of blood.
(Isaiah 1:15 - ASV)
So what does Saul do? He goes and seeks spiritual advice from the Lord's enemies; the witches and wizards,
Then said Saul unto his servants,
Seek me a woman that hath a familiar spirit,
that I may go to her, and inquire of her.
And his servants said to him,
Behold, there is a woman that
hath a familiar spirit at En-dor.
(1 Samuel 28:7 - ASV)
Yes, this is how far Saul had fallen. Pretty far down into the spiritual trash can. He was now trying to get advice from a witch. Endor is a place not far from Gilboa and it was probably no little feat for members of Saul's court to find her, knowing the edict against them that was in effect.
And Saul disguised himself,
and put on other raiment, and went,
he and two men with him,
and they came to the woman by night:
and he said, Divine unto me,
I pray thee, by the familiar spirit,
and bring me up whomsoever
I shall name unto thee.
(1 Samuel 28:8 - ASV)
After having discovered where a witch can be found, Saul then puts in a disguise to go and get a 'reading' from her. Something God and his own law specifically forbade. Like most who are caught in a whirlpool of sin and rebellion, they do what they are going to stubbornly do with little regard for such things as God, right or wrong.
And the woman said unto him,
Behold, thou knowest what Saul hath done,
how he hath cut off those
that have familiar spirits,
and the wizards, out of the land:
wherefore then layest thou a snare
for my life, to cause me to die?
(1 Samuel 28:9 - ASV)
This lady, she may have been a witch, but she had not lost all of her common sense. Why should she put her neck on the line? It'll be her, hollering and twisting in the fire while tied to a stake if anyone finds out.
And Saul sware to her by Jehovah,This passage needs no comment save that he has the audacity to swear by the Lord, while seeking out a witch.
saying,As Jehovah liveth,
there shall no punishment happen to thee
for this thing. Then said the woman,
Whom shall I bring up unto thee?
And he said, Bring me up Samuel.
(1 Samuel 28:10-11 - ASV)
And when the woman saw Samuel,As she does her 'reading', she is shocked at what she sees. And upon seeing Samuel she recognizes Saul for who he is. What happened here?
she cried with a loud voice;
and the woman spake to Saul, saying,
Why hast thou deceived me?
for thou art Saul.
(1 Samuel 28:12 - ASV)
It's hard to say, but I suspect that this woman probably was used to seeing one or a few different familiar spirits that would mutter some cryptic mumbo-jumbo to those who came to her for which she would get her fee. But this time it was utterly different. Samuel came right up. What he has to say is hardly going to be a comfort to Saul. We will get to that in a minute. But I think the question here needs to be asked, how can God allow this to happen - his prophet Samuel to be called up in such a manner? As Shakespeare put it in his play MacBeth, 'Can the devil speak true?'.
I think what is happening here is that God has allowed this, perhaps even directed it in order to give a final message to this apostate king. Saul may have gone to the witch to hear what she has to say, but here God grants Saul his wish to hear what Samuel has to say to him. Now this is hardly any kind of endorsement of witchcraft, for those who go to them will get what is coming to them and Saul is about to make the final installment on the 'sin repayment plan'. No, the prophets also gave us indication that God can and will use these unholy methods to answer those who have rebelled against him.
[Emphasis mine]
Therefore speak unto them,
and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah:
Every man of the house of Israel
that taketh his idols into his heart,
and putteth the stumblingblock of his iniquity
before his face, and cometh to the prophet;
I Jehovah will answer him therein
according to the multitude of his idols;
(Ezekiel 14:4 - ASV)
God is sovereign and at times, God can send a message of judgment via the idols that men love. Be it the idol of occultism, witchcraft, atheism, partisanship or name the idols of our troubled times. God knows how to get a message to folks. But if he has to use those methods, you can be sure that whatever he has to tell folks, is going to be something they have long ignored and just don't want to hear. Like this time. Ever heard someone say be careful what you ask for, you just might get it? Well Saul is about to get what he asks for but it is not what he wanted.
This is a difficult passage but not that hard to understand. How was it that Samuel put it to Saul when he was alive?
For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft,
and stubbornness is as idolatry and teraphim.
Because thou hast rejected the word of Jehovah,
he hath also rejected thee from being king.
(1 Samuel 15:23 - ASV)
Saul's rebellion takes its final form in this misadventure into the realm of witchcraft and Samuel is once again, there to remind him of his wickedness.
We'll take a look at what follows next in this interesting passage of scripture next soon, God willing.
Back To Contents
We left off last time and David had spared Saul's life once again having taken his spear while he slept. The two were in the middle of a long distance conversation (probably shouting from quite a distance - see vs 26:13). Saul had finally admitted his great error.
The above passage begins with David showing off Saul's spear to him and saying David will allow one of Saul's attendants to come and get it. Dr. John Gill (1697-1771) remarks that this spear may have been a kind of ancient scepter, a symbol of kingly power. If this is the case then what David is subtly doing here is showing Saul that he is neither going to kill him nor steal his throne, but has put the matter in the hands of the Lord.
He then calls on God to render the proper reward as he has done what is right regarding Saul when God delivered Saul into his hands and would not slay God's anointed. He does not call upon nor rely upon the King's justice, on which David had little confidence, but in the Lord's. In this pronouncement to those in hearing distance, David seeks the Lord's help in any coming tribulation he may encounter. Clearly, he knows this thing is not over yet.
