1 Samuel Chapters 26,27,28,29,30,31 Commentary

First Samuel Chapters 26-31 Chapter 26 26:1 For the second time (23:19), the Ziphites were the informers as to David’s location. 26:2-4 David had his own network and knew that Saul was coming after him. “Though David remained isolated and inaccessible to those seeking his life, he did send out scouts who came close enough to the royal troops to learn that Saul had definitely arrived” (Bergen p. 256). 26:5 Here we learn that Abner the son of Ner was the top military official in Saul’s army. 26:6 Though Ahimelech had a Hittite background, his name was Semitic. “Added to the fact that he was in David’s circle of trusted associated, suggests that his family (or at least he) had adopted Israelite cultural and religious practices, including the worship of Yahweh” (Bergen p. 256). “Abishai”(ah BISH a eye) was the oldest son of Zeruiah, David’s half-sister, and brother of Joab and Asahel (2 Samuel 2:18). He was one of David’s mighty men (2 Samuel 23:18; 1 Chronicles 11:20). He would remain wholly dedicated to David, even through such crises as the rebellion of Absalom (2 Samuel 16:9, 18-20).

26:7-11 Having found Saul asleep and his own spear by his head, Abishai wanted to take advantage of the opportunity and kill him, yet David refused. Consider David’s reasoning, he was leaving room for the wrath of God (Romans 12:18ff). “David was not an usurper, and he would not assassinate Israel’s anointed king. David knew that God would remove Saul from office by His own means and according to His own perfect timing” (Laney p. 75).

“This ability to continue to trust God with his life was one of the dominant characteristics of David’s life. Sometimes it seems easier to try to ‘help God’ make things happen rather than trust in God’s timetable” (Williams p. 206). It appears that David has learned something in the previous chapter. He had relented on his decision to wipeout Nabal and his servants, and in a very brief period of time, God had struck Nabal dead.

David is content to give God the right to deal with Saul in the way that

God chooses, even if God allows Saul to simply die a natural death. How many of us are outraged when a wicked person is allowed to die a natural death at a ripe old age? And yet, don’t we realize that a natural death for the unsaved means eternal condemnation? The evil person who dies peacefully in their sleep hasn’t escaped God’s judgment!

David refused to take the law into his own hands. “Any believer will face predicaments in which he does not know how God will bring relief but does know what is or is not God’s will for him. For example, a Christian cannot guess how Christ will bring resolution to a marital problem but does know that he (for instance) must not commit adultery against his wife…

God’s ways may not be clear but our way is---at least enough of it to know what obedience requires. We may wait for God’s providence but we already have God’s law, and that is all we need for the moment” (Dale Ralph Davis p. 130). Note, the confusion in life may be over how a certain situation will resolve itself, but even in confusing situations, we always have God’s law to guide us concerning our obligations in the matter (2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:3).

It would be a misapplication of the above passages to say that evil people should never be punished in this life, because God has given civil government the right to punish the wicked (Romans 13:1-4), and the Church has the right to disfellowship the unrepentant sinner (Matthew 18:17).

26:11 David can still rebuke Saul. He will take the spear and water-jug and use it to convict Saul of his ungodly behavior. 26:12 Once again, God is working for David. “The compiler of the story wanted to be sure that his readers would realize that Saul’s efforts were frustrated by God’s activity, not David’s cunning. One of the most natural and dangerous tendencies of many Christians is to ask for God’s help in our difficult times and afterward to act like we made it on our own” (Williams p. 206).

26:13-16 “David’s satire is simple: For such a premier career man Abner has proven a shoddy bodyguard; indeed, all of them have. The whole lot of them are ‘sons of death’, that is, all Saul’s men should be courtmartialed and executed for failure to protect the life of the king” (Dale Ralph Davis p. 131). 26:17-20 David has three questions for Saul: 1. In essence, David demanded an explanation for Saul’s continual hostility toward him. David expressed his willingness to offer an atoning sacrifice to God if there has been any offense on his part. 2. On the other hand, if evil men had caused Saul’s hostility toward David, they should be judged.

