1 Samuel 31 English Standard Version The Death of Saul 31 Now the Philistines were fighting against Israel, and the men of Israel fled before the Philistines and fell slain on Mount Gilboa. 2 And the Philistines overtook Saul and his sons, and the Philistines struck down Jonathan and Abinadab and Malchi-shua, the sons of Saul. 3 The battle pressed hard against Saul, and the archers found him, and he was badly wounded by the archers. 4 Then Saul said to his armor-bearer, “Draw your sword, and thrust me through with it, lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through, and mistreat me.” But his armor-bearer would not, for he feared greatly. Therefore Saul took his own sword and fell upon it. 5 And when his armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell upon his sword and died with him. 6 Thus Saul died, and his three sons, and his armor-bearer, and all his men, on the same day together. 7 And when the men of Israel who were on the other side of the valley and those beyond the Jordan saw that the men of Israel had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they abandoned their cities and fled. And the Philistines came and lived in them. 8 The next day, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, they found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa. 9 So they cut off his head and stripped off his armor and sent messengers throughout the land of the Philistines, to carry the good news to the house of their idols and to the people. 10 They put his armor in the temple of Ashtaroth, and they fastened his body to the wall of Beth-shan. 11 But when the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul, 12 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 burned them there. 13 And they took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree in Jabesh and fasted seven days. Today, we read the end of the book of 1 Samuel, and the end of the story of Saul and his sons. The LORD has given the Israelites into the hands of the Philistines while at the same time, the LORD has delivered the Amalekites into the hands of David and his men. Many of the Israelites fled before the Philistine army, and died at Mount Giboa. The Philistines were able to break through the enemy lines and make their way to Saul's sons, Jonathan and Abinadab and Malchi-shua, and kill them.
The Philistines then pressed in hard on Saul using their archers to attack him from a distance, and he was hit by many arrows. Saul then asked his armor-bearer to kill him with Saul's own sword, but the armor-bearer would not do so. So, Saul fell upon his own sword (committed suicide) so that it would not be said that he died at the hands of an uncircumcised Philistine. When the armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he too fell on his own sword (committed suicide) so that he would die together with the king. So then Saul and all three of his sons along with Saul's armor-bearer all died together that day. The way is now clear for David to take the throne that has bene promised to him. The men of Gilead saw that the men of Israel fled before the Philistines and they also so that Saul and all his sons had died, and they decided to save themselves by fleeing and abandoning their cities. Then the Philistines took over the cities of Gilead and lived there. The next day, the Philistines came out to strip whatever was valuable off of those who had died and they found Saul and his three sons dead on Mount Gilboa. The cut off Saul's head and stripped off his armor (so they would have have proof of death) and they went around to all the Philistines peoples, especially to the houses of their idols, with the good news that they had defeated Israel and put King Saul and his sons to death. The put the armor of Saul in the temple of Ashtaroth, and they pinned Saul's body and the bodies of his sons up to the wall of the city of Beth-shan. However, the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead, one of the cities "Beyond the River" in the land of Gilead that was mentioned a little bit ago, heard what they had done to Saul, their valiant men rose up and went out by night to take the bodies of Saul and his sons off of the wall of Beth-shan. They took them back to their city of Jabesh and burned the bodies. They then took the bones of Saul and his sons and buried them under the tamarisk tree in Jabesh, and the people there fasted seven days as they mourned the loss of Saul, his sons, and probably all the others who died in that battle. Next time we'll start 2nd Samuel which will cover the period of David as king, though not everyone will immediately accept him as king. 1 Samuel 30:16-31 English Standard Version David Defeats the Amalekites 16 And when he had taken him down, behold, they were spread abroad over all the land, eating and drinking and dancing, because of all the great spoil they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from the land of Judah. 17 And David struck them down from twilight until the evening of the next day, and not a man of them escaped, except four hundred young men, who mounted camels and fled. 18 David recovered all that the Amalekites had taken, and David rescued his two wives. 19 Nothing was missing, whether small or great, sons or daughters, spoil or anything that had been taken. David brought back all. 20 David also captured all the flocks and herds, and the people drove the livestock before him, and said, “This is David's spoil.” 21 Then David came to the two hundred men who had been too exhausted to follow David, and who had been left at the brook Besor. And they went out to meet David and to meet the people who were with him. And when David came near to the people he greeted them. 22 Then all the wicked and worthless fellows among the men who had gone with David said, “Because they did not go with us, we will not give them any of the spoil that we have recovered, except that each man may lead away his wife and children, and depart.” 23 But David said, “You shall not do so, my brothers, with what the LORD has given us. He has preserved us and given into our hand the band that came against us. 24 Who would listen to you in this matter? For as his share is who goes down into the battle, so shall his share be who stays by the baggage. They shall share alike.” 25 And he made it a statute and a rule for Israel from that day forward to this day. 26 When David came to Ziklag, he sent part of the spoil to his friends, the elders of Judah, saying, “Here is a present for you from the spoil of the enemies of the LORD.” 27 It was for those in Bethel, in Ramoth of the Negeb, in Jattir, 28 in Aroer, in Siphmoth, in Eshtemoa, 29 in Racal, in the cities of the Jerahmeelites, in the cities of the Kenites, 30 in Hormah, in Bor-ashan, in Athach, 31 in Hebron, for all the places where David and his men had roamed. Last time, David and his men came across an Egyptian who had been a slave of the Amalekites and knew of their attacks on the whole area of the Negeb and the location of the Amalekite camp where the Amalekites should be with all the women and children that David and his men were looking for. The Egyptian servant agreed to lead David and his men to this camp as long as David neither killed him, nor turned him over to his Amalekite master. David swore that they would let no harm come to the servant, and the servant agreed to help them find the Amalekites.
