David and the Philistines

The Philistines occupy a good bit of attention in the life of David as a feared enemy with whom Israel is frequently locked in battle. The Philistines are believed to have come from Greek Isles and most scholars identify them with Crete. As we read in Jeremiah, “For the Lord is destroying the Philistines, the remnant of the coastland of Caphtor” (47:4). Caphtor was the Hebrew name for Crete. The word Philistine comes from a word meaning “people of the sea,” and “Palestine” is a derivative that came to be used for the whole region around modern Israel, Gaza Strip and the West Bank.

The Philistines had advanced iron tools which gave them an advantage in war. They arrived in the land of Canaan shortly after the Hebrews settled there following the conquest under Joshua around 1200BCE. They established cities mostly along the coastal areas of the Mediterranean Sea. Modern Gaza was one of the original “five Philistine cities.” The Israelites settled in the hill country. Skirmishes between the two sides soon developed during the period of the Judges with the Philistines frequently getting the upper hand.

Saul, the first king of Israel, built a unified army to resist Philistine invasions, which David firmly established after Saul. But the Philistine threat was a consistent part of the narratives of David’s life, except when they served an intriguing and surprising role as ally. During the height of Saul’s attempts to track down and kill David as a political foe, “David said in his heart, ‘I shall certainly perish one day by the hand of Saul; there is nothing better for me than to escape to the land of the Philistines; then Saul will despair of seeking me any longer within the borders of Israel, and I shall escape out of his hand.” (1 Samuel 27:1)

For a year and a half David pulled off an incredible ruse against the Philistine king, Achish. David and his men raided villages of former adversaries to Judah and brought the bounty to Achish making it appear as if they were raiding Israelite towns. To Achish, David had truly turned against his own people and therefore could be trusted. Yet what it took for David to pull off this deceit, simply to give him and his men a respite from Saul’s attacks, begins to reveal a darker side of David. Yet he managed it with amazing craft until he faced a moment of truth. All the Philistine armies gathered to battle against Saul and his armies. If David and his men fight with the Philistines they could never go home again, and if they turn against the Philistines, they probably don’t survive the battle. What happens next is the focus of 1 Samuel 29.