3. “The phrase, ‘Go, serve other gods’, reflects David’s feeling that his exile from the land was virtually equivalent to forcing him to abandon the worship of Yahweh, for there were no sanctuaries to Yahweh outside

Israelite territory” (Laney pp. 75-76). While David could still worship Jehovah in private (David knew that he could pray to God at any time or in any place). But, in trying to hide from Saul, David was being deprived of public worship. “To be cut off from the ordinances of public worship is David’s most severe grief. Would that cause me anguish? Christians have surpassed David in privileges but few have approached him in appetite” (Dale Ralph Davis p. 134). 4. In addition, David reminds Saul that he was squandering precious national resources to look for a flea, to hunt a partridge and he would stop it. “Who would hunt a single partridge which had flown into the mountains or had run there when they may be found in large conveys in the fields below?” (Davis p. 87).

26:21 Saul acknowledges his foolishness and from this point on it appears that he ceased chasing David. After these words, the two men went their separate ways never to see one another again. “David, who knew Saul better than Saul knew himself, accepted the king’s words for what they were—sincere, deadly lies. Accordingly, David tacitly turned down the invitation to return. Instead, he asked the king to have one of the young men come over to David and retrieve the king’s spear” (Bergen pp. 258259). 26:23-25 Compare with Galatians 6:7. “On the human level the stories of 1 Samuel 24-26 would function as a powerful apologetic for David in his quest for the throne. They clearly depict David as the one who refuses to seize the throne but who waits for the throne. He operates not by blood but by promise” (Dale Ralph Davis p. 135).

Chapter 27 27:1 “The faith of David at this stage in his career reached a very low point. He had given up any hope of reconciliation with the royal court” (Laney p. 88). 27:2-4 This time David (21:10-15) was welcome in Gath, because he brought 600 men with him, whom Achish viewed as mercenaries. Evidently some time has lapsed between this chapter and 21:10-15. “David’s status as an outlaw or a fugitive had been well established in Philista as well as in the hills of Judah…Achish, of course, was more than happy to accommodate David, for he knew of David’s skill as a warrior” (Davis p. 88). “David had come into Saul’s life though the agency of the Philistines (chapter 17), and now he moves out of Saul’s life through the agency of the Philistines.

27:5-7 Apparently after David had proved himself, he requested that Achish would give him a city in which he and his men could live. “David was suspicious of permanently residing near or in the royal court…This he did so he would be free from the constant surveillance to which he would be exposed in the capital city. Also, David probably wanted freedom to

observe his own religious rites. David’s decision also may have involved his attempt to protect his followers from assimilation with Philistine religious ideas and customs” (Davis p. 88). The city of Ziklag (ZIKK lag), was located on the edge of Philistine/Israelite territory, probably about 10 miles NE of Beersheba.

27:8-12 David did not waste this time in his life, instead he conducted raids against old enemies of the Israelites in this area. “David was actually attacking the enemies of Israel while he pretended to serve the interests of Achish. David left no survivors from those raids in order that Achish might not learn the true nature of his desert exploits. The term Negev (meaning ‘dry land’ or ‘south country’) refers to the geographical region south of the hill country, centering around Beersheba” (Laney pp. 76-77).

“David’s experiences among the Philistines would have further consequences…When he would become king, he would have considerable knowledge of Philistine geography and military tactics, which would be a decided advantage in planning attacks and conquering their territory” (Davis pp. 88-89).

David will be so successful at making a fool of Achish that Achish unwittingly would make a traitor of David (28:1). David should of known (from past experience, chapters 18-26), that God could take care of him in the land of Israel. Davis argues that while the text simply reports what David did, this doesn’t mean that God endorses David’s deception. “The text understands David and yet is not willing to justify all his conduct” (Dale Ralph Davis p. 139).