This is where we start today's passage. David and his men have been led to the Amalekite camp where they see the men of the camp holding a huge party to celebrate their victories--there is music, and dancing, and clearly plenty of drinking going on. David attacked them at twilight (when the sun was starting to go down), and continued to attack them all day the next day until it was again evening time--almost 24 hours of battle. Only four hundred young Amalekite men escaped by camel, but the rest of their huge army was defeated that day and David took all their spoil--including the spoil they stole from the other Philistine cities and towns as well as from the people of Judah. Now, all of it belonged to David and his men as spoils of war. Last time we also saw that David left 200 of his men who were too tired and exhausted to continue the pursuit at a place of fresh water where they could rest and be refreshed so that only 400 of the 600 that originally set out were involved in fighting the actual battler. There is now some dispute that arouse from some of the "wicked and worthless fellows" among the 400 men that were with David as to if the 200 that stayed behind and guarded the baggage would get any of the spoil--these wicked and worthless men said they did not deserve to share in the spoils because they were not part of the fighting, because they stopped to rest. David then spoke up and said that all 600 of his men would have an equal share as even those who stayed behind to guard the baggage played an important role and he ended up making it one of his first edicts as king, "For as his share is who goes down into the battle, so shall his share be who stays by the baggage. They shall share alike." This statute and rule has an editorial note attached to it that it was in place long after David established the rule (though we don't know exactly when that editorial note was added). When David returned to Ziklag, he sent some of the spoil back to the elders in Judah that were his friends, for some of the attacks carried out by the Amalekites were against other Jewish people in Judah, and David did not want to steal from them. He sent this portion along with the message, “Here is a present for you from the spoil of the enemies of the LORD.” "27 It was for those in Bethel, in Ramoth of the Negeb, in Jattir, 28 in Aroer, in Siphmoth, in Eshtemoa, 29 in Racal, in the cities of the Jerahmeelites, in the cities of the Kenites, 30 in Hormah, in Bor-ashan, in Athach, 31 in Hebron, for all the places where David and his men had roamed." All the people who had helped David and his men stay safe from King Saul also got to share in the spoil as well. It was dangerous to be one of the people of Judah who had allied themselves with David at this time, especially one of his immediate family members who Saul would have seen as an enemy, but now they are all getting to celebrate this victory together. 1 Samuel 30:1-15 English Standard Version David's Wives Are Captured 30 Now when David and his men came to Ziklag on the third day, the Amalekites had made a raid against the Negeb and against Ziklag. They had overcome Ziklag and burned it with fire 2 and taken captive the women and all who were in it, both small and great. They killed no one, but carried them off and went their way. 3 And when David and his men came to the city, they found it burned with fire, and their wives and sons and daughters taken captive. 4 Then David and the people who were with him raised their voices and wept until they had no more strength to weep. 5 David's two wives also had been taken captive, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail the widow of Nabal of Carmel. 6 And David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because all the people were bitter in soul, each for his sons and daughters. But David strengthened himself in the LORD his God. 7 And David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelech, “Bring me the ephod.” So Abiathar brought the ephod to David. 8 And David inquired of the LORD, “Shall I pursue after this band? Shall I overtake them?” He answered him, “Pursue, for you shall surely overtake and shall surely rescue.” 9 So David set out, and the six hundred men who were with him, and they came to the brook Besor, where those who were left behind stayed. 10 But David pursued, he and four hundred men. Two hundred stayed behind, who were too exhausted to cross the brook Besor. 11 They found an Egyptian in the open country and brought him to David. And they gave him bread and he ate. They gave him water to drink, 12 and they gave him a piece of a cake of figs and two clusters of raisins. And when he had eaten, his spirit revived, for he had not eaten bread or drunk water for three days and three nights. 13 And David said to him, “To whom do you belong? And where are you from?” He said, “I am a young man of Egypt, servant to an Amalekite, and my master left me behind because I fell sick three days ago. 14 We had made a raid against the Negeb of the Cherethites and against that which belongs to Judah and against the Negeb of Caleb, and we burned Ziklag with fire.” 15 And David said to him, “Will you take me down to this band?” And he said, “Swear to me by God that you will not kill me or deliver me into the hands of my master, and I will take you down to this band.” The Amalekites, the descendants of Amalek who was a descendant of Esau, have been enemies of Israel ever since they tried to enter the Promised Land. If you recall the battle where Joshua led the Israelites in battle and Moses stood on top of the hill and held his staff above his head and when he had his staff up, the Israelites prevailed, but when Moses' arms got tired and he lowered the staff to rest, the enemy forces prevailed. So, Hur and Aaron sat Moses down on a stone and each one of them held up one of his arms so that his arms could stay raised, and that day the LORD was called The LORD is My Banner. You can read about this in Exodus 17:8-16 if you'd like to read that account that I just gave a summary of. It was the armies of Amalek that the Israelites were fighting against that day--the very ones that the spies were afraid of because there were giants known as Rephidim among the Amalekites. Now this same people group has decided to try to take advantage of Philistia's war with Israel and raid the city of Ziklag where David and his men had been encamped while they were out at war with the Philistines, and the Amalekites kidnapped all the women and children, and they burned the city with fire so that the men had nowhere and no one to come home to.