Then Saul said to David, Blessed be thou,Saul repents yet again and blesses David for saving him. He even acknowledges that David is going to win this whole 'war'. Saul? It's hard to get a fix on him but I think he was suffering from some kind of manic depression (bi-polar) disorder that probably was exploited by the evil spirits that were troubling him. But that is just my own non-medical opinion based on the scant evidence we have. Saul I think had some deep emotional and more importantly, spiritual 'issues' that began when he repeatedly rebelled against the Lord's commandments.
my son David: thou shalt both do mightily,
and shalt surely prevail.
So David went his way,
and Saul returned to his place.
(1 Samuel 26:25 - ASV)
After Saul's remarks, they part company.
And David said in his heart,David had to have seen Saul's emotional state and realized the king may have been on shaky ground regarding his mental state and realized he simply could not rely on Saul's transitory phases of 'repentance' to protect him and his band of men. So he decides to go to Philistia and live there in the hopes that Saul will give up his fits and starts that caused him to go and try to slay David.
I shall now perish one day by the hand of Saul:
there is nothing better for me
than that I should escape into
the land of the Philistines;
and Saul will despair of me,
to seek me any more in all the borders of Israel:
so shall I escape out of his hand.
And David arose, and passed over,
he and the six hundred men
that were with him,
unto Achish the son of Maoch,
king of Gath.
(1 Samuel 27:1-2 - ASV)
David here in my very humble opinion is making pretty much the same mistake he made before, running to the Philistines, the enemy of Israel; this after the Lord had delivered him time and again from Saul. John Gill (1697-1771) in his commentary notes that this may have been inadvisable because earlier on, he was told by the prophet Gad to go back to Judah while he was in exile in Moab (vs 22:5). It is in Judah where he had been protected. Why go back to the place where he had to pretend to be crazy in order to escape with this life? Why go to the idol worshiping enemies of the Lord? This looks to me almost like a kind of retreat in the face of an important victory.
Achish is the son of Moach. Gath is one of the principle cities of the Philistines. He was probably the same one we saw in chapter 21 and he may also be the same one we find in 1Kings 2:39 and if so, he reigned a very long time. But the name may have been a common one.
And David dwelt with Achish at Gath,The passage is self explanatory. The key I think is that Saul ceased to bother about David.
he and his men, every man with his household,
even David with his two wives,
Ahinoam the Jezreelitess,
and Abigail the Carmelitess, Nabal's wife.
And it was told Saul that David was fled to Gath:
and he sought no more again for him.
(1 Samuel 27:3-4 - ASV)
And David said unto Achish,
If now I have found favor in thine eyes,
let them give me a place in one of the cities
in the country, that I may dwell there:
for why should thy servant dwell
in the royal city with thee?
Then Achish gave him Ziklag that day:
wherefore Ziklag pertaineth
unto the kings of Judah unto this day.
And the number of the days that David dwelt
in the country of the Philistines was
a full year and four months.
(1 Samuel 27:5-7 - ASV)
This is rather remarkable and I think shows that even in David's faithlessness, he found favor in the eyes of this Philistine king. He asks for a city to go and dwell in. He does not wish to remain in the capitol and it is not clear why. Perhaps he wanted some space or perhaps he did not want to deal with court intrigue and the many who would question the king about David's presence, which if he lived in the capitol would be a constant reminder. So he asks for a city out in the country. But he may have merely wanted to be out of the King's observation so he could continue his feud with Saul and conduct raids. Zilkag, interestingly was once part of Israel in the times of Joshua (Joshua 19:5).
And David and his men went up,So David starts his raids. But these raids look like they were designed to eventually increase the Israel's lands and take back land that had been occupied by others and deal with Israel's enemies. For example, the Girzites you can find that this was apportioned to Joseph (Joshua 16:3 see also Deuteronomy 3:14 for the Geshurites). What David seems to be doing is hitting Israel's enemies and apparently trying to reclaim land that was part of the divine heritage.
and made a raid upon the Geshurites,
and the Girzites, and the Amalekites;
for those nations were the inhabitants of the land,
who were of old, as thou goest to Shur,
even unto the land of Egypt.
And David smote the land,
and saved neither man nor woman alive,
and took away the sheep, and the oxen,
and the asses, and the camels,
and the apparel;
and he returned,
and came to Achish.
(1 Samuel 27:8-9 - ASV)
David spared no one. If you were there, you were going down... six feet under. He took everything that was of value and then came back to the King.
And Achish said,So Achish wanted to know where David raided. Clearly he knew what David was up to and may have been asking because he wanted his 'cut' of the booty. He leaves the king with the impression that David is raiding his old home country but he isn't. Did he raid south of Judah? Yes. Did he raid Judah? No. David killed everyone because he did not want anyone to know who did this deed, particularly the King. The king may also have wanted some slaves ('to bring them to Gath').
Against whom have ye made a raid to-day?
And David said, Against the South of Judah,
and against the South of the Jerahmeelites,
and against the South of the Kenites.
And David saved neither man nor woman alive,
to bring them to Gath, saying,
Lest they should tell of us, saying,
So did David, and so hath been his manner
all the while he hath dwelt in the country of the Philistines.