Chapter 28 28:1-2 This Philistine invasion took place about 1010 B.C. “The plan was to march north along the coastal plain to the valley of Jezreel, then knife eastward across that valley. In this region Saul’s defenses were thin, and the flat terrain gave the Philistines military superiority because of their chariotry” (Smith p. 320). “Perhaps one of the reasons they decided to attack Israel at this time was the mistaken belief that David had weakened his own nation through the ongoing raids he conducted” (Bergen p. 263). Saul had been so preoccupied with David that apparently he had neglected this growing Philistine threat. David found himself in a very awkward situation, would he actually fight against his own people? David’s answer to Achish, “Very well, you shall know what your servant can do” seems intentionally ambiguous. “Would Achish see what David could do for Israel’s enemies or what he could do to Israel’s enemies?….The narrative skills of the writer are on display in this section as

the reader is left in suspense regarding David’s fate. Will the Lord’s anointed actually fight against the Lord’s people? Will David join forces with Achish and the Philistines? Stay tuned (29:1-11)!” (Bergen p. 263).

Human cleverness can so often tend to backfire on us. “The will of God for us includes more than escaping from Saul. No one disputes the malice of Saul or pretends that escaping him was a merry lark. But the peril from Saul may not be so nasty or so damaging in the long run as being dubbed a traitor. It is, however, hard to see such difficulties when the immediate emergency looms so large. We fall into the ‘if only’ fallacy. If only this insoluble problem that is right now wrenching my heart, monopolizing my thinking, and consuming my energy—if only I could get relief from it, I would get on well” (Dale Ralph Davis pp. 143-144). In fleeing to the Philistines, David had only traded in one set of problems for another. One more reason to trust in the Lord rather than in our human cleverness (Proverbs 3:4).

28:3-4 “The plight of Saul is indicated…. First, the author reminds the reader that Samuel was dead. In this national crisis Saul could count on no counsel from the great prophet….the Philistines camped in Shunem (SHOO num) seven miles east of Megiddo (deep into Israelite territory)” (Smith p. 320). “The very fact that the Philistines could move freely to such a location and occupy the site indicates something of Saul’s neglect with regard to the defense of Israel’s borders” (Davis p. 91). “They plan to fight on ground where chariots can maneuver to advantage, to control the trade route through the Plain of Esdraelon, and to cut off Saul from his northernmost tribes. Primarily, they plan to mash Israel” (Dale Ralph Davis p. 148). Yet, the text also reminds us that Saul had carried out “some” of the Divine will concerning the removal of mediums and spiritualists.

28:5-6 God’s silence should not have surprised Saul. He had rebelled against God, run off David, and had 85 priests massacred. “Nor did the Lord respond by means of the ‘Urim’, that is, with the revelatory device that could only be used with the assistance of an Aaronic priest (Exodus 28:30; Numbers 27:21). This is not surprising since Saul had slain many of the Aaronic priests, and the only named surviving priest from Nob—one who possessed an ephod—had fled to David (22:18-20)” (Bergen p. 265).

28:7-11 In desperation, Saul resorts to a practitioner of the occult. It is interesting to note that even though Saul had removed from the land those who were mediums and spiritists (28:3), when asked to find one, Saul’s servants immediately knew the whereabouts of one who was close by. “While consulting witches was legislated against in the Scriptures and had been made illegal by the edict of Saul himself, the king’s servants

had no problem locating one…One of the great temptations of all authority figures is to feel that laws are good for the people but do not apply to themselves. They say, ‘I am above the law’” (Williams p. 219).

For passages in the Law which condemned such practices, see (Exodus 22:18; 19:31; 20:6,27; Deut. 18:10-11). The city of En-dor (modern Khirbet Safsafeh), was located about six miles away and two miles NE of the Philistine camp.