David's men cried so loud and hard that they no longer had voice or tears to mourn anymore, and among those taken were David's two wives (we know about Abigail from Carmel from one of our earlier passages, but the other is Ahinoam of Jezreel. We don't really know anything about her. The men are so upset and looking for someone to take their anger out on that they are at the point of stoning David to death just so they can feel like someone got punished and there was some "justice" done for this terrible thing that happened. I'm guessing you've been in that kind of sitaution before--you're less concerned about who is guilty and that the guilty gets punished than an attitude of "someone is going to pay for this." Let's take a moment to stop and realize that's the kind of situation that Jesus stepped into to satisfy the wrath of God and He willingly said, "I'll pay, with my own life." This was especially hard for David because he was also mourning the loss of his wives and sons and daughters and there was no one to comfort him but the LORD since all his men had turned on him. David went to Abiathar the priest (the one it seems like the LORD has established as high priest at this time though Saul has appointed another whom the LORD will not speak to), and David inquires of the LORD if they should pursue this band of raiders (they probably didn't know at that time that it was the Amalekites) and the LORD tells them they should pursue and that they will overtake them, defeat them, and rescue all those who were taken. So, David and his six-hundred men do end up going to war, but not against the Israelites, but against the Amalekites, and there are no Philistines around to see this happen (God's provision). They left 200 men at the brook of Besor because they were too exhausted to continue the pursuit, and 400 men continued the pursuit with David. They found an Egyptian in the open country and when he had been brought to David, they gave the Egyptian food and water and fig cakes and clusters of raisins so that the Egyptians strength and spirit were strengthened. Then they questioned him as to who he belonged to, and where he came from, and he told them that he was a servant of an Amalekite master who had left him in the open country to die after the Egyptian had become sick three days earlier and he had not had anything to eat or drink (or maybe was too sick to eat or drink anything) during that time. He then describes the raid they conducted against the Ziklag (the city that belonged to David and his men). The Egyptian is probably unaware that he's speaking to the very people that they conducted the raid against. David asks if the Egyptian would be able to lead them to this raiding party, and the Egyptian servant agrees as long as they promise to neither kill him nor deliver him into the hand of his Amalekite master (meaning they would have to either set him free or take him on as a servant for themselves after he led them to the Amalekites). It seems they agree to these terms because we'll pick up there next time with the servant leading them to the camp of the Amalekites. 1 Samuel 29 English Standard Version The Philistines Reject David 29 Now the Philistines had gathered all their forces at Aphek. And the Israelites were encamped by the spring that is in Jezreel. 2 As the lords of the Philistines were passing on by hundreds and by thousands, and David and his men were passing on in the rear with Achish, 3 the commanders of the Philistines said, “What are these Hebrews doing here?” And Achish said to the commanders of the Philistines, “Is this not David, the servant of Saul, king of Israel, who has been with me now for days and years, and since he deserted to me I have found no fault in him to this day.” 4 But the commanders of the Philistines were angry with him. And the commanders of the Philistines said to him, “Send the man back, that he may return to the place to which you have assigned him. He shall not go down with us to battle, lest in the battle he become an adversary to us. For how could this fellow reconcile himself to his lord? Would it not be with the heads of the men here? 5 Is not this David, of whom they sing to one another in dances, ‘Saul has struck down his thousands, and David his ten thousands’?” 6 Then Achish called David and said to him, “As the LORD lives, you have been honest, and to me it seems right that you should march out and in with me in the campaign. For I have found nothing wrong in you from the day of your coming to me to this day. Nevertheless, the lords do not approve of you. 7 So go back now; and go peaceably, that you may not displease the lords of the Philistines.” 8 And David said to Achish, “But what have I done? What have you found in your servant from the day I entered your service until now, that I may not go and fight against the enemies of my lord the king?” 9 And Achish answered David and said, “I know that you are as blameless in my sight as an angel of God. Nevertheless, the commanders of the Philistines have said, ‘He shall not go up with us to the battle.’ 10 Now then rise early in the morning with the servants of your lord who came with you, and start early in the morning, and depart as soon as you have light.” 11 So David set out with his men early in the morning to return to the land of the Philistines. But the Philistines went up to Jezreel. We are nearly to the end of 1 Samuel now. Last time we saw the LORD convey a final message to Saul by way of the spirit of Samuel. Samuel and all of his sons will die, and David will certainly rein as king instead. There is nothing that Saul can do about it.