And Achish believed David, saying,
He hath made his people Israel utterly to abhor him;
therefore he shall be my servant for ever.
(1 Samuel 27:10-12 - ASV)
Let's face it, David didn't lie about where he was, but he did not appear to tell the whole truth either. Better to let the King live in his delusions. The King had his own agenda as we can see. The more David raided Israel, the more he would be hated by his own people and thus would never be King, he would be a slave to the Philistines instead who could give him over to Israel to be dealt with for his marauding of his own people. Better to let the King think he was raiding Israel.
This is one of those episodes in the scriptures where men of God fail God. Here, it was not a major failure, but clearly David was losing faith and confidence in God's ability to protect him from Saul. So what did he do? He ran; and not only ran, but in the wrong direction - to the enemies of Israel. It may have very well appeared to Saul and much of Israel that David was not only a coward, but a traitor, for there he was in the Philistia working with Achish. Saul and his men may have figured David ruined his reputation to the point he could never be king.
But let us not be too hard on David. He has been a kind of vagabond for months, hanging out with a bunch of outlaws, being hunted by the king and dealing with all manner of mental and physical hardships, day in and day out. David may have just been wore out. Rather than keeping with his previous successful spiritual and tactical plans, he changes things up and not for the better by heading back to Philistia.
Where did David fail? I think he ceased to put his faith fully in God and began to concentrate on his circumstances, he forgot God's goodness and protection and caved in to worry.
Let none of us make that mistake. I know that it is very easy to do. I almost threw in the towel here at the site many years ago (some of you may remember) I was sooo tired and stressed. But God reminded me how he has kept me and this site going against all odds and the sniping, threats, hatred, negative comments and later break-ins, surveillance, stalking and harassment as well as many other things I went through and made it plain to not give up and that if I take care of his business, he will take care of mine. I may not have asked for this site or this ministry but God has given it to me and I have my orders.
You and I? Let us not go to Philistia; let us not look back at Sodom (like Lot's wife); let us keep our eyes front, moving forward in the path that God has set for each of us to walk in.
We will continue our look at Samuel soon, God willing!
Back To Contents
We left off last time with the list of David's wives and what happened to the marriage between him and Saul's daughter. Chapter 28 begins with a new attempt by Saul to get David, this after David spared Saul's life earlier. The Ziphites observed the location of David and ran to report the information to Saul, who frankly should have learned his lesson by now. But hearing the news, chooses to go and pursue David in the wilderness of Ziph.
And Saul encamped in the hill of Hachilah,Here we get the basics of the military situation. Saul encamped on the hill and David was in the wilderness. Saul took the high ground which is usually best for battle, but David was in the wilderness (4057 or pasture - Strong's Hebrew Bible Dictionary [1890]). Like any good commander, David double checks his information and sends out his intelligence people to find out if these things were so. This is an important thing to do in any kind of warfare. Check and double check your info and your sources.
which is before the desert, by the way.
But David abode in the wilderness,
and he saw that Saul came after him into the wilderness.
David therefore sent out spies, and understood
that Saul was come of a certainty.
(1 Samuel 26:3-4 - ASV)
This can also be a most useful as well to us living today, if only in the news and also in the religion (doctrine) arena, a battle we are all in weather we know it or not. Checking and double checking your information and sources is so very important in the time of the 'viral video', social media and false narratives. You want to keep from making a mistake and getting 'played'? Check everything you read on the internet particularly anything that is suddenly 'hot' in cyberspace or carried far and wide as being the 'truth'. I have found that in these troubled times, those who speak with a forked tongue too often, have the loudest voice. Remember our Bibles warn that deceit is pervasive in the last days (See Matthew 24:24; 2 Thessalonians 2:11; Revelation 12:9; 13:14).
And David arose,David did not act until he was certain and that he had a plan. The first step here in his tactics was to not avoid battle, he moved towards, rather than away from Saul's encampment.
and came to the place where Saul had encamped;
and David beheld the place where Saul lay,
and Abner the son of Ner, the captain of his host:
and Saul lay within the place of the wagons,
and the people were encamped round about him.
(1 Samuel 26:5 - ASV)
Then answered David and saidDavid calls his key men and asks who is going to go down and deal with this problem. We don't know much about Ahimelich the Hittite. According to the Smith Bible Dictionary (1863), Zeruiah was the mother of three of David's warriors, Abishai, Joash and Asahel. She was David's sister so these were his nephews (see 1 Chronicles 2:13ff). While Saul was sleeping they came in and crept into the camp and Abishai thrust a spear near Saul's head - this while others were asleep around him. This is the second time that it seems that Saul did not have adequate sentries posted while he slept. But there is another reason for this that will be later revealed. The same basic thing happened earlier at the cave. Saul clearly has a kind of learning disability. He seems to keep on making the same mistakes over and over again.
to Ahimelech the Hittite, and to Abishai
the son of Zeruiah, brother to Joab,
saying, Who will go down with me to Saul to the camp?
And Abishai said, I will go down with thee.
So David and Abishai came to the people by night:
and, behold, Saul lay sleeping within the place
of the wagons, with his spear stuck in the ground at his head;
and Abner and the people lay round about him.
Then said Abishai to David, God hath delivered
up thine enemy into thy hand this day:
now therefore let me smite him, I pray thee,
with the spear to the earth at one stroke,
and I will not smite him the second time.
