1 SAMUEL LESSON 32
We will begin this lesson in I Samuel 29:1 "Now the Philistines
gathered together all their armies to Aphek: and the Israelites
pitched by a fountain which [is] in Jezreel."
This is a continuation from chapter 28, where Saul had just been
told that he and his sons will die in this war with the Philistines.
"Aphek" means a fortress. This area of Jezreel has been a popular
place for battles. Achish believes the men of David are with them, and
against Israel. We must remember that, all of this is a plan of God to
replace Saul.
I Samuel 29:2 "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."
God has placed David and his men at the rear of this group, so
they will not be involved in the death of their brother Hebrews. The
other Philistines, that are not with Achish, do not like the idea of
David and his men being in this group.
I Samuel 29:3 "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 will have Hebrews in front of them, and Hebrews
behind them, and this begins to bother them. Achish, quickly, comes to
the defense of David and his men. He is not aware that David killed as
many Philistines as he did. You remember, he thought David was raiding
Israelites, when he came and shared his animals he had won in battle.
I Samuel 29:4 "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 Philistines do not like the explanation, that Achish
has given for David and his men. Their fear that David's loyalty will
return back to Saul, is really bothering them. They insist that Achish
send David back to wait out the battle. They do not want David and his
men to turn on them in battle, and they will have to fight on both
sides. They believe that David would become an adversary to them to
win favor back with Saul. "Adversary" in this, means opponent, or
arch-enemy. They are just sure that David and his men will turn on
them, to find favor with Saul.
I Samuel 29:5 "[Is] not this David, of whom they sang one to
another in dances, saying, Saul slew his thousands, and David his ten
thousands?"
These men are aware of the reputation that David had for killing
thousands of the Philistines. The main reason he was in trouble with
Saul, was because of the songs the women had sung about David killing
tens of thousands of Philistines. These Philistines are not sure that
David would not turn on them, and kill thousands again.
I Samuel 29:6 "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."
It is strange for a Philistine to recognize the Eternal God. That
is what is in the statement of Achish, above, however. It truly is the
LORD, who gets David out of this battle. The LORD has already
determined that Saul and the Israelites will lose this battle to the
Philistines. This is divine intervention, to keep David from being
involved in this destruction of the Israelites. Achish sends David
home.
I Samuel 29:7 "Wherefore now return, and go in peace, that thou
displease not the lords of the Philistines."
It was the desire of Achish for David to be with him, but he bows
to the wishes of the other Philistine lords. Achish is telling David,
that he has no quarrel with him returning, and not being involved with
this battle against the Israelites. The beautiful thing, in this, is
the working of the LORD. The LORD is protecting David in this. He will
not be responsible for the death of Saul.
I Samuel 29:8 "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 does not want to show his pleasure in the possibility of
him not fighting against his own people. David reminds Achish, that he
has not come against him at any time. All of this loyalty is, perhaps,
to get in the good graces of Achish. I can easily see the working of
the LORD in all of this.
I Samuel 29:9 "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."
Even though David had killed so many Philistines, it appears he
had been loyal to Achish. Achish feels some kinship with David. He
feels that David has ministered to him personally, as well, being a
great help. This reminds me so much of the following Scripture
Proverbs 16:7 "When a man's ways please the LORD, he maketh even his
enemies to be at peace with him."
I Samuel 29:10 "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."
This seems to mean that some of the men of Saul have deserted and
come over to the side of David at this time. Many of the Israelites
knew, the things that Saul was doing against David, was wrong. David
would take all of his men, and go back into the land of the
Philistines at dawn the next morning, before the battle starts.
I Samuel 29:11 "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."
This lesson is all about the divine intervention of the LORD to
keep David pure, and attacking his own people. By the third day after
David left this area, he would be back in Ziklag, which was his own
city. It would have been dishonest to stay and watch, after Achish
sent David away himself. The LORD, Himself, set this whole thing into
motion. David is innocent of killing Hebrews. He is, also, innocent at
this time of dishonoring his word to Achish.
1 Samuel 32 Questions
1. Where did the Philistines gather their army?
2. Where did the Israelites pitch their tents?
3. What does "Aphek" mean?
4. What does Achish believe about David?
5. How many Philistines came to this battle?
6. Where were David's men stationed?
7. Who complained about the men of David being in this battle?
8. Why did Achish say, that David would be loyal to him?
9. The Philistines would have Hebrews in _______ of them and Hebrews
_______ them, if David stayed.
10. How had David deceived Achish?
11. What did the princes of the Philistines insist on David doing?
12. What did they say David would be to them to prove his loyalty to
Saul?
13. What does "adversary" mean?
14. What did they say the women had sung about David?
15. What was the main reason David was in trouble with Saul?
16. What is strange about the statement, that Achish makes in verse 6?
17. Who truly gets David out of this battle?
18. What does Achish tell David to do?
19. What beauty from the LORD is in this?
20. In verse 8, what does David remind Achish of?
21. What does Achish call David in verse 9?
22. Quote Proverbs chapter 16 verse 7.
23. When is David to return home?
24. Who has been added to David's men?
25. What is this lesson all about?
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