The scene now shifts back to David who has been living in hiding among the Philistines, and the king of the Philistines has just conscripted David and his men to fight for the Philistine army and has charged David with being the king's personal bodyguard. We now pick up the story there with the Philistines camped for war at Aphek and the Israelites camped for ware at Jezreel (a very important battlefield in Israel), both in the past and for the future. The text also tells us that it was Spring which is usually when the kings went to war....it's what they typically did after being cooped up for the winter. The Philistines paraded their men with the commanders of hundreds and thousands all showing off their troops, and David's men were in the rear, near Achish (the king of the Philistines), for they were his personal protection detail like the Secret Service. The other commanders questioned the king's judgment in letting David and his men join the battle and tasking them with the king's safety. The king was convinced that David was on his side (we know he was not), but all of the other commanders feared that David and his men would switch sides in the battle and attack them from the rear so that they would be fighting Israelites (the Philistines called them Hebrews here) on two fronts and it would likely mean that David could kill the king who would be trying to keep safe in the rear where he and his men would be guarding him (this was most likely exactly what David's plan was). They told the king that he needed to send David and his men back to the city they had been given and not let them fight in this war, for they figured that David would try to reconcile himself to Saul by killing many Philistines and offering Saul their heads as proof of his loyalty to Israel and to the kingship of Saul--clearly they didn't know who the real king was or what was really going on in Israel, for the LORD had kept those details from them so that David could be kept safe. They had however heard of the song that the Israelite women sung of David to say that Saul had killed his thousands, but David his tens of thousands. They knew David was a mighty warrior, but they knew that he had killed tens of thousands of their Philistine brothers in battle and they could not be convinced so easily that David had switched sides. The king is forced to make a hard choice and calls David in for a meeting to tell him that while the king fully trusts him, the other lords and commanders of the Philistines do not trust David, and the king needs all of them right now in this battle more than he needs David and his small group of men (in his mind). He even swears by the name of the LORD to make this statement, which I find interesting. When David asks what he has done wrong to be sent away from the battle like this, the king gives a very strange answer for a pagan, Gentile king. The king says that David was as blameless in the kings sight as an angel of God. Nevertheless, he commanded David and his men to return to their city. and the Philistines continued their march towards Jezreel where this final battle of the book of 1 Samuel will occur. My own personal thoughts on this are that the LORD kept David from being involved in this battle because David would have wanted to fight against the Philistines, and the LORD just told Saul that He wanted the Philistines to win and conquer the Land so that all the people that have rejected the LORD and His servant David would be punished. The only other option would be that David actually would defect and fight against Saul and his men and it would look like he allied himself with the Philistines to try to usurp the throne (and the Philistines might think this too and might try to take credit for establishing David as king). The LORD wanted David and his men out of and away from this battle as there was no good outcome for them. The LORD wants to be the one to deliver the judgment on Saul and his family just as David promised he would let happen both times we've seen him spare Saul's life. Now the LORD will kill Saul and his sons by the hands of the Philistines without any assistance from David so that it is obvious to the people that the LORD is not with them and that they need to repent. 1 Samuel 28 English Standard Version Saul and the Medium of En-dor 28 In those days the Philistines gathered their forces for war, to fight against Israel. And Achish said to David, “Understand that you and your men are to go out with me in the army.” 2 David said to Achish, “Very well, you shall know what your servant can do.” And Achish said to David, “Very well, I will make you my bodyguard for life.” 3 Now Samuel had died, and all Israel had mourned for him and buried him in Ramah, his own city. And Saul had put the mediums and the necromancers out of the land. 4 The Philistines assembled and came and encamped at Shunem. And Saul gathered all Israel, and they encamped at Gilboa. 5 When Saul saw the army of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart trembled greatly. 6 And when Saul inquired of the LORD, the LORD did not answer him, either by dreams, or by Urim, or by prophets. 7 Then Saul said to his servants, “Seek out for me a woman who is a medium, that I may go to her and inquire of her.” And his servants said to him, “Behold, there is a medium at En-dor.” 8 So Saul disguised himself and put on other garments and went, he and two men with him. And they came to the woman by night. And he said, “Divine for me by a spirit and bring up for me whomever I shall name to you.” 9 The woman said to him, “Surely you know what Saul has done, how he has cut off the mediums and the necromancers from the land. Why then are you laying a trap for my life to bring about my death?” 10 But Saul swore to her by the LORD, “As the LORD lives, no punishment shall come upon you for this thing.” 