(1 Samuel 26:6-8 - ASV)
Abishai remarks to David that the Lord has delivered Saul into his hand and then asks permission to kill him with Saul's own spear. He says he can Kill Saul with one blow and would not need to hit him a second time to make sure he was dead. Abishai here I think basically is offering to do the deed since David would not do it.
And David said, As Jehovah liveth,No, David was not going to do it; Saul's death may come, but not by his hand. But like last time, he was going to leave a 'message' for Saul that his life could have been taken. The message was the spear that was at his head would be taken as well as his bottle of water. Actually the word cruse signifies a saucer of some kind or perhaps a jug. They take the spear and water to let Saul know 'David was here'.
Jehovah will smite him; or his day shall come to die;
or he shall go down into battle and perish.
Jehovah forbid that I should put forth my hand
against Jehovah's anointed: but now take, I pray thee,
the spear that is at his head,
and the cruse of water,
and let us go.
(1 Samuel 26:10-11 - ASV)
So David took the spear
and the cruse of water from Saul's head;
and they gat them away: and no man saw it,
nor knew it, neither did any awake;
for they were all asleep,
because a deep sleep from Jehovah
was fallen upon them.
(1 Samuel 26:12 - ASV)
So here we see the real reason Saul's men would not awaken, God put them into a deep sleep.
and David cried to the people,David calls out to Abner, Saul's top warrior and Abner replies wanting to know who it is that wants to address the King. David does not do what warriors often do, begin to insult or harangue Abner. No, he addresses him with respect by calling him a valiant warrior and acknowledging his well earned reputation. But after he honors him, he then chides him - 'why is that you were not keeping watch over the King? What were you doing sleeping on the job?' Someone crept into the camp to kill the king, what is your excuse?", is the gist of David's words. 'Go and see - where is the King's spear and his bottle of sparkling mineral water?
and to Abner the son of Ner, saying,
Answerest thou not, Abner?
Then Abner answered and said,
Who art thou that criest to the king?
And David said to Abner,
Art not thou a valiant man?
and who is like to thee in Israel?
wherefore then hast thou not
kept watch over thy lord the king?
for there came one of the people in
to destroy the king thy lord.
This thing is not good that thou hast done.
As Jehovah liveth, ye are worthy to die,
because ye have not kept watch over your lord,
Jehovah's anointed. And now see where the king's spear is,
and the cruse of water that was at his head.
(1 Samuel 26:14-16 - ASV)
David made Abner look pretty bad here.
And Saul knew David's voice,
and said, Is this thy voice, my son David?
And David said, It is my voice, my lord,
O king. And he said, Wherefore doth my lord
pursue after his servant? for what have I done?
or what evil is in my hand?
(1 Samuel 26:17-18 - ASV)
Saul hears David's voice and speaks. David replies that it's him and wants to know what evil he has done that he has come out against him as though he were some criminal, 'What have I done?'
Now therefore, I pray thee,David here is saying that if God is using you to punish me for some sin, then I will make an offering to God with regards to it. But if it be people who are egging you on to come and attack me, David curses them in the name of the Lord because they are standing in the way his divinely appointed inheritance. In so doing, they could wind up forcing David to go and live with the heathen and thus tempt him away from the Holy land and the religion of the Lord. This apparently is what is meant by 'Go, serve other gods' at the end of verse 19. He would be forced outside of the nation where the Lord is worshiped.
let my lord the king hear the words of his servant.
If it be Jehovah that hath stirred thee up against me,
let him accept an offering: but if it be the children of men,
cursed be they before Jehovah: for they have
driven me out this day that I should not cleave
unto the inheritance of Jehovah, saying,
Go, serve other gods. Now therefore,
let not my blood fall to the earth away
from the presence of Jehovah: for the king of Israel
is come out to seek a flea, as when one
doth hunt a partridge in the mountains.
(1 Samuel 26:19-20 - ASV)
Now therefore, let not my blood fall to the earth
away from the presence of Jehovah:
for the king of Israel is come out to seek a flea,
as when one doth hunt a partridge in the mountains.
Then said Saul, I have sinned: return, my son David;
for I will no more do thee harm,
because my life was precious in thine eyes this day:
behold, I have played the fool,
and have erred exceedingly.
(1 Samuel 26:20-21 - ASV)
David here entreats the king like a subject, not a rival to the throne and asks that the King not kill him or perhaps having him die in some distant land. He tells the king he is not worth all the trouble he is going through. Saul repents of the evil he had planned and realizes he made a mistake.
David once again here takes the high road. He refuses to take vengeance nor to do the King wrong, no matter how much wrong the King has done him. David will not stain his sword with the blood of Saul. He has put is fate firmly in the hands of the Lord.
We will continue our look at Samuel soon, God willing!
Back To Contents
And David said to Abigail,We left off last time and Nabal's wife, Abigail had wisely entreated David not to go and destroy her husband and household and she also brought David and his men some food after David was coldly rejected by Nabal.
Blessed be Jehovah, the God of Israel,
who sent thee this day to meet me:
and blessed be thy discretion,
and blessed be thou, that hast kept me
this day from bloodguiltiness, and from
avenging myself with mine own hand.