28:11-14 Commentators have different opinions about what happened on this occasion, but consider the following points: Samuel really did appear, and he spoke to Saul, hence we must reject the view which says that this woman had merely tricked Saul into thinking that Samuel had appeared. The woman was just as surprised as Saul! “The fact that she cried out when she saw Samuel indicated that she did not bring up Samuel (by her own power) and did not expect him to appear in this manner” (Davis p. 99). From other passages it is clear that the dead stay dead, and that only God has the power to bring people back from the dead (Luke 16:25; Hebrews 9:27). In addition, from the fact that even evil people stay dead and are not allowed to come back and terrorize or work additional evil, seems proof positive that Satan doesn’t have any power to reverse the death process/or any real power over the realm of those who are dead. “What then, was the purpose of God in bringing Samuel back for this appearance? This unusual act on the part of God was certainly designed to emphasize the doom of Saul and God’s displeasure for his coming to a necromancer, to make Saul’s crime an instrument of his punishment, to show the heathen world God’s superiority in prophecy, and to confirm a belief in a future state after death” (Davis p. 99). Yet how many people act like Saul? Their life is a mess and instead of thinking about repenting, they do something sinful instead?

Consider the condition of Samuel, he had been at peace. The righteous dead do not desire to return to this earth (15). In verse 15 is almost seems that Saul had more faith in Samuel then he ever had in God, as if Samuel could somehow save him when God had condemned him.

28:16-19 Consequences eventually do catch up to the sinner and Samuel was unmoved by Saul’s appeal. Once we die, we don’t adopt a different standard of righteousness or somehow become more lenient than God. “Samuel never really answered Saul’s question, ‘What should I do?’ In essence the prophet was saying, ‘Saul, there is nothing that can be done.

Because of your disobedience, your fate is sealed’” (Laney p. 79).

28:20-25 Saul was very afraid, but where are the tears of regret? Where is the godly sorrow? Where is true repentance? “The text is not gentle but

it is clear: If you persistently refuse to obey God’s speech you will endure God’s silence. How crucial are one’s first responses to the gospel, to the initial call to enter the kingdom of God” (Dale Ralph Davis p. 151). While the witch is moved by Saul’s distress and tries to comfort him with a meal —this is all the comfort that the world can give. Perspective is everything!

From a secular viewpoint it would appear that the witch was far more sensitive and caring than Samuel. But from God’s viewpoint, what the woman did was empty of any real help. Saul didn’t need a meal—he needed a rebuke and a last appeal to repent! People at times argue that the world is more caring than the church, but the world only seems more caring at times, because the world ignores the sinner’s biggest problem, i.e., his sin.

Chapter 29 29:1-2 The historical narrative found in this chapter continues that which was begun in 28:2. The march of the Philistine army led them northward to Aphek (A fek). The Israelite armies located their camp by a fountain which was in Jezreel. That fountain is usually identified with the present Ain-Jalud located at the foot of Mount Gilboa. 29:3-7 While Achish has complete confidence in David, the military brass among the Philistines have no confidence in him. They believe that during the heat of battle, David might change sides. In addition, these commanders had not forgotten the popular folk song that had been written about David (5).

29:8-11 “Achish summoned David and dismissed him, but not without first praising him for his fidelity during his years of service. The text seems to suggest that the king could not overrule the collective will of the Philistine lords. David protested his dismissal, but it is hard to believe that in his heart he did not breathe a silent sigh of relief” (Smith p. 322). The reader knows that the Philistine commanders knew David better than Achish. It looks like Achish didn’t want to give up David, who was quite the trophy to have around. Yet Achish has been influenced somewhat by David.

Achish values integrity or what he thought was integrity (6). He also speaks of David as being like “an angel of God” (9). Bergen notes, “Saul considered David his mortal enemy; and yet he was in fact his most loyal subject; Achish considered David his most trusted subject, yet he was in fact his most dangerous enemy” (p. 272). David didn’t get out of this jam because of his own cleverness. “Do you see David here? Marching with the Philistines, caught in his own trap, overdosing perhaps on antacids, he and his men on their way to attack his own people at the side of these pagans. Does God allow him to stew in his own gravy? Christians should take heart from this text. As some believers look back on the time line of their lives they have no trouble picking out the occasion (or occasions)

when they were depending on their own cleverness, sure of their own ability to assess and make their situation, confident they already knew the right way. And it proved disastrous, nearly destroyed them…He (David) really did know something of goodness and mercy pursuing him all the days of his life (Psalm 23:6)” (Dale Ralph Davis pp. 165-166).