11 Then the woman said, “Whom shall I bring up for you?” He said, “Bring up Samuel for me.” 12 When the woman saw Samuel, she cried out with a loud voice. And the woman said to Saul, “Why have you deceived me? You are Saul.” 13 The king said to her, “Do not be afraid. What do you see?” And the woman said to Saul, “I see a god coming up out of the earth.” 14 He said to her, “What is his appearance?” And she said, “An old man is coming up, and he is wrapped in a robe.” And Saul knew that it was Samuel, and he bowed with his face to the ground and paid homage. 15 Then Samuel said to Saul, “Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?” Saul answered, “I am in great distress, for the Philistines are warring against me, and God has turned away from me and answers me no more, either by prophets or by dreams. Therefore I have summoned you to tell me what I shall do.” 16 And Samuel said, “Why then do you ask me, since the LORD has turned from you and become your enemy? 17 The LORD has done to you as he spoke by me, for the LORD has torn the kingdom out of your hand and given it to your neighbor, David. 18 Because you did not obey the voice of the LORD and did not carry out his fierce wrath against Amalek, therefore the LORD has done this thing to you this day. 19 Moreover, the LORD will give Israel also with you into the hand of the Philistines, and tomorrow you and your sons shall be with me. The LORD will give the army of Israel also into the hand of the Philistines.” 20 Then Saul fell at once full length on the ground, filled with fear because of the words of Samuel. And there was no strength in him, for he had eaten nothing all day and all night. 21 And the woman came to Saul, and when she saw that he was terrified, she said to him, “Behold, your servant has obeyed you. I have taken my life in my hand and have listened to what you have said to me. 22 Now therefore, you also obey your servant. Let me set a morsel of bread before you; and eat, that you may have strength when you go on your way.” 23 He refused and said, “I will not eat.” But his servants, together with the woman, urged him, and he listened to their words. So he arose from the earth and sat on the bed. 24 Now the woman had a fattened calf in the house, and she quickly killed it, and she took flour and kneaded it and baked unleavened bread of it, 25 and she put it before Saul and his servants, and they ate. Then they rose and went away that night. The first few verses have to do with our passage from last time, when David fled to the Philistines for safety--we'll again pick up this story with David and the Philistines in Chapter 29. For now, the author wants us to know that the Philistines are going to war with Israel and that David and his men have been ordered by the Philistines that they must fight alongside them. David seems to agree and then tells the Philistines that now they will really see what David and his men can do (implying that David is a great warrior but he fought his onw battles and they have not seen it). Achish is so impressed with David's response that he makes David his personal bodyguard for life. This attitude towards David and his men will change by chapter 29 though. That's the only glimpse of what's going on in David's like that we see in this chapter, because this chapter is mostly about Saul and how he is dealing with the death of Samuel, who was a prophet to Saul and the people, especially now that the Philistines are once again about to make war with the people, and Saul may have it in his mind that David has joined forces with them.
Saul inquires of the LORD what he should do when he sees the Philistine army amassing and preparing for battle, but the LORD does not answer Saul because he has rejected him as king. Saul still hasn't gotten the message that the LORD wants him to step aside and let David lead the people. If Saul had done that and put himself in subjection to David, then perhaps things would not have needed to end so badly for Saul and his house, but as it is, Saul will bring about destruction not just on himself, but on all his heirs. When Saul doesn't receive an answer from the LORD, he remembers how he used to always be able to go to Samuel, and he would tell Saul what the LORD said. Oh, how he missed Samuel, especially now that Samuel was dead, though Samuel had not spoken to Saul for some time before his death. Saul comes up with one of his crazy ideas that sounds completely fine to him, but he should have known better.....he thinks that if only there was a way to talk to Samuel from beyond the grave, Samuel might still speak to Saul for the LORD, though Samuel is dead. Saul cannot accept that the LORD is not speaking to him because the LORD has rejected him as king and has nothing more to say to him. Saul will get his wish, but the answer he is going to get is not favorable. Saul even tried to go to the high priest (remember this is a high priest that Saul appointed because he killed all the priests in Nob that helped David, and the true high priest is with David right now), and the LORD would not answer the inquiries of the man that Saul called "high priest" on Saul's behalf. The LORD also did not speak to Saul through dreams, nor did He send any of His other prophets (there were others after Samuel for sure). The LORD wanted Saul to get the message they were no longer on speaking terms, but Saul refuses to accept this and thinks he can manipulate the situation to make the LORD speak to him. Now the fact that there is even a medium in the Land and that Saul knows where to find her is troubling. The Law of the LORD required that all witches, sorcerers, necromancers, mediums, priests and priestesses of false gods, prophets of false gods and other false prophets, and all other persons that received their power and messages from demons should be put to death by being burnt with fire. Not even the tradition capital punishment