For in very deed, as Jehovah,
the God of Israel, liveth,
who hath withholden me from hurting thee,
except thou hadst hasted and come to meet me,
surely there had not been left
unto Nabal by the morning light so much
as one man-child.
(1 Samuel 25:32-34 - ASV)
Abigail's entreaty does the trick. David was absolutely incensed over the way Nabal had treated him while he and his men looked out for his sheep. But in his rage he would have committed a grave wrong and horrible evil that he would later certainly have regretted. David here blesses the Lord for sending her to him. He also blesses her discretion (2940 in Strong's Hebrew Bible Dictionary - 1890). David and his men were clearly just about ready to depart to mess the place up. The long and short of it is, that if she had not come, there would have been a serious massacre. Such a massacre would not play well, PR wise for a new, soon to be King. Men would hear about it and it could have proved problematic for David down the road - 'David the slaughterer of herdsmen' may have become his nickname. So David appears to be genuinely grateful for her sage advice in ceasing from this slaughter.
So David received of her handDavid here shows that he can be entreated and tells Abigail to go in peace, he won't come down and destroy her and Nabal's house.
that which she had brought him:
and he said unto her, Go up in peace
to thy house; see, I have hearkened
to thy voice, and have accepted thy person.
(1 Samuel 25:35 - ASV)
And Abigail came to Nabal;
and, behold, he held a feast in his house,
like the feast of a king; and Nabal's heart
was merry within him, for he was
very drunken: wherefore she told him nothing,
less or more, until the morning light.
And it came to pass in the morning,
when the wine was gone out of Nabal,
that his wife told him these things,
and his heart died within him,
and he became as a stone.
And it came to pass about ten days after,
that Jehovah smote Nabal,
so that he died.
(1 Samuel 25:36-38 - ASV)
So here we see that Abigail, still was loyal to her husband. She did not hide her meeting with David but did tell him, but had to wait until he was sober to do it. We don't know what is meant exactly that he became as a stone, but to me it seems that he may have become enraged to such a degree that he had a stroke and it was followed by paralysis, which caused his death. The lesson here is that men like Nabal who insult and return evil for good that a man of God shows them will often pay a very hefty price.This was truly a humble woman. She gets this news and bows her face to the ground and then says she is willing to perform the most menial jobs for her lord (wash the feet). I think here she shows both humility and gratitude to David, whom she knew would one day be king. She got up with her maidens and traveled to David and they were married. Matthew Henry (1662-1714) in his commentary notes interestingly that this looks like a kind of courtship by proxy, for David's men went to her and made the proposal.
And when David heard that Nabal was dead,David here acknowledges the hand of the Lord in Nabal's death and clearly Nabal had a very bad reputation as an evil man. David now wants to make Abigail his wife. So he sends his people to her for this purpose.
he said, Blessed be Jehovah,
that hath pleaded the cause of
my reproach from the hand of Nabal,
and hath kept back his servant from evil:
and the evil-doing of Nabal hath Jehovah
returned upon his own head.
And David sent and spake concerning Abigail,
to take her to him to wife. And when
the servants of David were come to
Abigail to Carmel, they spake unto her,
saying, David hath sent us unto thee,
to take thee to him to wife.
(1 Samuel 25:39-40 - ASV)
Now David already had a wife, King Saul's daughter Michal but what happened here at least in part, will be explained in just a bit. So this would have been the second (recorded) wife of David. Polygamy is not specifically forbidden in the Old Testament and even in the new, it is only an impediment to high Church office (though you will find many who will argue that point). But it is certainly true that monogamy is by far the most acceptable version of marriage, Biblically speaking. Before anyone gets on their high 'moral' horse and condemns how this was done back in the ancient world consider this. Back in the olden days, marriage was a way for a woman to get protection. A woman who had no husband did not have many options to survive and make a living and could easily fall into slavery, prostitution or slip into poverty. Allowing a man to have more than one wife was one way to solve that problem as such women could get protection from a husband who was already married. But as we saw with Solomon, having many wives can be a real snare to a man.
It is not clear what would have happened to Nabal's ranch after he died as far as Abigail is concerned as I am not sure about the law regarding property and a deceased husband.
And she arose, and bowed herself
with her face to the earth,
and said, Behold, thy handmaid
is a servant to wash the feet
of the servants of my lord. And Abigail hasted,
and arose, and rode upon an ass,
with five damsels of hers that followed her;
and she went after the messengers of David,
and became his wife.
(1 Samuel 25:41-42 - ASV)
Marriage by proxy (not exactly the same as courting by proxy) was something that did happen in the Middle Ages. I can remember a scene from a rather interesting BBC TV mini-series where there is a scene where Henry VII's son Arthur, is married by proxy to Catherine of Aragon, who would later become Henry VIII's first wife. She was one of his wives that escaped him with her head still attached to her body (!).
David also took Ahinoam of Jezreel;It appears that this was not the first wife David took while in his wanderings. The best evidence is that Ahinoam was the first one (after Michal) and she bore him his firstborn (2 Samuel 3:2). So David had at least two wives, three if you still count Michal. But the last verse seems to indicate that the rupture in relations between David and the current royal family was compete and Saul had given Michal to another. All of these wives and their children... well there is a story that unfolds later that will be told, God willing. I think the lesson here is that while God may allow multiple wives, it's just not a good idea on any level. One spouse can be a headache, two doubles your trouble!
and they became both of them his wives.