Chapter 30 “When the Bottom Drops Out” 30:1-5 Yet following the Philistines had left their loved ones at Ziklag vulnerable and the Amalekites had struck. In addition, to destroying the city, the Amalekites had taken the women captives, probably to sell them in the Egyptian slave market. 30:6 Adding to David’s sorrow over this tragedy was the wrath of the people who evidently considered David’s absence the cause of the disaster. “This incident is a reminder of the hazards that are inherent to responsible leadership and also of how fickle human nature is. The David who was usually the object of their hero worship became in a moment of great frustration the object of their deadly wrath” (Williams pp. 225-226).

“The problem with the disaster at Ziklag is that it is not an isolated one. For David the pounding had been going on since 1 Samuel 18. Yet it seemed more unbearable given its immediate context. From the latest emergency (27:1-28:2) he had just received a marvelous deliverance (29:1-11). How they had looked forward to arriving in Ziklag; how long those sixty miles seemed; how fine it would be simply to enjoy the relief among loved ones. Then this. The yo-yo effect seems to make the battering more excruciating. A marvelous escape, a moment to breathe, a grand relief—only to be thrown into the pit again…Here is a sobering and disturbing picture for God’s people. Are there not times when you think it cannot get any worse? And 1 Samuel 30 says, Yes, it can. There are times when you conclude that your present trouble is the last straw; you simply cannot take any more. Then comes Ziklag, the last straw after the last straw. Sometimes you are tempted to add another line to Psalm 30:5: “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning”— and disaster strikes next afternoon” (Dale Ralph Davis pp. 168-169).

30:7-8 Here is David at his best. This is one reason why God said that David was a man after His own heart. David doesn’t panic and neither does He blame God. Rather, difficulties moved him toward God. In addition, it could be worse—David could be in Saul’s shoes! At times Christians, instead of complaining need to realize that, despite what happens, the good news is that God has not forsaken them. Saul is

doomed, David isn’t! The Amalekites are doomed, but not David! David could strengthen himself in God, because David already had a relationship with God. “The Lord is not a genie you rub in trouble in order to make you feel better. Jesus is not your own personal pain reliever to get you on top of life’s aches” (Dale Ralph Davis p. 170). David remembered everything that God had already promised him, and knew that this wasn’t the end. Then he consulted God as to his next move.

30:9-10 The “brook Besor” (BEE sawr), was located probably about 16 miles south of Ziklag, which is the largest and deepest wadi in the heartlands of southern Judah. 30:11-15 God is also providentially assisting David. It just so happens that an Amalekite that left his Egyptian slave to die in the desert. From this slave David is given invaluable information.

Evidently, this slave knew the typically route that the Amalekites would take when retreating or heading towards Egypt. “We should be struck by the contrast between Saul and David. Saul gets no answer when he calls upon God; David gets the best possible response. Saul gets the witch of Endor to call up Samuel and learns that Israel will be defeated and he and his sons will be killed; David picks up a half-dead slave from the desert and gets invaluable information” (Williams p. 229). Both the godly and the ungodly will suffer in this life, both will encounter hardship, the difference is that out of tragedy the Christian can find victory. “Little did the Amalekite master realize that the piece of human machinery he had discarded three days ago would prove his undoing!” (Dale Ralph Davis p.

174). Little providences can make big differences!

30:16-20 Out of a great tragedy, comes a great victory. David and his men truly needed all these supplies that they were able to capture.

Christians need to remember that when something goes wrong, it may simply be for the purpose of finding a great blessing in the process. Note, if we are just willing to trust God and be patient, often out of what looks like failure can come triumph! (Romans 8:28; Ephesians 3:20). 30:21-25 Some people even try to spoil the best of times. “We already knew that, by and large, David’s men were hardly specimens of good breeding (22:2), but now we discover that some of the four hundred fighters were simply mean and nasty scoundrels” (Dale Ralph Davis p. 175). Note David’s reasoning: “With what the Lord has given us, who has kept us and delivered into our hand the band that came against us” (23). David knew that this was not plunder that “he” had recovered, but was plunder that God had graciously given. “The man inebriated with the thought that all he has is Yahweh’s gift finds himself repeatedly on his knees, adoring, thanking, praising” (Dale Ralph Davis p. 176). The viewpoint expressed by these worthless men was the very viewpoint that David wanted to avoid, i.e., assuming that victory came by human effort alone.