of stoning was enough for the LORD here because he wanted the people to have the visual image that all these had their portion in the fiery judgment of hell, as would all those who joined them. Saul has failed in his duties as king to put those that risked the spiritual safety of the people of God to death because he's so busy fighting the Philistines in physical battle. Now he not only has let this medium back into the Land since Samuel died, but he knows exactly where to go to find her. If he knew this, why did he not go out to drive her out of the Land long ago, and why does she feel safe when he approaches? The fact that Saul goes to this medium tells us just how far away from the LORD he has gotten--this same man in the beginning of the book had the Spirit of the LORD come upon him so that he prophesied along with all the other prophets, but now he is consorting with mediums because the LORD will no longer speak to him. Now Saul hires this medium to conjure up whoever he names, and she agrees after questioning him to try to make sure it is not a trap (for she knows what she is doing is punishable by death), and Saul swears by the name of the LORD that nothing will happen to her (again, how he has fallen that he would swear such an oath). He asks her to conjure up Samuel and once Samuel actually appears and speaks to Saul, she recognizes Saul for who he is and thinks she has been lied to and tricked. She expects trickery and deceit because that is what she does, so she expected the same from others. In this case, she got a lot more than she bargained for, because normally he "gift" was all tricks and theatrics, but this time, the LORD actually let Samuel come back to speak to Saul, and she sees Samuel coming back and is scared because she realized she was not in control here--the LORD was the one in control of this "meeting." All she can do now is ask Saul what he sees and hears as the vision and message were not meant for her. We also see the heart of Saul here because he bows down to show homage to Samuel, and I'm not sure Samuel would have approved of that at this point. Samuel actually speaks to Saul (again, the medium would be shocked here because the spirits she conjured were not supposed to speak by themselves, but where supposed to speak through here as a "medium" so that she could control the message). Samuel asks why Saul disturbed his rest--an image used much in the Old and New Testaments for what comes for those of us who are saved after what we call "death" in this life (see the book of Hebrews and how it speaks of entering God's Sabbath rest when we die). Saul tells Samuel that his heart is troubled because the Philistines are once again assembling for war, and he needs guidance, and the LORD will not answer him. Samuel asks what can he tell him if the LORD has made Saul his enemy and chosen not to speak to him? Is Samuel greater than the LORD that he could deliver a message from the LORD when the LORD has no message to give to Saul? Samuel reminds Saul that the kingdom has been taken away from Saul and given to David. That is a certainty in the LORD's eyes, and David is now the king of Israel, even though Saul is the current occupant of the palace in Jerusalem and David is in hiding among the Philistines. Then Samuel reminds Saul that all this is because of his disobedience back when the LORD told him clearly to make war with the Amalekites, and he refused to do so. Back then he was told that the sin of rebellion was as the sin of witchcraft, and here he is consorting with mediums in the sin of witchcraft. The LORD surely knew Saul's heart. "Obedience is better than sacrifice" is still the message that Saul needs to hear and hopefully this reminder of Samuel takes Saul back to that last message that he ever heard Samuel speak to him when Samuel was alive. Then Saul gets a message he did not expect. Because of Saul's rebellion and his refusal to give up the throne, the whole nation will be judges for it is actually the LORD's will that the Philistines attack and be victorious and that they take over the whole Land and Saul and all his sons will die in the battle, which is sad because we know that Jonathan did nothing wrong to David and desired to serve him. Saul fell to the ground and lost all of his strength because of the message that was spoken to him and because he had not had anything to eat all day and all night. Even the Witch of En-dor was concerned for him so that she wanted to prepare a meal for him so that he might regain some strength for his journey, and then she wanted to get him out of her house for she wasn't sure what might happen next. He initially refused her hospitality, but the witch and the servants of Saul that were with him all encouraged him to eat, so she prepared his last meal for him--she killed the fattened calf for him and made fresh bread for him and all his men. Yet Saul knows that no matter how much strength he has for the coming battle, the outcome is now certain. Philistia will win, Israel will be conquered, Saul and all his sons will die in battle, and David will (eventually) reign over all of Israel. It is the will and Word of the LORD. 1 Samuel 27 English Standard Version David Flees to the Philistines 27 Then David said in his heart, “Now I shall perish one day by the hand of Saul. There is nothing better for me than that I should 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.” 2 So David arose and went over, he and the six hundred men who were with him, to Achish the son of Maoch, king of Gath. 3 And David lived with Achish at Gath, he and his men, every man with his household, and David with his two wives, Ahinoam of Jezreel, and Abigail of Carmel, Nabal's widow. 