Now Saul had given Michal his daughter,
David's wife, to Palti
the son of Laish,
who was of Gallim.
(1 Samuel 25:43-44 - ASV)
We will continue our look at Samuel, soon, God willing!
Back To Contents
And there was a man in Maon,We left off last time and David had headed off to the wilderness of Paran after having had a conversation with Saul at the cave. David in his wanderings comes to Maon and meets up with Nabal. The author here gives us a little background on this man. He was in short, a nasty piece of work, but he did have a wife who was wise and in today's jargon, was quite a looker. This is all taking place in Judah. The name Nabal actually means fool.
whose possessions were in Carmel;
and the man was very great,
and he had three thousand sheep,
and a thousand goats:
and he was shearing his sheep in Carmel.
Now the name of the man was Nabal;
and the name of his wife Abigail;
and the woman was of good understanding,
and of a beautiful countenance:
but the man was churlish and evil in his doings;
and he was of the house of Caleb.
(1 Samuel 25:2-3 - ASV)
And David heard in the wildernessThe long and short of this is that David is saluting Nabal and sends several men to him as a sign of respect, shows him honor by wishing him peace. He relates how he has come into contact with his shepherds and did them no wrong. In fact, David and his men protected them while in their company. He then asks if he can share in what Nabal has as he is shearing. This was according to some commentaries, some kind of festival and this kind of thing was customary. What David here is doing seems to be asking for a little recompense for the service he has rendered to Nabal and his shepherds.
that Nabal was shearing his sheep.
And David sent ten young men,
and David said unto the young men,
Get you up to Carmel, and go to Nabal,
and greet him in my name:
and thus shall ye say to him
that liveth in prosperity,
Peace be unto thee,
and peace be to thy house,
and peace be unto all that thou hast.
And now I have heard that thou hast shearers:
thy shepherds have now been with us,
and we did them no hurt,
neither was there aught missing unto them,
all the while they were in Carmel.
Ask thy young men, and they will tell thee:
wherefore let the young men
find favor in thine eyes;
for we come in a good day: give,
I pray thee, whatsoever cometh to thy hand,
unto thy servants, and to thy son David.
(1 Samuel 25:4-8 - ASV)
And when David's young men came,Nabal in essence, tells David and his men to get lost. While Nabal asks the question who is David, the fact that he calls him the son of Jesse seem to indicate that he knows exactly who David is and probably knows that he is also the Lord's anointed. These things don't concern him. Then he adds insult to injury and implies that David is a run-away slave (vs. 10). He is implying that David and his men are nothing more than a band of renegades. Nabal is not giving them anything. Given the customs of time, this is a deep insult.
they spake to Nabal according to all those words
in the name of David, and ceased.
And Nabal answered David's servants,
and said, Who is David?
and who is the son of Jesse?
there are many servants now-a-days
that break away every man from his master.
Shall I then take my bread, and my water,
and my flesh that I have killed for my shearers,
and give it unto men of whom
I know not whence they are?
(1 Samuel 25:9-11 - ASV)
So David's young men turned on their way,When David gets this report, he is understandably angry... very angry. His men were told to prepare as though going onto battle. This kind of insult was not going to go unrecompensed. Two hundred of his men were going to remain behind at camp to watch over their supplies. The rest were ready for battle. This may seem like a bit of an overreaction, but those were different times and very different customs - customs that basically ran ancient society. Nabal's actions demonstrate a kind of 'law of the jungle' mentality - requiting good with evil. David here is probably making it plain with his preparations, "You want law of the jungle? We can do law of the jungle. We will be the tiger and you will be the prey."
and went back, and came and told him
according to all these words.
And David said unto his men,
Gird ye on every man his sword.
And they girded on every man his sword;
and David also girded on his sword:
and there went up after David
about four hundred men;
and two hundred
abode by the baggage.
(1 Samuel 25:12-13 - ASV)
But one of the young men told Abigail,Here one of Nabal's servants, whom David and his men were probably with in the wilderness reports the goings on to Nabal's wife. 'Look, that bonehead of a husband you have just sent David's men away with insults after they looked after us in the wilderness. Get ready, because they are coming and mean to do this whole house some very serious mischief', would probably be a was to paraphrase it
Nabal's wife, saying, Behold,
David sent messengers out of the wilderness
to salute our master; and he railed at them.
But the men were very good unto us,
and we were not hurt, neither missed
we anything, as long as we went with them,
when we were in the fields: they were
a wall unto us both by night and by day,
all the while we were with them
keeping the sheep. Now therefore know
and consider what thou wilt do;
for evil is determined against our master,
and against all his house:
for he is such a worthless fellow,
that one cannot speak to him.
(1 Samuel 25:14-17 - ASV)
How many of you have seen this kind of thing before? A man will all the sense of a piece of granite and a woman who has to keep on stepping in to keep him from 'stepping in it', over and over and over again. One has to feel for such a woman and their travails, year in and year out.
Having dealt with such people in the past let me give you a tip. Don't bother trying to help, inform or instruct such a person and do what you can to keep a safe distance from them. They are a danger to themselves and everyone they come in contact with. In this case, all his house nearly got killed because of his folly.
