1 Samuel 29: 1-4 “Then the Philistines gathered together all their armies at Aphek, and the Israelites encamped by a fountain which is in Jezreel. And the lords of the Philistines passed in review by hundreds and by thousands, but David and his men passed in review at the rear with Achish. Then the princes of the Philistines said, “What are these Hebrews doing here?” And Achish said to the princes of the Philistines, “Is this not David, the servant of Saul king of Israel, who has been with me these days, or these years? And to this day I have found no fault in him since he defected to me.” But the princes of the Philistines were angry with him; so the princes of the Philistines said to him, “Make this fellow return, that he may go back to the place which you have appointed for him, and do not let him go down with us to battle, lest in the battle he become our adversary. For with what could he reconcile himself to his master, if not with the heads of these men?”
David, like so many of us, finds himself in a place he thought he should be, but not the place God wanted him to be. It is at this juncture in David’s early life that God intervenes in a way that only God can do. There are some things that happen in this simple chapter that reveal a major turning point in what God has in store for David. How many of us have found ourselves in a place we shouldn’t be only to have God through divine revelation or conviction bring us into the place He wants us to be?
David found that although you may camp with the enemy, you will not always be accepted by the enemy.
The princes of the Philistines watched hundreds, even thousands of troops march by, but they immediately recognized David and his men as the enemy. David was still the giant-killer to them and still the champion of Israel even though he was in their midst. David may have convinced himself he was in the right place, but he couldn’t hide who he really was from those that knew him. David’s reputation had preceded him and it was more than his enemies were able to accept.
David found that his so-called defection had convinced Achish of his loyalty. To defect means to “go to the opposite side”. David not only was a talented musician under God’s anointing, but he was also a good actor in his own right. He had completely convinced Achish that he was on his side even though he had been playing him from the beginning. God has a way of dealing with those who defect from the faith. He does not force them back home or to return to Him, but He does place situations in their path to get their attention and make them remember who they are and where they should be.
David was forced to go back to his appointed place. Ziklag was the place that Achish had appointed for David and his men to dwell in. This was many miles away from where the Philistines destination was to be and the angry princes wanted as much distance between themselves and the warriors with David. They were afraid that in the heat of the battle against his own kinsmen that he and his men would turn on them, execute them, and remove their heads. They thought in their minds that this was a perfect scenario to get back on the good side of Saul.
David lost the favor of the enemy. Achish is convinced of the sincerity of David, but the other rulers are not. Somehow or another, they sensed that David was not all that he appeared to be. David, continuing the charade he has for many months, appears to be upset they would not trust him in battle. He questions why, but God had other plans to get David’s attention on the horizon that he was not aware of.
When the light comes on, you will have to move.
Verses 9-11 “Then Achish answered and said to David, “I know that you are as good in my sight as an angel of God; nevertheless the princes of the Philistines have said, ‘He shall not go up with us to the battle.’ Now therefore, rise early in the morning with your master’s servants who have come with you. And as soon as you are up early in the morning and have light, depart.” So David and his men rose early to depart in the morning, to return to the land of the Philistines.”
Three things are significant in this passage:
-First, God would not allow David to go to combat against his own kinsman. He had faked it before, but God would not permit him to do so because he had bigger plans for David when he finally came to himself.
-Secondly, when the light came on David had to leave the camp of his enemy. He did not leave in darkness, but he left early in the morning when the sun arose or when the light came on. When God turns on the light you cannot stand the darkness. You will have to move from the darkness because darkness cannot tolerate the light.
-Thirdly, he had to depart from the presence of his enemies, yet he still returned to a land that he did not belong in. You will continue to go to the wrong places if you do not give everything to the Lord that He asks you to give.
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