4 And when it was told Saul that David had fled to Gath, he no longer sought him. 5 Then David said to Achish, “If I have found favor in your eyes, let a place be given me in one of the country towns, that I may dwell there. For why should your servant dwell in the royal city with you?” 6 So that day Achish gave him Ziklag. Therefore Ziklag has belonged to the kings of Judah to this day. 7 And the number of the days that David lived in the country of the Philistines was a year and four months. 8 Now David and his men went up and made raids against the Geshurites, the Girzites, and the Amalekites, for these were the inhabitants of the land from of old, as far as Shur, to the land of Egypt. 9 And David would strike the land and would leave neither man nor woman alive, but would take away the sheep, the oxen, the donkeys, the camels, and the garments, and come back to Achish. 10 When Achish asked, “Where have you made a raid today?” David would say, “Against the Negeb of Judah,” or, “Against the Negeb of the Jerahmeelites,” or, “Against the Negeb of the Kenites.” 11 And David would leave neither man nor woman alive to bring news to Gath, thinking, “lest they should tell about us and say, ‘So David has done.’” Such was his custom all the while he lived in the country of the Philistines. 12 And Achish trusted David, thinking, “He has made himself an utter stench to his people Israel; therefore he shall always be my servant.” David returns the Philistines for safety from King Saul, but this time they greet him openly because they have become aware of how Saul (and much of Israel with him) is trying to hunt down and kill David and it is to their advantage to have David on their side if war breaks out with Israel, for they think that David will fight with them against Israel. In fact, the king of Philistia is willing to give David and his men an entire city this time, so that they were free to come and go as they pleased without anyone really watching over them.
David took advantage of this to conduct raids against the peoples that were supposed to be destroyed in the Conquest of Moses and Joshua, but were not fully destroyed, but he would be careful to kill all the men, women, and children and take all the livestock so that there was no evidence left of the towns he attacked and no one would find out who attacked them or what happened to them. When he returned to Philistia, he lied to the king and told him that he had been conducting raids against the inhabitants of the Negeb/Negev (the southern part of Israel that is desert between Jerusalem and Egypt). The king of Philistia believed David and it encouraged him to think that David hated Israel and that Israel hated David, so the Philistines were pleased to let David and his men live with them for a year and four months. For he thought, “He has made himself an utter stench to his people Israel; therefore he shall always be my servant.” In the next chapter, Achish, the king of Philistia, will try to conscript David and his men to fight with him against Israel, but we won't see how that ends until chapter 29 because there is something more important happening with Saul in chapter 28--Saul consults with a medium to once again try to hear the voice of Samuel, and the LORD will allow Samuel's spirit to come back and speak to Saul one last time, but Saul is not going to like what Samuel and the LORD have to say. 1 Samuel 26 English Standard Version David Spares Saul Again 26 Then the Ziphites came to Saul at Gibeah, saying, “Is not David hiding himself on the hill of Hachilah, which is on the east of Jeshimon?” 2 So Saul arose and went down to the wilderness of Ziph with three thousand chosen men of Israel to seek David in the wilderness of Ziph. 3 And Saul encamped on the hill of Hachilah, which is beside the road on the east of Jeshimon. But David remained in the wilderness. When he saw that Saul came after him into the wilderness, 4 David sent out spies and learned that Saul had indeed come. 5 Then David rose and came to the place where Saul had encamped. And David saw the place where Saul lay, with Abner the son of Ner, the commander of his army. Saul was lying within the encampment, while the army was encamped around him. 6 Then David said to Ahimelech the Hittite, and to Joab's brother Abishai the son of Zeruiah, “Who will go down with me into the camp to Saul?” And Abishai said, “I will go down with you.” 7 So David and Abishai went to the army by night. And there lay Saul sleeping within the encampment, with his spear stuck in the ground at his head, and Abner and the army lay around him. 8 Then Abishai said to David, “God has given your enemy into your hand this day. Now please let me pin him to the earth with one stroke of the spear, and I will not strike him twice.” 9 But David said to Abishai, “Do not destroy him, for who can put out his hand against the LORD's anointed and be guiltless?” 10 And David said, “As the LORD lives, the LORD will strike him, or his day will come to die, or he will go down into battle and perish. 11 The Lord forbid that I should put out my hand against the LORD's anointed. But take now the spear that is at his head and the jar of water, and let us go.” 12 So David took the spear and the jar of water from Saul's head, and they went away. No man saw it or knew it, nor did any awake, for they were all asleep, because a deep sleep from the LORD had fallen upon them. 13 Then David went over to the other side and stood far off on the top of the hill, with a great space between them. 14 And David called to the army, and to Abner the son of Ner, saying, “Will you not answer, Abner?” Then Abner answered, “Who are you who calls to the king?” 15 And David said to Abner, “Are you not a man? Who is like you in Israel? Why then have you not kept watch over your lord the king? For one of the people came in to destroy the king your lord. 16 This thing that you have done is not good. As the LORD lives, you deserve to die, because you have not kept watch over your lord, the LORD's anointed. And now see where the king's spear is and the jar of water that was at his head.” 17 Saul recognized David's voice and said, “Is this your voice, my son David?” And David said, “It is my voice, my lord, O king.” 18 And he said, “Why does my lord pursue after his servant? For what have I done? What evil is on my hands? 