Then Abigail made haste,
and took two hundred loaves,
and two bottles of wine,
and five sheep ready dressed,
and five measures of parched grain,
and a hundred clusters of raisins,
and two hundred cakes of figs,
and laid them on asses.
And she said unto her young men,
Go on before me; behold,
I come after you.
But she told not her husband Nabal.
(1 Samuel 25:18-19 - ASV)
Nabal had a wife he certainly did not deserve. After getting this news she got some victuals together and got them ready for transport to David and his men. This was quite a bit of food she sent ahead and it was wise to send the food ahead before she arrived. It would help to lessen David's anger at the insult he had received at the hand of Nabal. Naturally, she had too much sense to tell her husband what she was up to. This way, they could all be saved. She was trying to save Nabal, herself and his servants from almost certain destruction for David was truly enraged.
And it was so, as she rode on her ass,David is basically saying to his men 'Here I was out in the wilderness protecting his sheep (all that he hath) so that he did not lose a thing and this is how he repays me!'
and came down by the covert of the mountain,
that, behold, David and his men
came down toward her; and she met them.
Now David had said, Surely in vain have
I kept all that this fellow hath in the wilderness,
so that nothing was missed of all that
pertained unto him: and he hath returned
me evil for good. God do so unto the enemies of David,
and more also, if I leave of all that pertain
to him by the morning light
so much as one man-child.
(1 Samuel 25:20-22 - ASV)
And when Abigail saw David,
she hasted, and alighted from her ass,
and fell before David on her face,
and bowed herself to the ground.
And she fell at his feet, and said,
Upon me, my lord, upon me be the iniquity;
and let thy handmaid, I pray thee,
speak in thine ears, and hear thou
the words of thy handmaid.
(1 Samuel 25:23-24 - ASV)
Abigail realized the danger her household is in and David's anger. She comes before David as a suppliant, on her face expressing both deep humility and respect. She asks that the sin of her husband be laid upon her and that David would spare some time and hear what she has to say.
Let not my lord, I pray thee,
regard this worthless fellow, even Nabal;
for as his name is, so is he;
Nabal is his name, and folly is with him:
but I thy handmaid saw not the young men
of my lord, whom thou didst send.
Now therefore, my lord, as Jehovah liveth,
and as thy soul liveth,
seeing Jehovah hath withholden thee
from bloodguiltiness, and from avenging
thyself with thine own hand,
now therefore let thine enemies,
and them that seek
evil to my lord, be as Nabal.
(1 Samuel 25:25-26 - ASV)
Abigail should have been a diplomat! She knew how to appeal to David and lets him know she knows what kind of husband she has. She tells him she did not know of the recent exchange between the two and only just found out. She then carefully lets David know that she is the instrument from keeping David from a very great sin (bloodguiltiness) and subtly reminds David that he should not take vengeance with his own hand, however justified he may think he is.
She then hopes that all of David's enemies are like Nabal, not very bright and impotent to bring any harm to David. Some think that Abigail who was a woman of understanding, was actually issuing a prophecy to David and that what she was really saying is that Nabal is not going to be around long and may all of your enemies suffer the same fate. She seems to be saying, 'don't play the fool by sinning greatly against God because of a fool. He is of no account, Don't bother with him, he ain't worth it.'
And now this presentAbigail continues with her marvelous entreaty to David which is also a kind of prophecy. She knows exactly who David is and that God is with him. That he, with God's help will take care of his enemies. She is clearly aware of the powerful anointing on David and the future God has in store for him. She confers this blessing/prophecy on him and says that when he comes to the throne, he should not have to look back on this incident with deep regret - having slaughtered so many over an insult made by a person whose name literally means fool. She then asks that David remember her when he comes to the throne.
which thy servant hath brought unto my lord,
let it be given unto the young men
that follow my lord. Forgive, I pray thee,
the trespass of thy handmaid:
for Jehovah will certainly make
my lord a sure house, because my lord fighteth
the battles of Jehovah;
and evil shall not be found in thee all thy days.
And though men be risen up to pursue thee,
and to seek thy soul, yet the soul of
my lord shall be bound in the bundle of life
with Jehovah thy God; and the souls of thine enemies,
them shall he sling out, as from the hollow of a sling.
And it shall come to pass, when Jehovah
shall have done to my lord according
to all the good that he hath spoken concerning thee,
and shall have appointed thee prince over Israel,
that this shall be no grief unto thee,
nor offence of heart unto my lord,
either that thou hast shed blood without cause,
or that my lord hath avenged himself.
And when Jehovah shall have dealt
well with my lord, then remember thy handmaid.
(1 Samuel 25:27-31 - ASV)
Abigail's faith is noteworthy. It is also tragic that she was married to a man like Nabal. But she shows herself to be a wise woman and one who clearly honored the Lord. Despite living with a bad husband, she was able to rise above her situation. She may have used her situation and past incidents with Nabal to teach David something she learned over the years. She had dealt with Nabal for a long time and probably had to bite her tongue and hold back her actions against him on more than a few occasions, refused to sin even though she may have been often provoked. She was not going to fight folly with folly. This was in essence the message at least in part she was giving to David.
We will continue our look at the book of Samuel soon, God willing!
