Sunday, August 20, 2023

1 Samuel 29:1

1 Samuel 29:1 says, Now the Philistines gathered together all their armies to Aphek: and the Israelites pitched by a fountain which is in Jezreel. Both armies were gathered together to go to war with each other.  We may not like to admit it, but we are at war with Satan and his forces today, and we need to always be ready to engage in the battle under the leadership of the Holy Spirit.  Verse two adds, And the lords of the Philistines passed on by hundreds, and by thousands: but David and his men passed on in the rereward with Achish.  The Philistines passed by in hundreds and thousands.  This was a large, organized army.  David was in a bad situation.  He was ready to go to war against his own people out of loyalty to Achish, but if he did and Saul was killed in the battle, then the people of Israel would say he was just out to kill Saul so that he could claim the throne.  Remaining neutral would have brought his courage into question.  We can not just remain neutral in the battle against evil today.  Verse three continues, Then said the princes of the Philistines, 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, which hath been with me these days, or these years, and I have found no fault in him since he fell unto me unto this day? The Philistines asked what David and his men, who were Hebrews and therefore the enemy, were doing in the camp of the Philistines.  Achish said it was David, who had never done anything to harm him.  We might be safe in the enemy camp today, but that doesn't mean that we should be or that they will ever truly trust and respect us.  Verse four states, And the princes of the Philistines were wroth with him; and the princes of the Philistines said unto him, Make this fellow return, that he may go again to his place which thou hast appointed him, and let him not go down with us to battle, lest in the battle he be an adversary to us: for wherewith should he reconcile himself unto his master? should it not be with the heads of these men?  The other Philistine leaders told Achish to send David back to where he had been staying.  They were afraid that in the battle David might decide to be loyal to Saul and fight against them from within.  They were providing David with a way out of his dilemma without even realizing it.  Of course, I believe that God was at work in the situation, just as He will be in any situation that we find ourselves in today, even if it is of our own making.  Verse five adds, Is not this David, of whom they sang one to another in dances, saying, Saul slew his thousands, and David his ten thousands?  They pointed out that David had killed many more Philistines than Saul had, not to mention killing Goliath when Saul was afraid to face him.  As Christians we should be known for standing up to the forces of evil today.  Verse six continues, Then Achish called David, and said unto him, Surely, as the LORD 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 favour thee not.  Achish called David and told him that he had always been upright in his dealings with him,and then said that the lords of the Philistines didn't favor David being in the battle.  Of course, David had done some things that Achish did not know about.  I believe that we as followers of Christ should always be open and honest in our dealings with the people of the world, but even if we are, some are still going to see us as a threat, whether we really are or not.  Verse seven says, Wherefore now return, and go in peace, that thou displease not the lords of the Philistines.  Achish told David to return to where he had been staying and to go in peace.  He told David to do this so that the lords of the Philistines would not be displeased.  God was providing David with a way out, even if He may not have been behind David’s decision to go to the Philistines to start with.  As Christians, if we get ourselves into a bad situation, as long a we remain faithful to God, He will be at work to get us out of it.  Verse eight adds, And David said unto Achish, But what have I done? and what hast thou found in thy servant so long as I have been with thee unto this day, that I may not go fight against the enemies of my lord the king?  David swore loyalty to Achish, calling him his lord and king and asking what he had ever done to make Achish distrust him.  It seems that even though David would not kill Saul when he twice had the chance that he was willing to go to war against his own people.  I don't believe this was something that God would have ever endorsed, just as He doesn't endorse His people being at war with each other today.  If we are, we are helping the enemies of God.  Verse nine continues, 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.  Achish said he knew David had been faithful to him, but the rest of the lords of the Philistines didn't want David in the battle with them.  It would be a good thing if those who oppose God would see us as a threat to them, even while we are in their midst and haven't really done anything to harm them.  Verse ten states, Wherefore now rise up early in the morning with thy master’s servants that are come with thee: and as soon as ye be up early in the morning, and have light, depart.  Achish told David to get up early the next day and take his men and leave.  Verse eleven adds, So David and his men rose up early to depart in the morning, to return into the land of the Philistines. And the Philistines went up to Jezreel.  David and his men got up early and returned to where they had been staying in the land of  the Philistines, who went up to Jezreel to get ready to make war against Israel.  Again, I don't believe that we as Christians should ever be hiding out in the enemy camp, even if we are physically safe there.  In the war with the enemies of God comes, we need to be standing firmly with our fellow Christians. 

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