30:22-31 David also used a good percentage of the plunder to express his gratitude to cities which had supported him when he was fleeing from Saul. “His act was perhaps a way of expressing gratitude for the protection they had afforded him” (Davis p. 107). Among the towns to receive goods from David was the town of Hebron which was to become the capital of his first kingdom. In addition, Hebron was also a city in which many Levites lived. Some see in this offering, not only gratitude, but that David is also paying his tithe to God. Chapter 31 This section resumes the narrative story line of 28:25.

31:1-2 One of the saddest notes is that a very noble and righteous Jonathan died in battle. “Here then is Jonathan’s obituary. He remained a true friend to David and a faithful son of Saul. He surrendered his kingship to David (18:1-4); he sacrificed his life for Saul. In this hopeless fiasco Jonathan was nowhere else but in the place Yahweh had assigned to him—at the side of his father. As I noted before, maybe that is not tragic at all. What is tragic about remaining faithfully in the calling God has assigned for us? Was tragic when Jonathan laid aside a kingdom he could not have to enter a kingdom he could not lose?” (Dale Ralph Davis p. 182). 31:3 Then the battle pressed in on the king himself. “In all likelihood the Philistines had sent out a specially trained detachment to find Saul” (Davis p. 107).

31:4-6 Fearing that he might fall into enemy hands to be abused (like Samson), Saul ordered his armor-bearer to kill him. The armor-bearer, however, feared to take the life of the king. So Saul took his sword and fell on it. His loyal armor-bearer followed. 31:7-10 So great was Israel’s defeat that many of the cities in northern Israel were abandoned as their citizens fled to regions safe from the Philistines. The city of Beth-shan, was located at the junction of the Jezreel and Jordan valleys. There the bodies of Saul and his sons were put on public display. According to 1 Chronicles 10:10, Saul’s head was displayed as a trophy of war in the temple of Dagon. Saul’s weapons were eventually deposited in the temple of Ashtaroth, the goddess of sex and war. In stratum V of the ruins of Beth-shan, excavators have discovered a temple in the northern part of the mound. Many feel that this might be the “house of Ashtaroth” mentioned in 31:10.

Gratitude: The Kindness of God’s People

31:11-13 The men of Jabesh-gilead had never forgotten that Saul had delivered them from the hand of Nahash the Ammonite (chapter 11).

These daring men crossed the Jordan, made a 22 mile round trip, and risked their own lives, to do Saul one last favor. “It was a debt of gratitude.

Paying it couldn’t reverse Gilboa. Yet one has the sense after reading verses 11-13 that at least something was right in this whole mess.

Gratitude carries its own ‘ought’ whether it changes anything or not. The women who kept watch at Jesus’ crucifixion (Mark 15:40-41) couldn’t do anything, but they were there” (Dale Ralph Davis p. 187). “So many of the things that are done for us are quickly forgotten. This story is a reminder of what a noble virtue gratitude is” (Williams p. 234).

Conclusion: “It will not do to smile the tragedy away. Modern faddists notwithstanding. Israel needs far more than a shot of self-esteem. The picture is hardly sunny: leadership annihilated, territory evacuated. Some fled; other’s couldn’t—their bodies litter the slopes of Gilboa. It is a sad sight: Israel scattered like sheep without a shepherd. In fact, 1 Samuel is simply a sad book of one disappointment after another: the judgment on ungodly leadership (Hophni and Phinehas, chapters 1-4), the rejection of prophetic leadership (Samuel, chapters 8,12), and the disintegration of royal leadership (Saul, chapters 13-31). Here is the kingdom of God enduring one failure after another. Yet Yahweh, who looks on the heart, has chosen a shepherd for these scattered sheep. Presently nothing looks quite so dismal as Gilboa, but then it’s not what man sees…(16:7)” (Dale Ralph Davis p. 187).