Back To Contents
After whom is the king of Israel come out?We left off last time with Saul and David having a verbal exchange outside of the cave after David had cut off a part of the King's garment. David here continues his words to the King asking if had come out against a dead dog or a flea. The dead dog metaphor perhaps alludes to the evil things that were said about David - that he was no good. The flea metaphor? Perhaps that he was very lowly and of little account. But David here puts his faith in God and tells the King that he is going to let God handle this one and asks God to deliver him out of the Kings hand. David is learning through adversity to put his trust fully in God, his timing and his justice.
after whom dost thou pursue?
after a dead dog, after a flea.
Jehovah therefore be judge,
and give sentence between me and thee,
and see,and plead my cause,
and deliver me out of thy hand.
(1 Samuel 24:14-15 - ASV)
And it came to pass,
when David had made an end
of speaking these words unto Saul,
that Saul said, Is this thy voice, my son David?
And Saul lifted up his voice,
and wept.
(1 Samuel 24:16 - ASV)
Clearly something here changed in Saul and his heart appears to have been genuinely moved by David's words. Perhaps it was just the sound of his voice that reminded him of the past. He refers to him as his son, which in effect he was, for he had married the kings daughter. Saul cried after hearing David speak. What kind of weeping was it? Genuine or like that of Esau? It was probably genuine, but did it really have that spirit of repentance in it? I think Saul was genuinely moved and perhaps was wondering how he could have thought all of those evil things about David that he did.
And he said to David,
Thou art more righteous than I;
for thou hast rendered unto me good,
whereas I have rendered unto thee evil.
And thou hast declared this day
how that thou hast dealt well with me,
forasmuch as when Jehovah had
delivered me up into thy hand,
thou killedst me not.
For if a man find his enemy,
will he let him go well away?
wherefore Jehovah reward thee good
for that which thou hast done
unto me this day.
(1 Samuel 24:17-19 - ASV)
Saul I think realizes he could be quite dead were it not for David's kindness and unwillingness to take his life as he was encouraged to do by his men. No, David was indeed taking the high road and here Saul acknowledges that David had done right and Saul even acknowledges his own evil intentions.Saul here acknowledges that David is going to be king. He asks that his children, his family will not be killed when he reigns. This was often done to ensure that there is no focus of rebellion by a pretender who has or claims to have the proper lineage. Saul asks David to make an oath he would not kill his children. Saul knew that David would be bound by such an oath, though Saul's word? Well... see 1 Samuel 19:6. This promise is the same thing Jonathan asked of David earlier (1 Samuel 20:15).
And now, behold,
I know that thou shalt surely be king,
and that the kingdom of Israel
shall be established in thy hand.
Swear now therefore unto me by Jehovah,
that thou wilt not cut off my seed after me,
and that thou wilt not destroy my name
out of my father's house.
And David sware unto Saul.
And Saul went home;
but David and his men
gat them up unto the stronghold.
(1 Samuel 24:20-22 - ASV)
The two part ways, but David rather than going back home and to his wife stays with his men in their stronghold. He may have been ready to forgive Saul his malice, but that did not mean he was going to put his trust in him and come back as though everything was OK. No sir, that could very well be the fast lane to an early grave. No, better to stay with the men who had stayed with him through thick and thin than with a king who might very well change his mind and cast another spear at him.
And Samuel died;
and all Israel gathered themselves together,
and lamented him, and buried him
in his house at Ramah. And David arose,
and went down to the wilderness of Paran.
(1 Samuel 25:1 - ASV)
Samuel, God's reliable prophet has died but we cannot be certain when this was from the passage. Some think it happened many months before. We can't really be sure but the fact that it was inserted here makes many believe that this was about when it happened. Dr. John Gill (1697-1771) in his Bible commentary has some comments on this you may find of interest.
Israel owed much to Samuel. It was he that really kept the nation in covenant with God and he could always be depended upon to do what God asked. If we recall, before Saul rose to the throne, he was the de-facto ruler of Israel, the one people went to, for he was the Judge (the last of Israel's Judges) as well as a prophet. This changed only because of the behavior of his sons. He was still deeply respected and loved.
It was to Israel's folly that she chose to have a king instead of the system God had set up. Their choice for a king deeply hurt both the Lord and Samuel.
We are not sure who finished writing this book as the first section is often ascribed to Samuel but many think it was either Nathan, the prophet Gad or both.
David's move to Paran does not seem to be directly connected with Saul's passing. It is associated with part of the desert of the Sinai in ancient times. A city by that name exists today in southern Israel.
What seems clear is that David is continuing his wanderings and is not in any hurry to return to the royal court. Why here? It is hard to say, but David had a few hundred men with him and they needed sustenance. He may have decided the best place to get it was outside of Israel away from Saul and his spies.
We will continue our look at Samuel soon, God willing!
Back To Contents
Note: The Bible version usually quoted from on this site is now the American Standard Version, which according to Wikipedia, the Sword Project and various other Bible sites, was published in 1901 and is now in the Public Domain.
Additionally, Bible commentaries and dictionaries mentioned herein are almost always very old (usually published in the 1800's or before). I often reference them with both the common names of the work as well as the original publishing date or the birth and death years of the author. I gravitate to older, more conservative scholarship when studying the Bible.
Finally, at times you will find an 'ff' after a referenced verse, this merely means 'and forward' or 'follow forward' for the whole meaning of the text.