19 Now therefore let my lord the king hear the words of his servant. If it is the LORD who has stirred you up against me, may he accept an offering, but if it is men, may they be cursed before the LORD, for they have driven me out this day that I should have no share in the heritage of the LORD, saying, ‘Go, serve other gods.’ 20 Now therefore, let not my blood fall to the earth away from the presence of the LORD, for the king of Israel has come out to seek a single flea like one who hunts a partridge in the mountains.” 21 Then Saul said, “I have sinned. Return, my son David, for I will no more do you harm, because my life was precious in your eyes this day. Behold, I have acted foolishly, and have made a great mistake.” 22 And David answered and said, “Here is the spear, O king! Let one of the young men come over and take it. 23 The LORD rewards every man for his righteousness and his faithfulness, for the LORD gave you into my hand today, and I would not put out my hand against the LORD's anointed. 24 Behold, as your life was precious this day in my sight, so may my life be precious in the sight of the LORD, and may he deliver me out of all tribulation.” 25 Then Saul said to David, “Blessed be you, my son David! You will do many things and will succeed in them.” So David went his way, and Saul returned to his place. This is going to sound a lot like the passage a couple chapters ago when David saved Saul's life. In fact, it is the same people that go to Saul again to tell him where David was hiding. Saul came to the wilderness area where David was hiding with 3,000 men (just like before) and this time, David sent out spies and knew that Saul was looking for him.
David sees Saul's camp with Abner, the commander of Saul's forces laying right next to Saul. With one blow, David could have taken out both the king and the commander of the army. In fact, that seems to be the very idea that Abishai had when David and Abishai went down into the camp together. Abishai wanted to strike Saul, but David said that it would be up to the LORD to strike Saul, or to let him die of natural causes--either way, Saul's life was in the hands of the LORD, and Him alone. They did however want to let Saul know they had been there, so they took the spear and the jug of water that were at Saul's head so that it would once again be made clear to Saul that David could have easily killed Saul if he had wanted to, but he didn't want to. He would not lay a hand on the LORD's anointed. You may wonder how it was that they got so close and no one woke up. The text tells us that the LORD put everyone in Saul's camp into deep sleep so that even though David and Abishai are talking to each other, no one would wake up. David then went over to a hill where they were far enough away that they didn't fear being attacked, but close enough that the whole camp could still see and hear them. They called out to the camp, and specifically to Abner, asking him why he had failed to keep watch over the king (Abner should not have been asleep next to the king). David says that Abner deserves to die for dereliction of duty and David admits that one of his men wanted to kill the king and had the opportunity to do so, but that the spear and the jug of water should be proof of how close they got and that they had spared Saul's life. Saul recognized David's voice and called out to him, once again calling him "son." David asks why then Saul is pursuing him and trying to kill him? David says that if there is some sin that angered the LORD so that the king is hunting David by the LORD's command, then he asks that he be allowed to offer an acceptable sacrifice (for David is saying that he has not knowingly committed any acts of open rebellion for which the LORD would not accept a sacrifice--we'll see David say that later after his sin with Bathsheba, because he know there is no sacrifice he can make for the high-handed sins of rebellion that he committed). David then says that if it is the words of men which have inclined Saul's heart to pursue David that Saul should consider those men accursed, because they are trying to drive David away from his ancestral land and trying to drive him away into the pagan nations so that he might turn to other gods. David then once again claims he is nothing more than a flea and that he doesn't deserve all this attention that the king is giving to him. The king certainly has more important things to do than to hunt down one lowly shepherd boy from Bethlehem. I'm not sure if this is true or false humility here, but it certainly doesn't reflect everything that we know to be true of David...he has been anointed as the next king of Israel, and that's a pretty big deal. Saul again invites David to return with him and promises to stop seeking harm to David, but David stays out in the wilderness with his men, awaiting the LORD's timing. David knew he should not go back with Saul for it wasn't time for him to be in the palace again, but that day was coming. David knows that Saul will not stop hunting for him...David can't believe the words that are coming out of Saul's mouth because he's already spoken words like this and, yet, here he is again seeking to kill David just like the last time he promised he'd never do this again. So, David will flea to the Philistines again. We'll pick up there next time. |
Daniel WestfallI will mostly use this space for recording my "journal" from my daily devotions as I hope to encourage others to read the Bible along with me and to leave a legacy for others. Archives
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